Using the Konica Minolta Dimage A2 In 2020

[@5argetech56]

2023 and My Dimage A2 is still going strong! The battery grip makes all the difference. Still my favorite camera!

[@ThePhotographersStone]

Same here. I still enjoy using the a2. A lot of people now are looking for that vintage retro look and this camera still performs with quite pleasing images. It's really all you need for documenting life even in 2023.

[@JG-Nurse-Entrepreneur]

Finally someone made a video about this camera in 2020. I so love this camera and brings back good ol memories! I couldn't let it go and I still have it in my camera bag. 😁

[@MartyGreenwell]

I still have an Olympus OM-10 in mine :)

[@JG-Nurse-Entrepreneur]

@@MartyGreenwell I also still have my Minolta X700! I so want to get a copy of the legendary Dynax 9/Maxxxum 9. Hope you do a video on film cameras too! 😁

[@sebandsheep]

@@JG-Nurse-Entrepreneur dynax 9 that was amazing camera...well ahead of its time I remember...shutter speed 1/ 12000 s...not only that ... design was amazing... would be even today!!!

[@CONEHEADDK]

I can buy one, that seems to be in very good condition for about 10 US dollars. Anyone that can tell me about its ability to take close ups of fx jewellery or insects? I make things and tie flies aso, and need something to take reasonable close ups with.

[@dalcoz]

I still have mine from 2004, everything on it still works 100% even the batteries still hold full charge, and the battery grip makes it feel so much better to hold. The cost back then was $2,000 in Australia.👍👍👍

[@robstammers7149]

Great video, I have the A1 and A2, both boxed, and in mint condition and fully working, with accessories, remote control, battery grip. These cameras are just so good, I love them, I use them, another commenter suggests just using them in RAW mode, and I agree. I don't tilt the screen or the viewfinder to preserve the delicate electronic ribbon connectors. All in all, the A1 & A2 maybe aging, but in 2022 these cameras should be in your bag.

[@MartyGreenwell]

The thing with cams today is they all look the same - this era there were loads of interesting different designs, that's what I like most of all I think.

[@snsdfx1]

Would you recommend the Minolta a1/a2 to a beginner? And which one do you prefer more

[@primerim2799]

My first "real" camera! Still have it. In the way this video made me sad - it's like getting old and remembering back in the day. "Holds up well given the limitations..." You can say that bout all of us getting old !

[@MartyGreenwell]

My creaking knees hear you :)

[@airwolf1337]

I still have my Minolta dImage A1 from 2003 :).

[@janw.jensen2490]

Yes, but are you using it? I have used mine for a year now, nearly shot 10000 pictures with it. ISO 50. It's almost like shooting film... Nice, little camera. In 2003 you could'nt use it, it drained the batterys so fast, but now the batterys are so much better...

[@airwolf1337]

@@janw.jensen2490 No, i stopped using it at around 2010. In 2007, my A1 suffered the "sensor rot" problem. After contacting Minolta, they offered me a free repair, even if the camera was out of warranty at this time. They changed the sensor and it worked again :).

[@airwolf1337]

@@janw.jensen2490 i just put it out the closet wall, charged the battery for a few minutes, and it turned on! Still has the 1GB CF card in from 2010, with photos of it xD. Took a few pictures, but battery went low. Nice to know that it still works, 20 years after i bought it :).

[@frequentlycynical642]

Well done video. I've been bemoaning the fact that phone cameras are so much more advanced than stand alone's due to computerization and things like pixel binning. Yes, I'm very much aware of pixel sizes. Been doing digital since about 1999. I've owned all of the DiMAGE series, D5, D7, A1, A2. Anyway, I was looking at fixed lens point and shoots and remembered my A2. Took it off the shelf and am starting to refamiliarize myself with it. (I bought a new Pentax DSLR in 2016 and stopped using it a year later, went back to film and the always handy and often amazing phone camera.) I found out that I had three whopping 4GB CF cards and a 2GB. Wow, we've come a long way. And the manual mostly refers to using 128MB memory card! On a suspicion, I check Amazon and sure enough, one can buy a CF/SD or Micro SD adapter for $15. The biggest downside, and not examined, is the video. The frame size is .8mp! Yes, POINT 8. Worthless for anything other than proving you really did bungee jump off of the bridge. I'd be glad to pay a few hundred dollars for a camera I can actually hold, and has actual knobs and dials that can do what a ho-hum tech phone camera can do. Pixel binning, auto HDR, at least 2K video, etc.

[@markteeee]

I think that EVF was advanced for the time but also a weak point, I eventually stopped using mine when the EVF packed up but I am still impressed by the ergonomics and image quality of this camera.

[@MartyGreenwell]

EVF tech has massively moved on, today's EVFs are pretty stunning, so it's easy to look through the viewfinders of cams this age and think they're terrible (which they are for today's market), but you're right, at the time this was an advanced cam.

[@paulqueripel3493]

The weak point is the ribbon cable for the movable viewfinder. They've been known to break.

[@MartyGreenwell]

And tricky to find parts for, so useful info to know - thanks for sharing.

[@thegroove2000]

Just ordered one from a trusted eBay seller. Selling my Lumix FZ300 as the sensor is just not as captivating as the CCD. Something unique about the CCD images. Not the most detailed but vibes,,,,, it's about the vibes man.

[@MartyGreenwell]

Hope you have fun with it. The Olympus E-510/E-410 is worth seeking out for the CCD sensor too (the 5 has IBIS) - really should pull my finger out and get a vid done on that.

[@thegroove2000]

@@MartyGreenwell Nice thanks.

[@thegroove2000]

@@MartyGreenwell What's the stabilisation like on the Konica?.

[@thegroove2000]

@@MartyGreenwell According to the many reviews, the stabilisation seems to work well in the telephoto range. We will see.

[@thegroove2000]

@@MartyGreenwell Hi have you ever tried bracketing exposures with the Konica?

[@krishnastock]

Thanks for this Marty! I owned the Konica Minolta Dimage 7i when it was first released. Although I currently shoot high-end Sony mirrorless I just bought the A2 prior to watching this video! Btw, afaik it's pronounced dimAAGE (think French)! Cheers!

[@MartyGreenwell]

Cool, thanks - it seems that these cams are a bit of a forgotten hero, for their time they were quite advanced. I'd be interested to know if you get the same interference issue with the EVF when the camere is pointing at a bright light source.

[@krishnastock]

@@MartyGreenwell My new/old A2 is scheduled for delivery this Tuesday. I'll check the EVF and report.

[@krishnastock]

@@MartyGreenwell The camera arrived later than I had anticipated but it's here now and performing well! I have not experienced any banding or interference with the EVF when the camera is pointed at bright light sources!

[@rob_silveira]

Most of superzoom type cameras of today have no important options that there are in this A2, such as manual focus, manual zoom and 2.8 aperture lens. It's very interesting the advances and the regressions on the cameras.

[@MartyGreenwell]

I definitely don't like the disappearance of manual zooms on modern bridge cameras. Understandable on the compacts, but it's just another thing to go wrong and they're always sooooooooo slow.

[@unbroken1010]

Lumix does

[@CONEHEADDK]

@@MartyGreenwell Stoopid "inovation" seems to go on in all pieces of life. I hate my "helpers" demanding to think for me. A modern motorcycle battery charger costs a fortune, and can't charge on a battery, that is empty. So I have bought a used 12 v adapter from something for 2 bucks, and use that - has worked for years..

[@matth.imaging8952]

The long write time to the CF card only happens when RAW+JPG is used. But when selecting RAW only, write times are fast. Be sure to use the latest firmware (IIRC 1.14) as it is faster in this respect than older firmware versions. When using RAW, this camera really shines. The JPG engine is not that great. I use the camera solely on RAW nowadays. Just load them into e.g. Lightroom to get the most of this camera.

[@MartyGreenwell]

Top tip - thanks for sharing the info.

[@alexanderyuvensky4913]

Dimage A2 is a good camera even in 2021! Thanks to its lens. But the sensor is quite noisy and has a maximum ISO of 800. It is impossible to shoot from your hands at sunset and at dusk. Only using a tripod. Thanks for video!

[@MartyGreenwell]

Yeah, all of these old digital cameras tend to suffer from the same ISO noise issues - just shows how far sensor tech has moved on. That said, back in the film days you stuck your Kodak Ektachrome E100 and had no choice but to nail your exposure on a tripod :)

[@Incdvideo]

Interesting Review . Kool Camera ,

[@scrooge6975]

I bought mine in mint condition for 40 USD. Anyone knew where to find Dimage Control or Dimage Capture? As 2023 that software is gone from interwebs

[@MartyGreenwell]

I did have a quick look as mine came with "box and accessories", but I can't find the box :/ - you'd probably struggle running the software on modern OS anyway - if I come across the box later on, I'll add it to the Internet Archive.

[@scrooge6975]

@@MartyGreenwell dimage viewer works flawless with win10. Also compability options helps, so there is no issues.

[@thegroove2000]

Denoise via post processing for sure.

[@CONEHEADDK]

I can buy one, that seems to be in very good condition for about 10 US dollars. Anyone that can tell me about its ability to take close ups of fx jewellery or insects? I make things and tie flies aso, and need something to take reasonable close ups with.

[@pokeitwithastick7869]

Anybody? Is this camera and following items with it; Good enough to justify spending some money on for..... I have one of these I from somewhere years ago never been able to use it no cf-1 adapter came with it - i know they can be bought online is this good enough to do pix and especially video for bugs and critters for youtube? (any suggestions on settings?) for that purpose/close ups..? a look in the manual is daunting all the buttons and settings in the book also has a wide angle lens/ affix But I need a macro lens for insects right? -also came with 3 filters 1- uv filter 1 -marked FLD filter 1 -polarizer filter (but it has fungus like mushroom mycelium in between- the 2 glass discs will I ruin it if I soak in isopropyl?) is it worth/good enough to spend the $ on a macro lens-if there is one that fits and cf-1 adapter card? I'm on low income and -don't want to buy things to be able to use it if my 8mp iPhone 6 is can do just as good for video but its not steady-easy to get great vids thanks

[@MartyGreenwell]

Unless you really have an interest in vintage digital cameras, I wouldn't be buying something like this to do content creation on - I don't think you'd really gain anything from this over an iPhone 6 tbh, certainly not for video. If you can get accessories for cheap, then why not, but I wouldn't be spending a fortune, just use it as is and have some fun with the cam. Also, anything with fungus - get rid of it unless you can get shot of it completely, if you put this with other kit, eventually the spores from it will get into other stuff. IPA is unlikely to damage if it's all glass.

[@warvickofficial7557]

Im from india Im having my grand father's konica minolta dimage A1 and realy it got old i just want restore it for him Camera got lens problem Any suggestions for resoreation Were did i get help

[@MartyGreenwell]

Minolta doesn't exist any more as a company (it was bought by Sony years ago), so parts for this camera aren't readily available, You might be able to replace the lens assembly from a for parts camera if you're able to do the work yourself, otherwise I doubt it's economically viable compared to getting a working used one from an auction site. So, sorry, this probably isn't the most helpful answer to you :) Good luck with your repairs should you attempt it.

[@sjhstone]

A1 uses faulty Sony sensors and the CCD might be dead.

[@bigdave4934]

@@sjhstone Yes, CCD may be dead. My A1 was recalled by the company to have the faulty CCD replaced. They did a very bad job on it though as it has a big chunk of dust between the lens and the CCD :(

[@sebandsheep]

Interesting 👍 thanks for sharing

[@MartyGreenwell]

You're welcome

[@outfield1988]

Bought one on EBay for 50

[@MartyGreenwell]

Nice. Have fun with it.

[@outfield1988]

@@MartyGreenwell thanks for the reply you deserve a follow from me

[@outfield1988]

@@MartyGreenwell Coolest looking camera ever.

[@unbroken1010]

I feel like we just got married. You should have asked first 🤷

[@ВладСемёнов-э9п]

👎👎👎👎👎👎👊