Minolta Dimage 5 Instruction Manual

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2015-08-19

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9224-2773-11 H-A106

E INSTRUCTION MANUAL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Thank you for purchasing this Minolta digital camera. Please take the time to read through
this instruction manual so you can enjoy all the features of your new camera.
This manual contains information regarding products introduced before June, 2001. To
obtain compatibility information for products released after this date, contact a Minolta
Service Facility.

Check the packing list before using this product. If any items are missing, immediately
contact your local camera dealer.
Minolta DiMAGE digital camera
AA alkaline batteries (set of four)
Neck strap for DiMAGE 7/5 NS-DG7
Lens shade for DiMAGE 7/5 DLS-7
16MB CompactFlash card
Video cable for DiMAGE 7/5 VC-100
USB cable for DiMAGE 7/5 USB-100
DiMAGE software CD-ROM
DiMAGE Image Viewer Utility version 1.1 instruction manual
Camera manual
Quick Reference Guide
Warranty card

Because the low performance of alkaline batteries with digital
cameras, the use of Ni-MH batteries is recommended.

2

FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE
Read and understand all warnings and cautions before using this product.

WARNING
Using batteries improperly can cause them to leak harmful solutions, overheat, or
explode which may damage property or cause personal injury. Do not ignore the
following warnings.
• Only use the batteries specified in this instruction manual.
• Do not install the batteries with the polarity (+/–) reversed.
• Do not use batteries which show wear or damage.
• Do not expose batteries to fire, high temperatures, water, or moisture.
• Do not attempt to short or disassemble batteries.
• Do not store batteries near or in metallic products.
• Do not mix batteries of different types, brands, ages, or charge levels.
• Do not charge alkaline batteries.
• When recharging rechargeable batteries, only use the recommended charger.
• Do not use leaking batteries. If fluid from the batteries enters your eye, immediately
rinse the eye with plenty of fresh water and contact a doctor. If fluid from the batteries
makes contact with your skin or clothing, wash the area thoroughly with water.

• Use only the specified AC adaptor within the voltage range indicated on the adaptor
unit. An inappropriate adaptor or current may cause damage or injury through fire or
electric shock.
• Do not disassemble this product. Electric shock may cause injury if a high voltage circuit
inside the product is touched.
• Immediately remove the batteries or unplug the AC adaptor and discontinue use if the
camera is dropped or subjected to an impact in which the interior, especially the flash
unit, is exposed. The flash has a high voltage circuit which may cause an electric shock
resulting in injury. The continued use of a damaged product or part may cause injuries
or fire.
3

FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE
• Keep batteries or small parts that could be swallowed away from infants. Contact a
doctor immediately if an object is swallowed.
• Store this product out of reach of children. Be careful when around children, not to harm
them with the product or parts.
• Do not fire the flash directly into the eyes. It may damage eyesight.
• Do not fire the flash at vehicle operators. It may cause a distraction or temporary
blindness which may lead to an accident.
• Do not use the monitor while operating a vehicle or walking. It may result in injury or an
accident.
• Do not use this product in a humid environment, or operate this product with wet hands.
If liquid enters the product, immediately remove the batteries or unplug the AC adaptor
and discontinue use. The continued use of a product exposed to liquids may cause
damage or injury through fire or electric shock.
• Do not use the product near inflammable gases or liquids such as gasoline, benzine, or
paint thinner. Do not use inflammable products such as alcohol, benzine, or paint
thinner to clean the product. The use of inflammable cleaners and solvents may cause
an explosion or fire.
• When unplugging the AC adaptor, do not pull on the power cord. Hold the adaptor unit
when removing it from an outlet.
• Do not damage, twist, modify, heat, or place heavy objects on the AC adaptor cord. A
damaged cord may cause damage or injury through fire or electric shock.
• If the product emits a strange odor, heat, or smoke, discontinue use. Immediately
remove the batteries taking care not to burn yourself as the batteries become hot with
use. The continued use of a damaged product or part may cause injuries or fire.
• Take the product to a Minolta Service Facility when repairs are required

4

CAUTION
• Do not use or store the product in a hot or humid environment such as the glove
compartment or trunk of a car. It may damage the product and batteries which may
result in burns or injuries caused by heat, fire, explosion, or leaking battery fluid.
• If batteries are leaking, discontinue use of the product.
• The camera temperature rises with extended periods of use. Care should be taken to
avoid burns.
• Burns may result if the CompactFlash card or batteries are removed immediately after
extended periods of use. Turn the camera off and wait for it to cool.
• Do not fire the flash while it is in contact with people or objects. The flash unit
discharges a large amount of energy which may cause burns.
• Do not apply pressure to the LCD monitor. A damaged monitor may cause injury, and
the liquid from the monitor may cause inflammation. If liquid from the monitor makes
contact with skin wash the area with fresh water. If liquid from the monitor comes in
contact with the eyes, immediately rinse the eyes with plenty of water and contact a
doctor.
• The rim of the lens hood can cause injury. Take care not to accidentally strike anyone
with the camera when the lens hood is attached.
• When using the AC adaptor, insert the plug securely into the electrical outlet.
• Do not use if the AC adaptor cord is damaged.
• Do not cover the AC adaptor. A fire may result.
• Do not obstruct access to the AC adaptor; this can hinder the unplugging of the unit in
emergencies.
• Unplug the AC adaptor when cleaning or when the product is not in use.

5

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Names of parts
Camera body ...........................................................................................................................10
Data panel ...............................................................................................................................13
EVF and LCD monitor display .................................................................................................14
Getting up and running.........................................................................................................................15
Camera-shake warning ...........................................................................................................15
Attaching the camera strap .....................................................................................................16
Removing the lens cap ............................................................................................................16
Attaching the lens hood...........................................................................................................17
Inserting batteries....................................................................................................................18
Inserting the CompactFlash card ............................................................................................18
Handling the camera ...............................................................................................................19
Turning on the camera and displays .......................................................................................19
Taking pictures.........................................................................................................................20
Using the built-in flash .............................................................................................................21
Flash range - automatic operation...........................................................................................21
Viewing and deleting pictures in quick view ............................................................................22
Basic operation ....................................................................................................................................23
Changing batteries ..................................................................................................................24
Battery condition indicators .....................................................................................................25
Auto power save ......................................................................................................................25
External power supplies (sold separately)...............................................................................26
Changing the CompactFlash card...........................................................................................26
Setting the camera to record images automatically ................................................................28
EVF and LCD monitor display .................................................................................................28
Basic recording operation........................................................................................................29
Focus lock................................................................................................................................30
Focus signals...........................................................................................................................31
Special focusing situations ......................................................................................................31
Display controls - recording mode...........................................................................................32
Quick view ...............................................................................................................................34
Deleting images in quick view.....................................................................................35
Recording mode - advanced operation ................................................................................................36
What is an Ev? What is a stop? ..............................................................................................36
Pro-auto button ........................................................................................................................37
Digital-subject-program button.................................................................................................38
Setting the function dial ...........................................................................................................40
Image size ...............................................................................................................................42
6

Image quality ...........................................................................................................................43
About super-fine and RAW image quality...................................................................44
Image-file size and CompactFlash card capacity....................................................................45
Exposure modes......................................................................................................................46
Program - P ................................................................................................................47
Program shift....................................................................................................47
Aperture priority - A ....................................................................................................48
Shutter priority - S.......................................................................................................49
Manual exposure - M ..................................................................................................50
Drive modes ............................................................................................................................51
Continuous advance ...................................................................................................52
Self-timer.....................................................................................................................53
Bracketing ...................................................................................................................54
Exposure bracketing ........................................................................................54
Digital Enhanced Bracketing............................................................................55
Interval ........................................................................................................................56
White balance..........................................................................................................................58
Automatic white balance .............................................................................................59
Preset white balance ..................................................................................................59
Custom white balance ................................................................................................60
Camera sensitivity - ISO..........................................................................................................61
Digital Effects Controller ..........................................................................................................62
Exposure compensation .............................................................................................63
Contrast compensation ...............................................................................................64
Color-saturation compensation ...................................................................................65
Autofocus areas and control....................................................................................................66
Flex Focus Point ......................................................................................................................67
Autofocus modes .....................................................................................................................68
Macro mode.............................................................................................................................69
Digital zoom .............................................................................................................................70
Manual focus ...........................................................................................................................71
Electronic magnification (DiMAGE 7 only)...............................................................................71
Electronic viewfinder................................................................................................................72
Diopter adjustment......................................................................................................72
Automatic monitor amplification (DiMAGE 7 only)......................................................72
AF/AEL button .........................................................................................................................73
Metering modes.......................................................................................................................74
Flash metering.........................................................................................................................75
7

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Flash modes ............................................................................................................................76
Flash compensation ................................................................................................................78
Flash range..............................................................................................................................79
Attaching a Minolta accessory flash (sold separately) ............................................................79
Navigating the recording-mode menu .....................................................................................80
Recording-mode menu - Basic................................................................................................82
Recording-mode menu - Custom 1 .........................................................................................83
Recording-mode menu - Custom 2 .........................................................................................84
Memory - storing camera settings...........................................................................................85
Sharpness ...............................................................................................................................86
Color mode ..............................................................................................................................86
Data imprinting ........................................................................................................................87
Electronic keyboard .................................................................................................................88
Instant playback.......................................................................................................................89
Movie recording .......................................................................................................................90
Bulb exposures ........................................................................................................................92
Attaching a remote cord (sold separately) ..............................................................................92
Playback mode - viewing and editing images ......................................................................................93
Viewing pictures ......................................................................................................................94
Viewing movies........................................................................................................................95
Deleting images.......................................................................................................................95
Single-frame playback display .................................................................................................96
Movie playback display............................................................................................................96
Histogram display ....................................................................................................................97
Display controls - playback mode............................................................................................98
Enlarged playback .................................................................................................................100
Navigating the playback-mode menu ....................................................................................102
Playback-mode menu - basic ................................................................................................104
Deleting images ........................................................................................................104
Locking images .........................................................................................................105
Changing the index playback format ........................................................................105
Playback-mode menu - Custom 1 (Slide Show)....................................................................106
Playback-mode menu - Custom 2 .........................................................................................108
About DPOF .............................................................................................................108
Creating a DPOF print order.....................................................................................108
Ordering an index print .............................................................................................109
Canceling a DPOF print order ..................................................................................109
Copying images ........................................................................................................110
8

Frame-selection screen .........................................................................................................111
Viewing images on a television .............................................................................................112
Setup mode - controlling the camera’s operation...............................................................................113
Navigating the setup menu....................................................................................................114
Setup menu - basic ...............................................................................................................116
EVF and LCD monitor brightness.............................................................................116
Formatting CompactFlash cards...............................................................................116
Auto power save .......................................................................................................117
Beep..........................................................................................................................117
Language ..................................................................................................................117
Setup menu - Custom 1 ........................................................................................................118
File number memory.................................................................................................118
Select folder ..............................................................................................................118
New folder.................................................................................................................119
Setup menu - Custom 2 ........................................................................................................120
Reset default.............................................................................................................120
EVF auto switch ........................................................................................................121
Setting the date and time..........................................................................................122
Setting the date format .............................................................................................122
Video output..............................................................................................................122
Data-transfer mode.............................................................................................................................123
Connecting the camera to a computer ..................................................................................124
Connecting to Windows 98....................................................................................................126
Automatic installation ................................................................................................126
Manual installation ....................................................................................................127
Connecting to Mac OS 8.6 ....................................................................................................129
QuickTime 4.1 system requirements .....................................................................................129
CompactFlash card folder organisation.................................................................................130
Auto power save (Data-transfer mode)..................................................................................131
Disconnecting the camera from the computer ......................................................................132
Changing the CompactFlash card (data-transfer mode) .......................................................134
Appendix
..................................................................................................................................135
A short guide to photography ................................................................................................136
System accessories...............................................................................................................138
Troubleshooting .....................................................................................................................139
When using filters with the DiMAGE 7 .....................................................................141
Care and storage...................................................................................................................142
Technical specifications/NOTE ABOUT BATTERIES ............................................................146
9

NAMES OF PARTS
CAMERA BODY
* This camera is a sophisticated optical instrument. Care should be taken to keep these
surfaces clean. Please read the care and storage instructions in the back of this manual
(p. 142).
Data panel (p. 13)
Digital-subject-program
button (p. 38)

Built-in flash (p. 21)

Focal-length index
Zooming ring1

Pro-auto button (p. 37)
Strap eyelet (p. 16)

Control dial
Lens*

Shutter-release button

Focusing ring (p. 71)
Card-slot door (p. 26)
The USB port is located
behind the card-slot door.

Self-timer lamp (p. 53)

1. The focal-length scale on the zooming ring is given in 35mm focal-length equivalents.
Both cameras have a 7.2 - 50.8 mm Minolta GT lens, but because of the CCD size the
DiMAGE 7 has an equivalent zooming range of 28 - 200mm and the DiMAGE 5 has an
equivalent of 35 - 250mm. For more on equivalent focal lengths, see page 135.
10

Playback mode (p. 93)

Movie mode (p. 90)

Recording mode (p. 29)

Setup mode (p. 113)
Data-transfer mode
(p. 123)

Display mode switch
Display information button
(p. 32, 98)

Dial release
Accessory shoe
Eyepiece sensors*
(p. 32)

CCD plane
Main switch/Mode dial

Electronic viewfinder*
(EVF) (p. 72)

AF/AE lock button
(p. 73)
Menu button
Access lamp
Controller

LCD monitor*
(p. 14)

Magnification button
Remote-control
terminal cover (p. 92)
Battery-chamber lock (p. 24)

QV/ Delete button (p. 34)

DC/Video-out terminal cover (p. 26, 112)

11

NAMES OF PARTS
Exposure modes (p. 46)
Image quality (p. 43)
Image size (p. 42)

Drive modes (p. 51)
White balance (p. 58)
Camera sensitivity (p. 61)
Function button

Macro release (p. 69)

Function dial (p. 40)

Diopter-adjustment dial (p. 72)

Focus-mode (AF/MF) button (p. 71)

Tripod socket

Digital Effects Controller (p. 62)
Digital-effects button

Digital-effects switch

12

Contrast compensation (p. 64)
Exposure compensation (p. 63)
Color-saturation compensation (p. 65)

DATA PANEL
White-balance indicators (p. 58)
• Daylight, tungsten, fluorescent,
cloudy, and Custom.

Exposure-mode indicators (p. 46)
Battery-condition indicator (p. 25)
Digital-subject-program icons (p. 38)

Drive-mode indicators (p. 51)
• Bracketing
• Self-timer
• Single-frame advance
• Continuous advance

Red-eye reduction indicator (p. 76)
Manual-focus indicator (p. 71)

Camera-sensitivity indicator (p. 61)
Aperture/Exposure-compensation/
Flash-compensation display
Shutter-speed/
Camera-sensitivity display
Subject-program indicators (p. 38)

Image-size display
Image-quality display
Frame counter
Contrast indicator
Color-saturation indicator
Flash-compensation indicator

(p. 42)
(p. 43)
(p. 42)
(p. 64)
(p. 65)
(p. 78)

13

NAMES OF PARTS
EVF AND LCD MONITOR DISPLAY

a. Flash-mode indicators (p. 76)
b. Flash signals (p. 21)
c. Mode indicator
d. Flash-compensation display (p. 78)
e. Sharpness display (p. 86)
f. Contrast-compensation display (p. 64)
g. Color-saturation-compensation
display (p. 65)
h. Exposure-compensation display (p. 63)
i. White-balance indicators (p. 58)
j. Exposure-mode/Digital-subject-program
indicators (p. 46/38)
k. Metering-mode indicators (p. 74)
l. Shutter-speed display
m. Aperture display
n. Camera-shake warning (p. 15)
14

o. Camera-sensitivity (ISO) display (p. 61)
p. Manual-focus indicator (p. 71)
q. Focus signals (p. 31)
r. Frame counter (p. 42)
s. Drive-mode indicators (p. 51)
t. Macro-mode indicator (p. 69)
u. Battery-condition indicator (p. 25)
v. Image-quality indicator (p. 43)
w. Image-size indicator (p. 42)
x. Digital-zoom (Electronic-magnification)
indicator (p. 70)
1. Focus frame
2. Spot metering area (p. 74)
3. AF sensors (p. 29)
4. Flex Focus Point (p. 67)

GETTING UP AND
RUNNING
This is a quick reference guide so that the camera can be used as soon as possible. However, it is recommended that the entire manual be read to properly
operate the camera and to achieve the best results.

CAMERA-SHAKE WARNING
If the shutter speed falls below the point where the camera can be hand held safely, the
camera-shake warning will appear in the EVF and LCD monitor. Camera shake is
slight blurring caused by subtle hand motion and is more pronounced at the telephoto
setting of the lens than at the wide-angle setting. The warning appears at approximately
the reciprocal of the focal length used; if the lens is set at 100mm, the camera shake
warning will appear at 1/100 second. Although the warning appears, the shutter can still
be released. If the warning appears, the following steps can be taken:
• Place the camera on a tripod.
• Use the built-in flash (p. 21).
• Increase the camera sensitivity (ISO) (p. 61).
• Zoom the lens towards the wide-angle position.
15

GETTING UP AND RUNNING
ATTACHING THE CAMERA STRAP
Attach the camera strap to the strap eyelets as
shown.

1

• Always keep the camera strap around your neck incase
you drop the camera.

2

REMOVING THE LENS CAP
Using your thumb and index finger, pinch the inside or outside
tabs of the lens cap to remove.
• When the camera is not in use,
always replace the lens cap.

16

ATTACHING THE LENS HOOD
The lens hood is used to control stray light from entering the lens and causing flare.
When using the camera under bright light, the use of the lens hood is recommended.
The lens hood should not be used with the built-in flash as it can cause a shadow.
To mount the lens hood, align the rectangular
raised line on the rim of the hood with the
focal-length index on the top of the lens barrel

1

Slide the hood onto the end of the lens and
turn it 90° clockwise until it clicks and the circular raised dot is aligned with the focallength index.

2

• When mounted correctly, the large petals of the
lens hood should be to the top and bottom.
• Never force the lens hood. If it does not fit,
check its orientation.
• To detach the lens hood, turn it 90°
counterclockwise and remove.

The lens hood can be reverse mounted when the
camera is not is use.
With one of the large petals to the top, slide the hood
onto the end of the lens. Turn it 90° clockwise until it
clicks.
• The lens hood can be attached or removed with the lens
cap on the camera.
• To detach the lens hood, turn it 90° counterclockwise
and remove.
17

GETTING UP AND RUNNING
INSERTING BATTERIES
Open the battery-chamber door by moving the
battery-chamber lock to the open position
.

Insert the batteries.
• Make sure the positive and negative battery terminals
are orientated as illustrated on the diagram in the battery
chamber.

INSERTING THE COMPACTFLASH CARD

Open the card-slot door (1).

2

1

Insert the CompactFlash card (2) and fold down the
card-eject lever.
• Insert the card so that the face is toward the front of the
camera. Always push the card in straight, never at an
angle. Never force the card. If the card does not fit,
check its orientation.

18

HANDLING CAMERA
While using the electronic viewfinder (EVF) or LCD
monitor, grip the camera firmly with your right hand
while supporting the body with the palm of your left
hand. Keep your elbows at your side and your feet
shoulder-width apart to hold the camera steadily.
The EVF can be tilted between 0° and 90°. This is
useful for low-level camera positions.

TURNING ON THE CAMERA AND DISPLAYS

2
While pushing in the dial release (1),
turn the mode dial (2) to the still-image
recording position.

1

The display switch at the back of
the camera controls which
display will activate during
camera operation. Turn the
switch to the auto-display
position (A); the display will
alternate between the electronic
viewfinder (EVF) and LCD
monitor automatically.

Display switch
19

GETTING UP AND RUNNING
TAKING PICTURES
With the mode dial set to still-image recording, the
camera will be on and the electronic viewfinder
(EVF) and LCD monitor will activate.

The zooming ring can be used to frame your
subject. The effect of the zoom is immediately
displayed on the EVF and LCD monitor.

Compose the image in the EVF or on LCD monitor
taking care to place the subject within the focus
frame.

Press the shutter-release button all the way down
to take the picture.
• The access lamp will glow indicating the image data
is being written to the CompactFlash card. Never
remove the CompactFlash card while data is being
transferred.
20

USING THE BUILT-IN FLASH
In low-light conditions or indoors, the flash is needed to illuminate the subject and
reduce blurring through camera shake. The flash can also be used as a fill light in direct
sunlight to soften harsh shadows.
To use the flash, simply pull up the unit by the tabs on
each side. Icons will appear in the upper left corner of
the EVF and LCD monitor (see chart below).
• The flash position must be set manually.
• The flash will always fire regardless of the amount of
ambient light.
• Always remove the lens hood when using the built-in flash.
The hood may cast a shadow if mounted.

Flash warning. In backlit situations, the icon will appear to recommend
the use of the flash.
When pressing the shutter-release button partway down, the red flash
icon indicates the flash is charging.
When pressing the shutter-release button partway down, the white
flash icon indicates the flash is ready to fire.
After taking the picture, a blue flash icon will appear if the flash properly exposed the subject.

FLASH RANGE - AUTOMATIC OPERATION
The camera will automatically control the flash output. For well-exposed images, the
subject must be within the flash range. Because of the optical system, the flash range
is not the same at the lens’ wide-angle position as it is at the telephoto position.

Wide-angle position

0.5m ~ 3.8m (1.6 ft. ~ 12.5 ft.)

Telephoto position

0.5m ~ 3.0m (1.6 ft. ~ 9.8 ft.)
21

GETTING UP AND RUNNING
VIEWING AND DELETING PICTURES IN QUICK VIEW
Captured images can be viewed in recording mode. Simply press the QV/delete button
to access the images, and use the controller to scroll through the pictures on the
CompactFlash card.
1 Press the QV/delete button to
In quick view, images can also be deleted. Care
playback the recorded images.
should be taken when deleting image; once
deleted it is impossible to recover the picture.
2 Use the left/right keys of the
controller to scroll
When selecting an image for deletion, a
through the images.
confirmation screen will appear before the
operation is executed. For more information
about quick view, see page 34.
3 To delete the displayed image,
press the QV/delete button.
• A confirmation screen will
appear.

4

Use the left/right keys to
highlight “YES.”
• Choosing “NO” will cancel the
operation.

5
Menu button

Pressing the controller
will delete the image.

6

Press the menu button
to return to the
recording mode.

Controller
QV/delete button
22

BASIC OPERATION
This section covers the basic operation of the camera. Please thoroughly familiarise
yourself with the operations in this section before moving on to other sections in the
manual.

23

BASIC OPERATION
CHANGING BATTERIES
This digital camera uses four AA-size batteries. Ni-MH batteries can be used, and are
recommended as they will offer longer life. When using Ni-MH batteries, fully recharge
them with a battery charger suitable for Nickel Metal Hydride cells. Please consult your
vendor about an appropriate charger.

When replacing batteries, check that the mode dial is in the
off position.

Open the battery-chamber door by moving the batterychamber lock to the open position
.

Insert the batteries.
• Make sure the positive and negative battery terminals are
orientated as illustrated on the
diagram in the battery chamber.

Close the battery-chamber door and slide the lock lever to
the close position
.

24

BATTERY-POWER INDICATORS
This camera is equipped with an automatic battery-condition indicator. When the
camera is on, the battery-condition indicator appears on the data panel and monitors.
The monitor icon will change from white to red when battery power is low. If the data
panel and monitors are blank, the batteries may be dead or installed incorrectly.
Full-battery Icon - The batteries are fully charged. This icon is
displayed for five seconds on the monitors when the camera is
turned on. The icon remains on the data panel.
Low battery warning - Battery power is very low, but all
functions are operational. The battery should be replaced as
soon as possible. This warning automatically appears and
remains on the display until the batteries are changed.
Blinking low battery icon - When displayed on the data panel
with no other icons, power is insufficient for camera operation.
The shutter will not release. Replace the batteries immediately.

AUTO POWER SAVE
To conserve battery power, the camera will turn off displays and unnecessary functions
if an operation is not made within a certain period. The LCD monitor will turn off after
thirty seconds. The EVF and data panel turn off after one minute. To restore the
displays, press the shutter-release button partway down or press the displayinformation button. The length of the auto-power-save period for the EVF and data
panel can be changed in the basic section of the setup menu (p. 114).

25

BASIC OPERATION
EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLIES (SOLD SEPARATELY)
The AC Adaptor allows the camera to be powered from an electrical household outlet.
During periods of heavy use, the AC Adaptor can conserve battery power. Its use is
recommended when the camera is interfaced with a computer. AC Adaptor model AC1L is for use in North America, and AC-2L is for use in all other areas.
The External High-power Battery Pack Kit EBP-100 is a portable source of power for
the camera. This battery pack will significantly extend the operating time of the camera.

Do not change the power supply while the camera is on. Always turn off
the camera before changing between power supplies.
Remove the DC terminal cover by using the notch
on the right.
• The cover is attached to the body to prevent loss.

Always remove exhausted batteries before
connecting an external power supply!
Insert the mini plug of the AC adaptor or battery
pack into DC terminal.
Insert the AC adaptor plug into an electrical outlet.

CHANGING THE COMPACTFLASH CARD
A CompactFlash card must be inserted for the camera to operate. If a card has not
been inserted, a “no-card” warning will automatically be displayed on the monitors. IBM
Microdrives are compatible with this camera. For recording media care and storage,
see page 143.

26

Always turn off the camera and confirm the access lamp is not lit before inserting or
removing a CompactFlash card otherwise the card may be damaged, and data lost.

1

2

3

4

5

Open the card-slot door in the direction indicated (1).
To eject a CompactFlash card, lift (2) then press (3) the card-eject lever. The card can
now be pulled out.
• Take care when removing the card as it becomes hot with use.

Insert the CompactFlash card into the card slot until the card-eject lever pops out (4).
• Insert the card so the face is toward the front of the camera. Always push the card in straight,
never at an angle. Never force the card. If the card does not fit, check that it is orientated
correctly.

Fold the card-eject lever down as shown (5) and close the card-slot door.
If the card-not-recognised message appears, the inserted card in the camera may need
to be formatted. A CompactFlash card used in another camera may need to be formatted before being used. If the “unable-to-use-card” message appears, the card is not
compatible with the camera and should not be formatted. A card can be formatted in
the basic section of the setup menu (p. 116). When a card is formatted, all the data on
the card is permanently erased.
27

BASIC OPERATION
SETTING THE CAMERA TO RECORD IMAGES AUTOMATICALLY

2

1

While holding in the dial release (1), turn the mode dial
to still-image recording. Press the pro-auto button (2) to
reset the programmed and automatic functions.
All camera operations are now fully automatic. The
autofocus, exposure, and imaging systems will work
together to bring professional results effortlessly.

EVF AND LCD MONITOR DISPLAY
Focus frame
Image-size indicator (p. 42)

Mode indicator

Image-quality indicator (p. 43)
Metering-mode
indicators (p. 74)
Exposure-mode/Digitalsubject-program
indicators (p. 46/38)
Shutter-speed display

Drive-mode indicators (p. 51)
Frame counter (p. 45)
Focus signals (p. 31)
Aperture display

28

BASIC RECORDING OPERATION
With the mode dial set to still-image recording, the camera will be
on and the electronic viewfinder (EVF) and LCD monitor will
activate.

Place the subject within the focus frame.
• For off centre subjects use the focus-lock function (p. 30).
• Make sure the subject is within the focus range of the
lens: 0.5m - ∞. For subjects closer than 0.5m, use the
macro function (p. 69).

Press the shutter-release button partway down (1) or press
and hold the AF/AEL button (2) to lock the focus and
exposure.

1

2
3

• The focus signals (p. 31) in the monitors will confirm that the
image is in focus. If the focus signal is red, the camera was
unable to focus on the subject. Repeat the previous steps until
the signal is white.
• When the focus is set, an AF sensor symbol will briefly appear
on the live image to indicate the point of focus.
• The shutter speed and aperture value will change from
white to black indicating the exposure is locked.

Press the shutter-release button all the way down
(3) to take the picture.
• The access lamp will glow indicating the image data is
being written to the CompactFlash card. Never
remove a CompactFlash card while data is being
transferred.
29

BASIC OPERATION
FOCUS LOCK
The focus-lock function is used when the subject is off-centre and outside the focus
frame. Focus lock may also be used when a special focusing situation prevents the
camera from focusing on the subject.
Focus lock can be controlled one of two ways. The shutter-release button can be
pressed and held partway down or the AF/AEL button at the back of the camera can be
pressed and held.
Place the subject within the focus frame. Press and
hold the shutter-release button partway down or
press the AF/AEL button.
• The focus signals will indicate that the focus is locked.
The shutter speed and aperture value will change from
white to black indicating the exposure is locked.
• When the focus is set, an AF sensor will briefly appear
on the live image to indicate the point of focus.

Without lifting your finger from the shutter-release
button or the AF/AEL button, recompose the subject
within the image area. Press the shutter-release
button all the way down to take the picture.

The function and operation of the AF/AEL button can be changed in the Custom 1
section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80). The Flex Focus Point can also be used for
off-centre subjects (p. 67).
30

FOCUS SIGNALS
This digital camera has a quick, accurate autofocusing system. The focus signals in the
lower right corner of the EVF and LCD monitor indicate the focus status. For more information on autofocus modes see p. 68.

Focus icon: white
Focus icon: red

Focus confirmed.
Cannot focus. The subject is too close or a special
situation is preventing the AF system from focusing.

• The shutter can be released even if the camera cannot focus on the subject.
• When the AF system cannot focus, the focus is set to infinity. When the flash is in use, the
focus is set between 3.0 and 3.8m. In this case, focus lock can be used with an object at the
same distance as the main subject or the camera can be focused manually (p. 71).

SPECIAL FOCUSING SITUATIONS
The camera may not be able to focus in certain situations. If the autofocus system
cannot focus on a subject, the focus icon will turn red. In this situation the focus-lock
function can be used to focus on another object at the same distance as your main
subject, and then the image can be recomposed to take the picture.

The subject is too dark. The subject in the
focus frame is low in
contrast.

Two subjects at different distances overlap
in the focus frame.

The subject is near a
very bright object or
area.

31

BASIC OPERATION
DISPLAY CONTROLS - RECORDING MODE
Located on the back of the camera, the display-mode switch and the displayinformation button controls on which monitor the image is displayed and what
information is included in the display. The three position switch allows the choice
between automatic display and setting the display to the EVF or LCD monitor.

Auto display - the camera will automatically change between
displaying the live image in the EVF or on the LCD monitor. The
EVF’s eye sensors monitor if the EVF is being used and switches
the display location accordingly.

EVF display - the live image will only be displayed in the electronic
viewfinder. Under bright-light, the image is easier to see in the
EVF than on the LCD monitor.

LCD monitor display - the live image will only be displayed on the
LCD monitor.

If battery power is a concern, have the eye sensor activate the EVF when in use, but
not the LCD monitor. The auto-display function can be changed in the Custom 2 section
of the setup menu (p. 114).

32

In the centre of the display switch, the display-information button
controls what information is displayed with the live image. Each time
the button is pressed the display cycles to the next format: full
display (shooting data, warnings, and focus frame), warnings and
focus frame, live image only.

Full display

Warnings and
focus frame

Live image only

• A warning will
be displayed if
battery power
is low,
autofocus
cannot lock,
or exposure is
beyond the
aperture and
shutter-speed
range.

33

BASIC OPERATION
QUICK VIEW
Captured images can be viewed in recording mode. Simply press the QV/delete button
to access the images, and use the controller to scroll through the pictures on the
CompactFlash card. Images can be displayed with various information: date, frame
number, printing status, and lock status. A histogram of the image with shooting data
can be displayed. For more information on the histogram display, see page 97.

1

Press the QV/delete button to play
back the recorded images.

2

Use the left/right keys of the controller
to scroll through the images.

3

Press the up key to see the histogram
of the displayed image.
• Pressing the down key
returns to quick view.

4

To return to the recording mode,
press the menu button .

Menu button

Controller
QV/delete button
34

QUICK-VIEW DISPLAY
Image size (p. 42)
Image quality (p. 43)

Mode indicator

To view the histogram of the displayed image, press the up key of
the controller (p. 97).
Time of capture
Date of capture
Lock icon (p. 105)

Frame number/ total number of images
Print icon (p. 108)

DELETING IMAGES IN QUICK VIEW
In quick view, the displayed image can be deleted. When selecting an image for
deletion, a confirmation screen will appear before the operation is executed.

Once deleted, an image cannot be recovered. Care should always be
taken when deleting images.

1

To delete a displayed image, press the QV/delete button.

2

Use the left/right keys to highlight “Yes.”

• A confirmation screen will appear.

• “No” will cancel the operation.

Delete this frame?
Yes

3

No

Pressing the controller will execute the
command on the confirmation screen.
• The camera will return to quick view.

Confirmation screen
35

RECORDING MODE
ADVANCED OPERATION
This section contains detailed information on the camera’s recording functions and
operation. Read the sections pertaining to your interest and need. The ‘setting the function dial’ (p.40), Digital Effects Controller (p. 62), and the ‘navigating the recording-mode
menu’ (p. 80) sections cover setting most of the advanced features in this camera. Each
of these sections are followed by detailed descriptions of the settings.

WHAT IS AN EV? WHAT IS A STOP?
Ev stands for exposure value. Stop refers to click stops in mechanical cameras. A
change of one Ev or one stop will adjust the exposure calculated by the camera by a
factor of two. Adjustments to exposure in the A, S, and M exposure modes are made in
1/2 stop increments or 0.5 Ev.

Change in Ev

Change in stops

Adjustment to exposure

+2.0 Ev

+2 stops

4X as much light

+1.0 Ev

+1 stop

2X as much light

0.0 Ev

36

Calculated exposure

–1.0 Ev

–1 stop

1/2 as much light

–2.0 Ev

–2 stops

1/4 as much light

PRO-AUTO BUTTON
Simply pressing the pro-auto button (1) resets the camera
to programmed and automatic functions. The camera’s
systems work together to bring professional results
leaving the operator free to concentrate on aesthetic
decisions.

1

The pro-auto button only affects functions in the recording
mode. The button has a limited effect in the movie mode;
exposure, contrast, and colour-saturation compensation
as well as the focus mode is reset.

Digital subject program (p. 38)
Exposure mode (p. 46)
Drive mode (p. 51)
Focus mode (p. 68, 71)
Autofocus area (p. 66)
White balance (p. 58)
Metering mode (p. 74)
Exposure compensation (p. 63)
Contrast compensation (p. 64)
Colour-saturation compensation (p. 65)
Flash metering (p. 75)
Flash compensation (p. 78)
Flash mode (p. 76)
Sharpness (p. 86)

Cancelled
Program
Single-frame advance
Single AF
Wide
Auto white balance
Multi-segment metering
0.0
0
0
ADI metering
0.0
Fill or red-eye reduction*
Normal

* The flash mode is reset to whichever of the two modes was set last.
37

RECORDING MODE
DIGITAL-SUBJECT-PROGRAM BUTTON

1

The subject-program button (1)
optimises the camera’s performance
for various conditions and subjects.
Exposure, white-balance, and imageprocessing systems work in unison for
beautiful results.
Pressing the subject-program button
cycles through the modes: portrait,
sport action, sunset, night portrait, text,
and the original exposure mode. A
pointer will indicate the active subject
program. The subject program will
remain in effect until it is changed.

38

Portrait

Optimised to reproduce warm, soft skin tones and
a slight defocusing of the background.

Sport action

Used to capture fast action by maximising shutter
speeds and tracking subjects with continuous AF.

Sunset

Optimised to reproduce rich, warm sunsets.

Night portrait

For deep, subtle night scenes. When used with
flash, the subject and background are balanced.

Text

For the crisp reproduction of black text on white
backgrounds.

While camera performance is optimised for each shooting condition, some changes can
be made to camera settings when using subject programs. The autofocus mode can be
changed (p. 80). The sport action mode uses continuous AF, the other modes use
single AF. The digital effects controller can be used to compensate exposure, contrast,
and colour saturation (p. 62). White balance can be changed in all modes except sunset
and night portrait (p. 58). Sharpness can be changed in the sport action, sunset, and
text modes (p. 80). The metering mode cannot be changed.

Shooting tips
Portrait - Most portraits look best at long focal lengths. Features are not exaggerated and the
background is softer because of a shallower depth of field. Use the built-in flash with strong
direct sunlight or backlight to reduce harsh shadows.
Sports action - When using a flash, make sure the subject is within the flash range: 0.5 - 3.0m
(telephoto). The flash range can be extended by changing the camera sensitivity (p. 79). A
monopod is more flexible and compact than a tripod when shooting events.
Sunset - When the sun is above the horizon, do not point the camera toward the sun for prolonged periods of time. The intensity of the sun could damage the CCD. Between exposures,
turn off the camera or cover the lens.
Night portrait - When taking pictures of a landscape at night, use a tripod to eliminating blurring from camera shake. The flash can only be used with close subjects such as with a portrait
of a person. When using the flash, ask your subjects not to move after the burst; the shutter will
still be open for the background exposure.
Text - When taking pictures of small text on a sheet of paper, the macro mode (p. 69) can be
used. Use a tripod to eliminate camera shake and ensure the sharpest images.
39

RECORDING MODE
SETTING THE FUNCTION DIAL
Image size, image quality, exposure modes, drive modes, white balance, and camera
sensitivity are controlled by the function dial. Making changes with the function dial is
simple. The function dial can only be used for still photography.
Turn the function dial to the mode to be changed (1).
While pressing the button in the centre of the function dial, turn the
control dial near the shutter-release button to change the mode (2).
Release the function button to set the mode.

1

• Changes are displayed on the monitors and data panel.

2

SIZE

Image size

Controls the pixel resolution

QUAL

Image quality

Controls the rate of compression

P.A.S.M. Exposure modes
DRIVE

40

Changes exposure mode

(p. 42).
(p. 43).

(p. 46).

Drive modes

Changes drive mode

(p. 51).

WB

White balance

Changes between automatic, preset, and
Custom white balance (p. 58).

ISO

Camera sensitivity

Changes camera sensitivity

(p. 61).

Function Dial

Display

SIZE

QUAL

P.A.S.M.

P
A
S
M

DRIVE

WB

ISO

100, 200,
400, 800.

Setting

Page

2560 X 1920 (2048 X 1536)
1600 X 1200
1280 X 960
640 X 480
RAW
Super fine
Fine
Standard
Economy
Program
Aperture priority
Shutter priority
Manual
Single-frame advance
Continuous advance
Self-timer
Bracketing
Interval
Automatic white balance
Daylight
Tungsten
Fluorescent
Cloudy
Custom setting
Custom calibration
Automatic gain

42
42
42
42
43
43
43
43
43
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
56
59
59
59
59
59
60
60
61

Preset camera sensitivity in
ISO equivalents.

61

EVF & Monitor Display

2560 (2048)
1600
1280
640
RAW
S. FIN
FINE
STD
ECON
Numbers in
brackets are for
the DiMAGE 5.
Display for the
data panel, EVF
and LCD monitor
are the same
unless indicated.

(No display when set)

(No display when set)

ISO value
is displayed
41

RECORDING MODE
IMAGE SIZE
Changing image size affects the number of pixels in each image.
The greater the image size, the larger the file size. Choose image
size based on the final use of the image - smaller images will be
more suitable for web sites whereas larger sizes will produce higher
quality prints.
Image size must be set before the picture is taken. Changes made
to image size are displayed on the data panel, EVF, and LCD monitor. Image size must
be reset manually. See setting the function dial section on page 40.

Data panel

EVF and
LCD monitor

Number of pixels
(hor. X vert.)

2560 (2048)*

2560 X 1920

1600

1600 X 1200

UXGA

1280

1280 X 960

SXGA

640

640 X 480

VGA

(2048 X1536)*

Image size
FULL

* The number in brackets indicates the value for the DiMAGE 5.

ABOUT THE FRAME COUNTER
The frame counter indicates the approximate number of images that can be stored on
the CompactFlash card at the camera’s image quality and size settings. If the settings
are changed, the frame counter adjusts accordingly. Because the calculation is based
on average file sizes, the actual image may not change the counter or may decrease it
by more than one. The frame counter cannot exceed 999. When the number of recordable images exceeds this, 999 will be displayed. The frame counter will continue to
count down when the number of recordable images falls below one thousand.
42

IMAGE QUALITY
This camera has five image quality settings: raw, super fine, fine,
standard, and economy. Always select the desired setting before
taking the picture. See ‘setting the function dial’ section on page 40.
Image quality controls the rate of compression, but has no effect on
the number of pixels in the image. The higher the image quality, the
lower the rate of compression and the larger the file sizes. The super-fine mode will
produce the highest quality image and the largest image files. If the economical use of
the CompactFlash card is important, use the economy mode. Standard image quality is
sufficient for normal usage.
File formats vary with the image quality setting. Super fine images are saved as a TIFF
file. The fine, standard, and economy settings are formatted as a JPEG file. Super fine,
fine, standard, and economy files are saved as 24-bit colour or 8-bit monochrome
images. RAW creates a file format that can only be read with the DiMAGE Image
Viewer Utility software.
If the image quality is changed, the data panel will display the approximate number of
images that can be recorded at that setting on the installed CompactFlash card. One
CompactFlash card can contain images with differing qualities.
Data
panel

EVF and
LCD monitor

RAW
S. FIN
FINE
STD
ECON

RAW - unprocessed image data.
Super fine - the highest quality image.
Fine - high quality image.
Standard - the default setting.
Economy - the smallest file sizes.
43

RECORDING MODE
ABOUT SUPER-FINE AND RAW IMAGE QUALITY
Because super-fine and RAW data files are so large, the continuous-advance mode (p.52) cannot be
used with these image-quality settings. If the continuous advance is used with either of these
settings, only one image will be captured when the shutter-release button is pressed and held. With
the bracketing drive mode, the continuous advance is cancelled and the shutter must be released
manually for each frame of the bracket. When capturing super fine and RAW images, a delay of
between thirty to forty seconds can occur as the image is saved to the CompactFlash card; the
monitors will be blank and the access lamp will glow during that period.
In the RAW image-quality mode, the image size is set at full and cannot be changed. The image size
will not be displayed in the monitor. The digital zoom, enlarged playback, and data imprinting cannot
be used.
Unlike the other image-quality modes, RAW image data is unprocessed and requires image
processing before it can be used. To view the RAW data, the DiMAGE Image Viewer Utility software
is required. The utility software can reconstruct the image and apply the same image processing
controls as the camera. RAW data is saved as a 12-bit file; the DiMAGE Viewer Utility software can
convert this data into 48-bit TIFF files.
When the camera is set to RAW image quality, the camera’s image processing controls alter the live
image displayed in the EVF and on the LCD monitor in recording mode, but have no effect on the
stored image. When the image is played back on the camera, image processing is not applied and
the colours of the image can look unnatural. When viewed on a computer using the DiMAGE Image
Viewer software, the natural colours will be restored.
A RAW image is stored with a file header that contains white-balance information, changes made to
contrast and saturation with the digital effects controller, any image processing applied in a subjectprogram setting, and changes to sharpness. The colour mode has no effect on the final image; a raw
image taken in the black and white mode can be restored to a colour picture. The changes in camera
sensitivity are applied to the RAW data; ISO values can be manually set to control noise (p. 62).

Note
If JPEG or TIFF files are retouched and overwritten with image processing applications that do
not support Exif files such as Adobe Photoshop, they can not be read or displayed in the DiMAGE
Image Viewer Utility (an error message "File not supported" appears).

44

IMAGE-FILE SIZE AND COMPACTFLASH CARD CAPACITY
The number of images that can be stored on a CompactFlash card is determined by
the size of the card and the file size of the images. The actual file size is determined by
the scene; some subjects can be compressed further than others. The tables below list
approximate file sizes based on average file sizes.
Approximate file sizes.
Image 2560 X 1920
1600 X 1200
size
(2048 X 1536)*

Image
quality

RAW
Super fine
Fine
Standard
Economy

9.5MB (6.1MB)
14.1MB (9.1MB)
2.1MB (1.6MB)
1.1MB (0.9MB)
0.65MB (0.59MB)

–
5.6MB
1.0MB
0.6MB
0.38MB

1280 X 960

640 X 480

–
3.6MB
0.66MB
0.41MB
0.29MB

–
0.96MB
0.27MB
0.2MB
0.15MB

Approximate number of images that can be stored on a 16MB CompactFlash card.
Image 2560 X 1920
Image
1600 X 1200 1280 X 960 640 X 480
size
(2048 X 1536)*
quality

RAW
Super fine
Fine
Standard
Economy

1
1
7
15
22

(2)
(1)
(9)
(16)
(27)

2
17
33
46

–
(2)
(15)
(26)
(41)

4
28
50
67

–
(4)
(23)
(38)
(54)

–
16 (16)
80 (57)
115 (81)
135 (104)

* The figures in parentheses apply to the DiMAGE 5 only.

45

RECORDING MODE
EXPOSURE MODES
The four exposure modes allow extensive control over image
making. Programmed AE gives carefree operation, aperture and
shutter priority allow photographers to maximise exposures in
different situations, and manual exposure provides complete
freedom in controlling the final image. See setting the function dial
section on page 40.

P

Program

The camera controls both the shutter speed and
aperture.

A

Aperture priority

The photographer selects the aperture and the
camera sets the appropriate shutter speed.

S

Shutter priority

The photographer selects the shutter speed and
the camera sets the appropriate aperture.

M

Manual exposure

The photographer selects both the shutter
speed and aperture.
Data panel

LCD monitor

Exposure modes
Shutter speed
Aperture
All exposure mode icons on the data
panel have been shown for clarity.
46

PROGRAM - P
The programmed AE exposure control uses luminance and focal-length information to
ensure perfect exposures. The sophisticated exposure system allows the photographer
the freedom to shoot without having to worry about the technical details of exposure
settings. The shutter speed and aperture value of the exposure are displayed on the
monitors and data panel.
The program line adjusts with the changes in focal length of the zoom lens. The camera
is programmed to maximise depth of field in the wide-angle range to provide sharp
landscape pictures, and to maximise shutter speed in the telephoto range to minimise
camera shake and blurred images. When the shutter speed falls below an acceptable
limit for the camera to be hand held, the camera-shake warning appears in the lower
left corner of the monitors (p. 15).
PROGRAM SHIFT
Although exposure calculations can be left to the camera, photographers can still have
control over the final exposure with the program-shift function. As described in the basic
recording operation (p. 29), press the shutter-release button partway down (1) until the
shutter speed and aperture value is displayed. The control dial (2) can then be used to
shift the shutter speed and aperture combination; each combination will give the
optimum exposure.
The built-in flash cannot be used with program shift.
The camera gives priority to the flash exposure;
once the flash is raised, any changes made will the
program shift will be cancelled. Pressing the function
button will also reset the program shift.

1

2

47

RECORDING MODE
APERTURE PRIORITY - A
The photographer selects the aperture and the
camera sets the appropriate shutter speed to
ensure correct exposure. When A mode is selected,
the aperture value on the monitor and EVF will turn
blue.

2
1

Turn the control dial (1) to set the desired aperture
value. Press the shutter-release button to activate
the exposure system (2); the corresponding shutter
speed will be displayed.
The aperture values can be changed by half stop increments between f/2.8 and f/8 at
the lens’ wide-angle position and f/3.5 to f/9.5 at the lens’ telephoto position. If the
aperture value is beyond the shutter-speed range, the shutter-speed display will blink
on the data panel and turn red on the monitors.
When the shutter speed falls below an acceptable limit for the camera to be hand held,
a warning appears in the lower left corner of the EVF and LCD monitor. When the
warning appears, decrease the aperture value until the warning disappears or place the
camera on a tripod.
Because the shutter speeds can be adjusted in
fine steps, the same shutter speed maybe
displayed when the aperture is changed. With
the camera sensitivity (ISO) set to auto, the
shutter speed may not change when the
aperture is adjusted.

48

SHUTTER PRIORITY - S
The photographer selects the shutter speed and the
camera sets the appropriate aperture to ensure
correct exposure. When S mode is selected, the
shutter speed on the monitor and EVF will turn blue.

2
1

Turn the control dial (1) to set the desired shutter
speed. Press the shutter-release button to activate
the exposure system (2); the corresponding aperture
will be displayed.
The shutter speeds can be changed by half
stop increments from 4 seconds to 1/2000. If
the shutter speed is beyond the aperture
range, the aperture display will blink on the
data panel and turn red on the monitors.

Camera Notes
For 35mm photographers, an aperture range of f/2.8 to f/8 does not seem impressive.
However, because of the CCD size and the actual focal length of the lens, the apertures on this
digital camera give significantly more depth of field at any given angle of view with any given
aperture than a 35mm camera. So even with the minimum aperture of f/8, the depth of field will
give the coverage needed to create beautiful, sharp images.

49

RECORDING MODE
MANUAL EXPOSURE - M
Manual exposure mode allows individual selection of
shutter speeds and apertures. This mode overrides
the exposure system giving the photographer total
control over the final exposure. The shutter speeds
and aperture values can be changed in half stop
increments. The value that is being set will turn blue
on the monitors.
As changes are made to the exposure, the effect will
be visible on the monitors. The shutter-speed and
aperture display will blink on the data panel and turn
red on the monitors, if the image extremely under or overexposed. If the monitors are
black, increase the exposure until the image is visible; decrease the exposure if the
monitors are white.
In manual mode, the auto camera sensitivity setting will be set to ISO 100. The camera
sensitivity can be changed with the function dial (p. 40). Bulb exposures can made in M
mode, see page 92 for more information.

1

3
50

2

To set the shutter speed:
• Turn the control dial (1) to set the desired
shutter speed.
To set the aperture:
• Set the digital effects switch (2) to the exposurecompensation position.
• While pressing the digital effects button (3), turn
the the control dial (1) to set the desired
aperture value.

DRIVE MODES
The drive modes control the rate and method images are captured.
Icons indicating the selected drive mode appear on the data panel
and LCD monitor and in the EVF. See ‘setting the function dial’
section on page 40.

Single-frame advance

To take a single image each time the
shutter-release button is pressed.

Continuous drive

To take multiple images when the shutterrelease button is pressed and held.

Self-timer

To delay the release of the shutter. Used
for self-portraits.

Bracketing

To take a series of images with differing
exposure, contrast, and saturation.

Interval shooting

To take a series of images over a period
of time.

All icons have been
shown for clarity. The
single-frame advance
and continuous drive
indicators occupy the
same area of the data
panel. All the drive-mode
icons appear in the lower
right corner of the
monitors.

LCD monitor

Data panel

51

RECORDING MODE
CONTINUOUS ADVANCE
Continuous-advance mode allows a series of images to be captured while holding
down the shutter-release button. Continuous-advance acts as a motor drive on a film
camera. The number of images that can be captured at one time and the rate of
capture depends on the image-quality and image-size setting. The maximum rate of
capture is 1.1 fps (1.3 fps for DiMAGE 5) with full-size images with manual focus in
manual-exposure mode. The continuous-advance mode is set with the function dial (p.
40).
When the shutter-release button is pressed and held, the camera will begin recording
images until the maximum number has been taken or the shutter button is released.
This mode cannot be used with super-fine or RAW image (p. 44). The built-in flash can
be used, but the rate of capture is reduced because the flash must recharge between
frames.
Compose the picture as described in the basic operation section (p. 29). Press the
shutter-release button partway down to lock the exposure and focus for the series; if the
autofocus mode is set to continuous AF, the lens will continually focus during the series
(p. 68). Press and hold the shutter-release button all the way down to begin taking
pictures.
The following chart lists the maximum number of images that can be captured with
different image-quality and image-size combinations. The numbers in brackets refer to
the DiMAGE 5.
Image
Size

Image
Quality

52

2560 X 1920
1600 X 1200
(2048 X 1536)

1280 X 960

640 X 480

Fine

5 (8)

8 (12)

11 (17)

25 (38)

Standard

7 (12)

12 (18)

17 (26)

35 (53)

Economy

12 (19)

18 (28)

24 (36)

44 (68)

SELF-TIMER
Used for self-portraits, the self-timer will delay the release of the shutter for
approximately ten seconds after the shutter is released. The self-timer is set with the
function dial (p. 40).
With the camera on a tripod, compose the picture as described in the basic operation
section (p. 29). Focus lock (p.30) or the Flex Focus Point (p. 67) can be used with offcentre subjects . Press the shutter-release button partway down or press the AF/AEL
button to lock the exposure and focus. Press the shutter-release button all the way
down to begin the countdown. Because focus and exposure is determined when the
shutter-release button is pressed, do not stand in front of the camera when taking a
self-timer image. Always confirm the focus with the focus signals before beginning the
countdown (p. 68).
During the countdown, the self-timer lamp on the
front of the camera will start to blink and is
accompanied by an audio signal. A few seconds
before the exposure, the self-timer lamp will blink
rapidly. The lamp will glow steadily just before the
shutter fires. To stop the countdown, press the
pro-auto button or change the position of the
flash (lift it or push it down). The audio signal can
be turned off in the basic section of the setup
menu (p. 114).

Shooting tips
The self-timer can be used to minimise camera shake with long exposures. When using the
camera on a tripod, photographs of static subjects (landscapes, still-life, or close-up photographs) can be made with the self-timer. Because no contact is made with the camera during
exposure, there is no risk of camera shake caused by the operator.

53

RECORDING MODE
BRACKETING
This mode makes a three image bracket of a scene. Bracketing is a method of taking a
series of images of a static subject in which each image has a slight variation in
exposure. The camera is not limited to exposure brackets, but can also make contrast
and colour saturation brackets. Only one image characteristic can be bracketed at a
time. The bracketing mode is set with the function dial (p. 40).

EXPOSURE BRACKETING
Exposure bracket After setting the drive mode to bracketing, turn the digital effects
switch to the exposure-compensation setting. The order of the
bracket series is normal exposure (as indicated by the shutter
speed and aperture displays), underexposure, overexposure. The
exposure bracket is set to 1/3 stop increments, but can be
adjusted to 1/2 or 1 stop increments in the Custom 1 section of
the recording-mode menu (p. 80).

Compose the picture as described in the basic-operation section (p. 29). Press the
shutter-release button partway down (1) or press the AF/AEL button (2) to
lock the exposure and focus for the series; the camera will continue to focus
during the series if set to continuous AF (p. 68). Press and hold
1
the shutter-release button all the way down (3) to make the
bracket series; three consecutive images will be captured.

2
3

Number of frames in
bracketing series
Frame counter
54

DIGITAL ENHANCED BRACKETING
After setting the drive mode to bracketing, turn the digital
effects switch to the contrast or colour-saturation setting.
Set the contrast or colour saturation to the desired level;
Contrast bracket
the bracket series is from one unit under to one unit over
the set level. Except for a RAW image, if the the contrast or
colour saturation is set to the maximum or minimum level
(±3), one bracket will be made at ± 4: +3, +2, +4. A RAW
image cannot exceed the the maximum and minimum
levels and will contain two identical brackets: +3, +2, +3.
Colour-saturation bracket See the digital-effects-controller section on page 62 to set
contrast and colour saturation.
Compose the picture as described in the basic-operation section (p. 29). Press the
shutter-release button partway down (1) or press the AF/AEL button (2) to lock the
exposure and focus for the series; the camera will continue to focus during the series if
set to continuous AF (p. 68). Press and hold the shutter-release button all the way
down (3) to make the bracket series; three consecutive images will be captured. The
frames in the bracket series is countdown on the monitors next to the bracketing icon.
Exposure bracket
Normal

Over

Under

NOTES ON BRACKETING
If the CompactFlash card is full or the shutter button is released before the series has
completed, the camera will reset and the entire bracket must be made again.
With super fine and RAW image qualities or when using flash, the bracket will not
advance automatically; the shutter-release button must be pressed for each frame of
the series. Once the series begins, the focus and exposure values are set and do not
have to be made again. The remaining number of frames in the bracket series is
displayed on the monitors next to the bracketing icon.
55

RECORDING MODE
INTERVAL
The interval mode makes a series of still images over a period of time. Similar to timelapse photography, a series of images of a slow moving event can be taken: the
blossoming of a flower, the construction of a building. The built-in flash can be used.
Instant playback (p. 89) is disabled.
Use the function dial to set the drive mode to interval (p. 40). The number of frames in
the series will be displayed on the monitors next to the interval icon. The number of
frames can be set between two and ninety nine on the Custom 1 section of the
recording-mode menu (p. 80). The interval period is also set on the recording-mode
menu; 1 - 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes.
After mounting the camera on a tripod, compose the image so that the subject area
falls within the focus frames; the camera sets the focus, exposure, and white balance,
and charges the flash just before each exposure. Continuous AF can be used.
Settings locked with the AF/AEL button are canceled after the first frame (p. 73).
To override the automatic systems, use manual focus (p. 71), manual exposure (p. 50),
and manual white balance (p. 58).
Confirm the CompactFlash card has enough storage capacity for the series by comparing the number of frames in the interval series with the number of recordable images
displayed on the frame counter. Image size and quality settings can be changed to
increase the number of pictures that can
be saved on the CompactFlash card (p.
40).

Number of frames in the interval series.
Frame counter.
56

Press the shutter-release button to begin the series. During the interval series, the
monitors will be turned off to conserve power. “Int” will be displayed on the data panel
and the data-panel frame counter will countdown the remaining frames in the interval
series. The access lamp will glow when an image is being recorded.
To force the shutter to fire before the end of an interval, press the shutter-release
button. The next interval will be timed from the new exposure. When the shutter is
forced to fire, the EVF will activate for the duration of the auto-power-save period (p.
117) and the LCD monitor will activate for thirty seconds.
The camera will stop recording images and reset to the first frame when the number of
frames set has been taken, or when the CompactFlash card is full. To cancel the
interval series, turn off the camera.

The setting sun: 10 minute intervals

Shooting tips
When creating a large series of images, the text and a serial number can be imprinted on the
images. This aids editing the images and time calculations for specific images. For information
on data imprinting, see page 87.

57

RECORDING MODE
WHITE BALANCE
White Balance is the camera’s ability to make different types of
lighting appear neutral. The effect is similar to selecting daylight or
tungsten film, or using colour compensating filters in conventional
photography.
When setting the white
balance, “Auto” (data panel) and “AWB”
(monitors) will be displayed to indicate the
auto white-balance setting. An icon will be
displayed on the data panel and monitors if a
setting other than auto white-balance was
chosen. See setting the function dial section
on page 40.
No
display

58

AUTO

The AUTO setting will detect the type of light
and adjust the white balance accordingly.

Daylight

For outdoor and sunlit subjects.

Tungsten

For incandescent lighting: household filament
light bulbs.

Fluorescent

For fluorescent lighting: office ceiling lights.

Cloudy

For overcast outdoor scenes.

Custom setting

For using the Custom white-balance setting.

Custom calibration

For manual white-balance calibration.

AUTOMATIC WHITE BALANCE
The automatic white balance compensates for the colour temperature of a scene. In
most cases, the AUTO setting will balance the ambient light and create beautiful
images, even under mixed-lighting conditions. When the built-in flash is used, the white
balance is set for the colour temperature of the flash.

PRESET WHITE BALANCE
Preset white-balance settings must be set before the image is taken. Once set, the
effect is immediately visible in the EVF and LCD monitor.
The built-in flash can be used with preset white-balance settings, but will create a
pinkish or blueish cast with the fluorescent and tungsten settings. The flash is daylight
balanced and will produce excellent results with the daylight and cloudy settings.

Shooting tips
The daylight and cloudy settings are primarily for outdoor shooting conditions. Daylight is used
for sunny weather when the light is relatively warm. The light during overcast conditions is much
cooler and requires a different white balance: cloudy. Office lighting will produce a strong green
cast in photographs; the fluorescent setting restores the natural colour under these conditions.
Traditional household light bulbs emit very yellow light, which can be corrected with the tungsten
setting.
Auto and manual white balance will not change the colour of neon signs. White balance cannot
correct high-energy vapour lighting: sodium-vapour (yellow highway lights), or mercury vapour.
For portraits under these lighting conditions, the flash can be used to overpower the ambient
light. With landscapes containing these types of lights, set the white balance to the preset daylight setting.

59

RECORDING MODE
CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE
Custom-white-balance function allows a photographer to calibrate the camera to a
specific lighting condition. The setting can be used repeatedly until reset. Custom white
balance is especially useful with mixed-lighting conditions or when critical control over
colour is needed.
To calibrate the camera, press the function button and turn the
control dial until the Custom white-balance icon and “SET” appear
on the data panel and red on the monitors. Select a white object
and fill the image area with it; the object does not need to be in
focus. Press the shutter-release button to calibrate the camera. If an
error occurs during calibration, an error message will appear on the
Calibration display
monitors. Press the controller to cancel the message, then
recalibrate using a suitable reference target and the shutter-release button. This
sequence can be repeated as many times as necessary.
The setting will remain until another calibration is made. If the Custom white-balance
setting needs to be used again, while pressing the function button, turn the control dial
until the Custom white-balance icon is displayed without the “SET” on the data panel
and white on the monitors. The camera will use the last Custom setting.
The built-in flash can be used with the Custom setting. However, since the flash is
daylight balanced, it will give an unusual colour cast to an image if the camera is
calibrated to any other light source.

Shooting tips
When making the calibration, the colour of the object used is critical. The object should be
white. A coloured object will cause the calibration to compensate for the object colour rather
than the colour temperature of the ambient light. A blank piece of white paper is an ideal surface and can easily be carried in a camera bag.

60

CAMERA SENSITIVITY - ISO
Five settings can be selected for camera sensitivity: Auto, 100, 200,
400, and 800; the numerical values are based on an ISO equivalent.
ISO is the standard used to indicate film sensitivity: the higher the
number, the more sensitive the film. See ‘setting the function dial’
section on page 40 to change the ISO setting.
The auto setting automatically adjusts the camera sensitivity to the light conditions
between ISO 100 and 400. When the flash is activated and camera sensitivity is set to
auto, the ISO value is set to ISO 200. When any other setting than auto is used, “ISO”
will appear on the data panel and “ISO” and the set value will be displayed on the
monitors.
Photographers can select a specific sensitivity setting. Like grain in silver-halide film
that increases with speed, noise increases with sensitivity in digital imaging; an ISO
setting of 100 will have the least noise and 800 will have the most noise. A change in
ISO also effects the flash range (p. 79); the higher the ISO, the greater the range.
As the ISO value doubles, the camera sensitivity doubles; changing the ISO between
100 and 200, 200 and 400, or 400 and 800 changes the camera sensitivity by one stop
or 1 Ev (p. 36). A change between 100 and 800 changes the camera sensitivity by a
factor of 8 or three stops. High ISO settings (400, 800) will allow the photographer to
hand hold the camera in low-light conditions without the need of a flash.

Camera Notes
When making bulb exposures (p. 92), noise can be more pronounced because of the unusually
long exposure times, especially at 400 and 800 ISO. When making long bulb exposures of 20 to
30 seconds, a camera sensitivity setting of 100 or 200 will produce excellent results. At higher
ISO settings, using shorter exposure times (8 - 16 seconds) will reduce the effect of noise. With
long exposures at high ISO settings, noise from interference may be noticeable.

61

RECORDING MODE
DIGITAL EFFECTS CONTROL
The Digital Effects Controller is a powerful tool. As well as being able to make
adjustments to exposure, the controller can also change image contrast and colour
saturation. The effect of any change is instantly visible in the EVF or on the LCD
monitor before the image is captured. Since compensation is applied to the image
before it is compressed and saved, image information can be maximised before leaving
the scene. The digital effects controller can be used with movie recording.
Operating the controller is very simple:

1

Turn the digital effects switch to the image characteristic to be changed.

2

Press and hold the digital-effects button in the centre of the switch and adjust the
setting by turning the control dial next to the shutter-release button. Release the
digital-effects button to set the adjustment.

1

Exposure compensation

Adjustments can be made repeatedly and in
combination. Adjustments remain in effect until
manually reset. When set to any value other than
zero, an icon will be displayed on the data panel
and monitors as a warning.

2
Contrast compensation

Color-saturation compensation
62

EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
The exposure can be adjusted before the image is captured to
make the final picture lighter or darker. Exposure can be adjusted
by as much as ±2Ev in 1/3 increments (p. 36). The exposure
compensation value will remain in effect until it has been reset.
The exposure compensation must be set before the image is
captured. When setting the exposure compensation, the change is
shown on the data panel aperture display and next to the exposure-compensation icon
on the monitors. After the setting is made, the shutter-speed and aperture displays will
indicate the actual exposure. Because the shutter speeds can be adjusted in fine steps,
the same shutter speed or aperture value maybe displayed after exposure
compensation.
Data panel

EVF & LCD monitor
Display when adjusting exposure.

*

Exposure compensation warning after adjustment

* The aperture value for the exposure.

Shooting tips
Sometimes the camera’s exposure meter is deceived by certain conditions.
Changing the exposure value can compensate for these situations. For example, a very bright scene, such as a snowy landscape or a white
sandy beach, can appear too dark in the captured image. Before
taking the picture, adjusting the exposure by +1 or +2 EV will
result in an image with normal tonal values.
In this example, the dark scene appears bright and washed-out on
the LCD monitor. By decreasing the exposure by –1.5 EV, the richness of the sunset is preserved.

63

RECORDING MODE
CONTRAST COMPENSATION
The contrast of a scene can be adjusted within seven levels (±3)
with the Digital Effects Controller. If a scene is too contrasty,
information will be lost; if a scene is flat, the image information is
not optimised for the recording ability of the camera. Control over
the contrast gives photographers the ability to optimise the image
information at the scene.
The contrast must be set before the image is captured. When changing the contrast
setting, an icon will appear on the data panel and in the live image. The data panel and
monitors will indicate if an increase (+) or decrease (–) in contrast has been made. If
contrast is set to any other value than zero, the icon will remain on the displays as a
warning.

Data panel

EVF & LCD monitor
Display when adjusting contrast.
Contrast compensation warning after adjustment.

Flat scene

High
contrast
scene

After compensation
64

After compensation

COLOUR-SATURATION COMPENSATION
The colour saturation of a scene can be adjusted within seven
levels (±3) with the Digital Effects Controller. Colours can be
accented or subdued.
The colour saturation must be set before the image is captured.
When changing the colour-saturation setting, an icon will appear
on the data panel and in the live image. The data panel and
monitors will indicate if an increase (+) or decrease (–) in saturation has been made. If
colour saturation is set to any other value than zero, the icon will remain on the displays
as a warning.

Data panel

EVF & LCD monitor
Display when adjusting colour saturation.
Color-saturation compensation warning

Shooting tips
Unlike the display on a computer monitor, changes to contrast and colour saturation can be difficult to see in the EVF and LCD monitor. To ensure the optimum level of contrast or colour saturation, make an automatic bracket (p. 55) or manual bracket of the scene.

65

RECORDING MODE
AUTOFOCUS AREAS AND CONTROL
In still-image recording mode, the controller selects the focus area used and moves the
spot-focus area within the image. The two focus areas, wide focus area and spot focus
point, allow flexibility over a variety of situations.
The wide focus area is an array of local focus areas that work together to control focus.
This system is especially effective with moving subjects or quick shooting in fastmoving events. When the focus is locked in single AF mode, one of the AF sensors
within the wide focus area will briefly indicate the point of focus. The spot focus point
gives critical control over focus. It can be used to single out an individual subject from a
group.
Switching between the wide focus area to the spot focus point is simple. Press and hold
the controller (1) until the wide-focus-area frame lines change to the spot-focus-point
cross. Press and hold the controller again to return to the wide-focus-area frame lines.

Wide focus area

Spot focus point

1
Controller

66

AF sensor

FLEX FOCUS POINT - CONTROLLING THE SPOT FOCUS POINT
Once displayed, the spot focus area can be moved to any point in the image area. This
Flex Focus Point is a powerful tool for off-centre subjects. The Flex Focus Point cannot
be used with continuous AF (p. 68) or the digital zoom (p. 70).

1

With the spot-focus-area cross displayed, use the controller’s four-way
keys (1) to move the focus point anywhere within the live image. Press
the shutter-release button partway down or press the AF/AEL button to
focus; the cross will turn red to confirm focus.

Pressing the centre of the controller (2) returns the focus point to the
centre of the image area. To return to the wide-focus-area mode press
and hold the controller until the frame lines appear.

2

1
2

67

RECORDING MODE
AUTOFOCUS MODES
This digital camera has two autofocusing modes. The single and continuous autofocus
modes are selected in the basic section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80).
Single AF - for general purpose photography and static subjects. When the shutterrelease button is pressed partway down the autofocus system locks onto the subject in
the focus area and will remain in effect until the shutter button is released.
Continuous AF - for moving subjects. When the shutter-release button is pressed
partway down, the autofocus system will activate and continue to focus until the
exposure is made.
• When the AF system is unable to focus because of a special focusing situation (p. 31), the
focus is set to infinity. When using flash, the focus is set between 3 and 3.8m. In this case,
focus lock (p. 30) can be used with an object at the same distance as the main subject or the
camera can be focused manually (p. 71).
• When using continuous AF with the wide focus area (p. 66), the AF sensors will not appear to
indicate the point of focus.
• The continuous AF mode may have difficulty focusing on extremely fast subjects. In this
situation, use manual focus to focus on a point in the subject’s path and release the shutter
just before the subject reaches that point; there is a slight delay between the time the shutterrelease button is pressed and the shutter opens.

Single AF icon

Focus confirmed.

Continuous AF
icon

Focus confirmed.

Focus icon: red

Cannot focus. The subject is too close or a special
situation is preventing the AF system from focusing.

• Do not confuse these icons with the metering-mode icons (p. 74).
• The shutter can be released even if the camera cannot focus on the subject.
68

MACRO MODE
The macro mode is used for close-up photographs of small objects. The minimum
focusing distance is 25cm from the CCD or about 13cm from the front of the lens. The
macro mode can be used with the digital zoom to increase the close-up effect. Subject
programs and movie recording can be used with the macro setting. The built-in flash
cannot be used with macro mode.
CCD plane
Turn the zoom ring to the telephoto setting.
• Align the arrow on the zooming ring with the arrow near the
macro switch.

Slide the macro switch on the lens barrel forward.
• The camera is now in macro mode.
• Make sure the subject is within the macro focusing range:
0.25 - 0.6m from the CCD.
• To return to normal recording mode, slide the macro switch
towards the rear of the lens.
• The macro icon is displayed in the lower right corner of the
monitors.

Shooting tips
Because of the high image magnification, hand holding cameras during
close-up photography is very difficult. When possible, use a tripod.
Use the Flex Focus Point (p. 67) to specify the area to be within focus.
Because depth of field (the area in focus) is narrow in close-up photography, using focus lock with off-centre subjects can cause minor errors
which are exaggerated at high magnifications.
The variable position EVF makes working in tight spaces and at low levels
easy. The EVF can be tilted between 0° and 90°.

69

RECORDING MODE
DIGITAL ZOOM
The digital zoom doubles the lens magnification. The digital zoom cannot be used with
RAW image quality or in movie recording.
Press the magnification button on the back of the
camera. The effect is immediately displayed.
• The live image is enlarged on the LCD monitor and is
cropped with a shaded border in the EVF.
• X2.0 is displayed in the monitors when the digital zoom is
in effect.
• Pressing the magnification button a second time cancels
the digital zoom.
• When using the wide focus area (p. 66), the AF sensor will
not appear to indicate the point of focus.

When an image is taken with the digital zoom, the final
image size depends on the image-size setting on the
camera. The image is trimmed and then the total
number of pixels are interpolated to produce an image
with a pixel resolution shown in the chart.

DiMAGE 7
DiMAGE 5

70

Full
1280 X 960
1024 X 768

Image size setting
1600 X 1200
1280 X 960
1280 X 960
1280 X 960
1024 X 768
1024 X 768

EVF

LCD monitor

640 X 480
640 X 480
640 X 480

MANUAL FOCUS
Manual control over focus is simple. The
focus mode button (AF/MF) (1) toggles
between automatic and manual focus. The
MF icon is displayed on the data panel and
monitors when the camera is in the manualfocus mode.
Use the focus ring (2) at the rear of the lens
barrel to make a sharp image in the EVF or
on the LCD monitor. The approximate
distance from the CCD to the subject is
displayed on the monitors. Manual focus can
be used with movie recording and in macro
mode.

CCD plane

2

1

ELECTRONIC MAGNIFICATION (DIMAGE 7 ONLY)
The magnification button can be used to enlarge the centre of the image by X4 to aid
manual focusing. This function has no effect on the final image size. This function is
activated using the Custom 1 section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80); activating
this function disables the digital zoom. Electronic magnification can only be used to
check manual focus. The magnified display cannot be used to set the exposure.
Press the magnification button on the back of the camera.
• The magnifier icon is displayed on the monitors when electronic
magnification is in effect.
• Pressing the magnification button a second time cancels the
function.
• When the shutter-release button is pressed partway down, the
magnified display is cancelled showing the entire image area.
71

RECORDING MODE
ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER
The EVF displays 100% field of view. When using the camera outdoors or under bright
lighting conditions, the viewfinder image is not affected by the ambient light and is
bright and clear.
The electronic viewfinder can be tilted between 0°
to 90°. Simply grip the finder between your fingers
and move it to the position desired. Always store
the camera with finder down against the body.

DIOPTER ADJUSTMENT
The EVF has a built-in dioptre that can be adjusted
between –5.0 to +0.5. While looking through the EVF,
turn the dioptre-adjustment dial until the viewfinder
image is sharp.

AUTOMATIC MONITOR AMPLIFICATION

(DiMAGE 7 only)

In extremely low-light conditions when the camera-sensitivity gain has reached its limit,
the automatic monitor amplification function will intensify the EVF and LCD monitor
image. The live image will be brighter, however the display will be black and white. This
will have no effect on the final colour image.
When the automatic monitor amplification is in use, the electronic-magnification
function cannot be used.

72

AF/AE LOCK BUTTON
When the shutter-release button is pressed partway down, the focus and exposure is
locked. The AF/AEL button performs the same operation when pressed and held; the
focus signals and exposure displays will confirm if the settings are locked. The
operation of this button can be changed in the Custom-1 section of the recording-mode
menu (p. 80). Changing these settings has no effect on the operation of the shutterrelease button. Focus lock is disabled when the camera is set to continuous AF.
Recording-mode
menu setting
AF/AE hold

The camera’s default setting. While pressing and holding the AF/AEL button, the focus and exposure are set and locked. These settings will remain
in effect until the AF/AEL button is released.

AF/AE toggle

Pressing and releasing the AF/AEL button will set and lock the focus and
exposure. The settings are cancelled when the AF/AEL button is pressed
again.

AE hold

While pressing and holding the AF/AEL button, only the exposure is set
and locked. This setting will remain in effect until the AF/AEL button is
released or a picture is taken.

AE toggle

Pressing and releasing the AF/AEL button will set and lock the exposure
only. The setting is cancelled when the AF/AEL button is pressed again.

• The autofocus and auto exposure settings will not reset after an image has been captured
until the AF/AEL button has been released (hold setting) or pressed again (toggle setting).
• When the AE hold or AE toggle are used with the flash, the slow-shutter-sync flash mode will
be in effect (p. 76).

Shooting tips
Using the spot-metering mode with the AF/AEL button as an exposure-only lock allows exposure measurements to be made from a different object than the subject. The shutter-release
button will continue to control focus, but the exposure can be set from an object that is not at
the same distance or at the same position as the subject. This is extremely useful when the
colour or tone of the subject is very light or dark.
73

RECORDING MODE
METERING MODES
Multi-segment

An advanced metering system appropriate for
almost all photographic situations.

Centre weighted

Averages luminance values from the entire
image area with a bias toward the centre of
the image.

Spot

For precise measurements of a small area displayed on the monitors.

The icons indicating the metering mode are displayed on the monitors only. Do not
confuse these icons with the focus signals (p. 68). The metering mode is changed in
the basic section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80). When centre-weighted or spot
metering is selected, pressing the shutter-release button partway down will activate the
exposure system, but will not lock the exposure; the AF/AEL button must be used.
Multi-segment metering uses 300 segments (256 segments for the DiMAGE 5) to
measure luminance and colour. This data is combined with distance information to
calculate the camera exposure. This advanced metering system will give accurate
worry-free exposures in almost all situations.
Centre-weighted metering is a traditional metering method in silver-halide cameras. The
system measures light values over the entire image area with emphasis given to the
central region of the scene.
Spot metering uses a small area within the image to calculate
the exposure. When this mode is selected, a small circle will
appear in the middle of the live image indicating the measuring
area. The spot allows precise exposure measurements of a
particular object without being influenced by extremely bright or
dark areas within the scene.
Spot metering display
74

FLASH METERING
Two flash-metering methods are available: ADI and pre-flash TTL. The flash meteringmode can be changed in the basic section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80).
ADI flash metering - Advanced Distance Integration. This metering mode combines
distance information from the autofocusing system with information from a pre-flash
exposure. Unlike conventional TTL flash metering, ADI is not influenced by the
reflectance of the subject or background, ensuring optimum flash exposures.
Pre-flash TTL - calculates flash exposure with a pre-flash only. This mode must be
used when using close-up filters or filters that reduce the amount of light entering the
camera such as neutral density filters. Pre-flash TTL must be used when a diffuser is
attached to the built-in flash or an external flash unit.
The camera will automatically switch from ADI metering to pre-flash TTL when a lowcontrast subject is preventing the autofocus system from focusing. If the autofocus
system cannot lock on the subject, press the AF/MF button and manually focus; the
ADI metering will remain in effect.
This camera does not have a preset flash sync speed. When calculating the exposure
in program (P) or aperture-priority (A) exposure mode, the shutter speed will not fall
below the camera-shake limit (p. 15). When using shutter-priority (S) or manual (M)
exposure mode, any shutter speed can be used in the exposure.
For a list of compatible Minolta accessory flash units and for information on accessory
flash operation, see page 138. Because both flash modes use a pre-flash, slave
controlled flash units cannot be used.

75

RECORDING MODE
FLASH MODES
Data
panel

EVF &
LCD monitor

–

Fill-flash

–

Red-eye
reduction
Rear flash
sync

Used in low-light conditions and to
reduce shadows under direct sunlight.
To reduce the red-eye effect with flash
photographs of people and animals
Flash fires at the end of long exposures.

The flash mode can be changed in the basic section of the recording-mode menu (p.
80). For the flash to fire, the unit must be manually lifted. The flash will fire in the
selected mode regardless of the amount of ambient light. When the flash is used, the
camera sensitivity is automatically set at ISO 200. This setting can be changed using
the function dial (p. 40). The auto-white-balance setting will give priority to the flashes
colour temperature. If manual white-balance settings are used, priority is given to the
active settings colour temperature (p. 59).

FILL FLASH
Fill-flash can be used as the main or
supplementary light. In low-light
conditions, the flash will act as the
main source of illumination and
overpower the ambient light. Under
strong sunlight or in backlit situations,
the fill-flash can reduce harsh
shadows.

76

RED-EYE REDUCTION
Red-eye reduction is used when taking photographs of people or animals in low-light
conditions. The red-eye effect is caused by light reflected from the retina of the eye. The
camera will fire a pre-flash before the main flash to contract the pupils of the subject’s
eyes.

REAR FLASH SYNC
Rear flash sync is used with long exposures to make
trailing lights or blurring appear to follow rather than
precede the subject. The effect is not apparent if the
shutter speed is too fast and stops the subject’s
motion.
When the shutter is released, a pre-flash will fire.
This pre-flash does not exposure the subject, but is
used in the calculation of the flash exposure. The
flash will fire again just before the shutter closes.

Camera Notes
Slow shutter sync can be set in P and A exposure modes (p. 46). In low-light conditions, this
flash mode controls the shutter to increase the ambient or background exposure. When photographing a subject outside at night, the camera and flash exposure will be balanced to bring
out the details in the background. Because shutter speeds can be longer than usual, the use of
a tripod is recommended.
1. Set the camera to the P or A exposure mode (p. 40).
2. Set “AE hold” or “AE toggle” in the Custom 1 section of the recording mode menu (p. 80).
3. Frame the subject on the monitors.
4. Press the AF/AEL button to lock the exposure.
5. Press the shutter-release button to lock the focus. Composed the image on the monitors.
6. Press the shutter-release button all the way down to take the picture.

77

RECORDING MODE
FLASH COMPENSATION
The flash output can be controlled by ±2 Ev in
1/3 Ev increments. Flash compensation is set
in the basic section of the recording-mode
menu (p. 80). If the flash compensation is set
to any value other than 0.0, the flashcompensation indicator will appear on the
monitors and data panel.

Shooting tips
When using the fill-flash to reduce harsh shadows on the subject’s face caused by bright illumination or direct sunlight, flash compensation can be used to change the ratio between the highlights and shadows. The fill-flash will affect the darkness of the shadows without affecting the
area illuminated by the main light source. By decreasing the flash output with a negative Ev setting, the shadows will receive less light than with normal fill-flash and be harder, but will bring
out subtle details in the shadows that would not appear without the flash. Increasing the flash
output by using a positive Ev setting will soften and can even nearly eliminate shadows.

Positive compensation
No compensation
Negative compensation
78

FLASH RANGE
For correct flash exposures, the subject must be within the flash range. The flash range
can be extended by changing the camera sensitivity (p. 40). When the camera
sensitivity is set to auto, the ISO is set at 200. The flash range is measured from the
CCD. Because of the optical system, the flash range is not the same at the lens’ wideangle position as it is at the telephoto position.

ISO setting
AUTO
100
200
400
800

Flash range (wide angle)
0.5m
0.5m
0.5m
0.5m
0.5m

~
~
~
~
~

3.8m
2.7m
3.8m
5.4m
7.6m

(1.6
(1.6
(1.6
(1.6
(1.6

ft. ~
ft. ~
ft. ~
ft. ~
ft. ~

12.5 ft.)
8.8 ft.)
12.5 ft.)
17.6 ft.)
25 ft.)

Flash range (telephoto)
0.5m
0.5m
0.5m
0.5m
0.5m

~
~
~
~
~

3.0m
2.1m
3.0m
4.2m
6.0m

(1.6
(1.6
(1.6
(1.6
(1.6

ft. ~
ft. ~
ft. ~
ft. ~
ft. ~

9.8 ft.)
6.9 ft.)
9.8 ft.)
13.8 ft.)
19.6 ft.)

ATTACHING A MINOLTA ACCESSORY FLASH UNIT
To extend the versatility of the camera, an accessory flash unit (sold separately) can be
mounted on the camera. See page 138 for a list of compatible flash units.
Slide the accessory-shoe cap off as shown.
Mount the flash unit on the accessory shoe by
sliding it forward until it stops.
• Always remove the accessory flash when the
camera is not in use. Replace the accessory-shoe
cap to protect the contacts.

79

RECORDING MODE
NAVIGATING THE RECORDING-MODE MENU

1

In recording mode, press the menu button to activate the menu. The menu button
also turns off the recording-mode menu after making settings.

2

The four-way keys are used to move the cursor in the menu. Pressing the centre
of the controller will enter a setting.
Activate the recording-mode menu with the menu button (1). The “Basic” tab at the
top of the menu will be highlighted. Use the left/right keys of the controller (2) to
highlight the appropriate menu tab; the menus will change as the tabs are selected
and highlighted.
When the desired menu section is displayed, use the up/down keys (2) to scroll
through the menu options. Highlight the option whose setting needs to be changed.
With the menu option to be changed highlighted, press the right controller key; the
settings will be displayed with the current setting highlighted.
• To return to the menu options, press the left key.
Use the up/down keys to highlight the
new setting.

Press the controller to select the
highlighted setting.

Rec.
Basic Custom1 Custom2
AF-single
AF mode
Metering mode MultiSegment
Flash mode
Fill-flash
Flash comp.
0
Flash metering ADI flash

1

2
80

Once a setting has been
selected, the cursor will return
to the menu options and the
new setting will be displayed.
Further changes can continue
to be made. To return to the
recording mode, press the
menu button.

Basic
AF mode
Metering mode

Flash mode

Flash comp.
Flash Metering

Custom 1
AF single
AF continuous
Multi-segment
Centre weighted
Spot
Fill-flash
Red-eye
Rear flash sync
±2 Ev
ADI flash
Pre-flash TTL

Color mode
Data imprint

Instant playback

Exposure bracket

Hard (+)
Normal
Soft (–)
Color
B&W
No
YYYY/MM/DD
MM/DD/hr:min
Text
Text + ID#
No
2 sec
10 sec

1
2
3
Store memory
0.3
0.5
1.0
1~10, 15, 20, 30,
45, 60 min.

Interval
Frames
AF/AEL button

Magnification button

Custom 2
Sharpness

Memory

2 ~ 99
AF/AE hold
AF/AE toggle
AE hold
AE toggle
Digital zoom
Elec. mag.
Store in

1
2
3

For DiMAGE 7 only

For more information about the
electronic keyboard see page 88.
Please refer to the following sections for
descriptions of the menu options and their
settings.
81

RECORDING MODE
RECORDING-MODE MENU - BASIC
Menu option

Settings
AF-single

AF mode
(p. 68)
AF-continuous

Multi-segment
Metering mode
(p. 74)

Centre
weighted
Spot

Flash mode
(p. 76)

Flash
compensation
(p. 78)
82

Description
Focus is calculated and set
when the shutter-release button
is pressed partway down.
Camera continues to focus on a
moving subject even when the
shutter-release button is
pressed partway down.
Employs 300 segments (256 for
the DiMAGE 5) over the image
area to calculate exposure.
The exposure calculation is
biased toward the the centre
region of the image area.
The exposure is based on a
small area in the centre of the
image area.

Fill-flash

General purpose flash mode for
low-light conditions and for
reducing harsh shadows caused
by direct sunlight.

Red-eye

Same as the fill-flash, but also
fires a pre-burst to reduce redeye in portraits.

Rear flashsync

Flash fires at the end of a long
exposure.

±2 Ev (1/3 Ev
increments)

To compensate flash exposure.

EVF and
Data
panel LCD monitor
display
display

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

Flash metering
(p. 75)

ADI flash

Uses distance and pre-flash information
to calculate exposure.

–

Pre-flash TTL

Uses only pre-flash information to calculate exposure.

–

RECORDING-MODE MENU - CUSTOM 1
Memory
(p. 85)

1~3

Camera settings can be recalled from
three memory channels.

–

Store memory

To store camera settings in memory.
When selected, the store-in-memory
screen will appear.

–

Exposure
bracket
(p. 54)

0.3 Ev, 0.5 Ev,
1.0 Ev

Interval (p. 56)

1 ~ 10, 15, 20,
30, 45, 60 min.

Frames (p. 56)

2 ~ 99 frames

Used with the interval drive mode to specify the total number of frames for the
series.

AF/AE hold

Focus and exposure are locked while
pressing and holding the AF/AEL button.

–

AF/AE toggle

The AF/AEL button toggles between the
focus and exposure being locked and
unlocked.

–

AE hold

Only exposure is locked while pressing
and holding the AF/AEL button.

–

AE toggle

The AF/AEL button toggles between
exposure being locked and unlocked.

–

AF/AE lock
button
(p. 73)

Continued on next page

Used with the bracketing drive mode to
specify the exposure increment for the
series.
Used with the interval drive mode to specify the duration of the interval between
exposures.

–
–

83

RECORDING MODE
RECORDING-MODE MENU - CUSTOM 1 (CONT.)
Menu option
Magnification
button (p. 71)
(DiMAGE 7 only)

Settings

Description

Digital zoom

The 2X digital zoom is active.

Electronic
magnification

The 4X electronic magnification is active.

EVF and
LCD monitor
display

RECORDING-MODE MENU - CUSTOM 2
Hard (+)
Sharpness
(p. 86)

Sets the degree of sharpness to be
applied before the image is captured.

–

B&W

To record 24-bit colour or 8-bit monochrome images. These settings have no
effect on RAW images.

–

No

Disables the data imprinting function.

–

YYYY/MM/DD

Imprints date on image

MM/DD/hr:min

Imprints date and time on image

Text

To imprint caption on image. Electronic
keyboard appears when selected.

Text + ID#

To imprint caption and serial number on
image. Electronic keyboard appears when
selected.

No

Disables the instant playback function.

–

2 sec.

Images are played back for two seconds
after they are captured.

–

10 sec.

Images are played back for ten seconds
after they are captured. During playback
the image can be deleted.

–

Normal
Soft (–)

Color mode
(p. 86)

Data imprint
(p. 87)

Instant
playback
(p. 87)

84

Color

MEMORY - SAVING CAMERA SETTINGS
Three sets of camera settings can be saved. This feature saves time under frequently
repeating conditions by eliminating the need to set camera functions. Except for the
AF/AEL button, subject programs, data imprinting, and instant playback settings, all
recording-mode camera settings will be saved including the position of the Flex Focus
Point, the Custom white balance setting and changes made with the function dial and
digital effects control. Although the the bracketing drive mode setting can be saved, the
type of bracket, exposure, contrast, or colour saturation, must be set again with the
digital effects controller.
Camera settings are saved with the memory function in the Custom 1 section of the
recording-mode menu (p. 80). Initially, each memory location contains the camera’s
original settings.
Rec.
Basic

Custom1

Memory
Exp. bracket
Interval
T/F/C
AF/AEL button
Mag. button

Custom2

1
2
3
Store memory

To save the current camera settings, select the storememory setting from the memory option in the Custom
1 section of the recording-mode menu. The store-inmemory screen will appear.
On the store-in-memory screen, chose the memory
register in which the camera settings are to be saved.
Pressing the controller will complete the operation; the
previous settings will be erased and replaced by the
new ones.

To recall a setting, simply choose and enter the appropriate memory register from the
memory option of the Custom 1 section of the recording-mode menu. The settings are
instantly applied to the camera.
Camera settings cannot be deleted from memory by turning the camera off, using the
pro-auto button (p. 37), or choosing the default function on the setup menu (p. 120).

85

RECORDING MODE
SHARPNESS
The sharpness of the image can be altered. This must be set before the image is
recorded. Sharpness is set in the Custom 2 section of the recording-mode menu (p.
80).
Recording-mode
menu settings

EVF and LCD
monitor display

Increases the sharpness of the image,
accentuating details.

Hard (+)
Normal
Soft (–)

–

No filter applied.
Softens the details of the image.

If any setting other than normal is selected, the sharpness icon will be displayed on the
monitors with the degree of sharpness. Sharpness must be reset manually.

COLOUR MODE
The colour mode controls whether the image is colour or black and white. This must be
set before the image is recorded. The colour mode is set in the Custom 2 section of the
recording-mode menu (p. 80). The live image on the monitors will reflect the selected
colour mode. The colour mode has no effect on image file size. The colour mode must
be reset manually.
RAW images are not affected by the colour-mode setting. Although the monitors will
display a black and white image, the utility software can recreate the original colour.

86

DATA IMPRINTING
Data can be printed directly on the image. The imprinting function must be activated
before the image is taken. Once activated, data will continue to be imprinted until the
function is reset; a yellow bar is displayed behind the distance indicator and frame
counter on the monitors to indicate the imprinting function is active. Data imprinting is
controlled in the Custom 2 section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80).
Recording-mode
menu setting

No

Data imprinting function disabled.

the year, month, and day the image was taken.The date format can
YYYY/MM/DD Prints
be changed in the Custom 2 section of the setup menu (p. 114).
the date and time the image was taken. The date and time can be
MM/DD/hr:min Prints
set in the Custom 2 section of the setup menu (p. 114).

Text

Text + ID#

Up to 16 characters can be printed on the image. When this setting is
selected, the electronic keyboard will appear (p. 88).
Up to eight characters and a serial number can be printed on the image.
As each successive image is captured, the ID number will increase by
one. When this setting is selected, the electronic keyboard will appear (p.
88). The serial number is reset every time the setting is made.

The data is imprinted in the lower right corner of the image when viewed horizontally.
Only one imprinting format can be employed at one time. The data is printed directly on
the photograph, writing over the image information.

Camera Notes
Every time a still image is recorded, it is stored with an Exif tag that contains the date and time
of recording as well as shooting information. This information can be viewed with the camera in
the playback or quick-view mode or on a computer with the DiMAGE Image Viewer Utility software .

87

RECORDING MODE
ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD
The electronic keyboard is used to enter text for imprinting data or for naming new
folders. The keyboard automatically appears when text needs to be entered.
To enter text,
simply use the
four-way keys
of the controller
to highlight the
desired character and
then press the centre
of the controller to enter it.
Entering the CapL key will
change case; the change is
immediately displayed on the
letters of the keyboard. When
complete, highlight the enter
key and press the controller to
enter the text and complete
the operation. To cancel the
operation, press the menu
button.

Text block

Delete key Caps lock

Enter key

To delete text, move the cursor into the text block at the top of the screen. Use the
cursor to highlight the character to be deleted. Press the down key; the delete key will
be highlighted. Press the centre of the controller to delete the character.
To replace a character, repeat the previous procedure, but when the delete key is
highlighted, used the four-way keys to highlight the character to replace the one
highlighted in the text box; press the controller to replace the character.

88

INSTANT PLAYBACK
After an image is captured, it will be displayed on the monitors before being saved.
When in continuous drive or bracketing mode, an index display is used. The instant
playback function is set in the Custom 2 section of the recording-mode menu (p. 80).
Recording-mode
menu setting

No
2 sec
10 sec

Instant playback is disabled.
The captured image will be displayed for two or ten seconds. While displayed, the image can be deleted before being saved.

• If the centre of the controller is pressed during the instant playback, the displayed image will
immediately be saved and the playback cancelled.

1

To delete an image during the
instant playback, press the
QV/delete button.
• A confirmation screen will appear.

2

Use the left/right keys of the
controller to highlight “YES.”
• “NO” will cancel the operation.

Rec.

3

Press the controller to
delete the image.
• The live image will be
displayed on the monitor.

: delete

: store

Controller
QV/delete button

89

RECORDING MODE
MOVIE RECORDING

2

This camera can record up to sixty seconds of digital video. The
motion JPEG image is 320 X 240 pixels (QVGA). The effective
image area is 308 X 240 pixels; two thin lines will appear to the
left and right of the image when played back.
Shooting digital video is simple. Set the main dial to movie
recording (1). Frame the picture as described in the basic
recording operation (p. 29). Press the shutter-release button
once to start recording (2). The camera will continue to record
until the recording time is used or the shutter-release button is
pressed again. When recording, the data panel and monitor
frame counters will countdown the remaining time.

1

Recording indicator
Countdown in seconds

Total recording time for
the next movie clip

90

When the camera is not recording, the data-panel
and monitor frame counters will show the maximum
time in seconds that can be recorded with the next
movie clip. A maximum of 60 seconds will be
displayed until the amount of remaining time falls
below one minute, then the remaining number of
seconds that can be recorded will be displayed.

The table below shows the approximate total recording time with various CompactFlash
cards. Actual time depends on the subject and the number of still images captured.
8MB

16MB

64MB

DiMAGE 7

44 sec.

90 sec.

363 sec.

DiMAGE 5

36 sec.

70 sec.

290 sec.

This table indicates which functions can be used, which are fixed, and which are
disabled in movie mode. Manual focus can be used before or during movie recording.

Exposure compensation (p. 63)
Contrast compensation (p. 64)
Color-saturation compensation (p. 65)
Macro mode (p. 69)
Focus mode (p. 68, 71)
Autofocus area (p. 66)
Exposure mode (p. 47)
Metering mode (p. 74)
Camera Sensitivity (ISO) (p. 61)
White balance (p. 58)
Flash
Digital zoom (Electronic magnification)
Digital-subject-program button
Function Dial
AF/AEL button
Recording-mode menu

Available
Available
Available
Available
Continuous AF or Manual
Wide (fixed)
Program (fixed)
Centre-weighted (fixed)
Auto (fixed)
Auto white balance (fixed)
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
91

RECORDING MODE
BULB EXPOSURES
Bulb photographs can be taken in the manual-exposure mode (M) (p. 71). Exposures
up to thirty seconds can be made by pressing and holding the shutter-release button.
The use of a tripod and a remote cord is recommended for bulb exposures.
Use the control dial (1) to decrease the shutter-speed
value below four seconds until “bulb” is displayed.

1

To set the aperture value, turn the Digital Effects
Controller to exposure compensation (2). While
pressing the digital effects button (3), turn the control
dial (1) until the correct aperture is displayed.
• The camera’s exposure system cannot be used to
calculate bulb exposures. The use of a separate light
meter is recommended.

2
3

To take the picture, press and hold the shutter-release
button for the duration of the exposure.
• Releasing the shutter button will end the exposure.
• The monitors will be blank during the exposure.

ATTACHING A REMOTE CORD (SOLD SEPARATELY)
The optional remote cords (RC-1000S or RC-1000L)
can be used to reduce vibrations from touching the
camera during long exposures.
Remove the remote-control terminal cover.
• Use the notch on the left side of the cover.
• The cover is attached to the body to prevent loss.

Insert the plug of the cord into the terminal.
92

PLAYBACK MODE
VIEWING AND EDITING IMAGES
This section contains detailed information on the camera’s playback functions and operation. Read the sections pertaining to your interest and need. The sections on viewing
pictures, viewing movies, deleting images (p. 94 - 95), navigating the playback-mode
menu (p. 102), and frame-selection screen (p. 111) cover the use of most of the features for viewing and editing images. The navigating the playback-mode menu section
is followed by detailed descriptions of the settings.

93

PLAYBACK MODE
VIEWING PICTURES
Still images and movie clips can easily be viewed and edited in playback mode. To set
the camera to view images, turn the mode dial to the playback position (1).
Simply use the controller to scroll through the pictures on the CompactFlash card.
Images are displayed with date, frame number, printing status, and lock status
information. Still images can be displayed with a histogram and shooting data. The first
frame of each movie clip is shown; a movie clip is indicated by the movie icon displayed
with a thumbnail of the first frame.

1

2

Use the left/right keys of the
controller to scroll
through the images.

3

Press the up key to display the
images histogram.
• Pressing the down key
will return to the fullscreen display .
• The left/right keys are
disabled when the histogram is
displayed.

Controller
QV/delete button
94

VIEWING MOVIES

1

Use the left/right keys of the controller to display the movie clip to be
viewed.

2

Press the centre of the controller to play back the clip.

3

To cancel the playback of a movie, press the down key of the controller.

• Pressing the controller during playback will pause the movie clip; pressing the
controller again will resume the playback.
• When the movie clip finishes, the first frame will be displayed.

DELETING IMAGES
In playback mode, the displayed image or movie clip can be deleted. When selecting
an image for deletion, a confirmation screen will appear before the operation is
executed.

Once deleted, an image cannot be recovered. Care should always be
taken when deleting images.

1

To delete a displayed image, press the QV/delete button.

2

Use the left/right keys to highlight “YES.”

• A confirmation screen will appear.

• “NO” will cancel the operation.

Delete this frame?
Yes

3

No

Press the controller to delete the image.
Confirmation screen
95

PLAYBACK MODE
SINGLE-FRAME PLAYBACK DISPLAY
Image size (p. 42)
Image quality (p. 43)

Mode indicator

Time of recording
Date of recording

Frame number/ total number
of images in folder
Printing icon (p. 108)

Lock icon (p. 105)

MOVIE PLAYBACK DISPLAY
Playback time

Mode indicator
Play

Pause

Date of recording
Time of recording
96

Stop

Frame number/ total number of images in folder
Movie icon

23s

HISTOGRAM DISPLAY
Mode indicator

Thumbnail of image
Image size (p. 42)
Image quality (p. 43)
Shutter speed
Aperture value
White balance setting (p. 58)
Camera sensitivity (ISO) setting (p. 61)
Degree of exposure compensation
(p. 63)
Folder name (p. 130)
Folder number - image file number

Date of recording

The luminance distribution of the image

The black area of the histogram shows the luminance distribution of the recorded
image from black (left) to white (right). Each one of the 256 vertical lines indicates the
relative proportion of that light value in the image. The histogram can be used to evaluate exposure and contrast, but displays no colour information. A change in exposure
would create an image whose histogram would be the same shape as a previous
image, but would be shifted to the left (less exposure) or right (more exposure).
Changing the contrast would contract (decrease in contrast) or expand (increase in
contrast) the distribution of luminance values compared with a previous image of the
scene.

97

PLAYBACK MODE
DISPLAY CONTROLS - PLAYBACK MODE
Located on the back of the camera, the display-mode switch and the displayinformation button controls on which monitor the image is displayed and the display
format. The three position switch allows the choice between automatic display and
setting the display to the EVF or LCD monitor.

Auto display - the camera will automatically change between
displaying the image in the EVF or on the LCD monitor. The EVF’s
eye sensors monitor if the EVF is being used and switch the
display location accordingly.

EVF display - the image will only be displayed in the electronic
viewfinder. Under bright-light, the EVF is easier to see than the
LCD monitor.

LCD monitor display - the image will only be displayed on the LCD
monitor.

98

In the centre of the display switch, the display-information button
controls the display format. Each time the button is pressed the
display cycles through to the next format: full display, image only,
index playback.

Full display

Image only

Index playback
In index playback, the left/right keys of the controller will move the yellow border to the
next or the previous image. When the image is highlighted with the border, the date of
recording, the lock and printing status, and the frame number of the images is
displayed at the bottom of the screen. The highlighted image can be deleted using the
QV/delete button (p. 95). When the display information button is pressed again, the
highlighted image will be displayed in the single-frame playback mode. A nine or four
image index can be displayed. The index-playback format can be changed in the basic
section of the playback-mode menu (p. 102).
99

PLAYBACK MODE
ENLARGED PLAYBACK
In single-frame playback, a still image can be enlarged for closer examination. RAW
and super fine images cannot be enlarged.

1

With the image to be enlarged displayed, press the magnification button.

2

When enlarged, the four-way keys of
the controller can scroll the image.

• The degree of magnification is displayed in the EVF and on the LCD monitor.
• The image is magnified in a maximum of three steps. Each time the magnification button
is pressed the image is enlarged. After the final step, the image is displayed at the
original size.

Controller

Magnification button

100

The number of magnification steps in enlarged playback is dependent on the size of the
recorded image. The smaller the image size, the fewer steps are available. 1024 X 768
digital zoom images recorded with the DiMAGE 5 are enlarged in three steps: 2X, 2.5X
and 3.2X.

DiMAGE 7

2560 X 1920

1600 X 1200

1280 X 960

640 X 480

1st step

2X

2X

2X

2X

2nd step

2.5X

2.5X

2.5X

–

4X

4X

4X

–

2048 X 1536

1600 X 1200

1280 X 960

640 X 480

2X

2X

2X

2X

2nd step

2.5X

2.5X

2.5X

–

3rd step

3.2X

3.2X

3.2X

–

3rd

step

DiMAGE 5
1st

step

101

PLAYBACK MODE
NAVIGATING THE PLAYBACK-MODE MENU

1

In playback mode, press the menu button to activate the menu. The menu button
also turns off the playback-mode menu when the settings have been completed.

2

The four-way keys are used to move the cursor in the menu. Pressing the
controller will enter a setting.
Activate the playback-mode menu with the menu button (1). The “Basic” tab will be
highlighted. Use the left/right keys of the controller (2) to highlight the appropriate
menu tab; the menus will change as the tabs are highlighted.
When the desired menu is displayed, use the up/down keys (2) to scroll through the
menu options. Highlight the option whose setting needs to be changed.
With the menu option to be changed highlighted, press the right controller key; the
settings will be displayed with the current setting highlighted.
• To return to the menu options, press the left key.
Use the up/down keys to highlight the
new setting.

Press the controller to select the
highlighted setting.

Play
Basic Custom1 Custom2
Delete
–
Lock
–
9 frames
Index format

1

2
102

Once a setting has been
selected, the cursor will return
to the menu options and the
new setting will be displayed.
Further settings can continue
to be made. To return to the
playback mode, press the
menu button.

Basic
Delete

Lock

Index format

This frame
All frames
Marked frames
This frame
All frames
Marked frames
Unlock frames
9 frames
4 frames

Custom 1
Slide show
Playback
Duration
Repeat

Yes

No

Choosing “Yes” will execute
the operation, “No” will cancel
the operation

Please refer to the
following sections
for descriptions of
the menu options
and their settings.

For information
on frame-selection screens,
see page 111.

Start
All frames
Marked frames
1 ~ 60 sec.
No
Yes

Pressing the down key of the
controller will cancel the slide
show playback and return to
the playback-mode menu.

Custom 2
Print

Index print
Cancel print
Copy

This frame
All frames
Marked frames
No
Yes
All frames - F
All frames - C
This frame
Marked frames

Number of
copies
New folder
number
Yes

No

1
2
3
4

Copying to camera memory
Please change CF card
Copying to CF card
Copy completed
103

PLAYBACK MODE
PLAYBACK-MODE MENU - BASIC
DELETING IMAGES
Deleting permanently erases the image. Once deleted, an image cannot
be recovered. Care should be taken when deleting images.
Single, multiple, or all images in a folder can be deleted with the playback-mode menu.
Before an image is deleted, a confirmation screen will appear; choosing “Yes” will
execute the operation, “No” will cancel the operation. To delete images in other folders,
the folder must first be selected in the Custom 1 section of the setup menu (p. 114).
The delete option has three settings:
This frame - The image displayed or highlighted in playback mode will be deleted.
All frames - All unlocked images in the selected folder will be deleted.
Marked frames - To delete multiple images. When this setting is chosen, the frameselection screen will be displayed. Use the left/right keys of the controller to highlight
the first image to be deleted. Pressing the up key will mark the image with the garbagecan icon. To deselect an image for deletion, highlight it with the yellow border and press
the down key; the garbage-can icon will disappear. Continue until all the images to be
deleted are marked. Press the controller to continue (the confirmation screen will
appear), or press the menu button to cancel the operation and return to the playback
menu. On the confirmation screen, highlighting and entering “Yes” will delete the
marked images.
The delete function will only erase unlocked images. If an image is locked, it must be
unlocked before it can be deleted.

104

LOCKING IMAGES
Single, multiple, or all images in a folder can be locked. A locked image cannot be
deleted by either the playback-mode menu functions or the QV/delete button. Important
images should be locked. To lock images in other folders, the folder must first be
selected in the Custom 1 section of the setup menu (p. 114). The lock option has four
settings:
This frame - The image displayed or highlighted in playback mode will be locked.
All frames - All images in the folder will be locked.
Marked frames - To lock or unlock multiple images. When this setting is chosen, the
frame-selection screen will be displayed. Use the left/right keys of the controller to
highlight the image to be locked. Pressing the up key will mark the image with the key
icon. To unlock an image, highlight it with the yellow border and press the down key; the
key icon will disappear. Continue until all the images to be locked are marked. Press
the controller to lock the marked frames, or press the menu button to cancel the
operation and return to the playback menu.
Unlock frames - All images in the folder will be unlocked.
Locking an image will protect it from a delete function. However, the formatting function
will erase all images on a CompactFlash card whether locked or not.

CHANGING INDEX PLAYBACK FORMAT
The index format option
allows the index playback to
be displayed with four or
nine images. This effects all
index displays.

105

PLAYBACK MODE
PLAYBACK-MODE MENU - CUSTOM 1 (SLIDE SHOW)
The Custom 1 section of the playback-mode menu controls the slide-show function.
This function automatically displays all still images in a folder in order.

Image countdown / total
number of
images in the
presentation.

Press the controller to pause and restart
the presentation.

To cancel the presentation, press the
down key of the controller.

106

Menu options

Slide
show

Settings

Start

To start the slide-show presentation. Pressing the centre of
the controller will pause the presentation. During the slide
show, press the down key of the controller to stop the presentation and return to the playback-mode menu.

All frames

To select all the images in the folder to be displayed in the
slide-show presentation.

Marked
Frames

To select specific images in the folder to be displayed in the
slide-show presentation. When this setting is chosen, the
frame-selection screen will be displayed. Use the left/right
keys of the controller to highlight the image to be included
in the presentation. Pressing the up key will mark the
image with a check icon. To deselect a marked image,
highlight it with the yellow border and press the down key;
the check icon will disappear. Continue until all the images
have been edited. Press the controller to set the marked
frames, or press the menu button to cancel the operation
and return to the playback menu.

1 - 60s.

To select the period each image will be displayed during
the slide show.

Yes / No

Selecting “Yes” will cause the slide show to repeat until it is
cancelled using the down key of the controller. “No” will end
the slide show presentation and return to the playbackmode menu when all the images have been displayed
once.

Playback

Duration

Repeat

107

PLAYBACK MODE
PLAYBACK-MODE MENU - CUSTOM 2
ABOUT DPOF
This camera is supported by DPOF™ version 1.1. The DPOF (Digital Print Order
Format) allows direct printing of still images from digital cameras. After the DPOF file is
created, the CompactFlash card is simply taken to a photofinishing service or inserted
into the CompactFlash-card slot of DPOF compatible printers. When a DPOF file is
created, a misc. folder is automatically made on the CompactFlash card to store it (p.
130). DPOF print files cannot be made for RAW images.

CREATING A DPOF PRINT ORDER
The print menu option is used to set an order for standard prints from images in a
specific folder. Single, multiple, or all images can be printed. If a CompactFlash card
has multiple folders, a printing file must be created for each folder. Folders are selected
in the Custom 1 section of the setup menu (p. 114).
This-frame - To create a DPOF file for the image displayed or highlighted in playback
mode.
All-frames - To create a DPOF file for all images in the folder specified in the Custom 1
section of the setup menu (p. 114).
Marked frames - To choose a group of images to be printed or when the number of
copies for each image varies. When selected, the frame selection screen will appear.
Use the left/right keys of the controller to highlight an image to be printed. Pressing the
up key will mark the image with the printer icon. The number next to the icon indicates
the number of copies of that image to be printed. Pressing the up key will increase the
number of copies, pressing the down key will decrease the number. A maximum of nine
copies can be ordered. To deselect an image for printing, press the down key until the
the number of copies reaches zero and the printer icon disappears. Continue until all
the images to be printed are marked. Press the controller to create the DPOF file, or
press the menu button to cancel the operation and return to the playback menu.

108

When the this-frame or all-frames setting is chosen, a screen will appear requesting the
number of copies of each image; a maximum of nine copies can be ordered. Use the
up/down keys of the controller to set the number of copies desired. If the all-frames
setting was used to create a print order, any additional images saved afterwards in the
folder will not be included in the order.
Dpof files cannot be created for images captured with another camera. DPOF data
created on other cameras will not be recognised.

ORDERING AN INDEX PRINT
To create an index print of all the images in the folder,
select “Yes.” To cancel an index print, simply change the
setting to “No.” If an index-print order is created, any
additional images saved afterwards in the folder will not be
included in the index print. The number of images printed
per sheet differs between printers.The information printed
with the thumbnails can vary.

CANCELING A DPOF PRINT ORDER
The cancel-print option deletes the DPOF files. When the setting is selected, a
confirmation screen will appear; choosing and entering “Yes” will execute the operation
and cancel the print order. After the pictures have been printed, the DPOF file will still
remain on the CompactFlash card and must be cancelled manually.
All frames C - To cancel all printing files on the CompactFlash card.
All frames F - To cancel the printing file in the folder.

109

PLAYBACK MODE
COPYING IMAGES
Image files can be copied from one CompactFlash card to another. Up to 10MB of data
can be transferred. Every time the copy function is used a new folder is automatically
be created for the images (p. 130).
This frame - To copy the image currently displayed.
Marked frames - To copy single or multiple images. When selected, the frame-selection
screen will appear; highlight the image to be copied with the yellow border and then
press the up key of the controller to mark it with the check icon. To deselect an image
to be copied, highlight the selected image and press the down key; the check icon will
disappear. Continue until all the images to be copied are marked. Press the controller
to continue, or press the menu button to cancel the operation and return to the
playback menu.
When the controller is pressed, a screen with four messages will be displayed; the
messages are highlighted as the copying procedure is executed. When the change-CFcard message is highlighted, remove the camera’s CompactFlash card and insert the
card to which the image should be copied. Press the centre of the controller to
continue. Wait until the copy-completed message is highlighted. A new screen will
appear to indicate the name of the new folder containing the copied images; press the
controller to return to the playback menu.
Play

If too many images have been selected, a warning will
appear and the copy routine will be cancelled. Divide the
number of images into two or three batches. The copyunsuccessful message will appear when one or all of the
images could not be copied. Check the second
CompactFlash card to see which files were copied and
then repeat the procedure for the images that could not
be transferred.

Copy

1 Copying to camera memory
2 Please change CF card
3 Copying to CF card
4 Copy completed
Enter
<101MLTCP>
OK

110

FRAME-SELECTION SCREEN
When a marked-frames setting is chosen on a menu, the frame selection screen will
appear. This screen allows multiple images to be chosen. The index format of the
screen can be changed in the basic section of the playback-mode menu (p. 102).

Play
The left/right keys
of the controller
move the yellow
border to select
the image.

Menu button
Cancels the
screen and any
operation made.

The up key of the
controller selects
the frame; when
selected, an icon
will appear next to
the image. The
down key will
deselect the image
removing the icon.

: select

: confirm

: enter

The garbage-can icon indicates the image is selected for deletion.
The key icon indicates the image is locked or selected to be locked.
The check icon indicates the image is selected for the slide show
or to be copied to another CompactFlash card.
The printer icon indicates the image is selected for printing. The
number next to the icon shows the number of copies requested.

111

VIEWING IMAGES ON A TELEVISION
It is possible to view camera images on your television. The camera has a video-out
terminal which can be used to connect the camera to a television using the supplied
video cable. The camera is compatible with the NTSC and PAL standards. The videooutput setting can be checked and set in the Custom 2 section of the setup menu (p.
114).
1. Turn off the television and the camera.
2. Insert the mini-plug end of the video cable into the
camera’s video-out terminal.
3. Plug the other end of the video cable into the
video-input terminal on the television.

1

4. Turn the television on.
5. Change the television to the video channel.
6. Turn the camera’s mode dial to the playback position.
• The camera’s monitors will not activate when the camera is attached to a television. The
playback-mode display will be visible on the television screen.

7. View images as described in the playback section.

112

SETUP MODE
CONTROLLING THE
CAMERA’S OPERATION
This section contains detailed information on controlling the camera’s functions and
operation as well as creating and selecting image folders. The ‘navigating the setup
menu’ section (p. 114) covers the operation of the setup menu. The section is followed
by detailed descriptions of the settings.

113

SETUP MODE
NAVIGATING THE SETUP MENU
The four-way keys of the controller are used to move the cursor in the menu. Pressing
the controller will enter a setting.
The “Basic” tab will be highlighted. Use the left/right keys of the controller (2) to
highlight the appropriate menu tab; the menus will change as the tabs are
highlighted.
When the desired menu is displayed, use the up/down keys (2) to scroll through the
menu options. Highlight the option whose setting needs to be changed.
With the menu option to be changed highlighted, press the right controller key; the
settings will be displayed with the current setting highlighted.
• To return to the menu options, press the left key.
Use the up/down keys to highlight
the new setting.

Press the controller to select the
highlighted setting.
Setup
Basic Custom1 Custom2
LCD brightness 3
EVF brightness 3
Format
–
Power save
1 min
High tone
Beep
Language
English

Once a setting has been
selected, the cursor will return
to the menu options and the
new setting will be displayed.
Further settings can continue
to be made.

Controller
114

Basic
LCD brightness
EVF brightness
Format
Power Save
Beep

Language

1 (low) ~ 5 (high)
1 (low) ~ 5 (high)
Enter
1, 3, 5, or 10 min
High tone
Low tone
Off
English
Deutsch
Français
Español

Yes

No

Choosing “Yes” on the confirmation
screens will execute the operation, “No” will
cancel the operation

Please refer to the
following sections
for descriptions of
the menu options
and their settings.

Custom 1
File # memory

Yes
No

Select folder

(Folder names)

New folder

Enter

For more information about the electronic
keyboard, see page 88.

Custom 2
Reset default
EVF autoSwitch
Date/Time set
Date format

Video output

Enter
Auto EVF/LCD
EVF auto on
Enter
YYYY/MM/DD
MM/DD/YYYY
DD/MM/YYYY
NTSC
PAL

Yes

No

Year • Month • Day Hour : Minute

115

SETUP MODE
SETUP MENU - BASIC
The basic section of the setup menu allows changes to be made to the operation of the
camera as well as the ability to format CompactFlash cards.

EVF AND LCD MONITOR BRIGHTNESS
The brightness settings of the EVF and LCD monitor is set independent of each other.
Brightness is controlled in five levels from 1 (low) to 5 (high). As each setting is highlighted, the monitor will adjust accordingly; the controller must be pressed to set the
highlighted level. When the LCD brightness or EVF brightness setting is selected, the
corresponding monitor will activate automatically.

FORMATTING COMPACTFLASH CARDS
When a CompactFlash card is formatted, all data on the card is erased.
The formatting function is used to erase all data on a CompactFlash card. Before formatting a CompactFlash card, copy the data to a computer or storage device. Locking
images will not protect them from being deleted when the card is formatted. Always format the CompactFlash card using the camera; never use a computer to format a card.
When the format option is selected and entered, a confirmation screen will appear.
Choosing “Yes” will format the card, choosing “No” will cancel the formatting operation.
A screen will appear to indicate the card has been formatted; press “OK” to return to
the setup menu.
If the card-not-recognised message appears, the inserted card in the camera may need
to be formatted. A CompactFlash card used in another camera may need to be formatted before being used. If the unable-to-use-card message appears, the card is not compatible with the camera and should not be formatted.

116

AUTO POWER SAVE
The camera will turn off the EVF and data panel to conserve battery power if no operation is made within a certain period. The length of this period can be changed to 1, 3, 5,
or 10 minutes. The auto-power-save option will not effect the display period of LCD
monitor; it will shut down after 30 seconds. To restore the displays when they shut
down, simply press the shutter-release button or the display information button.
When the camera is connected to the computer, the auto-power-save period is set to
ten minutes. This period cannot be changed.

BEEP
The audio signal can be turned off or on. The tone of the signal can be changed to high
or low.

LANGUAGE
The language used in the menus can be changed.

117

SETUP MODE
SETUP MENU - CUSTOM 1
The Custom 1 section of the setup menu controls file number sequencing and the creation of new folders. See page 130 about the organisation of the folders on the
CompactFlash card

FILE NUMBER (#) MEMORY
When file number memory is selected, if a new folder is created, the first file stored in
the folder will have a number one greater than the last file saved. This allows multiple
folders to be created to store images by category, place, or date, but the image file
numbers will be in the order in which they were shot. If the file number memory is disabled, the image file name will have a number one greater than the last image saved in
the folder.
If file number memory is active and the CompactFlash card is changed, the first file
saved to the new card will have a number one greater than the last file save on the previous card if the new card does not contain an image with a greater file number. If it
does, the file number of the new image will be one greater than the greatest on the
card.

SELECT FOLDER
This option allows the selection of existing folders. After folder is selected, all images
recorded will be placed in that folder. In quick view or playback mode, only the images
in the selected folder can be viewed or edited.
Except for the all-frames-C setting in the Custom 2 section of the playback-mode menu,
changes made with menus only affect the images in the selected folder. To make
changes to all images in multiple folders, each folder must be selected and the menu
operation repeated for each folder. Formatting a CompactFlash card in the basic section of the setup menu erases all folders regardless of whether they are selected or not.

118

NEW FOLDER
This allows the creation of new folders. When selected, the electronic keyboard (p. 88)
automatically appears so that the folder name can be entered. Once the name is typed
in and the enter button on the keyboard is highlighted and entered, the folder will be
created and the name will be listed in the select-folder option.
Every folder name begins with a three digit index number. When the electronic keyboard activates, three digits will be displayed in the register. This number cannot be
changed. Everytime a new folder is created, the folder number will increase automatically by one greater than the highest folder number on the CompactFlash card. A fivecharacter folder name must be entered after the number; only capital letters, numbers,
and the underbar can be used. To cancel the electronic-keyboard display without creating a new folder, press the menu button.

119

SETUP MODE
SETUP MENU - CUSTOM 2
RESET DEFAULT
Unlike the pro-auto button (p. 37), this function affects not only the recording mode, but
also the playback, and setup modes. When selected, a confirmation screen will appear;
choosing “Yes” resets the following functions and settings, “No” cancels the operation.

Exposure mode
Focus mode
Focus area
Digital zoom
White balance
Exposure compensation
Contrast compensation
Color-saturation compensation
Image quality
Image size
Camera sensitivity (ISO)
Drive mode
Metering mode
Flash mode
Flash compensation
Flash metering
Exposure bracket

Default Setting
Program
Single AF
Wide focus area
Cancelled
Auto white balance
0.0
0
0
Standard
2560 X 1920 (2048 X 1536)*
Auto
Single-frame advance
Multi-segment
Fill flash
0.0
ADI metering
0.3 Ev
* for DiMAGE 5 only.

120

Page
46
68
66
70
58
63
64
65
43
42
61
51
74
76
78
75
54

Interval capture
Total frame count
AF/AEL button
Sharpness
Color mode
Data imprinting
Instant playback
Index playback format
Duration (Slide Show)
Repeat (Slide Show)
Index print
LCD monitor brightness
EVF brightness
Auto-power-save period
Beep
File number memory
EVF auto switch
Magnification button

Default Setting
1 minute
2 frames
AF/AE hold
Normal
Color
No (Disabled)
No
9 frames
5 seconds
No
No (Cancelled)
3
3
1 minute
High tone
No (Disabled)
Auto EVF/LCD
2X digital zoom

(DiMAGE 7 only)

Page
56
56
73
86
86
87
89
105
106
106
109
116
116
117
117
118
121
83

EVF AUTO SWITCH - CONTROLLING THE AUTO-DISPLAY FUNCTION
This option controls the auto-display function in recording mode (p. 32). The autoEVF/LCD setting allows the display to switch between the EVF and LCD monitor automatically. The EVF-auto-on setting turns off the LCD monitor and uses the eye sensors
to activate only the EVF when in use. This setting will helps conserve battery power.
121

SETUP MODE
SETTING THE DATE AND TIME
It is important to accurately set the clock. When a still image or a movie clip is recorded, the date and time of the recording is saved with the image and is displayed during
playback or can be read with the DiMAGE Image Viewer Utility software included on the
CD-ROM. The camera’s clock is also used with data imprinting.
When the Date/Time-set option is selected and entered,
the date/time screen will be displayed. The left/right keys
of the controller are used to select the item to be
changed and the up/down keys are used to change the
value. From left to right, the screen shows the year,
month, day, hour, and minute. When the date and time
have been adjusted, set the clock by pressing the
centre of the controller.

Setup

2001 .

Date/Time set

7

.

20

16 : 33

Enter

SETTING THE DATE FORMAT
The date format that is displayed or imprinted can be changed: YYYY/MM/DD (year,
month, day), MM/DD/YYYY (month, day, year), DD/MM/YYYY (day, month, year).
Simply select the format and enter it by pressing the centre of the controller; the new
format will be displayed on the menu.

VIDEO OUTPUT
Camera images can be displayed on a television (p. 112). The video output can be
changed between NTSC and PAL. North America uses the NTSC standard and Europe
uses the PAL standard. Check which standard is used in your region to play back
images on your television set.

122

DATA-TRANSFER
MODE
CONNECTING TO A COMPUTER
Read this section carefully before connecting the camera to a computer. Details on
using and installing the DiMAGE Image Viewer Utility software are found in the supplied
software manual. These manuals do not cover the basic operation of computers or their
operating systems; please refer to the manual supplied with your computer.
For the camera to be connected directly to the computer and used as a mass storage
device, the following requirements must be met:

IBM PC / AT Compatible
Pre-installed Windows Me, 2000, 98, or
98 second edition operating systems

Macintosh
Pre-installed Mac OS 8.6 ~ 9.1

USB port as standard interface
Users with Windows 98 or 98 second edition will need to install the driver software on
the included CD-ROM (p. 126). Users with Mac OS 8.6 will need to download and
install a USB mass storage device from the Apple web site (p. 129). There have been
no reports of compatibility problems with Apple G4 computers with Mac OS 10.0.3 or
earlier.
123

DATA-TRANSFER MODE
CONNECTING THE CAMERA TO A COMPUTER
A fresh set of batteries should be used when the camera is connected to a computer.
The use of the AC adaptor (sold separately) is recommended over the use of batteries.
For users with Windows 98 and Mac OS 8.6 read the respective sections on how to
connect to the operating system before connecting the camera to a computer (Windows
98 - p. 126, OS 8.6 - p. 129).

1

Start up the computer.

2

Insert the CompactFlash card into the camera.

• The computer must be turned on before connecting the camera.
• Confirm that the correct card is in the camera. To change
the CompactFlash card while the camera is connected to a
computer, see page 134.

3

3

Set the mode dial to the data-transfer position.

4

Open the card-slot door. Attach the smaller plug of the USB
cable to the camera.

• The data-transfer menu will be displayed.

• Make sure the plug is firmly attached.

5

Attach the other end of the USB cable to the computer’s USB
port.
• Make sure the plug is firmly attached.
• The camera should be connected directly to the computer’s USB
port. Attaching the camera to a USB hub may prevent the camera
from operating properly.

4
COMPUTER
5
124

6

After using the four-way keys of the controller to highlight the USB option in the USB section of the datatransfer menu, press the the right key of the controller.
• “Enter” should appear on the right side of the screen.

7

Press the centre of the controller to send a signal to
the computer to initiate the USB connection.
• A screen will appear to indicate the beginning of the
connection process.
• When the signal has been received by the computer, the
camera’s monitors will turn off.

Trans
USB
USB

Enter

Initialising USB
connection

When the camera is properly connected to the computer, a drive icon will appear. If the
computer does not recognise the camera, disconnect the camera and restart the computer. Repeat the connection procedure above.

125

DATA-TRANSFER MODE
CONNECTING TO WINDOWS 98
The driver needs only to be installed once. If the driver cannot be installed automatically, it can be installed manually with the operating system’s add-new-hardware wizard;
see the instructions on the following page. During installation, if the operating system
requests the Windows 98 CD-ROM, inset it into the CD-ROM drive and follow the
accompanying instructions on the screen.

AUTOMATIC INSTALLATION
Before connecting the camera to the
computer, place the DiMAGE software CD-ROM in the CD-ROM
drive. The DiMAGE installer menu
should automatically activate. To
automatically install the Windows 98
USB driver, click on the starting-upthe-USB-device-driver-installer button. A window will appear to confirm
that the driver should be installed;
click “Yes” to continue.
When the driver has been successfully installed, a
window will
appear. Click
“OK.” The camera can now be
attached to the
computer (p. 124).

126

MANUAL INSTALLATION
To install the Windows 98 driver manually, follow the instruction in the connecting-thecamera-to-a-computer section on page 124.
When the camera is plugged into the computer, the operating system will detect the
new device and the add-new-hardware-wizard window will open. Place the DiMAGE
software CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
Click “Next.”

Choose the recommended search for a
suitable driver. Click “Next.”

Choose to specify the location of the driver. The browse window can be used to
indicate the location of the driver. When
the driver location is shown in the window, click “Next.”
• The driver should be located in the CDROM drive at :\Win98\USB.
(Continued on the next page)

127

DATA-TRANSFER MODE
The add new hardware wizard will confirm
the location of the driver. Click “Next” to
install the driver in the system.
• One of three drivers may be located:
MNLVENUM.inf, USBPDR.inf, or
USBSTRG.inf
• The letter designating the CD-ROM drive will
vary between computers.

The last window will confirm the driver
has been installed. Click “Finish” to close
the add new hardware wizard.

When the my-computer window is
opened, a new removable-disk icon will
be displayed. Double click on the icon to
access the camera’s CompactFlash card,
see page 130.
128

CONNECTING TO MAC OS 8.6
To access this camera with a computer with Mac OS 8.6, the USB storage support
1.3.5.smi must be installed first. This software is supplied by Apple Computer, Inc. free
of charge. It can be downloaded from the Apple Software Updates web site at
http://www.apple.com/support.

To download and install this software, follow the instruction on the Apple web site.
Always read the attached terms and conditions before installing any new software.

QUICKTIME 4.1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
IBM PC / AT Compatible
Pentium-based computer
Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000.
16MB or more of RAM
QuickTime is used for viewing movie clips. To install QuickTime, follow the instructions in
the read-me folder and in the installer. Users will Windows Me can use the system’s
media player to view movie clips. Macintosh users can download QuickTime 4.1 free of
charge from the Apple Computer web site: http://www.apple.com.

Camera Notes
To view images correctly on your computer, the monitors colour space may need to be adjusted. Refer to your computer manual on how to calibrate the display to the following requirements:
sRGB, with a colour temperature of 6500°K, and a gamma of 2.2.
129

DATA-TRANSFER MODE
COMPACTFLASH CARD FOLDER ORGANISATION

Drive Icon

The misc. folder
contains DPOF
print files (p. 108).

Misc

Dcim
The last two digits in
the folder name indicate the camera that
was used to capture
the images; “03” indicates a DiMAGE 7 and
“04” a DiMAGE 5.

Super-fine
image

100MLT03

130

PICT0001.TIF

PICT0001.THM

Fine, standard, or
economy image

100MLT04
Images copied from
one CompactFlash
card to another (p.
110) are placed in a
folder with a name
ending in “CP.” The first
three digits in the folder name will be one
greater than the largest
folder number.

Image-file names begins with “pict,”
followed by a four-digit file number,
and a tif, jpg, avi, mrw, or thm
extension. The thumbnail images
(thm) are used in camera operation and cannot be opened.

PICT0002.JPG

Movie clip
PICT0003.AVI

PICT0003.THM

101MLTCP

RAW
image
PICT0004.MRW PICT0004.THM

Once the camera is connected to the computer, image files can be accessed by simply
double clicking on icons. Copying images can be done by dragging and dropping the
image-file icon into a location in the computer. Files and folders on the CompactFlash
card can be deleted using the computer. Never format the CompactFlash card from the
computer; always use the camera to format the card.
The index number on the image file may not correspond to the frame number of the
image. As images are deleted on the camera, the frame counter will adjust itself to
show the number of images in the folder and reassign the frame numbers accordingly.
The index numbers on the image files will not change when an image is deleted. When
a new image is recorded, it will be assigned a number one greater than the largest
index number in the folder. File numbers can be controlled with the file-number-memory
function in the Custom 1 section of the setup menu (p. 118).
When the index number in the image file name exceeds 9,999, a new folder will be created with a number one greater than the greatest folder number on the CompactFlash
card: e.g. from 100MLTXX to 101MLTXX. The last two digits in the folder name indicates the camera with which the images were recorded. New folders can be created in
the Custom 1 section of the setup menu (p. 119). When a DPOF file is created for a
print order (p. 108), a misc. folder is automatically made for the file.

AUTO POWER SAVE (DATA-TRANSFER MODE)
If the camera does not receive a read or write command within ten minutes, it will shut
down to save power. When the camera shuts down, an unsafe-removal-of-device warning may appear on the computer monitor. Click “OK.” Neither the camera or computer
will be damaged in this operation.
Pressing the shutter-release button will reactivate the camera. Remake the USB connection with the data-transfer menu (steps 6 and 7 on page 125).
131

DATA-TRANSFER MODE
DISCONNECTING THE CAMERA FROM THE COMPUTER
Never disconnect the camera when the access lamp is lit - the data or
CompactFlash card may be permanently damaged.
WINDOWS 98
Confirm that the access lamp is not lit. Turn the mode dial to another position and then
disconnect the USB cable.

WINDOWS ME AND WINDOWS 2000
To disconnect the camera, click once on the unplug-or-eject-hardware icon
located on the task bar. A small window will open indicating the device to
be stopped.

Click on the small window
to stop the device. The
safe-to remove-hardware
window will appear. Click
“OK.” Turn the mode dial to
another position and then
disconnect the USB cable.
When more then one external device is connected to the computer, the
unplug-or-eject-hardware window can be used. To disconnect the camera,
double click on the unplug-or-eject-hardware icon located on the task bar
to activate the window.
132

The hardware devices to be
stopped will be displayed.
Highlight the device by clicking on it then click “Stop.”

A confirmation screen will appear to indicate the
devices to be stopped. Clicking “OK” will stop the
device.
A third and final screen will appear to indicate the
camera can be safely disconnected from the
computer. Turn the mode dial to another position
and then disconnect the USB cable.

MACINTOSH
Confirm that the access lamp is not lit and then drag the mass-storage device icon and
drop it into the trash.
Disconnect the USB cable.
• If the USB cable is disconnected before performing step 1, an alert message will appear.
Always complete step 1 before disconnecting the USB cable.
133

DATA-TRANSFER MODE
CHANGING THE COMPACTFLASH CARD (DATA-TRANSFER MODE)
Care should be taken when changing CompactFlash cards while the camera is
attached to the computer. Data could be lost or damaged if the camera is not properly
disconnected.

Always confirm the access lamp is out
before removing the CompactFlash card.
WINDOWS 98
1. Turn off the camera.
2. Change the CompactFlash card.
3. Turn on the camera.
4. Use the data-transfer menu to remake the USB connection.

WINDOWS ME AND 2000
1. Stop the USB connection using the unplug-or-eject-hardware routine (p. 132).
2. Turn off the camera.
3. Change the CompactFlash card.
4. Turn on the camera.
5. Use the data-transfer menu to remake the USB connection.

MACINTOSH
1. Stop the USB connection by dragging the drive icon into the trash (p. 133).
2. Turn off the camera.
3. Change the CompactFlash card.
4. Turn on the camera.
5. Use the data-transfer menu to remake the USB connection.

134

APPENDIX

FOCAL LENGTH EQUIVALENTS
The Exif tag information of each image includes the actual focal-length setting of the
camera’s 7.2 - 50.8mm zoom lens. The following chart can be used to estimate the
equivalent focal length in 35mm photography.
Actual focal length

7.2

9

13

21

27

34

38

50.8

35mm equivalent (DiMAGE 7)

28

35

51

83

106

134

149

200

35mm equivalent (DiMAGE 5)

35

44

64

103

133

167

187

250
135

A SHORT GUIDE TO PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography can be a rewarding pursuit. It is a broad and disciplined field that can take
years to master. But the pleasure in making photographs and the joy of capturing a
magical moment cannot be compared. The guide is an introduction to some basic photographic principles.
The lens aperture controls not only exposure, but also depth of field; the area between
the closest object in focus and the furthest object in focus. The larger the aperture
value, the greater the depth of field and the longer the shutter speed needed to make
the exposure. The smaller the aperture value, the shallower the depth of field and the
faster the shutter speed needed to make the exposure. Usually landscape photographs
use a large depth of field (large
aperture value) to keep the foreground and background in focus,
and portraits use a shallow depth
of field (small aperture value) to
separate the subject from the
background.

Depth of field also changes with focal
length. The smaller the focal length,
the greater the depth of field; the
longer the focal length, the shallower
the depth of field.
136

The shutter controls not only exposure,
but also the ability to stop motion. Fast
shutter speeds are used in sport photography to stop action. Slow shutter
speeds can be used to show the flow of
motion such as water cascading over a
waterfall. The use of a tripod is recommended with slow shutter speeds.

The change in aperture and shutter speed is not apparent in the live image. Unlike film
cameras, test photographs can be taken and immediately viewed. For critical work, take
a test photograph at the set aperture or shutter speed and view the result in quick view
(p.34). The image can be deleted if not acceptable and another test image can be
taken at a different setting.
137

SYSTEM ACCESSORIES
A variety of Minolta accessories can be used with this camera to extend its performance. For more details on the items listed below and in other sections of this manual,
contact your local Minolta dealer.

External High-power Battery Pack Kit EBP-100
The kit contains a high-power lithium-ion battery, holder, and charger. The battery and
charger are also available separately

Close-up Diffuser CD-1000
Used directly on the camera with the built-in flash to provide soft lighting for close-up
photography.
Several high-quality Minolta flash units can be used with this camera:

Program Flash 3600HS(D)
Program Flash 5600HS(D)
Macro Ring Flash 1200 with Macro Flash Controller
Macro Twin Flash 2400 with Macro Flash Controller

Camera Notes
Minolta Program Flash 3600HS(D), Program Flash 5600HS(D), Macro Ring Flash 1200, and
Macro Twin Flash 2400 are compatible with this camera. ADI flash metering (p. 75) will work
with both program flashes attached to the accessory shoe. The use of other flash units is not
recommended.
With the Program Flash units, the flash-metering mode will automatically switch to pre-flash TTL
when the bounce-flash function is used, or the flashes are connected to the camera with an offcamera cable. Pre-flash TTL (p. 75) automatically activates when using the macro flash units.
When using the Program Flashes, if the flash illumination is uneven at the camera’s wide-angle
setting, attach the wide-angle adaptor to the flash units. With the 3600 HS(D), also change the
flash metering mode to pre-flash TTL. When the auto-zoom function is used with the Program
Flashes, the flashes zoom setting will be wider than the lens setting.

138

TROUBLESHOOTING
The section covers minor problems with basic camera operation. For major problems or
damage, or if a problem continues to re-occur frequently, contact a Minolta service facility listed on the back cover of this manual.

Problem

Symptom

Cause
The batteries are dead.

Replace batteries (p. 24).

The batteries are inserted
incorrectly.

Re-insert the batteries taking
care that the negative and positive terminals are orientated
as indicated on the inside of
the battery chamber door
(p.24).

The AC adaptor is not
connected properly.

Check that the adaptor is connected to the camera and a
live electrical outlet (p. 26).

“Err” displayed
on the data
panel

The camera is hot or it
has been left ina very hot
environment.

Turn off the camera and allow
it to cool. If “Err” is still displayed on the camera after it
cools, remove and replace the
batteries or power cord.

“000” is displayed on the
frame counter.

CompactFlash card is full
and unable to store an
image at the image-quality or image-size setting
on the camera.

Insert a new CompactFlash
card (p. 26), delete some
images (p. 102), or change the
image-quality or image-size
setting (p.40).

Nothing displayed on the
data panel or
the monitors.
The camera
will not work.

Shutter will
not release.

Solution

139

TROUBLESHOOTING
Problem
Shutter will
not release.

Symptom

Cause

No-card warning appears on
the monitors.

No CompactFlash card in
the camera.

Insert a CompactFlash card
(p.26).

Subject is too close.

Make sure the subject is within
the autofocus range (0.5m - ∞)
or use the macro mode (p. 69).

The camera is in macro
mode.

Cancel the macro mode setting
(p. 69).

A special situation is preventing the autofocus
system from focusing
(p.31)

Use the focus-lock function to
focus on an object at the same
distance as the subject (p. 30)
or use manual focus (p. 71).

Slow shutter speeds
result in blurred images
when the camera is
hand-held.

Use a tripod, change the camera sensitivity to a higher setting (p. 61), or use the flash (p.
21).

The built-in flash is up or image quality is
set to super fine or RAW.

Push the flash down or change
the image-quality setting (p.
43).

Focus signal is
red.
Pictures are
not sharp.

Pictures are
taken indoors
or in low-light
situations without flash.
Continuous
drive does
not work.
While using
flash, the pictures are too
dark.
140

The subject is beyond
the flash range (p. 79).

Solution

Move closer to the subject or
change the camera sensitivity
to a higher setting (p. 61).

Problem

Symptom

Cause

Solution

A shadow
appears on
the bottom of
the image.

Lens hood
mounted when
using flash.

The lens hood blocks the
light from the built-in
flash.

Always remove the lens hood
when using the built-in flash.

Shooting data
is displayed,
but live image
is entirely
black or
white.

Camera set to
manualexposure
mode (M).

Shutter speed and
aperture combination is
extremely under or overexposing the live image.

Change the shutter speed or
aperture value until an image
appears on the monitor (p. 50).

Live image
turns black
and white.

Camera used
under low-light
conditions.

Automatic monitor amplification activates under low-light
conditions (p. 72). Although the live image is black and
white, the recorded image will be colour.

If the camera does not function normally, turn it off, remove and re-insert the batteries,
or unplug and re-connect the AC adaptor. Always turn the camera off using the mode
dial otherwise the CompactFlash card may be damaged and camera settings reset.
The camera temperature rises with extended periods of use. Care should be taken to
avoid burns when handling the camera, batteries, or CompactFlash card.

WHEN USING FILTERS WITH THE DIMAGE 7
Polarising filters and close-up lenses may cause vignetting at the wide-angle range of
the lens (below the 50mm mark on the zooming ring). With very powerful close-up lenses, such as a +3 or Minolta No. 2, vignetting may be noticeable below 100mm. Using
step-up rings will cause vignetting; use only 49mm filters.
141

CARE AND STORAGE
CAMERA CARE
• Do not subject the camera to shock or impact.
• Turn off the camera when transporting.
• This camera is neither waterproof nor splashproof. Inserting or removing batteries or
the CompactFlash card, or operating the camera with wet hands may damage the
camera.
• When at the beach or near water, take care not to expose the camera to water or
sand. Water, sand, dust, or salt can damage the camera.
• Do not leave the camera under direct sunlight. Do not point the lens directly at the
sun; the CCD may be damaged.

CLEANING
• If the camera or the outside of the lens is dirty, gently wipe it with a soft, clean, dry
cloth. If the camera or lens comes in contact with sand, gently blow away loose
particles. Wiping may scratch the surface.
• To clean the lens surface, first blow away any dust or sand, then, if necessary,
moisten a lens tissue or soft cloth with lens cleaning fluid and gently wipe the lens.
• Never use organic solvents to clean the camera.
• Never touch the lens surface with your fingers.

STORAGE
• Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from dust and chemicals. For long
periods of disuse, store the camera in an airtight container with a silica-gel drying
agent.
• Remove the batteries and CompactFlash card from the camera when not in use for
extended periods.
• Do not store the camera in an area with naphthalene or mothballs.
• During long periods of storage, operate the camera occasionally. When taking the
camera out of storage, check that the camera is functioning properly before using.

142

OPERATING TEMPERATURES AND CONDITIONS
• This camera has been designed for use in temperatures from 0°C to 40°C (32°F to
104°F).
• Never leave the camera exposed to extreme high temperatures, such as in a car
parked in the sun, or to extreme humidity.
• When taking the camera from a cold to a warm environment, place it in a sealed
plastic bag to prevent condensation from forming. Allow the camera to come to room
temperature before removing it from the bag.

RECORDING MEDIA CARE AND HANDLING
• Read and follow the instruction manual supplied with the CompactFlash card.
• The following may cause data loss or damage.
1 Improper use of the card.
2 Static electrical discharge or electromagnetic fields near the card.
3 Removing the card or interrupting the power supply while the camera or
computer is accessing the card (reading, writing, formatting, etc.).
4 The disuse of a card for an extended period.
5 Using the card beyond its life
Minolta has no responsibility for any loss or damage to data. It is recommend
that a copy of the card data be made in another media such as a ZIP disc, hard disc,
CD-ROM, etc.
• When the card is formatted, all recorded data will be deleted. Be sure to make a
backup of any important data.
• The storage capability of the CompactFlash card will diminish with extended use. It
may be necessary to purchase a new card periodically.
• Keep away from static electricity and electromagnetic fields.
• Do not bend, drop, or subject the card to impact.
• Strong static electrical discharges or physical shock may prevent the card from being
able to transfer data.
• Do not touch the electrical contacts of the card with your fingers or metal objects.
• Keep away from heat, moisture, and direct sunlight.
• Keep away from small children.
• When using an IBM Microdrive, do not subject the camera to vibrations.
143

CARE AND STORAGE
BATTERIES
• Battery performance decreases with temperature. In cold environments, we
recommend keeping spare batteries in a warm place, such as the inside of a coat.
Batteries can recover their power when they warm up. As the performance of Ni-MH
batteries is less effected by temperature, their use is recommended when shooting in
cold environments.
• Remove the batteries when the camera is not in use for an extended period. Leaking
battery fluid may damage the battery-chamber.
• Occasionally, when using alkaline batteries, the battery-condition indicator will give a
false low-battery-power warning, even though there is enough power capacity.
Continue to use the camera; the low-battery indicator will disappear.
• If batteries have been exhausted when used in the camera, do not reload them even
if their change seems to recover over time. These batteries will interfere with normal
camera operation.

LCD MONITOR CARE
• Although the LCD monitor is manufactured using high precision technology, there
may occasionally be a lack of colour or bright points on the LCD monitor.
• Do not apply pressure to the surface of the LCD monitor; it may be permanently
damaged.
• In a cold environment, the LCD monitor may become temporarily dark. When the
camera warms up, the display will function normally.
• The LCD monitor may be slow to react in low temperatures or may turn dark in a hot
environment. When the camera reaches normal operating temperature, the display
will function normally.
• If fingerprints are on the LCD monitor surface, gently wipe with a soft, clean, dry
cloth.

COPYRIGHT
• TV program, films, video tapes, photographs, and other materials may be
copyrighted. Unauthorised recording or duplication of such material may be contrary
to copyright laws. Taking pictures or images of performances, exhibitions, etc. is
prohibited without approval and can infringe on copyright. Images protected by
copyright can only be used under the provisions within the copyright laws.
144

BEFORE IMPORTANT EVENTS OR JOURNEYS
• Check the camera’s operation; take test pictures and purchase spare batteries.
• Minolta has no responsibility for any damage or loss incurred by equipment
malfunction.

QUESTIONS AND SERVICE
• If you have questions about your camera, contact your local camera dealer or write to
the Minolta distributor in your area.
• Before shipping your camera for repair, please contact a Minolta Service Facility.

The following marks may be found on the product:
This mark certifies that this camera meets the requirements concerning
interference causing equipment regulations in Japan.
This mark on your camera certifies that this camera meets the requirements
of the EU (European Union) concerning interference causing equipment
regulations. CE stands for Conformité Européenne (European Conformity).

Digital Camera:
Tested To Comply
With FCC Standards
FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this
device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.
Tested by the Minolta Corporation
101 Williams Drive, Ramsey, New Jersey 07446, U.S.A.

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
Do not remove the ferrite cores from the cables.
145

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
CCD:

Number of effective pixels:
Camera sensitivity (ISO):
Aspect ratio:
Lens construction:
Maximum aperture:
Focal length:
Focusing range:
Filter diameter:
Autofocusing system:
Shutter:
Built-in flash recycling time:
Viewfinder LCD:
Monitor LCD:
Field of view:
A/D conversion:
Recording media:
File formats:
Print Image Matching:
Menu languages:
146

2/3-type interline primary-colour CCD with a total of
5.24 million pixels. (DiMAGE 7)
1/1.8-type interline primary-colour CCD with a total
of 3.34 million pixels. (DiMAGE 5)
4.95 million (2568 X 1928) DiMAGE 7
3.17 million (2056 X 1544) DiMAGE 5
Auto and 100, 200, 400, and 800 ISO equivalents.
4:3
16 elements in 13 groups including two AD glass
and two aspheric elements.
f/2.8 (wide-angle position), f/3.5 (telephoto position)
7.2 - 50.8 mm (35mm equivalent: 28 - 200mm
(DiMAGE 7), 35 - 250mm (DiMAGE 5))
0.5 m - infinity (from the CCD)
0.25 - 0.6 m (from the CCD) macro mode
49 mm
Video AF
CCD electronic shutter plus mechanical shutter
7s (approx)
Ferroelectric 4.8 mm reflective liquid crystal
microdisplay.
46 mm TFT colour
Approximately 100%
12 bits
Type I and II CompactFlash cards, 170MB, 340MB,
512MB, and 1GB IBM Microdrives as of June, 2001.
Exif 2.1 (JPEG, TIFF), motion JPEG (avi), and RAW.
DCF 1.0 and DPOF compliant.
Yes
English, German, French, and Spanish

Video output:
NTSC and PAL
Batteries:
4 AA alkaline or Ni-MH batteries
Battery performance (recording): Approx. number of recorded images: 200 frames
Based on Minolta’s standard test method:
Ni-MH batteries, EVF on, LCD monitor off, flash
used with 50% of the frames, no instant playback.
Battery performance (playback): Approx. continuous playback time: 110 min.
Based on Minolta’s standard test method: Ni-MH batteries, LCD monitor on, EVF off.
External power source:
AC adaptor (AC-1L or AC-2L)
High-power battery pack (EBP-100)
Dimensions:
116.5 (W) X 90.5 (H) X 112.5 (D) mm
Weight:
Approximately 505g
(without batteries or CompactFlash card)
Operating temperature:
0° - 40°C
Operating humidity:
5 - 85% (non-condensing)

Specifications are based on the latest information available at the time of printing and
are subject to change without notice.

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, Mac OS, and the Mac OS logo are registered
trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of the
Microsoft Corporation. The official name of Windows® is Microsoft Windows Operating System.
Pentium is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation. Adobe and PhotoDeluxe are registered
trademarks of Adobe Systems Inc. Microdrive is a trademark of the International Business Machines
Corporation. QuickTime is a trademark used under license. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
147

NOTE ABOUT BATTERIES
NOTE ABOUT BATTERIES
Ni-MH batteries are recommended for digital cameras. Recording performance
with 1,600mAh Ni-MH batteries is approximately 200 frames: based on Minolta’s
standard test method: EVF on, LCD monitor off, no instant playback, flash used
with 50% of the frames.
Although alkaline batteries are supplied with this product, its performance will be
limited; only use alkaline batteries for test photographs or when Ni-MH batteries,
the Minolta external battery pack or AC adapter are not available. Fully recharge
the Ni-MH batteries just before using the camera.
IBM Microdrives require more power than CompactFlash cards. Always use NiMH batteries with IBM Microdrives.
WHEN USING NI-MH BATTERIES:
• Clean both battery terminals with dry cloth to wipe off any dirt or residue.
Because of the sophisticated computer system, the camera critically monitors
power levels. If the battery terminals are dirty, the camera may give a false
low-battery warning. If battery performance is unusually low, wipe the battery
terminals with a clean, dry cloth.
• Ni-MH battery performance will decrease if the batteries are often recharged
before they have been fully discharged. Completely exhaust the Ni-MH
batteries using the camera before charging.

148

Printed in Germany
© 2001 Minolta Co., Ltd. under the Berne Convention
and the Universal Copyright Convention.

9224-2773-11 H-A106



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