Rating: 
Summary: Decent camera
Review: I've tried a lot of cameras and went with this one because of it's good price. And, it works just fine.What's good: Easy to use, Very Good quality photos, Lots of flash options What's not so good: The auto flash metering doesn't seem to work right all the time: a lot of shots come out too dark, The software isn't as good as other camera's that I've seen. There is no way to manage the photos through the software, which is a bit of a pain if you use it a lot. Even so, I recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Smashing it into bits
Review: In my last review...I mistakenly typed in ISO setting for the light settings, which has been pointed out and slapped me in the face. I am not a professional photographer, nor do I intend to give the impression that I am one. I did take the time to read the owner's manual, many times in fact. The point remains that this camera is a lousy investment. It is nearly impossible to download pics using the USB port, and I am not about to try the serial port...what would be the use? I sat at my computer one night for 4 hours trying to download pics, using fresh batteries, tried the AC adapter, and reinstalling the software. I am going to buy another camera from a different manufacturer, and I vow never to buy Minolta products again. Spend a little more, avoid the headaches.
Rating: 
Summary: Great camera if you take the time to learn to use it!
Review: Look, if you don't know anything about electronics, photography, cameras in general, or computers, then NOTHING you get will be "simple to use." But, if you take the time to read the manual once or twice to try to use the instrument correctly, then you can find value in uncommon places. For instance, the Dimage 2300, a mere 2.3 megapixel camera, which takes great photos for the resolution and the money (I've seen worse, less reliable quality from the FinePix at much higher resolutions, and at nearly 3x the price). Read the manual, learn about white-balance - which can be manipulated to take STUNNING photos if you know what you're doing - learn about the variety of exposure settings, understand the machine, and you will have great photos. As for some of the issues raised in these reviews: 1) install the software with a careful attention to the instructions, reboot, connect the cable to the computer and camera, turn the camera on to PC mode, launch the software. If you wait too long doing something else, it will auto-power-off -- close the software, turn the camera back on, and try again. Simplicity. 2) DON'T USE THE LCD ALL THE TIME AND THE BATTERY LIFE WILL BE FINE. And remember to drain the included NiMH rechargeable batteries COMPLETELY, or they won't hold a complete charge the next time around and battery life will plummet. Drain them completely every time and you'll be fine. 3) Any camera will take dark pictures if you don't know what your doing. Learn about exposure, and what the Dimage does to regulate it. Does the machines need to do all of our thinking for us? If you learn about situations that create dark or over-bright photos, then you'll recognize them before they ruin your shots and you can compensate. You be intelligent: don't rely on the camera to be intelligent for you. 4) Buy a bigger memory card: even at the standard resolution the 2300 takes good quality photos, and you can take about 35 of them on the included 8 MB card; but a bigger one gives you more options for more photos - better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Practice common sense, try to learn the instrument and learn what to expect from it, and will be VERY pleased with yourself and with it. The Dimage 2300 is a great value and capable of great amateur quality photos that some of the big-boy high-end cameras envy.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera if you take the time to learn to use it!
Review: Look, if you don't know anything about electronics, photography, cameras in general, or computers, then NOTHING you get will be "simple to use." But, if you take the time to read the manual once or twice to try to use the instrument correctly, then you can find value in uncommon places. For instance, the Dimage 2300, a mere 2.3 megapixel camera, which takes great photos for the resolution and the money (I've seen worse, less reliable quality from the FinePix at much higher resolutions, and at nearly 3x the price). Read the manual, learn about white-balance - which can be manipulated to take STUNNING photos if you know what you're doing - learn about the variety of exposure settings, understand the machine, and you will have great photos. As for some of the issues raised in these reviews: 1) install the software with a careful attention to the instructions, reboot, connect the cable to the computer and camera, turn the camera on to PC mode, launch the software. If you wait too long doing something else, it will auto-power-off -- close the software, turn the camera back on, and try again. Simplicity. 2) DON'T USE THE LCD ALL THE TIME AND THE BATTERY LIFE WILL BE FINE. And remember to drain the included NiMH rechargeable batteries COMPLETELY, or they won't hold a complete charge the next time around and battery life will plummet. Drain them completely every time and you'll be fine. 3) Any camera will take dark pictures if you don't know what your doing. Learn about exposure, and what the Dimage does to regulate it. Does the machines need to do all of our thinking for us? If you learn about situations that create dark or over-bright photos, then you'll recognize them before they ruin your shots and you can compensate. You be intelligent: don't rely on the camera to be intelligent for you. 4) Buy a bigger memory card: even at the standard resolution the 2300 takes good quality photos, and you can take about 35 of them on the included 8 MB card; but a bigger one gives you more options for more photos - better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Practice common sense, try to learn the instrument and learn what to expect from it, and will be VERY pleased with yourself and with it. The Dimage 2300 is a great value and capable of great amateur quality photos that some of the big-boy high-end cameras envy.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera if you take the time to learn to use it!
Review: Look, if you don't know anything about electronics, photography, cameras in general, or computers, then NOTHING you get will be "simple to use." But, if you take the time to read the manual once or twice to try to use the instrument correctly, then you can find value in uncommon places. For instance, the Dimage 2300, a mere 2.3 megapixel camera, which takes great photos for the resolution and the money (I've seen worse, less reliable quality from the FinePix at much higher resolutions, and at nearly 3x the price). Read the manual, learn about white-balance - which can be manipulated to take STUNNING photos if you know what you're doing - learn about the variety of exposure settings, understand the machine, and you will have great photos. As for some of the issues raised in these reviews: 1) install the software with a careful attention to the instructions, reboot, connect the cable to the computer and camera, turn the camera on to PC mode, launch the software. If you wait too long doing something else, it will auto-power-off -- close the software, turn the camera back on, and try again. Simplicity. 2) DON'T USE THE LCD ALL THE TIME AND THE BATTERY LIFE WILL BE FINE. And remember to drain the included NiMH rechargeable batteries COMPLETELY, or they won't hold a complete charge the next time around and battery life will plummet. Drain them completely every time and you'll be fine. 3) Any camera will take dark pictures if you don't know what your doing. Learn about exposure, and what the Dimage does to regulate it. Does the machines need to do all of our thinking for us? If you learn about situations that create dark or over-bright photos, then you'll recognize them before they ruin your shots and you can compensate. You be intelligent: don't rely on the camera to be intelligent for you. 4) Buy a bigger memory card: even at the standard resolution the 2300 takes good quality photos, and you can take about 35 of them on the included 8 MB card; but a bigger one gives you more options for more photos - better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Practice common sense, try to learn the instrument and learn what to expect from it, and will be VERY pleased with yourself and with it. The Dimage 2300 is a great value and capable of great amateur quality photos that some of the big-boy high-end cameras envy.
Rating:
Summary: No Excuse for such a poor job.
Review: No excuse for a simple camera to be this hard to use. Poor software to top it off. I expect better from the "minds at Minolta". I give it my lowest possible rating. Try another brand and stay away from the Minolta digital line. This comes from a guy that has a bag full of Minolta 35mm gear. Too bad, but I will never try their digital line again.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful camera
Review: Received the camera from UBid yesterday, read the manual last night and was out shooting Easter pictures with ours and neighbor's kids today. All I can say is that what excellent pictures it took. To minimize the picture size, around 100 KB, the camera was set at half size (800 x 600) and standard image mode. The camera was very easy to use, similar to my old Minolta X700 without the auto-focus. Since it's my first digital camera, so I have no other camera to compare it to. But I am still very impressed with it, especially when I only paid... for it.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful camera
Review: Received the camera from UBid yesterday, read the manual last night and was out shooting Easter pictures with ours and neighbor's kids today. All I can say is that what excellent pictures it took. To minimize the picture size, around 100 KB, the camera was set at half size (800 x 600) and standard image mode. The camera was very easy to use, similar to my old Minolta X700 without the auto-focus. Since it's my first digital camera, so I have no other camera to compare it to. But I am still very impressed with it, especially when I only paid... for it.
Rating:
Summary: Too hard to use this camera and software!
Review: Run, don't walk away from Minolta digital cameras. I own the 2300 and it is horrible. The software does not work well and the camera is way too hard to operate for a simple snapshot camera. There is simply no excuse for such a poor job. To top it off, the photo quality is very poor for a 2 million pixel camera. This thing is Junk! Feel free to email me if you have a question. Bryan_Weber@madscape.com
Rating:
Summary: Minolta Dimage 2300 a Keeper
Review: The Minolta Dimage 2300 finally appeared, and at a lower price than expected. It includes rechargeable batteries and recharger, which is a nice touch. The case and cables make a complete digital camera package with no extras needed. It easily fits in pants pocket or briefcase. The primary selection controls are convenient on a single knob - more so than Olympus D460; its other controls are reasonably easy to learn too. The manual is excellent. The Dimage 2300 has twice the pixels (2 Megapixels) at about the same price as the D460. Unfortunately Minolta put no optical zoom on this camera, so you lose pixels when you use the electronic zoom; compare with D460, in which you get optical plus electronic zoom for total of 6x, more than 2300 offers. The Minolta offers a wide range of image sizes and qualities (4) to fit your needs, but if you want the best quality, the 8 Mb CompactFlash only holds one; with other qualities it holds 9, 24, or 47 full size pictures. The performance of the Dimage 2300 has been very good, and the built in USB to PC or Mac using the Adobe PhotoShop provided make this a keeper, being moderately priced for a good quality product. If you want supoer high quality professional ditigal cameras or ones using a wide range of interchangeable lenses, looks elsewhere and take a fat wallet.
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