Minolta Dimage RD3000Unusual 2-CCD design produces a professional-level SLR digicam at an affordable price.<<Optics :(Previous) | (Next): Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests>> Page 6:Exposure & FlashReview First Posted: 5/23/2000 |
Exposure
The RD 3000 offers total manual exposure control, a feature we love to see. For starters, you have four exposure modes: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. Program puts the camera in control of both aperture and shutter speed, leaving you to determine exposure compensation, white balance, etc. Aperture Priority allows you to choose the desired aperture setting, while the camera selects the appropriate shutter speed (from 2 to 1/2000 seconds). The actual aperture range varies with the lens selected, but the minimum aperture is F/6.7 and the maximum setting is F/22, according to the manual. (This seemed a little odd to us: This was the range provided by the particular lens we had to work with, but do all Vectis lenses have such small maximum apertures?) Shutter Priority mode lets you select the shutter speed (from two to 1/2000 seconds) while the camera chooses the corresponding aperture setting. Finally, Manual mode puts you in control of both aperture and shutter speed, with an increased shutter speed range from 30 to 1/2000 seconds for much longer exposures. An interesting feature in Manual mode is that the camera lets you know how the exposure you've selected compares with the camera's own meter reading by giving a plus or a minus symbol (stating that the image will be over or under exposed) in the viewfinder display. From any of the exposure modes, pressing the Program Reset button returns the camera to Program exposure mode.
A 14 segment honeycomb pattern metering system is the default on the RD 3000, but spot metering is also available simply by pressing the Spot button. The default metering system takes readings from 14 segments of the image and then analyzes them to determine the proper exposure values. Spot metering simply reads from the direct center of the image, useful for backlit subjects or other situations where the subject is substantially brighter or darker than the background. Exposure compensation is adjustable through a small button on the left side of the camera from +3 to -3 EV in 1/2 EV increments. White balance options include five modes to choose from: Automatic, Daylight, Tungsten, Flash and Custom, which lets you adjust the white balance manually with a white card or piece of paper. The default ISO sensitivity setting is 200, but can be set to 800 by pressing the Exposure Compensation and Spot buttons while turning the command dial. An interesting feature on the RD 3000 is the Counter button, which when pressed reports the amount of space remaining on the CompactFlash card. (Reporting both in terms of megabytes remaining, as well as the estimated number of shots at the current image-quality setting. - We'd like to see more cameras report both megabytes and images remaining like this!) All of this information is displayed on the small information panel on top of the camera, from exposure settings to battery power. We always appreciate these small display panels, as they consume less battery power than running the LCD monitor all the time.
Flash
The RD 3000 features a standard Minolta accessory shoe that should fit the majority of Minolta's flash units. There's also an additional PC terminal that allows you to connect a second external flash unit. (Note though, that since the sync terminal is just a PC connector, flash units connected through this interface won't provide any of the automation or exposure integration a dedicated unit attached to the accessory shoe would offer.) The only flash mode controlled directly by the camera is the Slow Sync mode, which combines the flash with a slow shutter speed in Program or Aperture Priority modes only. With the flash attached and powered on, you simply press the Spot button at the same time as you fire the shutter to enable the slow-sync mode. You can compensate for the flash from +3 to -3 EV in 1/2 EV increments by pressing the manual fill flash and exposure compensation buttons while turning the command dial. (Again, only with a Minolta dedicated flash unit.)
Special Exposure Modes
The Drive button on the RD 3000 allows you to access the Continuous Drive, Self-Timer and Remote Control modes by pressing the button and turning the command dial. In the Continuous Drive mode, the RD 3000 takes up to five images at 1.5 frames per second, depending on the amount of CompactFlash space and image information to process. The camera stores each of the five images in a buffer memory and then writes them to the CompactFlash card, after which the camera is ready for another round of quick exposures. In Continuous Drive mode, you don't have to wait for the buffer to fully empty before taking the next shot: As soon as one picture's worth of space is available, you can shoot again. In our own testing, we measured the Continuous Drive speed at 1.44 frames per second, certainly close enough to Minolta's number of 1.5 fps to support that claim. We found the Continuous Drive mode very handy even in normal shooting, as we could snap individual frames as often as every 0.92 seconds, just by briefly pressing the shutter button. The 10 second self-timer is triggered by the shutter button and counts down the seconds by flashing the small light on the front of the camera. An infrared remote control is available as an accessory to the RD 3000 and allows you to either fire the shutter immediately or after a two second countdown. The remote works as far out from the camera as 16.25 feet (5m) but according to Minolta, will not operate well with backlit subjects or under fluorescent lights.
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