I have a chance to buy one cheap ($250). I read some great user reviews and not so great ones. The not so great ones might be due to what my husband refers to as an ESO error---Equipment Superior to Operator.
Any suggestions. This is my stop-gap camera and it could be a very nice one. My other choice is a Minolta F100 or F200. It seems like a great little camera for the money---and since Beguine has used them I know I would be in good company.
Hey, if you're interested, I'm selling my Dimage7i. I'll even throw in a few filters. The only thing that's wrong with it is that I broke the lens cap, but I keep a filter on the lens to protect it and you can get a minolta lens cap for like 5 bucks.
I decided that without a warranty it was too risky. Also, I read a lot of reviews at dpreview that complained about a few difficulties with the focusing--too hard to see through the viewfinder on zoom, the focusing ring comes loose, the eyepiece comes loose, etc.
I wound up going with a Dimage F200 for a total of $208 with UPS overnight shipping. It is a refurbished model with a 6 month warranty. I liked what I read of it and the compact size. The price leaves room to justify a bigger purchase at a later date. I also like that it uses only 2 AA batteries compared to the 4 I've been using with my old Nikon. I have two battery chargers and 8 NiMh batteries already (plus I get them at cost for about $3 bucks a package). I'm sure the 3.87 mp is going to seem amazing compared to the old Coolpix 700. Also, it has aperature and shutter priority, although these are fairly limited from what I understand.Still compared to the old features of the Coolpix 700 it will seem pretty feature rich. I like that it records 20 minutes of video with audio. I'm happy.
Originally posted by chiqui74:
Hey, if you're interested, I'm selling my Dimage7i. I'll even throw in a few filters. The only thing that's wrong with it is that I broke the lens cap, but I keep a filter on the lens to protect it and you can get a minolta lens cap for like 5 bucks.
Thanks for the offer. I read this after I had already made the purchase. I imagine you want to get more than $250 for it anyway.
My last camera was a DiMage 7. If I had it to do over, I would not have purchased that camera. It was way too noisy for many purposes, especially in the blue channel. In retrospect, I consider that purchase a mistake.
Given that her existing camera is 1.92 megapixels, I think purchasing the DiMage 5 as a backup doesn't make a lot of sense. I think she would be better off to save the $250 toward a true upgrade and hang on the her Coolpix as her backup.
I should mention I have experienced the build quality problems mentioned here. I don't know whether they are present in other Minolta cameras.
Given that her existing camera is 1.92 megapixels, I think purchasing the DiMage 5 as a backup doesn't make a lot of sense. I think she would be better off to save the $250 toward a true upgrade and hang on the her Coolpix as her backup.
I should mention I have experienced the build quality problems mentioned here. I don't know whether they are present in other Minolta cameras.
-Terry
That was my thinking. I had been planning on buying something in the $500-600 range in the near future but then my Nikon crapped out so I was forced to think about something less expensive. I think the F200 is a nice compromise. It will be a vast improvement on my old Coolpix and I haven't laid out so much cash that I'll feel guilty about purchasing the upgrade.
What finally decided me against the Dimage 5 was the bulky look of it and the fact I would be buying it used without a warranty. The model I bought is a factory refurbished model but it has a 6 month warranty so it should be last at least until I buy an upgrade. My Coolpix 700 was in effect, a factory refurbished camera, and I used it for 5 years! It broke not long after I purchased it (can't remember what the problem was--I had actually forgotten about it until my husband reminded me) and I had to send it to be repaired. It wasn't too much longer after that that the batter compartment broke. Since then, I had to tape it shut with packing tape. I discovered Priority Mail packing tape made the tightest seal. And it's free. LOL!
