Top 20 Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Digital Camera Questions & Answers

You may order the part from here.

Sell your camera for spare parts, the fault requires a professional repair costing far more than the camera is worth. Note that you'll get more by selling the battery, body caps (hotshoe cover, sync socket cover, lenscap) and camera body as separate items.

Hello

Unfortunately a "system error" message is not something that you will be able to fix. This error indicates a system failure and requires the camera to be sent in for servicing and repair.

However, since Minolta is out of business, you may be hard pressed to actually get this camera repaired.

Consider NOT connecting your camera to your computer.

The best way to download pictures from your camera to your computer involves removing the memory card from the camera and plugging it into a card reader (either built-in to the computer or connected via USB or FireWire). This is likely to be faster than connecting the camera to the computer, and won't run down your camera's batteries.

Once the card is plugged in, it will appear to your computer as a removable drive. You can use the operating system's drag&drop facility to copy pictures from the card to the computer's hard drive, the same way you copy any other files. Or you can use any photo cataloging program, such as Windows Photo Gallery or Picasa ( http://picasa.google.com ).

I've had the same problem. You simply can't get them new, but you can salvage them from the many scrap A1's and A2's which have suffered circuit board failures. Take care as you peel it off the old camera though as it's very easy to tear. Best reglued with a few very carefully applied smears of superglue. If you want your camera to last, then afterwards use a bit of double-sided foam based sticky pad to secure the viewfinder in the down position: leave it free to move and it WILL fail (I'm amazed it hasn't done so already). Basically there's a poor design which causes the flexible circuit board to crack and once it goes it usually cannot be repaired.

A whole scrap camera is usually quite cheap on auction websites, but ask questions to ensure that the item is supplied to you before the previous owner has harvested all the all the useful bits, such as batteries and caps.

There is an ebay seller in the USA who sells an alternative eyecup which will just about fit, but it interferes with the viewfinder's ability to lay flat and also looks very amateurishly applied afterwards. The original item is by far the best.

Hope this helps, please take a moment to rate my answer.

Have you tried the reset on the 1st menu page? Are you clicking the right button on the 4 way directional pad? use left and right to highlight and up and down to change. Hope this helps.
Thank you,
Lee

Check the contacts on the battery case. As the camera is jolted up and down it sometimes weakens the metal that holds the battery securely in the case. The easiest way I find to test this is to open the battery door, push the battery(s) into place and hold a piece of metal against the open contacts on the other side to bridge the circuit. If the camera starts, that is your problem. You can possibly raise the tension of the metal contact on the door by stuffing paper under it.

Hello.

Turn the function dial to the drive mode position.
Press the function button in the center of the dial.
Turn the front control dial to select the self-timer drive mode.
Use the rear control dial to to switch between a ten-second and a two-second delay.
Press the shutter-release button partway down or press the function button to set the mode.
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When you are ready to take the picture.
Press the shutter button partway down to set the focus and exposure.
Press the shutter button all the way down to start the timer.

Hope this helps.

I hate to ask,but is your lens dirty?

Hi prune_muffin, my Konica Minolta A1 camera failed during 2007 with those exact symptoms. The sensor used in the A1 and many other cameras/camcorders of that vintage were made by Sony and have been recognised as subject to failure due to an Integrated Circuit packaging failure. Sony bought the KM company and from April 2006 have aranged support for KM products. Sony have generously offered to repair failed cameras of that era, at no charge, when the failure is due to a failed Sony sensor. My camera was repaired by the appointed Australian service company and returned within 3 weeks - I only paid the postage to send it in for repair.
You should make enquiries re your camera problem with the Sony Camera Support Center in your location.

if the pictures are like that as well, chances are your CCD sensor is on the way out. if only on the viewfinder (so pictures are OK) it may well be the display of the viewfinder that is also known to give problems although much less... however, if the viewfinder is the problem you should be OK to use the cam. in case you did not replace the CCD, i would be careful spending any money. i am now trying to get the 3rd CCD in my cam... they are really a problem.... I have 2 of these and they seem to keep on failing on the CCD's. pity, since i really love this camera...
ton

Hi!
If it shows the menu, it could be CCD problem. This is a well known problem with the A1. You should contact your local Konica-Minolta (Sony) service center and see if they can change the CCD for free as they were factory fault, if I remember it right.

Tom

If you're lucky, the CF card is faulty. It's going to be a very old card now if it's the original one supplied/bought with your A1. You've never upgraded to a larger card in all this time so it suggests you've never needed to. 128 and 256mb cards are virtually worthless now, so I'd be amazed if you couldn't get one for free via Yahoo FreeCycle. You can also try reformatting your card in a card reader/writer, but A1's and A2's often won't recognise a card formatted in this way and it can render them permanently unreadable by all A1/A2/A200 cameras.

If you're unlucky, then you've bent or broken one or more of the pins inside the card slot which connect to your card when you insert it. To check, get a bright torch and look down inside the card slot. Any bent pins will be self evident as there should be a neat double row of pins and missing pins will show up as gaps.

If you have bent pins then you've nothing to lose by trying to carefully straighten them, if you can't or if the pins are broken, then your camera is effectively irrepairable. Scrap A1's and A2's can both provide the part, but retreiving them from the donor camera is really difficult and so far I've never managed to refit one successfully and I've done a few now. A pro repair is simply not cost effective, especially when a perfectly good used A1 goes for around £40-£50 and the better A2's go for around £80-£100. If you're in North America you can expect prices to be even lower.

It's a faulty 5MP Sony CCD and there was a massive problem with them failing due to a manufacturing defect. Sony issued a "soft recall" on their own cameras whereby customers complaining of the fault outside of the warranty were being told to return the camera to Sony for a free repair. I sent two back last year which I'd bought in 2004 and they still repaired them free (it would have been cheaper for them to send me newer, later models in exchange!)

Minolta (later Konica Minolta) had a similar arrangement but have now been taken over by Sony, they are honouring some claims for Konica Minolta branded products, but not for Minolta products. I understand that this is both for practical purposes as the additional spare parts needed when the sensor is replaced are not readily available and also because the Minolta products affected have all now reached the end of their original design lifespan.

In short, you've left it too late and should have pursued the problem at the time it occurred.

Good, used A1's typically sell for £40-£50 in the UK but unless they've had a replacement sensor fitted under warranty are a big risk. Don't accept the seller's assurance that the sensor has been replaced unless they can show the sales docket. A2's have the 8MP sensor which did not have the same problem and have a far better viewfinder go for around £80-£100. Prices are somewhat lower in North America so repairs are clearly not cost effective.

Hi

Whats the capacity of your memory card? check for compatibility of card, since memory cards that have 4gb to 8gb are not compatible with some cameras. check as well from your cameras manufacturer if they have a firmware that will support such cards for your device/camera.

Hope this helps

you will have to replace the CCD chip alone. it is worth fixing. you can go ahead. but do it with some authorized service center.