Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200Konica Minolta trims a little and adds a little relative to their top-end A2 model, delivering a strong contender in the 8-megapixel derby.<<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 5:ViewfinderReview First Posted: 12/22/2004 |
Viewfinder
The
Konica Minolta A200's electronic optical viewfinder (EVF) features a 0.44-inch
color filter, full color QVGA display, with about 235,000 pixels. (The A2's
EVF offered about 922,000 pixels for a much sharper view.) Whereas the DiMAGE
A2 featured a set of sensors just below the viewfinder to automatically switch
the view between the LCD monitor and EVF, the A200 puts you in charge of the
display location via the Display button on the rear panel. However, the A200
does know if the LCD monitor is stowed and facing the rear panel, as the EVF
is automatically activated whenever the LCD monitor is closed.
The
EVF shows the same image and information display that appears in the larger
LCD monitor, with a default information overlay that reports basic camera information
such as image resolution and quality settings, camera mode, exposure mode, exposure
information, the number of available images, AF area, and any other exposure
settings (if switched from auto mode). Pressing the Information (i+) button
on the rear panel controls the image and information displays. A single press
adds a histogram to the information overlay, while a second press disables all
information, leaving only the AF area. A fourth press disables the AF target,
and a fifth press returns to the default display.
A Diopter Control dial adjusts the viewfinder to accommodate eyeglass wearers,
across a range of -5 to +2 diopters. The viewfinder has a fairly high eyepoint,
making it reasonably usable with eyeglasses, but the field of view is slightly
restricted when your eye is further from the eyepiece.
The
rear-panel, 1.8-inch, TFT color LCD monitor also offers a bright, clear image
display. The LCD monitor lifts off of the rear panel and flips around toward
the front, and can then swivel a total of 270 degrees to face just about any
shooting angle. A bonus with this design is that you can "close" the
LCD monitor and thereby protect it from incidental scratches and dust, by flipping
it around to face the rear panel and then snapping it shut. Like the electronic
viewfinder, the LCD monitor displays a range of exposure and camera information
in both Record and Playback modes, activated by the "i+" button. Pressing
the Shift and Information buttons together accesses the LCD's grid and scale
display modes. The Grid option divides the image area into 20 small squares,
like grid paper, so that you can more easily align subjects. In Scale mode,
an x,y axis divides the image area into fourths, with tiny lines on each axis
to approximate distance.
In
Playback mode, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 optionally displays a fair amount
of image information, which is again controlled by the i+ button. The
"-" end of the Magnify rocker button pulls up an index display, showing
nine thumbnail images at a time. The Magnify button
also enlarges captured images (JPEG only, not RAW format), so that you can more
closely check on fine details. Through the Playback menu, you can set the amount
of digital enlargement to 2x, 4x, or 10x. A histogram feature is also available
in Playback mode, by pressing the up arrow key. 
Pressing
the up-arrow of the four-way controller when in playback mode brings up a useful
exposure-information display that includes a large histogram graph and readouts
showing image size/quality setting, shutter speed and aperture, exposure bias,
white balance setting, ISO, date of capture, and the folder and file name for
the image file on the camera's memory card.
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