Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi (2002)
The Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi is a 5-megapixel digital camera with a fixed 28-200mm (35mm-equivalent) zoom lens, announced in October 2002. It was the third generation of Minolta's flagship DiMAGE 7 line - a hardware update following the spring's DiMAGE 7i - and was pitched squarely at the professional and serious amateur. PCMag UK (November 2002) noted a $1,300 street price at introduction.
The 7Hi added a handful of pro-oriented features over its predecessor: wireless flash support, a voice recorder, and a faster continuous-shooting mode. It also got an "Extra Fine" JPEG setting with less compression (files around 3 MB), which replaced the older "Economy" mode. The timed-exposure ceiling went up to 15 seconds in P, A, S, or M modes at ISO 100. A built-in synchro terminal made it usable as a studio camera, per ePHOTOzine. The body is black plastic with a rubber grip on the front only.
The lens is described as fully color-corrected apochromatic, with a 49mm filter thread. The sensor is a 2/3" CCD with an 11mm diagonal, which is smaller than the 2/3" format that the camera's external dimensions might suggest. The shutter runs from 15 to 1/4000 second at ISO 100 in program and aperture-priority modes. The shortest exposures are only available when the lens is stopped down somewhat, as Imaging Resource explained. Autofocus uses a 3-point wide system with a Flex Focus Point for precise placement and Direct Manual Focus for quick override. The 1.8" LCD serves as the live viewfinder with shooting information overlaid. Storage is CompactFlash I/II. The camera runs on AA batteries - 1.5V cells per one dealer listing, with Ni-MH rechargeables included in the box.
Sources disagree on how to classify the camera. Macworld and BuyDig describe it as an "SLR-type" camera, while Kamerastore calls it a "bridge-style" camera. It has a fixed lens, so it is not an interchangeable-lens SLR, yet its ergonomics and feature set follow SLR conventions.
Documentation is decent but scattered. The user manual survives in two listings with conflicting page counts - 84 pages and 156 pages - which may reflect a condensed guide versus the full manual. A service manual is also available. No formal period reviews with measured test data, no owner consensus on reliability, and no detailed lens aperture specs have surfaced in the research.
A used example at Kamerastore was listed at €99. The camera appears on eBay from time to time, often labeled under the later "Konica Minolta" brand name that followed the corporate merger.
Known specifications:
- Sensor: 5.0–5.2MP CCD, 2/3" type, 11mm diagonal
- Lens: 28–200mm equivalent, 7x zoom, 49mm filter thread
- Shutter: 15 – 1/4000 sec at ISO 100 (P/A modes)
- Display: 1.8" LCD
- ISO: up to 800
- Storage: CompactFlash I/II
- Battery: AA (Ni-MH included)
- Announced: October 2002
- Original street price: ~$1,300
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