Minolta DiMAGE G400 with dual memory-card slot

DiMAGE G400: 4.0 megapixel camera with dual memory-card slot

The new DiMAGE G400 is a high-performance digital camera housed in a slim, stylish body. This 4.0 megapixel camera creates beautiful images at the touch of a button. In spite of its size, the DiMAGE G400 has powerful imaging tools and a dual memory-card slot.

The DiMAGE G400 has a newly designed signal-processing engine with a 0.7 second startup time. You can turn the camera on, focus, set the exposure, capture an image, and turn the camera off in 1.5 seconds. It takes less than a second from turning the camera on to being ready to capture a sharp, well-exposed image.

When photographing events or spontaneous facial expressions, the DiMAGE G400 has the technology to capture the moment. The camera can focus and determine the exposure in approximately 0.2 second and the shutter-release time lag is approximately 0.03 second. Hybrid Adaptive A*IPS optimizes autofocus, autoexposure, and auto white-balance processing for fast response. The DiMAGE G400 employs Rapid AF to ensure sharp images with minimum delay. Rapid AF uses a passive AF sensor to instantly estimate the distance to the subject and the camera's CCD to determine the precise focus point.

The DiMAGE G400 has an equally impressive performance during playback. Playback mode starts up in approximately 0.2 second. A still image can be seamlessly enlarged from 1X to 12X in 1.5 seconds.

Dressed in an elegant metal case, the DiMAGE G400 is a stylish companion. The G400 can be easily slipped into a pocket or bag and taken wherever you go for business or pleasure. The DiMAGE G400 follows the tried and true design of traditional film cameras. Its form is simply a product of its function.

The DiMAGE G400 has a 4.2 megapixel. The 3X GT Hexanon zoom lens employs seven elements in six groups to provide sharp, high-contrast images. The lens is designed to minimize flare and off-axis aberrations so that the tonal range and detail in the scene are apparent in the final image. The new signal-processing engine ensures the images captured with the CCD are reproduced as accurately as possible.

Advanced amateurs will appreciate the image-making features included in the DiMAGE G400. Color, sharpness, and contrast can be controlled to create the image wanted. And the color-balance function allows to change the relative proportions of the red, green, and blue to shift the overall color of an image.

Dark noise, an ever-present problem in electronic systems, manifests itself by giving a grainy or sandy appearance to images taken with long exposures. DiMAGE G400 combats this with a noise-reduction function, which automatically activates for exposures of 1/2 second or longer.

The DiMAGE G400 is easy to use. The built-in lens cover not only protects the optical zoom, but also turns the camera on and off in one smooth movement. Buttons and controls are ergonomically placed to facilitate operation. And the familiar click of a film-camera shutter sound gives a positive confirmation an image has been captured.

Close-up photographs can be made of small objects. The DiMAGE G400 can focus as close as 5cm (2 in). At its maximum magnification, an area of 8 x 6cm (3.1 x 2.4 in) is covered.

The DiMAGE G400 has a dual card-slot system for flexible image storage. Both Memory Sticks and SD Memory Cards can be used singly or in combination. When both memory card types are used with the camera at the same time, up 640MB of data can be saved depending on the capacity of the cards. This eliminates the worries of running out of memory during important events.

Despite its small size, the DiMAGE G400 is packed with a lot of features. The Super Continuous mode takes a series of three images at a rate of 2.5 frames per second. Six scene-select modes allow you to quickly optimize camera operation for specific subjects. Auto bracketing makes a three-frame exposure or focus bracket of a scene to guarantee the best result. Exposures can be set manually. The camera can store and recall two sets of frequently used camera settings.

The DiMAGE G400 is not restricted to taking photographs. 320x240 XR (extended recording) movies with audio can be made. The length of the movie clip is only limited by the storage capacity of the memory cards in use. Audio can be recorded by itself or attached to a recorded still image.

Still images can easily be shared electronically. Favorite images can be resized to 640x480 or 320x240 in the camera. Simply connect the camera to a computer with the supplied USB cable to transfer the data so that it can be attached to an e-mail or posted on the web.

The DiMAGE G400 is supplied with a high-performance, rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The battery will let you shoot in confidence during any event.

The DiMAGE G400 is Exif Print compatible. Menus can be displayed in seven languages: Japanese, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese.

Minolta DiMAGE G400 Specifications
Number of effective pixels 4.0 million
CCD 1/2.5-type interline primary-color CCD
Total pixels: 4.2 million
Camera sensitivity Auto, ISO 50, 100, 200, 400 equivalents
Focal length 5.6 – 16.8mm
(35mm equivalent: 34 - 101mm)
Lens construction 7 elements in 6 groups
Maximum aperture f/2.8 – f/4.9
Minimum focus distance From front of Lens
Wide: 1.6 ft. (0.5 m) from from front of lens
Telephoto: 2.6 ft. (0.8 m) from front of lens

From front of the CCD
Wide: 1.8 ft. (0.54 m) from CCD
Telephoto: 2.8 ft. (0.84 m) from CCD
Macro focus range Super Macro Standard Macro
Focal Length Telephoto* Wide Telephoto
From Front of Lens 7.9 - 15.7 in.
(20 - 40 cm) 2 in. to infinity
(5 cm) 19 in. to infinity
(50 cm)
From CCD 9.4 - 17.3 in.
(24 - 44 cm) 3.5 in. to infinity
(9 cm) 21.3 in. to infinity
(54 cm)
*at telephoto position
Area covered
at maximum magnification Approximately 3.1 x 2.4 in.
(8 x 6 cm)
Viewfinder type Optical real-image zoom viewfinder
LCD monitor 1.5 inch (3.8cm) TFT color monitor
Total number of pixels: 76,800
Automatic monitor amplification
Shutter CCD electronic shutter and mechanical shutter
Shutter speed range 1 - 1/2000 second in programmed AE and aperture-priority modes, 15 - 1/1000 second in manual exposure mode
Autofocus system Rapid AF: a combination of a passive AF sensor with the video AF system.
Metering Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure modes Programmed AE, Aperture priority, Manual
Exposure compensation ±2 EV in 0.3 increments
Flash range Wide:
Approximately 1.6 – 7.5 ft. (0.5 – 2.3 m)

Telephoto:
Approximately 2.6 – 4.3 ft. (0.8 – 1.3 m)
(Camera sensitivity: auto)
Flash modes Autoflash, Autoflash with red-eye reduction, Fill-in, Fill-in with red-eye reduction, Off
Flash compensation ± 1 EV in 0.5 increments
Scene selection Portrait, Scenery, Night, Snap, Sports, Angel
Continuous advance Super Continuous:
Approximately 2.5 frames per second

Standard continuous:
Approximately 1.1 frames per second

A maximum of 3 frames can be captured at one time with the Super Continuous drive mode. The number of frames with the standard-continuous drive mode is only limited by the memory card capacity. Actual number of images may vary depending upon the subject and camera settings.
Auto bracketing Exposure, Focus
Exposure:
Three-frame bracket in 0.3 EV increments

Focus:
Three-frame bracket
Self-timer Approximately 10 seconds, 3 seconds
Movie recording Recording time dependent on memory card capacity and image quality.
Frame rate: 15 frames per second
Audio recording Recording time dependent on memory card capacity.
Monaural audio only.
White-balance control Automatic, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent)
Contrast compensation Five levels
Color saturation ompensation Five levels
Sharpness settings Five levels
Color balance Five levels for each RGB channel
Color modes Standard, Cold, Warm, Black and White, Sepia
Digital zoom 2x
Resize Creates a VGA (640 x 480) or QVGA (320 x 240) image for transmission.
Image quality modes 4M Fine (2272 x 1704)
4M Normal (2272 x 1704)
2M (1600 x 1200)
VGA (640 x 480)
Number of recorded pixels (Still images) 2272 x 1704, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480
Number of recorded pixels (Movie clips) 320 x 240
Storage capacity Approximate storage capacity of a 16 MB SD (Secure Digital) Memory Card:
4M Fine 4M Normal 2M VGA
8 frames 16 frames 33 frames 133 frames
* Movie clips recorded with audio.
*Actual number of images may vary depending upon the subject and memory card.
File format JPEG, Motion JPEG (AVI), WAVE
DCF-compliant
DPOF-compliant (Supported by printing functions in version 1.1)
Exif 2.2
Printing output control Exif Print
Recording media SD (Secure Digital) Memory Cards, MultiMedia Cards, Memory Stick
Computer interface Full-speed 12Mbps USB
Battery One NP-600 lithium-ion battery
Battery performance (Playback) Approximate continuous playback time: 200 minutes
Battery performance (Recording) Approximate number of recorded images: 185 frames with LCD monitor on, 4M Normal image quality (2272 x 1704) and flash used with 50% of the frames.
External power source 4.7 V DC with specified AC adapter (sold separately)
Dimensions Width: 3.68 in. / 93.5 mm
Height: 2.19 in. / 55.5 mm
Depth: from 0.91 in. (23 mm) to 1.02 in. (26 mm) at the LCD monitor
Weight Approximately 6.3 oz. (180 g) without batteries or recording media
Operating temperature 32-122°F (0-50ºC)
Standard accessories Neck Strap NS-DG130, USB Cable USB-810, 16 MB SD (Secure Digital) Memory Card, Lithium-ion Battery BP-600, Lithium-ion Battery Charger BC-600U, DiMAGE Viewer CD-ROM
Optional accessories AC Adapter AC-9U

Specifications, system requirements and accessories are subject to change without notice