Minolta DiMAGE 7i Review

Last year Minolta stormed into the prosumer end of the market with what was the first five megapixel digital camera, the DiMAGE 7. Just a year later they announced the DiMAGE 7i seen as an progressive update to the 7. The DiMAGE 7i has a five megapixel CCD sensor and 28 - 200 mm equiv. (7x zoom) lens. Clearly the D7i is essentially an 'upgraded' D7, the body design, control layout and overall operation is virtually identical.

There are however some subtle differences as well as new features, these are summarized below.

Minolta DiMAGE 7i vs. DiMAGE 7 (differences)

	Minolta DiMAGE 7i	Minolta DiMAGE 7
Macro focal len.	• At 28 mm (equiv.) • Between 175 and 200 mm (equiv.)	• Between 175 and 200 mm (equiv.)
Continuous	• Standard continuous - 2.5 fps • UHS (Ultra High Speed) - 7 fps @ 1280 x 960	• Standard continuous - 1.2 fps
AF/AE Lock button	Labeled 'Spot'	Labeled 'AF/AEL'
Direct MF	Yes (for after AF adjustment)	No
Movie clips	• Standard: 320 x 240, 15 fps, max 60 secs with or without audio • Night movie: 320 x 240, 15 fps, 60 sec max, with or without audio • UHS: 640 x 480, 7 fps, without audio • Time-lapse movie: 640 x 480, 4 fps without audio	• Standard: 320 x 240, 15 fps, max 60 secs without audio
Voice memos	Yes, 5 or 15 seconds	No
Filters	Yes, 7 colour and 11 B&W	No
Live view overlay	• Standard display • Focus frame only • Standard display with histogram • Grid only • Scale only • Image only	• Standard display • Focus frame only • Image only
Flash modes	• ADI (Advanced distance integration) • Pre-flash TTL • Manual flash control	• ADI (Advanced distance integration) • Pre-flash TTL
Wireless flash	Yes	No
Batteries	• 4 x AA NiMH included • Charger included	• 4 x AA Alkalines included • NiMH rechargeable recommended
Compliance	• DPOF • EXIF 2.2 (ExifPrint) • Print Image Matching	• DPOF • Print Image Matching
Dimensions	117 x 91 x 123 mm (4.6 x 3.6 x 4.8 in)	117 x 91 x 113 mm (4.6 x 3.6 x 4.4 in)
Weight (inc batt)	627 g (1.4 lb)	603 g (1.3 lb)

Review notes (Important)

Because of the similarity to the DiMAGE 7 much of our review of that camera was used for at least the first half (body / operation / menus) of this review.

There are also two major sections of this review which are yet to be completed. These are the ISO sensitivity comparison test and scene comparison shot test. This is because I intend to compare the DiMAGE 7i to Nikon's Coolpix 5700. However, at this time a production Coolpix 5700 is not yet available. This review will be updated as soon as a production 5700 arrives.