New DiMAGE A2 features ultra-fast operation and high-speed start-up as well as several professional-type functions

Press Release: February 12, 2004 - Konica Minolta introduces the DiMAGE A2 SLR-type digital camera, a camera that inherits the excellent image quality and performance of the original DiMAGE A1 while being able to provide photographers with quality digital photographs comparable to an SLR camera. The DiMAGE A2 incorporates a high-quality 8-megapixel CCD and Super Fine Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) outperforming the previous model's resolution by 4 times to achieve extremely clear VGA-level images when both shooting and viewing.

Featuring a fast, innovative new 3D autofocusing (AF) system (1.5 times faster than the DiMAGE A1) with 3D Predicative Focus Control and Movement tracking, a fast built-in f/2.8 - 3.5 7x optical zoom lens, Anti-shake function for still images and VGA quality movies, CxProcess II Image Processing technology, the world's first VGA-resolution Viewfinder (approximately 922,000 pixels), UHS Continuous Advance rate of 7 frames per second, high-speed USB 2.0 support and compatibility with portable and studio flash systems, the DiMAGE A2 provides the tools digital photographers need to express their creativity and solve visual problems. In addition, Konica Minolta has also introduced new remote imaging software for use with the DiMAGE A2, the new DiMAGE Capture software, for enhanced creative capabilities.

"The new DiMAGE A2 digital camera represents a new generation of high-end digital camera quality and performance from Konica Minolta," said Jon Sienkiewicz, vice president of marketing, Konica Minolta's Camera Division. "The DiMAGE A2 provides creative digital photographers with excellent image quality in virtually any photographic situation. And multiple professional-type functions which fully utilize the camera's optical and image-processing technologies will please even the most demanding photographer."

The DiMAGE A2 comes equipped with an 8-megapixel 2/3-inch progressive primary-color CCD with 8.0 million effective pixels for super-high-resolution, making even individual hairs or the threads of a suit stand out in sharp detail. The 7x optical Konica Minolta GT APO lens ensures that light reaches the CCD sensor with maximum fidelity. Plus, Konica Minolta's CxProcess™ II image-processing technology ensures that the colors reproduce just the way the photographer sees them.

The DiMAGE A2's Super Fine electronic viewfinder (EVF) is sharp and clear thanks to a high-density display composed of 922,000-pixels, 4 times as many as the previous model. The EVF has also evolved to make digital photography even more of a pleasure. Precise focusing is amazingly easy, allowing the photographer to see the tiniest details in the most realistic colors. Switching into Smooth Mode provides 60 frames per second, making it a easy to focus on fast moving subjects.

As in the DiMAGE A1, the new DiMAGE A2 is equipped with an Anti-Shake function. The camera incorporates CCD shifting technology to minimize the effect of camera shake up to 800%. Konica Minolta's proprietary Anti-Shake function delivers a highly effective way to take high-quality images with hand-held shooting under telephoto and low lighting situations, even when a relative novice is handling the DiMAGE A2.

The DiMAGE A2's fast f2.8 - f3.5 7x optical zoom lens features an advanced apochromatic (APO) lens design employing anomalous dispersion (AD) glass to minimize chromatic aberration at all focal lengths and produce sharp, contrasty images. With a focal range of 7.2mm to 50.8mm, it is equivalent to a 28mm to 200mm zoom lens in 35mm format.

Konica Minolta's 3D AF provides seamless subject tracking as it focuses on moving subjects to capture sharp, high-quality images, even when they are coming straight toward the camera along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes of the picture frame. Pressing the shutter release button launches the 3D Predictive Focus Control, which calculates exactly where the subject will be and accurately focuses on that point at the time of exposure. The AF speed outstrips anything in its class for any SLR-type digital camera with non-interchangeable lens 5x or greater optical zoom.* The 3D AF and the focus speed combine to give hassle-free focusing.
*As of December 1st, 2003

The DiMAGE A2 also features high-quality movie recording at 544 x 408 pixels with audio at 30 frames per second, a resolution that looks great even when viewed on a TV screen. And the bundled video editing software turns users into movie makers.

Number of effective pixels

Approx. 8.0 million (3350 x 2482)

CCD

2/3-type interlaced primary-color CCD, total pixels: 8.3 millions

Camera sensitivity

Auto, ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800 equivalents

Aspect ratio

4:3, 3:2 (only for 3264 x 2176 mode)

Lens construction

16 elements in 13 groups (includes two AD glass elements and two aspheric elements)

Maximum aperture

f/2.8 - f/3.5

Focal length

7.2 - 50.8 mm (35mm format equivalent: 28 - 200 mm)

Focusing range (from CCD)

0.5 m / 1.6 feet to infinity
Macro: Wide 30 - 60 cm / 11.8 - 23.6 inch, Telephoto 25 - 60 cm / 9.8 - 23.6 inch

Maximum magnification

0.177x (Equivalent to 0.7x in 35mm format)
Area covered at maximum magnification (approx.):
52 x 39 mm / 2 x 1.5 inch (Telephoto), 283 x 213 mm / 11.1 x 8.4 inch (Wide)

Optical zooming control

Manual zooming ring

Autofocus system

Video AF. Focus lock available

Autofocus areas

Wide focus area / Spot focus point switchable, AF point movable to any desired place with in the area (FFP--Flex Focus Point control with spot focus point mode)

Focus modes

Autofocus: Single-shot AF, Continuous AF, Full-time AF, Movement-tracking AF
Manual focus with Flex Digital Magnifier (FDM) (3.3x electronic magnification)

Exposure modes

P (Programmed AE) (with program shift), A (Aperture priority), S (Shutter priority), M (Manual), AE lock available

Metering

Multi-segment (300 segments), Center-weighted, Spot (possible to work together with FFP control)

Exposure control range

P/ A modes: Wide; Ev -1.7 - 19, Telephoto; Ev -1.2 - 19.7
S / M modes: Wide; Ev -2 - 18, Telephoto; Ev -1.4 - 18

Shutter

CCD electronic shutter / mechanical shutter

Shutter speed range

30*- 1/4000 s (1/2000 s in S / M modes), Bulb (max. 30* s.) *(ISO 64 / 100)

White-balance control

Automatic, Preset (Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Shade, Cloudy, Flash), Custom (3 positions)

Digital Subject Programs

Portrait, Sports action, Sunset, Night portrait / Night View

Digital Effects Control

Color saturation, Contrast compensation, Filter

Exposure compensation

±2 Ev in 1/3 increments

Flash metering

ADI, Pre-flash TTL, Manual flash control

Flash-sync speeds

All shutter speeds

Flash modes

Fill-flash, Red-eye reduction, Rear flash sync, Wireless / Remote flash

Guide number

Approx. 8 / 26 (in meter / feet at ISO 100)

Built-in flash range (approx.)

(from CCD) Wide: 0.5 - 3.8 m / 1.6 - 12.5 feet,
Telephoto: 0.5 - 3 m / 1.6 - 9.8 feet (Camera sensitivity: auto)

Recycling time

5 seconds (approx.)

Flash compensation

±2 Ev in 1/3 increments

PC terminal

Incorporated

Viewfinder type

TTL Electronic viewfinder (EVF), Variable position: 0 - 90°, Automatic monitor amplification, Electronic magnification for manual focusing

Viewfinder LCD

11 mm / 0.44 inch TFT liquid crystal microdisplay, VGA size, Equivalent visual resolution: 922,000 pixels, Field of view: approx. 100%, Diagonal view angle: approx. 32°

Diopter control

-3.5 ~ +1.5 diopter (-3.5 m ^{- 1} ~ 1.5 m ^{- 1})

Eye relief

19.5 mm [from protection glass, in -1 diopter (-1 m ^{- 1})]

LCD Monitor

46 mm / 1.8 inch low-temperature polysilicon TFT color, Tilting (-20° to 90°)
Total pixels: 118,000, Field of view: 100% (approx.)

Display format

Recording mode: Live image (60 / 30 fps), Grid, Scale, Quick view, Instant playback, Real-time histogram, Various statuses
Playback mode: Single-frame, Index, Enlarged playback, Slide show, Movie, Histogram, Various statuses

Display-mode switch

Auto / EVF / External LCD-monitor

A/D conversion

12 bit

Built-in memory capacity

SDRAM 64 MB

File name formats

JPEG, TIFF, Motion JPEG (MOV), RAW, DCF 2.0-compliant,
DPOF (supported by printing functions in ver. 1.1), Exif 2.21

Printing output control

Exif Print 2.2.1, PRINT Image Matching II, PictBridge

Recording media

Type I and Type II CompactFlash cards,
Microdrive (170MB, 340MB, 512MB, 1GB, 4GB), SD card (with SD-CF1 in use)

Image-quality modes

RAW+JPEG, RAW, TIFF (uncompressed), Extra-Fine, Fine, Standard

Number of recorded pixels

Still images: 3264 x 2448, 3264 x 2176 (in 3:2 mode), 2560 x 1920, 2080 x 1560, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480
Movie clips: 320 x 240 (standard & night movie), 544 x 408 (standard movie / night movie), 640 x 480 (time-lapse movie)

Color modes

Natural (sRGB), Vivid (sRGB), Adobe RGB, Adobe RGB (ICC), B&W, Solarization

Sharpness setting

Three levels (Soft, Normal, Hard)

File size* (approx.)
(3264 x 2448)

RAW: 11.9 MB, RAW+JPEG: 15.8 MB, TIFF: 23.5 MB, Extra Fine: 7.9 MB, Fine: 4.0 MB
Standard 2.3 MB, Movie (544 x 408, 30 fps): 945 KB / second
*Numerical value may vary depending upon the subject.

Storage capacity* (32MB)(approx.)
(3264 x 2448)

RAW: 2 frames, RAW+JPEG: 1 frame, TIFF: 1 frame, Extra Fine: 3 frames, Fine: 7 frames, Standard: 13 frames
*Numerical value may vary depending upon the subject.

Continuous-advance modes

Hi-Speed continuous advance: max. 2.7 fps, RAW (3 frames) mode available.
UHS continuous advance: max. 7 fps

Interval recording

Interval time: 30 s / 1 - 10 / 15 / 20 / 30 / 45 / 60 min., 2 - 240 frames

Digital Enhanced Bracketing

Contrast, Color saturation, Filter: fixed increments
(Changeable increments: ± 5 increments). Number of brackets: 3 frames

Exposure bracketing

0.5 / 0.3 increments, number of brackets: 3 frames

Self-timer (approx.)

10 seconds / 2 seconds

Movie recording

Mode: Standard movie (544 x 408 / 320 x 240), Night movie,
Time-lapse movie
Max. recording time: 6 min. (544 x 408 / 30 fps), 15 min. (544 x 408 / 15fps, 320 x 240)

Audio

Voice memo: 15 seconds monaural audio, File format: WAVE

Exif tag information

Date and time, Camera settings (Exposure mode, Shutter speed, Aperture value, Exposure compensation value, Metering method, Flash on / off, Camera sensitivity, White balance setting, Focal length, etc.), Color space

Delete function

Single, multiple, or all frames can be deleted

Format function

Available (only for quick format)

Data imprinting

Year / month / day, Month / day / time, Text, Text and serial numbers

Digital zoom

2x

Batteries

One dedicated lithium-ion battery

Battery performance
(approx.)

Number of recording: 280 frames, Continuous playback time: 240 min. (with LCD monitor On)
(Konica Minolta measurement)

Operating time (approx.)

Start-up time: 1.8 / 1.8 s (in record / playback mode),
Shutter-release time lag: 0.05 s, Capturing interval: 0.9 s

External power source

6V DC (with specified AC adapter AC-1L)

PC interface

USB 2.0 Hi-Speed

AV output

NTSC / PAL

Dimensions (WxHxD)

117 x 85 x 113.5 mm / 4.6 x 3.3 x 4.5 inches

Weight

565 g / 19.8 ounces without batteries and recording media

Standard accessories

Dedicated Lithium-ion Battery NP400
Lithium-ion Battery Charger (without battery) BC-400
Neck Strap NS-DG4000
Lens Cap (49mm) LF-1349
Lens Shade for DiMAGE A2 DLS-2
Accessory Shoe Cap SC-10
Ferrite Core FRC-100
AV Cable AVC-400
USB Cable USB-500
DiMAGE Software CD-ROM (Includes DiMAGE Viewer)
Ulead VideoStudio CD-ROM (for Windows)