Which one????

[digitalman]

Hey there everyone which one should i get the minolta dimage A1 or the A2.These are my 2 final choices but i cant choose which one.Any help & comments would help

Thanks
Digi

[jawz]

As your research has no doubt already told you, you won't go wrong with either of these fine cameras. It all boils down to what you intend to do with the camera, and how much money you care to spend.

Unless you plan to make 297mm x 420mm (A3 ) prints, you won't need 8 Mpxp resolution, and you will be paying a premium for; (a) the initial cost of the A2, (b) the recurring cost of larger CF cards (for the equivalent number of shots, (c) the cost in time to down load larger files than you are going to use--and the cost of storing these files.

I am very happy with my A1, and have no motivation to move to an A2. I chose the A1 because I principally needed [wanted] a camera with at least 28mm wide angle at the short end of the zoom range and decent tele at the long end--200mm is just fine. I really didn't care that much about resolution--3 to 4 Mpxl suits my needs. The A1 with its excellent GT lens and the [now can't live without] AS made it a no-brainer choice for me.

Keep in mind that both of these cameras has a relatively small (2/3 size) sensor. Sensor noise is a function of pixel size, so the more pixels that you cram into a given size array, the smaller the pixel and the greater the noise. So if all things are held equal, the A2 may have greater noise than the A1.

[digitalman]

anyone else??

[sjm817]

In the USA, its like $600 Vs $1100. I'll be ordering an A1 this week. I dont need 8 MP. The A1 is an incredible value. The A2 has a bigger MP size, improved EVF and AF speed, and a few other minor tweaks, but not enough for me to pay almost double the price of an A1. I think the A1 will have less of an issue with noise at higher ISO as well.

[NHL]

Like what was already posted, you can't go wrong with either... only you can decide. Personally I'll go for the A2 just because of the improved EVF alone (plus I already have similar 5/6Mp resolution cameras...).

Memory is cheap especially with the microdrives, and we don't fully have all the RAW support from 3rd party yet, so the A2 output is still a TBD. Check with Dell... depending on if you've and account with them or not, the A2 there cost significantly less than retail...

[slipe]

I’m with NHL. I really lust for that great EVF on the A2. I wouldn’t consider it at the current price though. If you can wait a couple of months for the price to come down and for some good reviews it might be a good choice.

I have a wide format printer. I have really grown to like nice 13 X 19 prints on my wall compared to 8 X 10s that get lost. The very best crop I can get gives 135PPI for a 13 X 19. And I usually end up trimming a little off besides that. An 8Mp image gives a 13 X 19 a lot closer to the best my printer is capable of.

Digital images if taken care of are your lifetime memories and you don’t know what your future needs or preferences might be. All else being equal (it seldom is) 8Mp is better for those lifetime memories than 5Mp. Memory is too cheap for that to be a consideration IMO. The A2 has a glitch that you can take raw+ jpg images without a significant delay between shots, so it has a decent buffer. But raw alone has an unacceptable write delay. Minolta is good at correcting things with firmware – I hope they fix that.

[NHL]

Originally Posted by slipe

The A2 has a glitch that you can take raw+ jpg images without a significant delay between shots, so it has a decent buffer. But raw alone has an unacceptable write delay. Minolta is good at correcting things with firmware – I hope they fix that.

I believe you might have it the other way around... ~11MB x 3 is about 32MB, the A2's buffers.
IMO If it is raw+ jpg, probably around 16MB+ this size of file will immediately overflow the A2 buffer after the 2nd shot!

[sjm817]

Originally Posted by slipe

I’m with NHL. I really lust for that great EVF on the A2. I wouldn’t consider it at the current price though. If you can wait a couple of months for the price to come down and for some good reviews it might be a good choice.

You guys are killin me! I've been looking since Nov and am ready to buy (finally!) I cant see spending an extra $500 for the A2 over the A1. Now I wonder if I should wait for the price drops.....I have some events coming up that I want to use the camera for. Eh, there is always something new down the road. I'm sure the A1 will be very nice. The $500 saved will buy me a flash, some memory, a bag and I'll still have money left over.

[JaJae]

A better place to pick these items up is at bwayphoto.us

The A1 is selling for $559 and the A2 for $899

[sjm817]

Reseller Ratings does not look good at all for that merchant. 1.08 out of a possible 10 for the last 6 mo. Cheap, but beware.
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1995.html

One review:

Review (Very Dissatisfied)
Posted by

2/24/04 3:12 PM
i ordered a digital camera and DV mini cam corder over the internet.Without a doubt this was the single worst retail experience I have ever had in over 35 years of retail and manufacturing marketing experience. I have never had a customer service or sales person call me a F------ idiot, to shut up and was I "all right" or a sick old man. I received no confirmation of items ordered, what the price was, and was shipped overnight air when I ordered ground. The invoice was for twice the money I agreed to spend on the internet order placed.I have returned all merchandise. On top of it the merchandise was defective and did not work properly.This experience was so bad that I am reporting it to the FTC, FCC, CA, NY consumer fraud division and the state consumer protection departments, as well as NYC Dept of consumer affairs.

:shock: :shock: :shock: