The Minolta Dimage 7, 7i, 7Hi series is a "pro-sumer" line of digital electronic viewfinder cameras from Minolta. These are also known as bridge digital cameras. They are capable of capturing images in the 5-megapixel range.

The Dimage 7 was announced 11 February 2001. The line uses a 2588 × 1960 pixel sensor coupled with a permanently attached optical 28–200 mm (35 mm equivalent) f/2.8W – f/3.5T zoom lens with a macro switch (16 elements in 13 groups, includes two AD glass elements and two aspheric elements)

The Dimage 7/7i/7Hi series cameras were powered with four AA batteries, which discharged quickly; the 7-series was replaced by the DiMAGE A1 in July 2003.

Specifications

7Hi/7i CCD ICX282AQF2/3-type interline interlaced primary-color Super HAD CCDTotal pixels: approx. 5.24 millionNumber of effective pixels: approx. 5.07 millionNumber of active pixels: approx. 5.02 millionChip size: 9.74 mm (H) × 7.96 mm (V)Unit cell size: 3.4 μm (H) × 3.4 μm (V)Saturation signal: 450 mVSensitivity: 270 mV (G signal, 3200 K, 706 cd/m2, F5.6, 1/30 s accumulation)Dark signal: 16 mV (Ta=60 °C, 3.75 frame/s)Smear: −92 dB (without a mechanical shutter, frame readout mode) Image processing CxProcess Operating system pSOSystem/MIPS 2.5.x Camera sensitivity JPEG, TIFF, Motion JPEG (MOV): Auto (100–400), ISO 100, 200, 400, 800 equivalentsRAW: ISO 100 equivalent Aspect ratio 4:3 Lens construction 16 elements in 13 groups (includes two AD glass elements and two aspheric elements) Maximum aperture f/2.8 – f/3.5 Aperture steps f/2.8, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5.6, 6.7, 8, 9.5 Focal length 7.2 – 50.8 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28 – 200 mm)Macro: 7.2 and 43 – 50.8 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28 and 170 – 200 mm) Focusing range (from CCD) 0.5 m / 19.7 inch to infinityMacro: Wide 30 – 60 cm / 11.8 – 23.6 inch, Telephoto 25 – 60 cm / 9.8 – 23.6 inch Maximum magnification 0.177× (equivalent to 0.7× in 35 mm format) (With a focal length of 50.8 mm. Distance at 25 cm)Area covered at maximum magnification: 50 × 37 mm / 2 × 1.5 inch (approx.) Optical zooming control Manual zooming ring Optical focus control Precision Focus-by-wire rotating focusing ring Autofocus system Video AF Focus lock By pressing shutter-release button partway down.Also possible with spot-AE lock button (The function of the spot-AE lock button can be changed with the recording menu) Autofocus areas Wide focus area, Spot focus point Flex Focus Point control with spot focus point mode Focus modes Autofocus: Single-shot AF (DMF), Continuous AF (DMF) Manual focus DMF - Direct Manual Focus Focus features Pixel binning in low light conditionsCenter scan mode for 4× electronic zoom image (EVF/LCD, manual focus)2× digital zoom (LCD, manual focus) Exposure modes P (Programmed AE) (with program shift), A (Aperture priority), S (shutter priority), M (manual). AE lock With Spot-AE lock button or by pressing the shutter-release button partway down Metering Multi-segment (300 segments), center-weighted, Spot Exposure control range P / A modes: Wide; Ev – 1 – 18, Telephoto; Ev – 0.4 (7Hi) / 1.6 (7i) – 18.7S / M modes: Wide; Ev – 1 – 17, Telephoto; Ev – 0.4 (7Hi) / 1.6 (7i) – 17.7 shutter CCD electronic shutter and mechanical shutter shutter speed range 7Hi: 15 - 1/4000 seconds (in P / A modes, ISO 100), Bulb (max. 30 seconds)7i: 4 – 1/4000 seconds (in P / A modes), 4 – 1/2000 seconds (in S / M modes), Bulb (max. 30 seconds) White-balance control 7Hi: Automatic, Preset {Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent 1, 2 (white / cool white), Cloudy}, Custom (3 positions)7i: Automatic, Preset (Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Cloudy), Custom Digital Subject Programs Portrait, Sports action, Sunset, Night portrait, Text Digital Effects Control Exposure, Color saturation, Contrast compensation, Filter Exposure compensation +/− 2 Ev in 1/3 increments Flash metering ADI, Pre-flash TTL, Manual flash control ADI - Advanced Distance Integration Flash-sync speeds All shutter speeds Flash modes Fill-flash, Red-eye reduction, Rear flash sync, Wireless / Remote flash Built-in flash range* (approx.) ISO setting Flash range (wide angle) Flash range (telephoto) AUTO 0.5 m – 3.8 m / 1.6 ft – 12.5 ft 0.5 m – 3.0 m / 1.6 ft – 9.8 ft 100 0.5 m – 2.7 m / 1.6 ft – 8.8 ft 0.5 m – 2.1 m / 1.6 ft – 6.9 ft 200 0.5 m – 3.8 m / 1.6 ft – 12.5 ft 0.5 m – 3.0 m / 1.6 ft – 9.8 ft 400 0.5 m – 5.4 m / 1.6 ft – 17.6 ft 0.5 m – 4.2 m / 1.6 ft – 13.8 ft 800 0.5 m – 7.6 m / 1.6 ft – 25 ft 0.5 m – 6.0 m / 1.6 ft – 19.6 ft When the camera sensitivity is set to auto, the ISO is set between ISO 100 and 200. The flash range is measured from CCD. External flash connection Accessory shoeFlash sync terminal (7Hi) Recycling time 7 seconds (approx.) Flash compensation +/−2 Ev in 1/3 increments Viewfinder type EVF (Electronic viewfinder), Variable-position: 0–90 degreesAutomatic monitor amplification, electronic magnification for manual focusing Viewfinder display 4.8 mm (0.19 inch) Ferroelectric reflective liquid crystal microdisplayEquivalent visual resolution: 220,000 pixels (approx.), field of view: 100% (approx.)Display format: 300 (H) × 224 (V)Pixel dimensions: 0.0135 mm (pixel dimensions include a 0.0005 mm interpixel gap)Color depth: 18 bits (6-bit RGB)Brightness: 250 cd/m2Contrast ratio: 80:1 Viewfinder magnification 0.31 – 2.1× Diopter control −5 to +0.5 diopter Eye relief 20 mm (from eyepiece) LCD monitor 46 mm (1.8 inch) low-temperature polysilicon TFT colorTotal pixels: 118,000, field of view: 100% (approx.)Number of colors: Analog full colorPixel arrangement: RGB deltaEffective pixels per unit area: 115.4 dots/mm²Optical transmittance: 8.6%Contrast ratio: 200:1 Display format Recording mode: Live image, Grid, Scale, Quick view, Instant playback, Histogram of live image, Various statusesPlayback mode: Single-frame, Index, Enlarged playback, Slide show, Histogram of recorded image, Various statuses Display-mode switch Auto-display (Viewfinder proximity sensor), Electronic viewfinder display, LCD-monitor display A/D conversion 12 bitsCorrelated Double Sampling (CDS)79 dB SNR Camera memory 7Hi: 64 MB (SDRAM)7i: 32 MB (SDRAM) File formats JPEG, TIFF, Motion JPEG (MOV), RAW. DCF 1.0 / DPOF 1.1-compliant Printing output control 7Hi: Exif Print, PRINT Image Matching II7i: Exif Print, PRINT Image Matching Recording media Type I and Type II CompactFlash cards (max. 2 GB) IBM Microdrive (170 MB, 340 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB) Image quality modes RAW, Super fine (TIFF), Extra-Fine (7Hi), Fine, Standard, Economy (7i) Number of recorded pixels Still images (JPG): 2560 × 1920, 1600 × 1200, 1280 × 960, 640 × 480Still images (RAW): 2568 × 1928Movie clips: 640 × 480 (UHS continuous-advance mode), 320 × 240 (standard, night movie modes), Time-lapse movie at all image sizes Color modes Natural Color (sRGB), Vivid Color (sRGB), Adobe RGB (7Hi), Black and white (neutral and toned), Solarization Advanced color management Yes (7hi) Embedded ICC Profiles are available for all formats except RAW Sharpness settings Three levels (Soft, Normal, Hard) File size* (approx.) 2560 × 1920 1600 × 1200 1280 × 960 640 × 480 Economy n/a (7Hi) / 670KB (7i) n/a (7Hi) / 390KB (7i) n/a (7Hi) / 300KB (7i) n/a (7Hi) / 160KB (7i) Standard 1.5 MB (7Hi) / 1.1 MB (7i) 660 KB (7Hi) / 620 KB (7i) 460 KB (7Hi) / 420 KB (7i) 240 KB (7Hi) / 200 KB (7i) Fine 2.5 MB (7Hi) / 2.1 MB (7i) 1.0 MB (7Hi) / 1.0 MB (7i) 720 KB (7Hi) / 680 KB (7i) 320 KB (7Hi) / 280 KB (7i) Extra Fine 4.8 MB (7Hi) / n/a (7i) 1.9 MB (7Hi) / n/a (7i) 1.3 MB (7Hi) / n/a (7i) 420 KB (7Hi) / n/a (7i) Super Fine 14.2 MB (7Hi) / 14.1 MB (7i) 5.6 MB (7Hi) / 5.6 MB (7i) 3.6 MB (7Hi) / 3.6 MB (7i) 1.0 MB (7Hi) / 980 KB (7i) RAW 9.6 MB (7Hi) / 9.5 MB(7i) n/a n/a n/a Movie 297 KByte/second (7Hi) / 250 KByte/second (7i) Numerical value may vary depending upon the subject. Continuous advance Modes : High Speed continuous advance (with 2560 × 1920 size images) (7Hi) UHS (Ultra High Speed) continuous advance (with 1280 × 960 size images) Standard continuous advance UHS and standard continuous advance cannot be used with Super Fine or RAW images.

Speeds : High Speed continuous advance: max. 3 frame/s (approx.) (7Hi) UHS (Ultra High Speed) continuous advance: 7 frame/s (approx.) Standard continuous advance: max. 2 frame/s Actual speeds may vary depending upon subjects and shooting conditions. Interval recording 2 – 99 frames. Interval time: 1 – 10 / 15 / 20 / 30 / 45 / 60 minutes Digital Enhanced Bracketing Exposure, Contrast, Color saturation, FilterExposure: 1.0, 0.5, 0.3 Ev incrementsContrast, Color saturation, Filter: fixed incrementsNumber of brackets: 3 frames Self-timer 10 seconds (approx.) Movie recording Standard movie mode:60 s (max.) with and without monaural audioNumber of recorded pixels: 320 × 240Frame rate: 15 frame/s Night movie mode (Images is monochrome.):60 s (max.) with and without monaural audioNumber of recorded pixels: 320 × 240Frame rate: 15 frame/s UHS (Ultra High Speed) continuous-advance movie mode:Number of recorded pixels: 640 × 480Frame rate: approx. 7 frame/s without audio Time-lapse movie mode:Number of recorded pixels: 2560 × 1920, 1600 × 1200, 1280 × 960, 640 × 480Frame rate: 4 frame/s without audio Audio Voice memo: 5 or 15 seconds monaural audio with still imageFile format: WAVE Audio signals Two tones and two shutter sound effect settings 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. Delete function Single, multiple, or all frames can be deleted Format function Available in the Play mode Data imprinting Year / month / day or Month / day / time, Text, Text and serial numbers Digital zoom 2× Dark frame subtraction Yes in Bulb Customizable interface Yes (7hi) Batteries Four AA Ni-MH or alkaline batteries (Use of Ni-MH batteries is recommended.) Battery performance (approx.) (Minolta measurement*) Number of recording: 220 framesContinuous playback time: 120 minutes 1700 mAh Ni-MH batteries, EVF on, external LCD monitor off, full-size images (2560 × 1920), Standard image quality, No instant playback, No voice memo, flash used with 50% of the frames Operating time (approx.) Start-up time: approx. 3 secondsshutter release time lag: 0.1 – 0.17 second External power source 6 V DC (with specified AC adapter AC-1L or AC-2L); current rating: 2 A PC interface USB 1.1 AV output PAL / NTSC Dimensions (W×H×D) 117 × 90.5 × 112.5 mm / 4.6 × 3.6 × 4.4 inch Weight 7Hi: 530 g / 18.7 ounce7i: 525 g / 18.5 ouncewithout batteries or recording media Standard accessories Leather neck strap NS-DG1000 (7Hi), Neck Strap NS-DG7 (7i), Lens cap (49 mm) LF-1249, Accessory Shoe Cap SC-9, AV cable AVC-300, CF (CompactFlash) card (16MB), USB cable USB-100, DiMAGE Software CD-ROM (Includes DiMAGE Viewer), Lens Shade DLS-7Hi (7Hi), Lens Shade DLS-7i (7i), Four AA Ni-MH batteries, Ni-MH battery charger Availability of accessories depends on areas.

References

External links

Complete review of Dimage 7 Comparison of 7Hi and 7i RAW Deal UFRaw Bryan D. K. Biggers Digital Camera Experiments Minolta Dimage 7 Bugs and Tips Jens Roesner − Camera Page Pete Ganzel − Camera Page