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  • Dimage 7Hi or Sony DSC-F717

    Hello there digital imaging gurus

    Searching for a semi-profesional SLR type digital camera I've found two models I really like:
    - Minolta Dimage 7Hi
    - Sony Cybershot DSC-F717


    I preffer the Minolta even if in some reviews it shows a minor image quality. However it's price is above Sony's one.

    Basicly I know jack shit about digital cameras but I want to get one that is gonna last me some years and one that will let me learn to do some nice photogaphy.

    So please tell me which one you preffer and why.
    If you own or have used one of them it'll be nice if you could tell me how is/was your experience.

    thanks, Ivan
    <font face="verdana, arial, helvetica" size="1" >epox 8RDA+ running an Athlon XP 1600+ @ 1.7Ghz with 2x256mb Crucial PC2700, an Adaptec 1200A IDE-Raid with 2x WD 7200rpm 40Gb striped + a 120Gb and a 20Gb Seagate, 2x 17" LG Flatron 775FT, a Cordless Logitech Trackman wheel and a <b>banding enhanced</b> Matrox Parhelia 128 retail shining thru a Koolance PC601-Blue case window<br>and for God's sake pay my <a href="http://www.drslump.biz">site</a> a visit!</font>

  • #2
    I have a Sony DSC-717. Reason I got it? My Sony MVC-CD300 flash was craped out and I was getting tired of waiting for the CD record images to it. It was great when I first got it since it had a huge space for images (at the time) and inexpesive. I liked Sony Cameras, and I got mine for a pretty good deal (about $650) so I went with it. I'm very impressed with it and its head and shoulders above my old camera I had. It doesnt kill the rechargeable batteries that come with it compaired to the MVC-CD300 I had and the Autofocus set up is Worlds better since it comes directly from the Front of the lens instead of body of the camera and that makes a world of difference, since I do alot of Macro/close up photographs.
    Why is it called tourist season, if we can't shoot at them?

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    • #3
      Get The Dimage 7i (not 7Hi, not plain 7). It's basically the same camera as the 7Hi, but:

      - same image quality (though the 7Hi has one jpg mode with even less compression, but the 7i's highest jpg mode is very good anyways, and you still have TIFF and RAW)
      - it's silver (7Hi looks better)
      - has a smaller buffer, which means your photo series can't be as long before you have to wait for the buffer to empty (minor point if you're not a sports photographer really)
      - The hand grip is slightly different (no real rubber on the 7i, but still comfortable, IMHO)
      - the 7Hi includes color space information in the JPEG files, and stores in either Adobe RGB or sRGB. The 7i doesn't include this info, and has a proprietary color space, which is very close to sRGB. This is really a minor difference if you're not a professional photographer who needs 200% color accuracy.)
      - The 7Hi has a studio flash connector in addition to the flash hot-shoe, the 7i has only a flash hot-shoe. Again, only important for (semi-)professional photographers.
      - the 7i is a LOT cheaper than the 7Hi.

      I have a dimage 7i, and I really like it. I especially love the manual zoom ring, and the fact that I have direct access to almost every function, no need to dive through thousands of menus. Some say the learning curve for its controls is quite steep, but everybody says you'll be way faster in the end than you'd ever be with menus. (Of course, you still have menus for the settings, but all manual controls are accessed through dedicated buttons and a dial) The EVF is crap though.
      Bear in mind that Sony's accessories are even more overpriced than Minolta's, and Minolta's external flash program is more versatile (but damn expensive).

      The best advice I can give is to go to a shop and take both cams into your hands, play a little with the controls, pretend to be shooting (or, better yet, shoot some photos). Take whichever fits best into your hands, which makes you feel more "at home".

      I could post some sample images from my cam if you want, but be warned, my photo skills suck. But image quality is alright, only noise is very bad at higher ISO levels (but the software NeatImage can do miracles against noise!).

      AZ
      There's an Opera in my macbook.

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      • #4
        Oh, here is an excellent differences list between D7i and D7Hi:

        On September 10th at Seybold SF Minolta revealed the new black bodied DiMAGE 7Hi. Clearly another refresh of the original DiMAGE 7 design the 7Hi builds on the 7i's feature set and adds a considerable range of improvements. These improvements are designed to push the camera higher up the prosumer category with some unique features which we would only expect to see in a D-SLR. Apart from the obvious colour change there are plenty of internal improvements, buffer space has been increased to deliver more continuous shooting 'depth' (number of shots before the buffer fills), there's a new finer JPEG mode and notably the camera now supports selectable colour space in-camera and can even embedded the ICC profile into the JPEG header.


        If you need further differences between the Dimages and the Sonys, just ask

        AZ
        There's an Opera in my macbook.

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        • #5
          I can't comment on either one, but as Az stated, the EVF is crap. Before I bought my D100, I was looking to buy the Dimage 7 (very first batch). Either way, if you are considering to buy a digital camera (esp. with an EVF), make sure you can get a hands-on experience in a store.

          Personally, I didn't find the Dimage7 very comfortable (however: the grip has been altered since that very first model, and I suffer from artritis), but this is something that is very individual. I'd say comfort is quite important, as lack of it might put you of off taking pictures.


          Jörg
          pixar
          Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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          • #6
            Originally posted by az
            Get The Dimage 7i (not 7Hi, not plain 7). It's basically the same camera as the 7Hi, but:

            - same image quality (though the 7Hi has one jpg mode with even less compression, but the 7i's highest jpg mode is very good anyways, and you still have TIFF and RAW)
            - it's silver (7Hi looks better)
            - has a smaller buffer, which means your photo series can't be as long before you have to wait for the buffer to empty (minor point if you're not a sports photographer really)
            - The hand grip is slightly different (no real rubber on the 7i, but still comfortable, IMHO)
            - the 7Hi includes color space information in the JPEG files, and stores in either Adobe RGB or sRGB. The 7i doesn't include this info, and has a proprietary color space, which is very close to sRGB. This is really a minor difference if you're not a professional photographer who needs 200% color accuracy.)
            - The 7Hi has a studio flash connector in addition to the flash hot-shoe, the 7i has only a flash hot-shoe. Again, only important for (semi-)professional photographers.
            - the 7i is a LOT cheaper than the 7Hi.
            I thought that the color space feature of the 7Hi was very important that was one of the main reasons I discarded the 7i.

            so lets see, now it is between the 7i and F717 which are almost at the same price.

            I'll have to go to the shop and try them. I think I'll get the one I feel more comfortable with. I didn't thought about that, as VJ says if I don't feel good taking photos I won't take many.

            cheers guys

            ivan
            Last edited by drslump; 30 June 2003, 08:31.
            <font face="verdana, arial, helvetica" size="1" >epox 8RDA+ running an Athlon XP 1600+ @ 1.7Ghz with 2x256mb Crucial PC2700, an Adaptec 1200A IDE-Raid with 2x WD 7200rpm 40Gb striped + a 120Gb and a 20Gb Seagate, 2x 17" LG Flatron 775FT, a Cordless Logitech Trackman wheel and a <b>banding enhanced</b> Matrox Parhelia 128 retail shining thru a Koolance PC601-Blue case window<br>and for God's sake pay my <a href="http://www.drslump.biz">site</a> a visit!</font>

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            • #7
              And what's about the EVF? is it that important to make good photos?

              I thought that you'll use the LCD display almost all the time but then again, I dunno nothing about cameras

              and one more question. is it a good idea to buy an UV lens to put into the camera?
              I friend told me he's got one to protect the lens from scratch, but does it affect in a bad way the pictures?

              ciao, Ivan
              <font face="verdana, arial, helvetica" size="1" >epox 8RDA+ running an Athlon XP 1600+ @ 1.7Ghz with 2x256mb Crucial PC2700, an Adaptec 1200A IDE-Raid with 2x WD 7200rpm 40Gb striped + a 120Gb and a 20Gb Seagate, 2x 17" LG Flatron 775FT, a Cordless Logitech Trackman wheel and a <b>banding enhanced</b> Matrox Parhelia 128 retail shining thru a Koolance PC601-Blue case window<br>and for God's sake pay my <a href="http://www.drslump.biz">site</a> a visit!</font>

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              • #8
                Well, I almost exclusively use the LCD, so the EVF doesn't really concern me - and I'd never get a DSLR, because they can't use the LCD for preview. If you already think you'll be mainly using the LCD, the poor EVF shouldn't be too great a problem for you (though it does eat batteries faster, but I don't have power problems at all).

                If you think you might not be very careful, or you'll shoot in sandy environmants, a UV lens can be good lens protection. It does nothing good for digicams other than protecting the lens, and it does impact image quality negatively (though in a very minor way, if you buy a high quality one, which you absolutely should do considering the price of the camera you're going to get. Oh, and the Dimage 7 is very picky about add-on lenses vignetting, so inform yourself in forums before buying add-on lenses for this cam).

                Oh, one important difference between the Minolta and Sony: The Minolta has a 28mm wide angle, the sony only 35 or 38 or so. Good wide angle is especially important for landscapes etc.

                AZ
                There's an Opera in my macbook.

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