Date:         Thu, 3 Jan 2008 00:52:38 +1300
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Anyone have a Nikon digital SLR for sale??
Comments: To: Conch-L <conch-l@listserv.uga.edu>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed

I made the bad mistake of acting on reviews and buying a Konica
Minolta DiMage A2 digital "pseudoSLR". This camera doesn't do
anything right:
-flash has at most 3m range
-huge shutter-delay (cannot be used for action photography)
-takes up to 20s to open an image to check it
-autofocus often refuses to work
-resolution is poor; the 800mpx spec is misleading
-focus very poor, resulting in uncrisp images at best
-viewfinder & rear screen resolution too poor to check image focus
-in sun with shadows,  either shadows are black or lit areas are
bleached to white
-dark parts of images are speckled with pale pinpoints, even on
highest-resolution setting
-function dials too easily knocked out of setting
-on-button much too easily activated accidentally
-have to hold power button for at least a second to switch off (and
doesn't always work)
-takes up to 20s to turn off, so you have to watch that long to make
sure it DOES turn off
-antishake easily turned off/on by accident, but doesn't seem to make
any differenve either way

I have put up with the thing since buying it new 2 years ago
(admittedly the Sony equivalent was even worse in some ways, with
purple refringence and that bulky stupid hinged body). I want to get
rid of it (I have e-mailed KM NZ with a complaint, but they will of
course ignore me).

I need a camera that can take crisp images and be used for true
macrophotography (photomacrography) of molluscan specimens, as well
as cars, cats & other people and day-to-day stuff. My boss uses a
digital Nikon SLR; he got great results with the old one and has just
replaced it with a new model (and no, he gave the old one to his son,
the thoughtless ***). I don't need a current model, just one that
will do the job right.

Anyone have one to offer?