From time to time, a new product will create a stir. The new DiMAGE F100 from Minolta is just such a newcomer. This futuristic digital camera looks certain to make a very pronounced mark with its striking combination of form and functionality. The first time you see the DiMAGE F100, you know it's something special. And this 4.0-megapixel digital camera with a built-in optical zoom has many sophisticated features to match its fashionable looks.

Style and performance in the DiMAGE F100
Minolta's DiMAGE F100 is the first in a line of F Series cameras to feature a new design philosophy: elegant design and sophisticated imaging performance. Built around the cutting edge of digital technology, their unparalleled pairing of style and performance will point the way to the future of imaging - form and function in perfect harmony.

The subtle minimalist design of the DiMAGE F100 features a simple aluminium-rich shell with stainless-steel accents around the viewfinder and lens. With its slim profile and compact body this camera will slip into any pocket or small bag.

The camera's stylish looks are one half of the story, its sophisticated performance the other. With the experience and expertise gained in over 70 years of designing award-winning cameras, Minolta has created a digital camera that gives a photographer complete control over exposure, colour, contrast, saturation, white balance, camera sensitivity and focus plus the chance to record movies and audio.

Quality images
Employing the technology from the top-of-the-line DiMAGE 7, the F100's high-precision electro-optical systems is designed to maximise image quality. The CCD with 3.95 effective megapixels ensures high-resolution images, e.g. 150 dpi A3 or photo-quality A5 prints. An ultra-compact, high-resolution 3x Minolta GT lens has a focal length equivalent to a 38 - 114mm 35mm zoom lens for sharp, high-contrast images of anything from wide-angle landscapes to telephoto close-ups. Minolta's image-processing technology, CxProcess, controls image sharpness, colour and contrast while minimising noise to produce vivid, natural colours. 12-bit AD conversion preserves all the subtleties of the original scene to produce wonderfully clear images.

High-end AF functionality
The camera's excellent image quality is combined with numerous high-performance features. The advanced auto functions include three global firsts in digital cameras: Area AF, Subject Tracking AF and Automatic Digital Subject Program Selection.

Area AF makes catching the perfect moment as easy as seeing it. Employing technology developed for the top-of-the-line Dynax 9 and 7, Area AF evaluates the objects in the focus frames, locks the focus on the subject and confirms the point of focus with the active AF sensor. So all the photographer has to do is simply point the camera at the scene and the autofocus system will look after the rest. What's more, subjects don't even have to be located in the centre of the picture.

Subject Tracking AF compliments Area AF by following a subject moving through the extra-wide AF area in three dimensions - no matter which way the subject moves. So catching the action has never been easier.

The subject location information gained from Area AF and Subject Tracking AF is used to calculate perfect exposures. A multi-segment metering system uses subject-position information and 256 metering segments to calculate exposure based on subject and background luminance. So nobody need worry that a subject will be lost in the deep shadows of noon or washed out in front of dark backgrounds.

Automatic Digital Subject Program Selection analyses shooting conditions and selects the best Digital Subject Program - portrait, sports action, landscape, sunset or night portrait - or programmed AE to match that condition. So this function frees the photographer from the need to set the camera controls each time the shooting situation changes because the DiMAGE F100 automatically ensures the best possible results.

Easy and fun to use
The DiMAGE F100 is easy to use, comfortable to handle and quick to respond - ideal preconditions for fun photography. A high-speed engine ensures extreme ease of operation while the five-way cursor key and simple user interface make for clear, intuitive handling. The controls and dials are sensibly located so the camera can be controlled with the thumb and index finger while a firm grip is kept on the body. A high-speed RISC processor manages the camera's impressive response performance, e.g. boot-up in under 3 sec, click-to-click in less than 0.8 sec and auto-focus in approx. 0.35 sec. The camera's efficient data-processing system is especially noticeable when recording images - the capturing interval is less than a second.

With futuristic form and function in perfect harmony, the DiMAGE F100 will make its mark as an ideal medium for capturing and sharing the memorable moments of life - whether photographing for business or pleasure.

DiMAGE F100 on view at CeBIT 2002
Minolta's corporate motto, "The Essentials of Imaging", reflects the company's claim to provide everything a user needs for digital image or document generation, processing and management - in a business or leisure context. At this year's CeBIT Minolta backs up this claim with a comprehensive portfolio of digital imaging products ranging from stylishly sophisticated input devices such as the DiMAGE F100 to first-class output devices like the DiALTA Color CF2001 digital copier-printer. The DiMAGE F100 will be on show in Hall 1, Stand 3o1.