DImage 7i review's out at imaging-resource:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D7I/D7IP.HTM
Conclusion
It's no secret that I was greatly impressed with the original Dimage 7, when I first reviewed it back in May of 2001. In the intervening time, it's generally aged well, but other products have appeared on the market that offer it strong competition. The new Dimage 7i is a significant upgrade to the original though, more than meeting the competition in a wide range of areas. To my mind, the big story with the Dimage 7i is still the lens, clearly one of the best I've seen on a prosumer digicam. The rest of the camera performs to a very high level as well, with category-leading autofocus speed, excellent, fine-grained control over color and tone, and noticeable improvements to what was already one of the best electronic viewfinders in the industry. As an added bonus, the Dimage 7i integrates beautifully with Minolta's dedicated flash units, with built-in wireless TTL flash metering capability and full control over the flashes' zoom heads. (Minolta's very flexible twin-headed macro flash system deserves special mention here as well, as one of the most flexible macro lighting systems I've seen.) No product is perfect though, and the Dimage 7i is no exception: There are still issues with the difficulty its EVF has in showing highlight detail, and the camera does consume quite a bit of power. (A couple of sets of high-capacity NiMH cells and/or an external LiIon battery pack are strongly recommended accessories.) All in all though, the new Dimage 7i demands serious consideration from anyone shopping at the high end of the "prosumer" digicam market. Highly recommended!
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D7I/D7IP.HTM
Conclusion
It's no secret that I was greatly impressed with the original Dimage 7, when I first reviewed it back in May of 2001. In the intervening time, it's generally aged well, but other products have appeared on the market that offer it strong competition. The new Dimage 7i is a significant upgrade to the original though, more than meeting the competition in a wide range of areas. To my mind, the big story with the Dimage 7i is still the lens, clearly one of the best I've seen on a prosumer digicam. The rest of the camera performs to a very high level as well, with category-leading autofocus speed, excellent, fine-grained control over color and tone, and noticeable improvements to what was already one of the best electronic viewfinders in the industry. As an added bonus, the Dimage 7i integrates beautifully with Minolta's dedicated flash units, with built-in wireless TTL flash metering capability and full control over the flashes' zoom heads. (Minolta's very flexible twin-headed macro flash system deserves special mention here as well, as one of the most flexible macro lighting systems I've seen.) No product is perfect though, and the Dimage 7i is no exception: There are still issues with the difficulty its EVF has in showing highlight detail, and the camera does consume quite a bit of power. (A couple of sets of high-capacity NiMH cells and/or an external LiIon battery pack are strongly recommended accessories.) All in all though, the new Dimage 7i demands serious consideration from anyone shopping at the high end of the "prosumer" digicam market. Highly recommended!
