written by mktrej on 14/07/2004
The Minolta Dimage 5 is a very good camera if you look for flexibility if you are kind of a pro-wanna-be in photography this is the one for you if you want a fancy camera to get the pictures with your friends in a party or vacations forget about it. The great variety of options and the quality of the picture is very, very good.
written by shutterhunter. on 01/11/2002
Over all I love this camera but I wouldn't recomend it for a novice. The freatures are great for a serious photographer but would prove daunting for a beginner. The creative control that can be achieved with the Dimage 5 is suprising. The white balance can be used to get some astounding effects by using different colored cards, some of which match what the results of using filters with a SLR. Along with its many other features (including a nifty timed exposure setting) Minolta has put a pro level package within reach of the amatuer's pocket book. This camera, coupled with a good editing software, gives one the digital darkroom that we photographers could only dream about a mere five years ago.
written by Lynda. on 16/09/2002
I have had this Minolta Dimage 5 digital camera about six months and I really like the way that the camera functions and the quality of pictures that I get. I appreciate the ease with which I can download the pictures and the software that comes with the camera is great for basic manipulating of the photos.
written by Jim Halsey. on 23/04/2002
Well... I am on my second Minolta Dimage 5 digital camera. I purchased the first one from a high street store, tried it for a few days and found the quality to be very good, but lost of out of focus shots. Found camera to be over 20% cheaper on the net, so returned unit and bought from the net. The second camera seems to be much better-almost no out of focus shots! (I am guessing that this might be a firmware issue, but I am unaware how to check the firmware!)
written by Davek. on 21/04/2002
About the batteries on the Minolta Dimage 5 digital camera: with the newest firmware (056) the camera seems to last more than 200 shots with my GP 1800 mAh batteries, so that's actually not a problem. I always carry two sets of batteries, and so far this has been all I needed.
I find the Dimage 5 to be the ultimate 3 Mpixel camera for a photo enthusiast on budget. After using the 7x zoom, there's no way I'm ever going back to a camera with a shorter zoom.
written by Richard W.Brown. on 21/02/2002
I have tried very hard to get a redeye shot with this Minolta dimage 5 digital camera and, to date, have failed. This gives me confidence when taking any shots using flash. I love taking nature shots, birds, bees, butterflies, all on the wing etc.,and use a tripod. But the lack of a remote is annoying. Dimage 7 and 5 do not have that facility. It means basically that I have to be hovering behind the camera to take the picture and that rules out 90% of shots. Why is it that Minolta is so mean with memory? When I bought my first digital 2 years ago, memory was very expensive and 16 mb was all I could afford. It is now at its cheapest yet Minolta along with other manufacturers supply only 16mb. Surely they could buy in bulk at a fraction of the price we can and supply with something approaching 48 or least 32mb.?
Written on: 05/09/2002
I have bought a DiMAGE 5 as well, I think you will find that there are 2 cable releases available (long and short) not sure about a wireless remote, I have a feeling that I saw something about one when I was looking for a compatible flashgun. (not found one yet, if anybody has please let us know). So far no problems with my macro/nature shots, but then I have not tried anything really small as a subject yet.
written by Charles G. on 04/11/2001
Without doubt the finest camera I have owned in 30 years of fairly dedicated SLR usage. Enough manual control to keep even a dyed-in-the-wool fiddler like me happy, and capabilities in auto mode that make manual control (almost) redundant.
Minolta have clearly thought VERY hard about this design and the results show it. Flash control is excellent, autofocus is seldom fooled, exposure is high reliable.
In the 3 weeks since buying I have used it indoors, outdoors in the UK and outdoors in the desert. The results are nearly always flawless.
Written on: 27/01/2002
I love my dimage 5, a bit pricey but you get more than your money's worth....I haven't put mine down since I bought it....
Written on: 05/09/2002
I have had my DiMAGE 5 since May 2002, first results disappointing, many out of focus, returned to Minolta UK for checking, (very impressed, returned within 10 days). Now working very well, auto focus is a little slow compared to my old Nikon SLR, but accepable. I find that it is better to override the program to increase aperture, giving better depth of field and sharpness, but on the whole very impressed now the focus system has been fixed
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36457_David.'s Response to Jim Halsey.'s Review
Written on: 05/09/2002
Check Minolta Europe web site for firmware update, includes instructions on how to check current version. I bought a DiMAGE 5 in May, had to return to Minolta UK for repair to focus system (50% shots out of focus, even though camera reported focus lock). Now very pleased with results, but find it best to use Aperture priority to force f8 and gain depth of field and sharpness.(you will need a steady hand as this can result in slow shutter speeds with risk of camera shake, the DiMAGE is much lighter than my old Nikon SLR, hence slightly more prone to shake, but I find it fits my hand well). All in all a good value for money buy for those who have moved from a SLR and are prepared to use it's many features.(You get better results than the program mode, but that is accepable if you just want point and press funtionality)