Thank you for purchasing this Minolta product. Please take the time to read through this instruction manual so you can enjoy all the features of your new digital camera. Check the packing list before using this product. If any items are missing, immediately contact your camera dealer.
FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE Read and understand the following warnings and cautions for safe use of the digital camera and its accessories. WARNING Using batteries improperly can cause them to leak harmful solutions, overheat, or explode which may damage property or cause personal injury. Do not ignore the following warnings.
Page 4
• Use only the specified AC adapter within the voltage range indicated on the adapter unit. An inap- propriate adapter or current may cause damage or injury through fire or electric shock. • Do not disassemble this product. Electric shock may cause injury if a high voltage circuit inside the product is touched.
Page 5
CAUTION • Do not use or store the product in a hot or humid environment such as the glove compartment or trunk of a car. It may damage the product and batteries which may result in burns or injuries caused by heat, fire, explosion, or leaking battery fluid.
TABLE OF CONTENTS The getting up and running section covers how to prepare the camera for use. It contains important information about power supplies and memory cards. Read the data-transfer mode section in its entirety before connecting the camera to a computer. Many of the features of this camera are controlled with menus.
Page 7
Navigating the recording menu ...35 Single-frame advance recording menu ...36 Continuous advance recording menu ...38 Movie recording menu ...39 Scene selection...40 Resolution and compression rate setting ...42 Self-timer...44 White balance ...45 Exposure compensation ...46 Continuous advance recording method ...48 Instant playback...49 Playback mode...
Page 9
The following marks may be found on the product: This mark on your camera certifies that this camera meets the requirements of the EU (European Union) concerning interference causing equipment regulations. CE stands for Conformité Européenne (European Conformity). This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à...
NAMES OF PARTS * This camera is a sophisticated optical instrument. Care should be taken to keep these surfaces clean. Please read the care and storage instructions in the back of this manual (p. 87). Shutter-release button Main switch Lens* NAMES OF PARTS Self-timer lamp (p.
Page 11
Viewfinder* Indicator lamp (p. 85) LCD monitor* Menu button Flash-mode / DPOF button (p. 31, 61) Tripod socket Mode switch Recording mode (p. 22) Viewfinder recording mode (p. 22) Playback / Data transfer mode (p. 50, 69) Zoom lever (p. 24, 52) Battery / Card chamber door (p.
GETTING UP AND RUNNING INSTALLING BATTERIES This digital camera uses two AA-size alkaline or Ni-MH batteries or one CR-V3 lithium battery. Do not use other types of AA-size batteries. When using Ni-MH batteries, fully recharge them with a bat- tery charger suitable for complex electronic equipment. Before using the batteries, read the safety warnings on page 3 of this manual.
ATTACHING THE HAND STRAP Always keep the strap around your wrist in case the camera is accidentally dropped. Pass the small loop of the hand strap through the strap eyelet on the camera body (1). Pass the other end of the strap through the small loop and tighten (2).
AC ADAPTER (SOLD SEPARATELY) Always turn off the camera before changing between power supplies. The AC adapter AC-7 or AC-7E allows the camera to be powered from a household outlet. The AC adapter is recommended when the camera is interfaced with a computer or during periods of heavy use.
INSTALLING AND REMOVING A MEMORY CARD Always turn off the camera and confirm that the orange indicator lamp is not lit before changing the memory card, otherwise the card may be damaged, and data lost. Every memory card including the supplied card must be reformatted with this camera model before use (p.
ABOUT MEMORY CARDS The response time during recording and playback is longer with MultiMediaCards compared with SD Memory Cards. This is not a defect, but rather due to the specifications of the cards. When using large capacity cards, some operations like erasing may take longer. The SD Memory Card has a write-protect switch to pre- vent image data from being erased.
TURNING POWER ON Turn the camera on by pressing the main switch near the shutter-release button (1). Setting to the recording mode To capture images, slide the mode switch to the recording position or viewfinder recording position (2). The lens cover opens and at first the red indicator lamp blinks, and then the green indicator lamp glows steadily (3).
BATTERY-CONDITION INDICATOR This camera is equipped with an automatic battery-condition indicator displayed on the LCD monitor. Full-battery icon - the batteries are fully charged. This icon is displayed when the recording or playback menu is displayed. Half-full battery icon - the batteries are partially charged. This icon is displayed when the recording or playback menu is displayed.
SETTING THE LANGUAGE For customers in certain areas, the menu language must also be set. Turn the camera on (1) and press the menu button to display the function menu (2). Use the up/down and left/right keys of the controller to highlight the setup mode at the top line of the menu options (3).
The reformatting function is used to erase all data on a memory card. When using a memory card which has already been used in another digital camera or a computer, copy the data to a computer or storage device before reformatting the memory card. Protecting images will not protect them from being erased when the card is reformatted.
Using the up/down keys, highlight “YES”. Press the central button to reformat the memory card. To exit the setup mode, select another mode option on the top line of the menu and press the central button. SETTING THE CLOCK The camera’s clock and calendar must be set in the setup menu. When images are recorded, the image data is saved with the date and time of recording.
RECORDING MODE To prepare the camera for use, read pages 12 through 21. SETTING THE CAMERA TO RECORD IMAGES Press the menu button to display the recording menu (3). SCENE SELECT FULL AUTO RECORDING MODE Turn the camera on (1). Slide the mode switch to the recording position or viewfinder recording position (2).
Using the up/down and left/right keys of the controller (4), highlight the desired drive mode. The drive mode menu is on the top line of the menu. MODE CONTINUOUS HANDLING THE CAMERA While using the viewfinder or LCD monitor, grip the camera firmly with your right hand while supporting the camera body with your left.
USING THE ZOOM LENS This camera is equipped with a 5.6 - 16.8mm zoom lens. This is equivalent to a 36 to 108mm lens on a 35mm camera. The lens is operated by the zoom lever at the back of the camera. The effect of the optical zoom is visible in both the viewfinder and LCD monitor.
Shooting tips The zoom lens not only affects how large the subject is in the picture, but it also influences the depth of field and perspective. Depth of field is the area between the closest object in focus and the furthest object in focus. As the lens zooms in to the telephoto position, the depth of field becomes shallower, separating the subject from the background.
SINGLE-FRAME ADVANCE RECORDING MODE See page 22 to set the single-frame advance mode. Place the subject within the LCD monitor or viewfinder. The focus range is 50cm (1.6ft) to infinity. Both the LCD monitor and viewfinder can be used to frame the subject. However, because of paral- lax, only the monitor’s live image will be accurate with subjects closer than 1m (3ft.) at the zoom lens’...
FOCUS LOCK Focus lock may also be used when a special focusing situation prevents the camera from focusing on the subject. This function is controlled with the shutter-release button. Camera Notes Every time a still image is recorded, it is stored with an exif tag that contains the date and time of recording as well as shooting information.
SPECIAL FOCUSING SITUATIONS The camera may not be able to focus in certain situations. In these situations the focus-lock function (p. 28) can be used to focus on another object at the same distance as your main subject, and then the image can be recomposed to take the picture.
FOCUS MODES Focus mode enable you to override the autofocus for certain types of picture. The focus mode can be used in full auto in the scene selection in all the recording modes, and the slim mode in the single- frame advance mode (p.
FLASH MODES Autoflash Fill-flash Flash cancel Autoflash with red-eye reduction Flash cancel - the flash will not fire. Use flash cancel when flash photography is prohibited, natural light is desired to illuminate the subject, or the subject is beyond the flash range. The camera-shake warning may appear when flash cancel is selected (p.
FLASH RANGE The camera automatically controls the flash output. For well-exposed images, the subject must be within the flash range. Because of the optical system, the flash range is not the same at the lens’ wide-angle position as it is at the telephoto position. Wide-angle position 0.11m ~ 3.0m (0.4ft.
CONTINUOUS ADVANCE RECORDING MODE See page 22 to set the continuous advance recording mode. The continuous-advance drive mode allows a series of images to be captured while holding down the shutter-release button. There are two continuous advance methods: standard and best select. See page 48 for details of the best select method.
MOVIE RECORDING MODE See page 22 to set the movie recording mode. This camera can record digital video. Total recording time varies with the resolution and the memory card capacity. Audio recording is not available. Compose the picture and press the shutter-release button partway down to lock the exposure and focus (1).
NAVIGATING THE RECORDING MENU Navigating the menu is simple. The menu button turns the menu on and off. The left/right and up/down keys of the controller control the cursor and change settings on the menu. Pressing the cen- tral button of the controller selects menu options and sets adjustments. The camera will remain in the recording mode you set until it is changed.
SINGLE-FRAME ADVANCE RECORDING MENU Mode Single-frame advance (p. 26)* Continuous advance (p. 33) Movie recording (p. 34) Setup (p. 64) Scene selection (p. 40) Full auto* Sports Portrait Landscape Night view Cosmetic Slim RECORDING MODE SCENE SELECT FULL AUTO...
Page 37
Resolution (p. 42) 2880 x 2160 2048 x 1536* 1600 x 1200 640 x 480 Compression (p. 42) Fine* Normal Self-timer (p. 44) Self-timer cancel* Self-timer (2 second delay) Self-timer (10 second delay) White balance (p. 45) Auto white balance* Sunny Cloudy Fluorescent...
MOVIE RECORDING MENU Mode Single-frame advance (p. 26) Continuous advance (p. 33) Movie recording (p. 34) Setup (p. 64) Scene selection (p. 40) Full auto* Sports Portrait Cosmetic Resolution (p. 42) 320 x 240* 160 x 120 00:45 SCENE SELECT FULL AUTO White balance (p.
SCENE SELECTION The active subject program will be indicated at the right of the recording mode indicator. Full auto indicator will not be displayed. The subject program will remain in effect until it is changed or the recording mode is changed to another. SPORTS - optimized to stop action.
Page 41
COSMETIC - optimized to reproduce soft skin tones. The focus is set to around 2.5m (8.2ft.). SLIM - changes the vertical or horizontal proportions of the subject with the digital zoom. 2880 x 2160 resolution setting cannot be used. Select the slim mode from the scene selection, then press the central button of the controller.
RESOLUTION AND COMPRESSION RATE SETTINGS The resolution and compression rate must be set before the picture is taken. The resolution and compression must be reset manually. Changing the resolution affects the number of pixels in each image. The greater the resolution, the larger the file size.
Page 43
The resolution and compression setting available for the recording modes 2160 (6M) Fine Single-frame advance Normal Fine available Continuous advance Normal available Movie recording available Approximate number of images that can be stored on a 16MB memory card. Fine Normal 45 seconds with 320 x 240 resolution settings Movie recording 2 minutes 38 seconds with 160 x 120 resolution settings...
SELF-TIMER The self-timer will delay the release of the shutter for approximately two or ten seconds after the shutter-release button is pressed. This function can be used in the single-frame advance recording mode. When the mode is set, the indicator will be displayed at the right side on the LCD monitor (1).
WHITE BALANCE White balance is the camera’s ability to make different types of lighting appear neutral. The effect is similar to selecting daylight or tungsten film, or using color compensating filters in conventional pho- tography. One automatic and four preset white-balance settings are available in all recording modes. The automatic white balance compensates for the color temperature of a scene.
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION The camera exposure can be adjusted to make the final picture lighter or darker by as much as ±1.8Ev in 0.3 increments with all recording modes. The exposure-compensation value will remain in the recording mode you set until it has been reset. The exposure compensation must be set before the image is captured.
Page 47
Shooting tips Sometimes the camera’s exposure meter is deceived by certain conditions. Exposure compen- sation can be used in these situations. For example, a very bright scene, such as a snowy land- scape or a white sandy beach, can appear too dark in the captured image. Before taking the Calculated camera exposure picture, adjusting the exposure by +1 or +1.8 EV will result in an image with normal tonal values.
CONTINUOUS ADVANCE RECORDING METHOD In this page, the function and operation of the best select method are described. See page 33 for the standard continuous advance recording. With the best select method, you can save the best image out of four sequential images. All four images can be saved if you want.
INSTANT PLAYBACK In all the recording modes, the last image can be displayed for a while by simply pressing the central button of the controller. You can also erase the image in the instant playback. Using the left/right keys of the controller, you can scroll through the images on the memory card.
PLAYBACK MODE SETTING THE CAMERA TO PLAYBACK MODE Using the up/down and left/right keys of the controller (4), highlight the desired drive mode. The drive mode menu is on the top line of the menu. MODE CONTINUOUS Press the central button of the controller to set the drive mode. To return to the normal display, press the menu button.
BASIC PLAYBACK OPERATION In the single-frame advance mode, using the left/right keys of the controller, scroll through the images on the memory card. In the continuous advance mode, press the left/right keys to Folder number -file number scroll through the continuous advance image folders. Press the central button to start the playback.
INDEX PLAYBACK Press the left side of the zoom lever (1) to display the index playback. In the index playback, the left/right and up/down keys of the controller (2) move the orange border around the index thumbnails. In the single-frame advance mode, a thumbnail image can be displayed in the full screen by pressing the central button of the controller.
ENLARGED PLAYBACK The images can be enlarged. For a series of continuous advance images and a movie clip, pause playback at the image you want to enlarge. Use the left/right and up/down keys of the controller (2) to scroll the image.
NAVIGATING THE PLAYBACK MENU Navigating the menu is simple. The menu button turns the menu on and off. The left/right and up/down keys of the controller control the cursor and change settings on the menu. Pressing the cen- tral button of the controller selects menu options and sets adjustments. Turn the camera on and slide the mode switch to the playback position (p.
PROTECTING IMAGE FILES Important images should be protected. This function applies to single-frame advance images, an image in a continuous-advance series, and movie clips. A protected file cannot be erased in either the playback-mode menu functions or the instant playback. However, the reformatting function (p. 20) will erase all files on a memory card whether protected or not.
ERASING IMAGE FILES Erasing permanently deletes the file. Once erased, a file cannot be recovered. Care should be taken when erasing images. Single or all files on the memory card can be erased. With the image to be erased displayed, press the menu button to display the playback menu.
E-MAIL COPY E-mail copy makes a standard 640 X 480 (VGA) or 160 X 120 (QVGA) JPEG copy of an original still image so that it may be easily transmitted by e-mail. If an economy image is selected for E-mail copy, the compression cannot change.
ROTATING AN IMAGE The orientation of a single-frame image can be changed. With the image to be rotated displayed, press the menu button to dis- play the playback menu. Use the up/down keys of the controller to highlight rotating image option. Press the central button of the con- troller.
ABOUT DPOF This camera is supported by DPOF™ version 1.1. DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) allows direct printing of still images from digital cameras. After the DPOF file is created, the memory card is simply taken to a photofinishing service or inserted into the memory-card slot of DPOF compatible printers. When a DPOF file is created, a misc.
Page 61
When the “Each-image” setting is chosen, display the desired image to EACH IMAGE print by using left/right keys. Highlight “SETTING” by using the up/down keys and press the central button to make an order. A screen will appear asking if date imprinting is required and the number of copies. Use the up/down and left/right keys of the controller to select the date SETTING imprinting and to adjust the required number of copies.
SLIDE SHOW This function automatically displays all images in order in the single-frame advance, continuous advance, or movie folder on the memory card. With the image to be presented first displayed, press the menu button to display the playback menu. Use the up/down keys of the controller to highlight slide show option.
COPYING IMAGES This function makes a single-frame image copy from a series of continuous advance images or a clip of movie. The image is saved in the single-frame advance image folder. With the image to be copied displayed, press the menu button to dis- COPY play the playback menu.
SETUP MODE NAVIGATING THE SETUP MENU e. T Navigating the menu is simpl and change settings on the menu. Pressing the central button of the controller selects menu options and sets adjustments. Turn the camera on. Press the menu button to activate the recording or playback menu.
Page 65
CLOCK SET OPERATION BEEP HELP DISP LANGUAGE TV SYSTEM REFORMAT Setting the clock (p. 21, 26) Operation beeps (p. 66) Help display (p. 66) Language (p. 19) TV system (p. 67) Reformatting a memory card (p. 20) Auto power save (p. 67)* File number reset (p.
SETTING THE CLOCK It is important to accurately set the clock. When a recording is made, the date and time of the record- ing are saved with the file and are displayed in the playback mode or with the DiMAGE Viewer soft- ware included on the CD-ROM.
LANGUAGE The language used in the menus can be changed. See page 19 for how to select the language. TV SYSTEM Camera images can be displayed on a television (p. 69). The video output can be changed between NTSC and PAL. North America uses the NTSC standard and Europe uses the PAL standard.
FILE NUMBER RESET If file number reset is selected, when a new memory card is installed, the first file stored in the card will be 0001. If the file number reset is disabled, and the card is changed, the first file saved to the new card will have a number one greater than the last file saved on the previous card if the new card does not contain an image with a greater file number.
VIEWING IMAGES ON A TELEVISION It is possible to view camera images on your television. The camera has a video-out terminal to make the connection using the supplied video cable. The camera is compatible with the NTSC and PAL standards. The TV-system setting can be checked and set in the setup menu (p. 64). 1.
The updated version of the driver software included on the supplied DiMAGE Viewer CD-ROM is required for the operation of the DiMAGE E323 with a computer. The new software will have no affect on the performance of older DiMAGE cameras.
CONNECTING THE CAMERA TO A COMPUTER Fully charged batteries should be used when the camera is connected to a computer. The use of the AC adapter (sold separately) is recommended over the use of the batteries. For users with Windows 98 or 98SE, read the section on page 73 on how to install the necessary USB driver before connect- ing the camera to a computer.
Page 72
Windows XP Windows DATA-TRANSFER When the camera is properly connected to the computer, a drive icon, or volume, will appear. When using Windows XP or Mac OS X, a window will open requesting instructions on what to do with the image data; follow the directions in the window.
CONNECTING TO WINDOWS 98 AND 98SE The driver needs only to be installed once. If the driver cannot be installed automatically, it can be installed manually with the operating system’s add-new-hardware wizard; see the instructions on the following page. During installation, if the operating system requests the Windows 98 CD-ROM, insert it into the CD-ROM drive and follow the accompanying instructions on the screen.
Manual installation To install the Windows 98 driver manually, follow the instructions in the connecting-the-camera-to-a- computer section on page 71. When the camera is plugged into the computer, the operating system will detect the new device and the add- new-hardware-wizard window will open. Place the DiMAGE Viewer CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
Page 75
The last window will confirm the driver has been installed. Click “Finish” to close the add new hardware wizard. Restart the computer. The add new hardware wizard will confirm the location of the driver. One of three drivers may be located: MNLVENUM.inf, USBPDR.inf, or USBSTRG.inf.
QUICKTIME SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS IBM PC / AT Compatible Pentium-based computer Windows 95, 98, 98SE, NT, Me, 2000 Professional, or XP. 32MB or more of RAM Sound Blaster or compatible sound card DirectX 3.0 or later recommended Minolta History DATA-TRANSFER To install QuickTime, follow the instructions in the installer.
MEMORY CARD FOLDER ORGANIZATION Once the camera is connected to the computer, image files can be accessed by double clicking on icons. Image folders are located in the DCIM folder. To copy images, simply drag and drop the file icon into a location in the comput- Drive Icon The misc.
Page 78
The single-frame advance image file names begin with “PICT” followed by a four-digit file number and a jpg extension. The continuous-advance image file names begin with “SEQT” followed by a four-digit file number and a jpg extension. Each series of the continuous advance image file is stored in the same folder. The folder names begin with “SEQ”...
DISCONNECTING THE CAMERA FROM A COMPUTER Never disconnect the camera when the indicator lamp is orange - the data or memory card may permanently be damaged. Windows 98 / 98 Second Edition Confirm that the orange indicator lamp is not lit. Turn the camera off, and then disconnect the USB cable.
The hardware devices to be stopped will be dis- played. Highlight the device by clicking on it then click “Stop.” A confirmation screen will appear to indi- cate the devices to be stopped. Clicking “OK” will stop the device. A third and final screen will appear to indicate the camera can be safely discon- nected from the computer.
CHANGING THE MEMORY CARD WHEN CONNCTED TO A COMPUTER Never remove the card when the indicator lamp is orange - the data or memory card may permanently be damaged. Windows 98 and 98 Second Edition 1. Turn off the camera. 2.
APPENDIX TROUBLESHOOTING The section covers minor problems with basic camera operation. For major problems or damage, or if a problem continues to reoccur frequently, contact a Minolta service facility listed on the back cover of this manual. Problem Symptom Nothing dis- The camera played on the will not work.
Page 83
Problem Symptom Card-locked Shutter will not warning release. appears on the monitor. The focus sig- nal and/or focus frame did not appear when the shutter- release button was pressed Pictures are partway down. not sharp. Pictures are taken indoors or in low-light situations with- out flash.
Page 84
Problem Symptom Part of the Viewfinder was image area is used to capture hidden behind the image. a dark object. If the camera does not function normally, turn it off, remove and reinsert the batteries, or unplug and reconnect the AC adapter. Always turn the camera off using the main switch otherwise the memory card may be damaged and camera settings reset.
VIEWFINDER INDICATOR LAMPS The indicator lamp next to the viewfinder can be used to diagnose camera operations. The lamp colors change between green, red, and orange, and the lamp can glow steadily or Color State Steady Blinking Green Steady Blinking Orange Blinking blink.
REMOVING THE DRIVER SOFTWARE - WINDOWS 1. Insert a memory card in the camera and connect it to the computer with the USB cable. Other devices must not be connected to the computer during this procedure. 2. Right click on the My-computer icon. Select “properties” from the drop-down menu. Windows XP: from the start menu go to the control panel.
CARE AND STORAGE Read this section in its entirety to get the best results from your camera. With proper care, your cam- era will provide years of service. Camera care • Do not subject the camera to shock or impact. •...
Memory cards SD Memory Cards and MultiMediaCards are manufactured with precision electronic components. The following may cause data loss or damage: • Improper use of the card. • Bending, dropping, or subjecting the card to impact. • Heat, moisture, and direct sunlight. •...
LCD monitor care • Although the LCD monitor is manufactured using high precision technology, there may occasionally be a lack of color or bright points on the monitor. • Do not apply pressure to the surface of the LCD monitor; it may be permanently damaged. •...
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Number of effective pixels: CCD: Camera sensitivity (ISO): Aspect ratio: Lens construction: Maximum aperture: Focal length: Focusing range: Autofocusing system: Shutter: Shutter speeds: Built-in flash recycling time: Viewfinder: Monitor LCD: Monitor field of view: A/D conversion: Recording media: File formats: Print Image Matching: Menu languages:...
Page 91
Battery: Battery performance (recording): Approximately 80 frames: based on Minolta’s stan- Battery performance (playback): External power source: Dimensions: Weight: Operating temperature: Operating humidity: Specifications are based on the latest information available at the time of printing and are subject to change without notice.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the DiMAGE E323 and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers