Trouble with the Konica Minolta A2, Magenta Blotches

[touchel berne]

Can't believe that it's been more than three years since I've posted here on photo.net! I guess that

happens... Anyway, it seems that I'm having trouble with the Konica Minolta A2 that I inherited from my

dad. I think that it's a problem with the CCD, and I was hoping for advice on how to proceed. I'd like to get

it fixed if possible, it's a wonderful camera. It's a little difficult to describe... I'm looking at one of the

resulting photographs now. Areas of color (mostly shadows) are blotchy and have taken on a mostly

magenta hue, some green/gray. In the photo that I'm looking at, this has only happened to the foreground

subjects of the photo, the background appears completely normal. The image through the eyepiece or on

the screen on the back of the camera has the same blotchy appearance, but is also broken up with green

lines.

 

What can I do about this? Thanks!<div></div>

[peterblaise]

.

 

Read the ENTIRE thread at:

 

[Has anyone used Sony service for their Minolta yet - how'd it go?]

 

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00HEkO&tag=

 

http :// photo . net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00HEkO&tag=

 

... and OBEY:

 

1 - call first and call more than once if you don;t get an answer that matches. Do NOT let on that you'v called before.

 

Minolta Digital Product Support: 1-877-462-4464

 

and or

 

Sony Laredo Texas 1-866-357-6230

 

2 - decide if your unit is under warranty, Sony appears to be NOT swapping CCDs in out of warranty cameras, offering a newer cheaper Sony DSC-H-series instead - ECCH!

 

3 - discuss HERE if you're not ABSOLUTELY confident that Sony Laredo TEXAS will make you happy.

 

Good luck, let us know what you do.

 

Click!

 

Love and hugs,

 

Peter Blaise peterblaise@yahoo.com Minolta Rokkor Alpha DiMage Photographer http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/

[touchel berne]

Thanks! Wow, how could I have missed your post when I was searching? I must have been

using the wrong keywords. I will follow your advice to the 't,' and see where that leads. I'm

concerned though that the camera may be well out of warranty and I haven't got a receipt for

it, so that's annoying. Having inherited it from my dad I don't have access to all of the

documentation that I would normally. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[peterblaise]

.

 

Touchel,

 

I think that INCLUDING a print out of the Sony annopuncement of their CCD replacement extended warranty IN the service box you send back kind of obligates them to live up to their promises, at least that's why I think they seem to have ordered parts from Japan for me.

 

However, the other dead camera mentioned got offered ~$728US credit even without a receipt, so it could go either way.

 

Regarding being out of warranty, Sony offered to replace their own defective CCDs regardless. Apparently if we send in our cameras to start the ball rolling, they do what they can, and if they can't fix it, they seem to be willing to offer Sony products in trade for perceived value.

 

Sadly, for me, NO Sony product uses the Minolta DiMage dedicated accessories I already have spend significant money on - batteries, supplemental lenses, Minolta-brand RAW software converters, Minolta remote control software, vertical control/battery grip and so on, and ONLY the Sony Alpha A100 uses the flashes I have for my DiMage, but Sony seems averse to include a tradeup to the A100 in their bargaining so far - probably too few of them. NO other camera series BUT the Minolta DiMage 5/7/A-series does exactly what it does, so we're stuck ... sort of like trying to keep alive the last MG Bs or FIAT Spyders before Mazda made the Miata so many years later?!?

 

Let us know how it goes for you.

 

Click!

 

Love and hugs,

 

Peter Blaise peterblaise@yahoo.com Minolta Rokkor Alpha DiMage Photographer http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/

[touchel berne]

After a lengthy telephone conversation with the customer support people, I discovered that

the A2 is not covered in their extended warranty plan. Thus there were no miraculous checks

or offers of slightly inferior cameras. Just this: for $211 they would replace the ccd. Rather

than pay that sum, I decided to sell the A2 as-is for the reasonable price of $130 (including

shipping) and to buy a Nikon DSLR with which I can use various lenses. The ad is in the

classifieds. Thanks Peter for your assistance, I enjoyed using the A2 while it lasted, but there

were aspects of the SLR experience that I missed.

[james_frater]

The A2 did not contain the defective CCD from Sony. Thus it was never covered for a free repair.

[touchel berne]

The CCD in my A2 is clearly defective. It may not be the same defect or the same CCD. But it

has ceased working on its own and only after two years. I don't think that that's the way

things should be. And while I realize that that program was set up for a specific defect, I

don't believe that that should end Konica-Minolta/Sony's responsibility for having sold my

dad a lemon. There is just something plain wrong about a product whose most essential

component fails after only two years and even more wrong about a company that won't stand

behind its products. In any case, I've washed my hands of it, the camera is for sale and a

Nikon DSLR is on a fed ex ground truck bound for my city.

[touchel berne]

Okay, folks, I've had the Nikon D50 for just about three months now and I just wanted to say

that there's a world of difference. The A2 is a fine digicam, but that's all it is. The dSLR shoots

circles around it. So much more responsive... interchangeable lenses... there's just no

comparison.

[peterblaise]

.

 

GREAT that you're enjoying your new camera, Touchel. Why not sell your defective Konica Minolta on eBay - you may be surprised what you get for it, even with the defect, since the buyer only has to sped +$211US plus shipping and a few weeks to a month for a superbe mini DZLR! Let us know what you plan to do with the carcass! :-(