Rating: 
Summary: Simply outstanding
Review: This camera does it all. The lens is superb, which is absolutely necessary if you want your photographs to have a quality look. Needless to say a 7X optical zoom is an important tool.The camera is highly automatic but almost, if not all, automatic features can be set manually. Get about 12 NiMH AA batteries and a quick charger. 128MB compact flash cards are available for about [$$]. I have three cards with me always. At a fine resolutuin each card can accomodate about 50 very large jpgs. The best storage medium for large files in a CD-RW.
Rating:
Summary: Superior Digital Camera
Review: This is my 5th digital camera in approximately the last 4 years. The Dimage 7i a serious upgrade compared to the Nikon 990(3.34 megapixel) I was using. The Nikon is a nice camera, but the Minolta 7i has more functions and greater resolution. Battery life was my primary concern prior to purchasing the Dimage 7i. That turned out not to be an issue using good NiMH rechargable batteries (1600mAh or above). I was able to get over 70 photos on one set of batteries. I would recommend using the electronic view finder vs the LCD monitor to conserve battery life. Because the camera is 5 megapixel, have several memory cards at least 128MB, preferably 256MB or above. They fill up fast when using at the higher resolutions. Take a few minutes to read the manual to learn the tricks of the camera, it is well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Best Digital Camera I Have Ever Owned
Review: This is the third digital camera I have owned .... .Specifically, I was very concerned that indoor shots would come out blurry or dim. Let me say that this camera has produced the best indoor shots I have ever seen from a digital camera. Outdoor shots are great too but my biggest concern was put to rest. This is a very intelligently designed camera...the weight feels good in my hands (not too light and not to heavy). The buttons and dials are placed well throughout the camera. Even though it has a big zoom, the camera doesn't look "abnormal" like the Sony Cybershot DSC-F707 which has a lens that sticks out like an eyesore. I don't understand why the Sony lens which is only 5x optical sticks out like that while this DiMage has a 7x zoom and is more compact. The things I like best about this camera: 1) The focus is fast and accurate, the many extra focusing options are a nice plus (and not to mention the ability to use manual focus to adjust the autofocus), 2) indoor pictures come out sweet (and of course outdoors as well), 3) looks and feels like a film camera, 4) manual zoom gives you great control and saves batteries, 5) the flash is surprisingly strong, 6) the LCD is very bright and clear, and finally...a big big plus 7) the lens head is threaded for filter attachments! This seems like such a simple thing but so many digicams don't have this option! You will feel 100% better when you can go stick a cheap UV filter on the camera which will keep the DiMage camera lens from getting dust and scratches. Things that could use some improvement on this camera:
1) The electronic view finder is slightly blurry around the edges. This was a little disappointing but I still use the EVF regularly to save batteries...the picture still comes out great. Manual focus changes may be difficult to notice through the EVF...you may want to switch to the LCD for manual focus adjustments. 2) The door to the AC Adapter and TV is a flimsy plastic door. 3) So far as I know, there are no add-on lenses specifically made for this camera (I am sure you could get something to work but why go through so much trouble?) I would love it if they made a wide angle lens attachment. 4) AC Adapter doesn't come with camera and is quite expensive ... but then again, many digicams don't include an AC Adapter. They tossed in some seriously good rechareable batteries and charger from Sanyo though which are 1850 mAh...hard to find that high capacity in the store!
Rating:
Summary: Makes film cameras obsolete
Review: Unlike other 5 megapixel SLRs, this one is reasonably priced, but still has every feature you could imagine. I discovered that standard resolution images, at about 1 MB each, are all you need to make 35mm quality 5x7 prints. I couldn't see any improvement at the fine resolution that requires twice as much memory, and superfine requires so much as to be impractical. The camera only comes with a 16 megabyte memory card, so you will want at least a 256 megabyte CompactFlash card which will store 150+ standard images. Advanced 35mm photographers will be pleased that this camera has all the features you expect on a quality SLR, such as shutter or aperture priority or manual exposure modes, spot metering, exposure and focus lock, auto/manual focus, etc. But on top of that you get the equivalent of a 28mm-200mm f2.8 macro zoom in an incredibly compact package, electronic versions of every color correction filter, a 2x digital zoom (on top of the 7x optical zoom; on my old 2 MP camera, digital zoom was worthless - on this camera I still got acceptable images with digital zoom) and the ability to change "film" speed (which affects the image noise level) from ISO 100 to ISO 800 whenever you want to get more sensitivity. There is also an adequate built in flash, or you can add an external flash. The lens is also threaded for external filters like a UV lens protector. Connection to my Windows XP PC was effortless. Drawbacks: even with the best 1850 mAh NiMH batteries, this camera is very fast to warn you that your batteries are low, so be sure to get several sets of batteries and fast chargers (one set of batteries and a charger is included). And there are so many buttons and features, it takes a while to remember which feature or menu or option goes with which button; I think there's some logic to it, but I haven't figured it out yet. It does have a simple "put me back in dumb point-and-shoot mode" button, but a technophobe might not appreciate all the capabilities of this camera. Finally, the optional AC adapter is outrageously expensive, but generic ones are available for less than half the price. Update: 1. If you have your heart set on using the "super-fine" mode, besides the fact that it uses a large amount of memory, be aware that the camera "goes dead" for about a minute while the image is written to the flash card. 2. At first I thought an optical SLR viewfinder would be better than electronic, but I really love this camera's EVF. It lets you see exactly how your shot will be exposed, which is really nice for critical high-contrast shots like landscapes. 3. Next, the camera seems to overexpose slightly outdoors, but this is readily apparent in the EVF and easily compensated for using the digital effects control. 4. Finally, if you want a Remote Cord, they are very expensive, as all the Minolta accessories seem to be. Update 2: If you want more power than the built in flash, I've discovered that although this camera uses the same Minolta flashes as the Maxxums, generic dedicated flashes made for Maxxums WILL NOT work with this camera, so you have to buy a Minolta flash. The 3600HS(D) is the cheapest and a very nice flash, but still relatively very expensive if you just want a little more power than the built in flash.
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