CxProcess™ Image-Processing Technology
Minolta’s CxProcess™ ensures that the image from the CCD will faithfully reproduce the original scene. The 7Hi’s CxProcess™ system controls image sharpness, color, and contrast while minimizing noise to produce vivid, natural pictures.

12-Bit A/D Conversion
12-bit A/D conversion preserves all the image subtleties. With billions of colors and 4,096 levels in each color channel, images possess near lifelike color and detail. This is especially evident in portraiture: smooth complexion, fine hair detail, and vivid eye color.

Extra Fine Mode
The DiMAGE 7Hi’s new Extra Fine mode creates JPEG files with a compression ratio of 1/2.5. This mode not only reduces the compression ratio, but also enhances image quality with nearly lossless JPEG imaging. Extra Fine mode can also be used for commercial purposes.

7X, GT APO Zoom Lens
A high-resolution CCD is as only as good as the lens in front of it. This Minolta GT lens is a high-performance 7X, f/2.8 – f3.5 apochromatic (APO) zoom. With enough resolution to produce a fine image on a seven-million pixel CCD, this lens features anomalous dispersion (AD) glass and aspheric elements to ensure sharp, high-contrast, and distortion-free images at any focal length.

Although the lens is a fast f/2.8, 7X zoom, it is about the size of a standard 50mm lens on a 35mm camera. The versatile focal range of 7.2 - 50.8mm is equivalent to a 28 - 200mm lens in the conventional 35mm film format.

Dual-Focal Macro System
The DiMAGE 7Hi has a dual-focal macro system that allows the zoom lens to be set at the wide-angle or telephoto position to take advantage of different focal lengths. At the wide-angle position, the larger field-of-view and depth-of-field create a stronger perspective and a sense of space. The telephoto position isolates the subject and minimizes distortion with a narrow field-of-view and shallow depth-of-field.

High-Performance Autofocusing
The DiMAGE 7Hi’s autofocus system features flexible and dynamic functions that enable it to perform with razor-sharp precision in virtually any situation.

The wide AF area makes accurate focusing simple. Within the focus frames are three AF sensors including a central crosshair sensor; the crosshair sensor ensures accurate focusing regardless of subject contrast. The camera automatically locates the subject within the wide frames and confirms the point of focus by briefly displaying the active AF sensor. The AF system works in low-light, twilight, or dimly lit interiors, without the need for an AF illuminator. The monitor and viewfinder images are automatically amplified so the subject is always visible.

The DiMAGE 7Hi also features Direct Manual Focus (DMF), which is found in professional-level film cameras like the award-winning Maxxum 7 AF SLR. With DMF, after the AF system has focused and locked on the subject, the focus can be fine-tuned manually.

Flex Focus Point
Flex Focus Point expands the creative versatility of the AF system. It is a single crosshair sensor that can be placed anywhere within the image frame. With the camera on a tripod, simply use the four-way controller to position the Flex Focus Point on the subject; the AF system will use that point for each exposure.

LCD Monitor plus Digital Hyper Viewfinder
The 7Hi’s high-contrast LCD monitor and Digital Hyper Viewfinder make viewing easy and provide accurate color rendition. The monitor and viewfinder displays not only show active camera settings, exposure information, and warnings; they also include a grid for aligning the camera to horizontal or vertical subject elements, and a scale to judge the subject’s relative proportions in close-up photography. A real-time histogram is available for evaluating the subject brightness and contrast to optimize the camera’s exposure and contrast controls.

Expanded Shutter Speed Range
The DiMAGE 7Hi has an expanded dynamic shutter-speed range from 15 seconds to a super-fast 1/4000 second to control exposure and motion in program and aperture-priority modes. In shutter priority and manual modes, the maximum shutter speed is 1/2000 second. BULB exposures up to thirty seconds can also be made.

Expanded Continuous Advance Modes
The DiMAGE 7Hi is a versatile imaging tool built for high performance under demanding situations. The UHS (Ultra High Speed) continuous-advance mode can capture SXGA size images (1280 X 960 pixels) at approximately 7 fames per second -- equivalent to most professional film cameras. A new high-speed continuous-advance mode can capture successive full-size images at approximately 3 frames per second, even with high-quality TIFF and RAW images. The standard continuous advance mode captures images from full-size (2560 x 1920) to VGA (640 x 480) at a maximum 2 frames per second.

Nine-Position White Balance
Accurate color reproduction is essential for today’s serious digital photographers, and very simple for the DiMAGE 7Hi. To capture images under varying natural and artificial lighting sources, white balance is controlled with nine settings: five preset, three custom, and one auto.

Color Space Selection and ICC Profile Attachment
To ensure that colors are not distorted when printed or displayed on monitors, the color space can now be selected between sRGB and Adobe RGB, and the camera’s ICC profile can now be attached to the image file.

Manual Shift
After the exposure has been set, Manual Shift lets the photographer change the shutter speed/aperture combination without affecting the original exposure value.

Wireless/Remote Flash Control
Wireless/remote flash control adds a versatile creative dimension to flash photography by allowing multiple off-camera Minolta flash units to be fired simultaneously by the camera without the need for connecting cables. Minolta 5600HS(D) or 3600HS(D) flash units can be placed around the subject to create attractive lighting effects. By using the built-in flash and TTL metering, the DiMAGE 7Hi controls the output of the off-camera flash units for proper exposures. Unlike most slave flash systems, the built-in flash will fire the remote Minolta units without influencing the lighting of the final image. The DiMAGE 7Hi is also compatible with normal slave units where the camera flash can act as a main or fill light while triggering single or multiple off-camera lighting units.

Macro Photography
For close-up photography, Minolta offers a high-quality macro lighting system as an optional accessory for the 7Hi. The Macro Flash Controller can be coupled with the Micro Ring Flash 1200 or the Micro Twin Flash 2400 lighting sets. Both these systems give considerable control over lighting in confined spaces at close working distances.

PC Terminal
A new built-in flash sync terminal allows the DiMAGE 7Hi to be connected to professional studio and location flash systems.

Quick View
Captured images can be easily accessed from the recording mode. Simply press the Quick View button to display the images on the memory card. Except for menu controls, all playback functions are now available in Quick View; recorded images can be enlarged to confirm sharpness and a histogram can be displayed to judge exposure and contrast. Images can be displayed with or without shooting data or in a nine-frame or four-frame index format.

Ergonomic Design for Easy Operation
The DiMAGE 7Hi retains the same simple control layout of the DiMAGE 7i, with controls and dials arranged for clear, intuitive operation. All shooting controls are placed around the newly designed contoured grip area. The camera can be controlled with the thumb and index finger while maintaining a firm grip on the body. Creative and high-level functions are placed on the function dial and Digital Effects Control on the other side of the camera.

Rugged Construction for Workhorse Reliability
A true “working” camera, the DiMAGE 7Hi is housed in a lightweight magnesium-alloy body for durability and reliable performance. Magnesium alloy provides the benefits of rugged die-cast construction without the cumbersome weight. Magnesium is about 30% lighter than aluminum and 65% lighter than steel.

The DiMAGE 7Hi is not only light, it is compact. The body is significantly smaller than compact 35mm AF SLR cameras with a built-in flash and attached zoom lens. The 7Hi can easily slip into a fanny pack or hip bag.

Digital Effects Control
The Digital Effects Control is a built-in image-processing center that allows exposure, contrast, and color saturation to be adjusted before the image is captured. An additional Filter setting controls the overall color of the image by making the color cooler or warmer. With black & white images, the filter can create a warm or cool toned image similar to sepia or gold toners with photographic prints as well as the unique tones of magenta and green.

Digital Enhanced Bracketing
To ensure that the correct level of adjustment is made with the Digital Effects Control, a Digital Enhanced Bracket can be made. This bracket is a three-frame series of images with a slight increase and decrease in exposure. The DiMAGE 7Hi can also make contrast, color saturation, and filter brackets.

Digital Subject Programs
In addition to fully automatic Program (P) mode, the DiMAGE 7Hi features five Digital Subject Programs that optimize exposure and image-processing controls for specific shooting conditions and subjects. Simply select the appropriate program and the camera does the rest.

Portrait: reproduces warm, soft skin tones and creates a slight defocusing of the background.
Sports/Action: captures clear, sharp images of fast moving subjects.
Sunset: reproduces rich, warm sunsets.
Night Portrait: captures romantic night scenes like city skylines. When used with the built-in flash, the flash illumination on the subject is balanced with the background ambient light.
Text: for crisp reproduction of black text on white backgrounds.

Additionally, personal camera settings for specific situations can be saved. The camera can memorize the specific functions and settings in use, which can be recalled and reapplied to the camera at any time.

Creative Color Control
In addition to Natural Color and Black & White, the DiMAGE 7Hi has two creative color modes: Vivid Color increases the saturation to produce vibrant color images. Solarization creates a partial reversal of image tones to produce unique imaging effects.

Audio Functions
Thoughts and comments can be recorded along with a still image. Voice Memo allows a 16-bit audio track up to 15 seconds to be attached to an image after it has been captured. The voice memo can be played back in the camera.

Data Imprinting
The date or time can be printed on the image as well as text and serial numbers. The electronic keyboard used to imprint text has an expanded character set for German and French.

Movie Recording
The DiMAGE 7Hi can record high-quality 16-bit audio with still and moving images. Standard QVGA (320X240) color movies and monochrome night movies up to 60 seconds with 16-bit audio can be made. Plus, Night Movie mode allows images to be recorded in extremely low light. The Interval function can produce a series of still images taken at regular intervals, or it can combine the images into a time-lapse movie at any image size. Time-Lapse plays the images back at 4 fps so that imperceptible motion springs to life: the blossoming of a flower or the setting of the sun. UHS Continuous-Advance movies show unfolding events.

Full System of Accessories
Extensive system accessories make the DiMAGE 7Hi a serious digital imaging tool. The camera can be directly coupled with powerful shoe-mounted and off-camera flash units from portable camera strobes to large studio lighting systems. The wireless/remote function allows slave control over the Minolta 5600HS(D) and 3600HS(D) program flashes. Remote cables and standard 49mm filters can also be used.

Specifications and features are based on the information available at the time of posting and are subject to change without notice.