I own a Dimage A2 and the viewfinder is very scratched. Can I buy one from anywhere?

when it switches to B&W, it's showing you that what you're framing is in a low light condition. perfectly normal behavior as described in the manual

Have you formatted the cards in the camera or in the computer?

This indicates that the flexible circuit board (flexi pcb) to the LCD has started to crack. usually it happens to the viewfinder LCD first.

Unfortunately it happens to almost all Dimage A1's and A2's eventually and cannot be fixed unless the flexi pcb is replaced. New ones are no longer available and are very difficult to fit due to the extensive disassembly required. If you can get one, you'll find that the weaknesses were never resolved and it's just as prone to failure as the old one. A good used replacement A2 will cost less than any repairs, but is equally prone to the same fate.

All you can do to prevent it getting worse is to never flip out the LCD panel and you should also use double sided foam tape to stick the viewfinder permanently in the down position. Konica Minolta definitely knew of the weakness as they remedied it with a different design in the later A200.

Unfortunately my A2 failed just after I bought three extra batteries and a battery grip for it and the replacement A2 failed a month after purchase. It's a superb camera but seems to have been made to ensure that it doesn't last.

I hope that you've found my answer to be of use and that you can prevent your problem from getting worse. All I ask in return is that you take a moment to rate my answer.

These are frequently lost and are fashioned of purest unobtanium.

When mine disappeared I bought a non-working A2 on eBay very cheaply and carefully removed the old eyecup from it and glued it onto mine, it also had the benefit of providing spare body covers, a lens hood, battery and a strap. A cheaper alternative is to buy a non-original replacement, see item number 220440673814 on eBay, or search for seller birthdayboy; the eyecups he sells are good, but it looks ugly and gets in the way as it isn't flush with the back of the camera.
Don't re-sell the donor camera if you buy one: sooner or later you'll need the flexible circuit board from inside it, as the one in your camera WILL eventually fail to power the viewfinder lcd backlight. The old camera will serve to show you how to dismantle and repair your original one. It's one of those jobs which is so fiddly and time-consuming that a professional repair is totally uneconomic.

These are frequently lost and are fashioned of purest unobtanium.

When mine disappeared I bought a non-working A2 on eBay very cheaply and carefully removed the old eyecup from it and glued it onto mine, it also had the benefit of providing spare body covers, a lens hood, battery and a strap. A cheaper alternative is to buy a non-original replacement, see item number 220440673814 on eBay, or search for seller birthdayboy; the eyecups he sells are good, but it looks ugly and gets in the way as it isn't flush with the back of the camera.
Don't re-sell the donor camera if you buy one: sooner or later you'll need the flexible circuit board from inside it, as the one in your camera WILL eventually fail to power the viewfinder lcd backlight. The old camera will serve to show you how to dismantle and repair your original one. It's one of those jobs which is so fiddly and time-consuming that a professional repair is totally uneconomic.

my dimage z5 and see alot of problems on ebay the net ....anyways being a tech for 25 years the cover came right off and u can see the switch is surface mounted. there is supposed to be a plastic lever coming out to manually engage to outer switch but missing ...upon closer inspection i could see alot busted up chards of small plastic ...the insideof the switch was completely ruined for bits where falling out...its just stuck in main veiwfinder. cant find the part itself anywhere on net. heard sony bought out minolta. my only bet is buy a broken camera with different prob. on ebay. Larry

The DiMAGE A2 sensitivity can be set to Auto, ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, and 800. When Auto is selected, the camera automatically controls the sensitivity within the range of ISO 64-200.

Yes, it is possible to control the camera from PC with "DiMAGE Capture DCA200". (sold separately) It is necessary to update the camera's firmware to use with the DiMAGE Capture. (the firmware is included in the CD-ROM attached with the product.) * DiMAGE Capture DCA-200 will be available at the end of March, 2004.

It has succeeded from A1's concepts, "Providing the more enhanced image quality," "Reducing the mis-recording," "Not limiting its users or scenes" and "Providing the unexpected satisfaction, pleasure and impression" from the DiMAGE A1. Compared with A1, it is the all-in-one type digital camera achieving not only the still image but the high quality of viewfinder and movie. - 2/3 type interlace scanning CCD with primary color filter and 8 million pixels - VGA-size with a high precision EVF (922,000 pixels) is loaded to check the focus more easily. Compared with A1's EVF, about four times the high precision display is enabled (A1: 235,000 pixels). - Depth-of-field preview - Movie recording function of 544x408 size with 30fps - USB 2.0 support (high speed mode) which can transmit large data in high speed - PictBridge support Furthermore, 3D AF to track the movement and keep focus on the subject and anti-shake compensation functions inherited from A1 are also loaded.

After a quick look at the manual you can find in the setup menu 3 "reset defaults" which shoud set you camera back to its first settings.