I do a lot of action shots and really enjoy the anti shake. The A1 has given me some excellent pictures including one taken out doors of a softball pitcher that was make into a 10 x 14 poster, after I croped it down. I have done a lot of expermenting with varrious settings and would not reccoment it for a casual photographer.
Strengths:
1. Anti shake
2. Excellent lens
3. Full Auto to full Manual range
4. Good battery life
Weaknesses:
slow start up time
power stitch is sentive and slow to react
Noise start at ISO 0f 400
only a 3 frame burst mode
The camera turned out to be smaller than I had expected it to be. It would have been nicer if they had built it a little bit taller and wider, but I would still rate the ergonomics as very good. The anti-shake function lets you take shots at a shutter speed of 1/15sec at full telephoto and 1/4sec at full wideangle. The mechanically linked zoom ring makes for fast, accurate and silent framing and saves power. When the contrast is set to -5 and the saturation is boosted to +3, you get to exploit the astonishingly wide dynamic range of the sensor without the colours becoming flat. The built-in flash can be synchronised with extra long and extra short exposures and also to the second curtain. Creative flash photography is made possible through a standard PC terminal and a Minolta-only hot shoe. Resolution (i.e. actual amount of detail resolved) is mediocre for a five-megapixel sensor but while you won't be shooting magazine covers with this camera, you will still be able to print your photos in sizes of up to 15x20cm (6x8") in amazing quality.
My evaluation samples are posted at:
http://www.pbase.com/hsandler/a1
A really versatile camera for the enthusiast; great ergonomics and features, but images more DSLR-like right out of the camera; i.e. they need post processing for noise, sharpness and saturation to be their best. Not a camera for casual snapshooters.
Strengths:
-Anti-shake really works
-EVF is nice, as I prefer holding a camera to my eye, SLR style.
-Flash exposures very well done, with good exposure, and flash white balance setting is perfect; I never need to adjust colour cast.
-Colour rendition is excellent for skin tones
Weaknesses:
-Can be noisy, noticeable in smooth blue skies or indoor walls. Responds well to filtering with Noise Ninja.
-Tends to underexpose a bit, which emphasizes noise. It's best to use the live view histogram and exposure compensation thumbwheel to set the exposure.
-Images right out of the camera appear softer and less saturated than some other brands. Good for enthusiasts and pros who post-process, but may disappoint those who want to point and shoot and expect "pop" without post processing.
-very noisy and hot pixels with long time exposures at night
I tested it for 2 weeks with more than 1000 shots almost in every situation. I did the same with a Olympus 5060, a Nikon 5400 and a Canon G5. For the image quality, the features, the fast lenses, the construction and yhe value for money, I decided without any exitation for the Canon G5. Anyway the A1 is a good camera, specially for the stabilization system, but is too big for the results... and cost too much!
Strengths:
- Stabilization CCD System
- Features and Construction
- Fast Shoot
Weaknesses:
- Average Image Quality
- Not Easy to use
- Price
Similar Products Used:
Olympus C-3030 and 5060
Nikon C-4500 and 5700
Canon G3 and G5
This is a serious digital camera! It has everything that a digital SLR has, besides the pixel count. But believe me - the whole MP count thing is just a hype. It is much more important to have a very good lens (which is designed for digital use!), lots of features, a well designed and user friendly handling of the controls, long battery life, RAW-format, and a good price.
5 MP are more than enough to print A3 sized posters - and that is usually the biggest size a home/office printer can handle anyway.
The pictures I've made with this camera so far are of excellent quality - sharp and detailed and with very true colors. The anti-shake function works great and the built-in flash is even better than advertised! And that you can actually move the focus point freely across almost the whole picture pane is just another reason why this camera is at the top of the food chain right now!
I seriously doubt that I will buy a "real" digital SLR anytime soon, as I had previously planned (I have so many Nikon lenses ...).
Strengths:
- Killer lens
- No Shutter lag
- Long Battery Life
- Features like a SLR (including Bracketing, Flash Bracketing)
- Anti Shake
- Very good built-in flash
- Manual Zoom Ring
- Sturdy magnesium-alloy body
- optional battery pack, which accepts standard AA size batteries
Weaknesses:
- Electronic Viewfinder a bit sluggish
- Auto-focus not as quick and flawless as with analog SLRs in this price range
Sample Images
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