It's definitely not a camera that you're going to be slipping into a pocket. The Dimage 7i is professional class in terms of both performance and size, weighing in at over a pound without batteries. That said, its heft is comfortable and can actually be handled with one hand.

The color electronic viewfinder knows when you put your eye up to it, turning itself on and turning off the bright 1.8-inch LCD, which saves on battery life and makes for a nifty party trick. It even has a diopter lens so glasses-wearing users can adjust it to their eyesight.

Captured images were downright impressive--with bright, lifelike colors, and very sharp details. The Dimage 7i sports a long list of advanced features, including a variety of movie capture modes (including low-light), a real-time histogram that lets you adjust your aperture and other settings before snapping a photo, and continuous auto-focus on moving subjects.

You might think that a camera of this level would be a bit imposing to use, but Minolta has laid out the buttons and wheels appropriately, letting you adjust between modes easily and including an LCD panel on top of the camera that keeps you informed of the settings.

It's not the kind of camera you'd want to buy your teenager for a birthday, but if you're looking for a digital camera that can hold its own against top film cameras, the Minolta Dimage 7i definitely deserves a look. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• 5-megapixel resolution produces impressive images
• Huge optical zoom: 7x
• Advanced tools and features, but easy to use

Cons:

• Professional photography is not inexpensive
• Not exactly compact