Minolta 7Hi Focus Problem

My Minolta Dimage 7Hi will not auto focus on a large percentage of

the images (>80%). If I zoom in on an image it has a better chance

of focusing. Has anyone else had a problem with auto focus on this

camera? If yes, did you get it corrected and how? Konica Minolta

indicates I need to send it in for repair.

I haev one of those, and it does take a bit of time to focus. I keep it because the fast frame rate - 7fps - gets some good shots of my kids at soccer - but you have to be careful to keep things in focus.

Sending it in for repair out of warrantee - I dont know.

I had this kind of problem only in a few particular situations:

1) White Sand Dunes at sunset

2) Neon Lights in Las Vegas

3) Very reflective surfaces (mainly at sunset)

I solved 1) by manual focus (no time for experiments), 2) & 3) using the spot metering and autofocus.

If 80% of your pictures are by night, try that, otherwise, I agree with Shirish (DiMAGE A2 $600 at amazon.com).

Thanks for your inputs. The problem occurs in sunlight, so it is not a problem of adequate light. The camera did not have this problem when new. It actually seems to focus a little better inside in dim light, but it is still a long way from acceptable. I have tried both the wide area focus and spot focus with the same results.

I have to use manual focus for most images. This works, but I would like the scale in feet rather than meters. Maybe this can be changed in a setup menu, but I have not located it yet.