Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 Digital Camera - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

when it switches to B&W, it's showing you that what you're framing is in a low light condition. perfectly normal behavior as described in the manual

In short, no. Spares are generally no longer available and expensive when they are.

But there are huge numbers of broken A1's and A2's which sell for near-nothing on auction websites which may be purchases as spares donors. The viewfinder lenses on both models are identical, although the actual electronic EVF display is different. Ask the right questions and buy wisely and you'll also end up with spare batteries and all the body covers which might have been lost from yours for no extra cost.

Camera Only Shows "Err" on Screen:
1. Press the camera's "Power" button to turn it off. The "Err" message will disappear from the screen while the camera is off.
2. Place the camera in a cool location, out of direct sunlight, for at least 30 minutes. Leave the camera off during this time period.
3. Press the camera's "Power" button to turn it back on. If the "Err" message does not show up again, the camera was simply overheated.
4. Turn off the camera, open the battery door and remove the battery from the camera. Plug the power cord into the camera and turn it on again to see if the error message appears again.
5. Replace the power cord if the message shows up while it is plugged in. Replace only the battery if the message does not display with the battery removed and the power cord plugged in

If this not solve, I suggest call Minolta/Sony for help and tell us what they say: http://esupport.sony.com/
http://eservice.sony.com/webrma/web/index.do
http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?news_id=120®ion_id=1

Konica Minolta Technical support phone numbers will remain unchanged.
Film Product Support: 1-877-646-6582
Digital Product Support: 1-877-462-4464


Keep us updated.

I looked up the model on dpreview.com - it says the cable you're looking for is a USB-500 cable.
Amazon.com lists the cable with other models that it supports: http://www.amazon.com/Minolta-USB-500-Dimage-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0000A4GKN/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306808957&sr=8-2
I haven't purchased from that vendor, but figured it would be useful for the other models at least. Please comment with any other additional questions you may have, thanks.

Two methods:-

1. Use the slider switch on the left of the camera to set it to MF (manual focus). The focus ring is an electronic one rather than a physical control like the zoom ring, so the response can seem slow.

2 Go into the camera menu and enable DMF (Direct Manual Focus). This allows you to override the autofocus simply by adjusting the focus control, but it does not work if the slider switch is set to the AF C setting (continuous autofocus), it only work in the AF-S (AF only activates once when the shutter is half pressed).

Hi,

The Err message displayed on the Camera screen when the Camera is hot or kept in a hot environment.
To resolve the issue turn off the Camera and allow it to cool, If the Err message displays again, then remove the battery and kept the Camera in cool condition for 1 to 2 hours to cool down the Camera. Remove the power cord if connected to the Camera.
This should resolve the issue.

Thanks for contacting FixYa.

Then check the battery contacts inside the camera are clean.

If that fails then replace the batteries as they do not last forever. Genuine Minolta replacements maintain their performance far longer than cheap generic ones (which often claim to have a larger capacity), but genuines are very expensive and cheapos are, well... cheap, and will need replacing far more often.

It's a known issue with both the A1 and the A2, and is caused by very poor design of the strain relief to the flexible circuit board which eventually cracks. If you open the EVF you'll see a small piece of blue or yellow tape on the pcb just where the damage occurs: this was clearly Minolta's pathetic attempt to prevent the problem.

There is effectively no fix for this as the only way ro repair it is to replace the pcb and to keep costs down Minolta made the EVF flexi pcb an integral part of the entire pcb which snakes it's way deep into the camera. If only they'd redesigned it as a separate replaceable section then things would have been easier. You'll notice that Minolta omitted the tilting EVF from the successor to the A2, the closely related Dimage A200.

The best you can attempt to do is to peel off the rubber eyecup (it has a tendency to tear, so be very careful) and then remove the two screws from the underside of the EVF. You'll then see part of the EVF pcb. Note that there are actually two pcbs layered together, one does have a joint in it, but sadly it's not the one which has broken. You'll see a red and a black wire connecting to a plug which attaches to a socket mounted on a side spur of the broken pcb. The blue or yellow tape I mentioned earlier will be stuck to this spur (ignore the second piece of tape right near the EVF lens). Now set the selection switch to the EVF position and turn on the camera. By carefully and gently manipulating the broken area (the break is usually microscopic, so don't expect to see the damage) you can usually achieve a position where the EVF lights up. You may need to apply more tape or some folded paper packing beneath the pcb to get the EVF to remain illuminated, and usually will need to give it umpteen attempts so be patient. When it stays illuminated, reassemble and gently fold the EVF back down. You'll often find that you have to repeat the job a few more times as the action of moving the EVF back down upsets the "repair". Once it's down, and the fix appears to be stable (i.e. it doesn't black) out or blink every time you touch the camera) then carefully glue the eyecup back on and use your preferred method to stick the EVF in it's parked position. I use thin double-sided adhesive foam jointing tape: if you live near a modelling shop or know a radio control modeller, ask for a piece of thin servo tape.

The bad news is that this repair will not last and that you'll have to either learn to love the LCD panel or resign yourself to regular re-fixes, but eventually the damage progresses until beyond repair. For the same reason, if you replace it with a used example, go for the A200 instead. It has the same lens and many of the same features as the A2, although ditches many of the useful manual switches in favour of menu-driven settings.

If you are lucky enough to actually obtain a complete and unused flexible pcb then expect three things: 1. it will cost more than the camera is worth; 2. it will cost far more than that to have it fitted; 3. it WILL fail unless you stick the EVF down permanently as Minolta never revised the design. You probably won't find the part though as Minolta pretty well exhausted the spares supply whilst making repairs under warranty.

The same fault occurs to pretty much all cameras which have articulated displays, whether EVF or LCD and is why top-spec cameras aimed at professional users omit this feature. Pro's want reliability and give their gear a hard time, so articulated gadgetry is a liability.

It's a real shame as the A2 was otherwise my near-perfect all-rounder. In my case I only encountered the problem after buying a broken A2 for spares (just for the rubber eyecup and a few minor parts) and just a few weeks after investing in the rare, expensive and vital BP-200 battery grip. I've stopped using mine altogether now as I simply cannot get to grips with composing on an LCD panel.

Sorry this isn't all good news, but hopefully you'll find my posting to be of use and will be one of the lucky ones whose DIY fix lasts. Feel free to ask me for further advice and please don't forget to rate my answer.

Have you formatted the cards in the camera or in the computer?

Check you ISO settings. If it is set high (400 or higher) there will be increased sensor noise. Sometimes a camera will automatically set a high ISO when the light is low. You can check the ISO in the exif data on your computer, by right clicking the file and checking the advanced properties. If the noise is excessive, send it in for repair.

I live in London, England, and have never encountered the brand you mention. However, I can recommend the Metz 48-AF1; it has a Guide Number of 48 and does pretty much everything that the 5600hs and 3600hs do at far lower cost, including the wireless flash which the A2 can work with. It also makes sense as it can be changed to fit any major brand by adding the appropriate adaptor so is highly resaleable. In the UK the basic flashgun sells for around £155 and an adaptor is around £30 extra, but I've noticed on my travels that it's far cheaper when priced in US $.

http://www.metzflash.co.uk/pages/metz48af1.html

We have received a number of inquiries regarding the usage of Konica Minolta digital cameras with non-genuine or counterfeit Konica Minolta lithium-ion batteries. Please be advised that genuine Konica Minolta lithium-ion batteries are equipped with security system to prevent the camera from damages. It has been reported that some counterfeit batteries are NOT equipped with a security system. The use of such batteries will cause damage to your Konica Minolta digital camera and may cause fire. Further, every Konica Minolta digital camera has been designed to fulfill its nominal value in performance with a corresponding genuine Konica Minolta lithium-ion battery. For safety and optimum performance, we recommend that you only use genuine Konica Minolta lithium-ion batteries with Konica Minolta digital cameras. Genuine Konica Minolta lithium-ion batteries will include the Konica Minolta model # (NP-200, NP-400, etc) and are only available through authorized Konica Minolta dealers and the Konica Minolta on-line store. Please note that Konica Minolta is not responsible for damages or troubles caused by the use of lithium batteries which are not specified in the instruction manuals or not produced/distributed by Konica Minolta Camera Inc. (Updated 01/29/04) Genuine Konica Minolta lithium-ion batteries are listed below: Konica Lithium-ion Battery DR-LB4 for Konica Digital Revio KD-510Z/410Z/500Z/400Z/310Z Minolta Lithium-ion Battery NP-200 for Minolta DiMAGE Xt/Xi/X Minolta Lithium-ion Battery NP-400 for Minolta DiMAGE A1 Minolta Lithium-ion Battery NP-600 for Minolta DiMAGE G400 Minolta Lithium-ion Battery NP-500 for Minolta DiMAGE G500 Minolta External High-Power Battery EBP-100* is available for the following models: Minolta DiMAGE A1/Z1/7Hi/7i/7/5/S414/S404/S304 * EBP-100 is consisted of 2pcs. Lithium-ion Battery NP-100, 1pc. Battery Holder BH-100, and 1pc. Lithium-ion Battery Charger BC-100

As stated on page 145 of the A2 manual: "When using this camera with the optional supplementary lenses, the accessory must be specified in section 5 of the setup menu. For more information on the Wide-angle Converter ACW-100 or Telephoto Converter ACT-100, contact your local Konica Minolta dealer. A firmware update is provided with these products to activate this option."

It's a fairly easy repair, but you'll need a scrap A2 to cannibalise for parts. They're fairly easy to come by and cheap on auction websites as so many A2's have broken.

What you need is the complete LCD top-plate assembly as trying to refasten the mode switch is a waste of time if the spindle is broken..

To remove it from the donor camera, remove the neck strap from the camera handgrip. Now open the battery cover and undo the screw at the far end of the battery chamber: you'll need a long precision cross-head screwdriver to do this and preferably a magnetic one to withdraw the screw and subsequently replace it. Next, look at the back of the camera, just above and to the left of the power button is another screw; remove it.

Now earth yourself with an earthing wrist strap available from any electronics store and most computer components stores as you're going to be in contact with microelectronics and you don't want to fry them with static discharge.

The panel should now lift: as you do so there are two flexible printed circuit boards to detach and one small plug. Using a pair of tweezers, or the blade of a flat precision screwdriver, ease the plug out, DO NOT just pull on the wire. The two flexible pcb's can be gently pulled from their holders, but a better way to do so is to release the clamps holding them in: the narrow, rearmost one uses a clamp which slides rearwards and the wider frontmost pcb uses a clamp which hinges upwards. The first type of clamp is black (in contrast to the white socket) and using a flat tipped 1mm screwdriver at the edges of it you can easily pop it backwards, the other one is normally blue, but can be yellow and simply flips upwards to release.

You can now completely lift off the panel complete with the mode switch.

Now do the same with your broken camera; it's much easier now that you know what to expect!

Refitting is in reverse order, take care that you don't bend the flexible pcb's any further than you need to when refitting them and be careful to reclamp them by pushing the hinged clamp downwards and sliding the other clamp in until it clicks on both sides. The miniature plug can be a bit fiddly and it's designed to only go in the right way up. refit the screw adjacent to the power button. The most awkward bit is refitting the tiny screw inside the battery chamber so just be patient with it and persevere, and don't fit it until you've checked that the camera is working correctly.

If you've done everything correctly then pat yourself on the back. If anything is not working then you've not fastened one of the pcb's or the plug correctly and will need to do the job again.

It's immaterial as the supplied software is poorly executed and completely unnecessary.
Just use whatever photo album software and editing package you're happy with and transfer the images from the camera using a cheap and readily available CF card reader. You'll also find that this results in far quicker uploads to your Mac/pc as well.

These are frequently lost and are fashioned of purest unobtanium.

When mine disappeared I bought a non-working A2 on eBay very cheaply and carefully removed the old eyecup from it and glued it onto mine, it also had the benefit of providing spare body covers, a lens hood, battery and a strap. A cheaper alternative is to buy a non-original replacement, see item number 220440673814 on eBay, or search for seller birthdayboy; the eyecups he sells are good, but it looks ugly and gets in the way as it isn't flush with the back of the camera.
Don't re-sell the donor camera if you buy one: sooner or later you'll need the flexible circuit board from inside it, as the one in your camera WILL eventually fail to power the viewfinder lcd backlight. The old camera will serve to show you how to dismantle and repair your original one. It's one of those jobs which is so fiddly and time-consuming that a professional repair is totally uneconomic.

These are frequently lost and are fashioned of purest unobtanium.

When mine disappeared I bought a non-working A2 on eBay very cheaply and carefully removed the old eyecup from it and glued it onto mine, it also had the benefit of providing spare body covers, a lens hood, battery and a strap. A cheaper alternative is to buy a non-original replacement, see item number 220440673814 on eBay, or search for seller birthdayboy; the eyecups he sells are good, but it looks ugly and gets in the way as it isn't flush with the back of the camera.
Don't re-sell the donor camera if you buy one: sooner or later you'll need the flexible circuit board from inside it, as the one in your camera WILL eventually fail to power the viewfinder lcd backlight. The old camera will serve to show you how to dismantle and repair your original one. It's one of those jobs which is so fiddly and time-consuming that a professional repair is totally uneconomic.

1. Press the menu button, then navigate across the top of the screen using the four way pad to the tool icon and select it.

2. A new set of menu options appear, navigate across the top of the screen to option 3 and then down to the item labelled "Shutter FX" and press select. Using the pad, navigate to "OFF" and select it.

3. Press the menu button to exit and you're good to go.

Note that on the same screen you used to silence the shutter there are other settings which you may wish to adjust. Note that using the option to turn off audio signals does not affect the shutter or focus confirmation signals; you already know that there's a separate option to adjust the shutter noise, and you'll notice that the same goes for the focus confirmation noise. The volume control affects all noises and I've set it on mine to low.

Hello, I plugged my trusty old A2 into my new Vista computer and it recognised it in just a few seconds. If you are refering to your pics being able to be viewed, simply remove your CF or SD card and stuff them into the proper slot in your computer bypassing the recognition of camera altogether. Your question is not very clear, but I believe this is what you are refering to here. GL and enjoy your A2!

I have an earlier version of this camera: a minolta  dimage 7. While your camera is better(later) than mine beyond ISO 100 these cameras tend to be noisy.  The only solution is to asscpt the noise since hou will need a high ISO in order to use an acceptable shutter speed  and use a noise reduction program (noise ninja, neat image, helcion noise filter). One of these may be free- i think helcionbut aside from changing to a DSLR this is the best solution