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Minolta RD-175

Image of the Minolta RD-175
Overview
Maker	Minolta
Type	Digital SLR camera
Lens
Lens mount	A-mount
Sensor/medium
Sensor type	3×CCD
Sensor size	1/2"
Recording medium	PC Card (Type I, II, or III)
Focusing
Focus	Automatic
Exposure/metering
Exposure modes	PASM
Flash
Flash	built-in, GN 12
Flash synchronization	1⁄90 s
Shutter
Shutter speeds	1⁄2 – 1⁄2000 s
General
Battery	1×6V (2CR5, body) 1×7.2V (NP-500H, back) 1×3V (CR2025, clock)
Data Port(s)	SCSI
Dimensions	161×128×145 mm (6.3×5.0×5.7 in) W×D×H
Weight	1.1 kg (2.4 lb)

The Minolta RD-175 was an early digital SLR, introduced in 1995. Minolta combined an existing SLR with a three way splitter and three separate CCD image sensors, giving 0.41 megapixels (MP) of resolution. The base of the DSLR was the Minolta Maxxum 500si Super, marketed as the Dynax 500si Super in Europe and as Alpha 303si Super in Asia. Agfa produced a version of the RD-175, which retailed as the Agfa ActionCam.

The RD-175 was also notable as the first consumer digital camera to be used in a professional stop motion production, being used to create the full-motion claymation adventure video game The Neverhood.

Technology

The camera uses Minolta A-mount lenses with a crop factor of 2.

The light entering the central 12 mm × 16 mm area of the RD-175's focal plane was compressed by 0.56x relay optics behind the focal plane, similar to the optical reduction system used in the Nikon E series. The light bundled on the smaller sensor area increased the effective sensitivity (ISO) by 2+2⁄3 stops.

Since state of the art single-CCD resolution at the time was insufficient for Minolta, the light was split and sent to three separate 4.8 × 6.4 mm sized 768 × 494 pixel (3 × 0.3 MP) image sensors, two used for green and one for the red and blue color, reducing the sensitivity increase to about 2 stops. The only usable ISO was 800.

Images were stored on an internal 128MB PCMCIA hard drive. The output of the three sensors were combined digitally when imported to a computer and interpolated to the final size of 1.8 MP (1528×1146 pixels). On its original release, the bundled software was compatible only with Macintosh OS. Depending on the computer, importing and processing a single image could take from 50 to 108 seconds.

See also

• Telecompressor

References

1. ^ Minolta Digital Camera RD-175: Instruction Manual. Minolta GmbH, Business Equipment Operations.
2. Schofield, Edward (3 May 2013). "Pencil Test Studios". Facebook. Retrieved 2023-03-28. On The Neverhood, we used beta versions of the Minolta RD-175, one of the first digital SLR cameras. For you trivia buffs, The Neverhood was the first professional stop motion production to use consumer digital SLR's--something that is common for most productions today. --Ed
3. ^ Henshall, John (May 1996). "Minolta RD-175 = Agfa ActionCam". The Photographer. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
4. Boron, Adam (1998). "PRZYDATNOŚĆ APARATU CYFROWEGO MINOLTA RD 175 W FOTOGRAMETRYCZNYCH OPRACOWANIACH CYFROWYCH" [Using the Minolta RD-175 digital camera in digital photogrammetric processing]. Archiwum Fotogrametrii, Kartografii i Teledetekeji (in Polish). 8 (12): 1–10.

External links

• Minolta RD-175 on The Digital Camera Museum
• RD-175/Agfa ActionCam review by John Henshall
• Agfa ActionCam on Jarle Aasland's NikonWeb.com site
• Example images at Pbase.com
• Retrospective Review video on YouTube by V Nemeth
• "Minolta Digital Camera RD-175 Software Instruction Manual". Minolta Corporation.

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