Konica Minolta Dimage Z3 4MP Digital Camera with Anti Shake 12x Optical Zoom

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the price
Review: Have this for about a week, quite impressed overall.
Positives: lots of features, antishake works well, very quiet zoom. Image quality as expected for 4MP camera, but I have not done extensive testing yet. Movie mode (640x480 30fps max) is excellent, but you'll need a large capacity (1GB or more) SD card for any significant amount of capture at high quality. I like the overall design, easy to hold and shoot.
Negatives: autofocus has occasional problems, especially at low light. My unit is Made in China (entire thing, stamped at the bottom of the camera), so hard to predict the long term reliability. Those who prefer the "metallic feel" may have issue with the entire plastic casing of this model (I have the black one).

Rating:
Summary: Konica Minolta Z3
Review: Having some experience with SLRs before the digital age, and having used a 2.1 megapixel Canon Ixus 300 for three years, I was ready for an upgrade. At the same time I was pondering whether to buy a digicam that can shoot stills, or a stills camera that can shoot video - thus covering both my needs with a single device. Carrying two devices, two AC adapters/chargers and potentially two different storage media was out of the question, although some manufacturers allow you to use the same storage medium and battery if you buy only their products. I decided for a stills camera, but demanded video capture of 30 frames per second. This requirement excluded almost all the cameras within my price range.

Another key consideration was speed. The Ixus is notoriously slow both during startup and shutter lag, too slow for my baby son.

Finally I imagined a camera with 5-6 megapixels and a fast lens (ideally f2.0), fairly compact and relatively light weight.

Exhausting research showed me that the ideal camera does not exist. However, some cameras do have 30 fps video: SONY W1 or P100, The Panasonic Z10 or Z20, Kyocera M410R, and Konica Minolta Z2. The three latter manufacturers offered large zooms as well. However only Panasonic offered a stabilized zoom, and on the other hand was so big tha I decided against it.

All the above cameras offer only middle-of-the-road resolution of 4-5 megapixels. On the other hand, friends with higher resolution cameras tell me that they never use maximum resolution anyway, so I decided I could compromise on the megapixel race and get some other useful features instead.
When the Z3 with stabilised zoom was released I took a chance and bought it here at Amazon although none of the established digital photography websites had yet reviewed it.

Having used the Z3 for a week and taken about a hundred photos, I am pleased with my decision. The photo quality is as good as I expected, as regards sharpness and colour. The optical 12x zoom is fantastic, and with 4x digital zoom you can shoot the moon and have it fill the entire screen in fairly good resolution. I could read the lisence plates of cars standing 200 yards away.

Additionally the camera is fairly compact but has an unusual shape, so get the Konica Minolta case for it.

Video is very good, as expected. You get a built-in loudspeaker for instant playback. Besides you need a fast SD card, I got a 512 MB Sandisk Ultra II and am happy with it. An additional plus with SD cards is that they fit into my Palm Tungsten handheld for direct downloading of photos.

The instruction manual is good as well, not too big but detailed. Unlike cameras like Olympus C-5060 and C-8080, that have received a lot of praise for their optical qualities but criticism for their complicated menu structure, the Z3 is very straight-forward with just the right repertoire of features. It is really easy to use. When we add quick startup and focusing, I feel most of my requirements are met.

I also bought the 2500D external flash with vertically swivelling head, which came at a very competitive price compared to dedicated flashes from other manufacturers. The built-in flash is nevertheless quite strong in most indoor situations.

Such features for 499 dollars is a good deal. However Konica Minolta have chosen very cheap solutions to some other needs:
- the LCD at the back of the camera is very small, and it does not swivel. All other comparable cameras have larger screens, most of them swivel. If your eyesight is not 100%, get a different camera.
- the built-in flash does not pop up when needed, you have to push it up with your hand.
- The lens itself is not threaded, only the barrel around it. You have to buy a big adapter in order to attach the most basic UV filter. The camera will also not fit into the case with the adapter on.
- low light metering is poor, often impossible. A focus assist lamp should have been included.
- the body is plastic. It feels fairly sturdy but many competing cameras are made of metal.
- Konica Minolta did not bother to include NIMH batteries in the box. They are absolutely necessary but cost extra.
- it is a pitty that such a big lens is not f2.0, only f2.8-4.3. The older Olympus C-5060 and Canon G3 have it - why not newer cameras?

To sum it up: if you need a digital camera beyond the basic point-and-shoot type, video matters a lot to you, and you are willing to carry a somewhat bulky camera around in order to get a big zoom, the Z3 may be the camera for you. Unless you are willing to wait for a future Z4 or Z5 that has it all.

Rating:
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I bought the Z3 because of the features, 12x zoom, image stabilization, 4.0 MP. The stabilization feature works very well, as does the macro modes. It does everything the literature says it will do. Except take a decent picture. I took a few and printed them off, the color was off and grainy, no matter what quality setting of the camera. Some pics even turned out yellowish. The image viewing software is rather difficult to manipulate, and kept shutting down my computer. It eats batteries. The LCD is VERY small, and hard to see in sunlight. The memory card door is also VERY flimsy and could be easily broken. If you decide you want an external flash, Minolta is proprietary, they range from $150-$450 for a flash. I'm pretty disappointed. I was hoping for a good out of the box camera that was easy to operate with good pictures as a result. Not so. Maybe it's just too complicated for me. So tomorrow it goes back, and traded for the Kodak DX7440. It's not nearly as advanced as the Z3, but at least it will take a GOOD picture right out of the box and easily manipulated.



Rating:
Summary: Wonderful camera for the amateur enthusiast
Review: I have the Konica Minolta Dimage Z3 for about a week. Here are my comments:

positive aspects:

* the camera is very fast, it feels simply awesome to shoot some photos with it, altogether the handling is very good
* the best feature is definitely the 12x zoom with anti-shake. It may seem unbelievable but you can take perfectly sharp pictures at telephoto without the use of a tripod
* the UHS capture and movie mode are great
* a lot of manual features
* reasonable price


negative aspects:

* images are quite noisy
* the saturation is (below) average
* the camera does not fit into my pocket :-)


My conclusion is:
If you are an enthusiastic amateur like me, this is the perfect camera for you. Although the image quality is a little disappointing all of the other features make this a wonderful camera.

Rating:
Summary: Good camera with some neat features
Review: I needed a camera for a cruise we were taking to Anarctica and wanted a digital camera with a large zoom. After trying to decide for about a month, I bought the Z3 and an Olympus C770 together. I decided to keep the Z3 and return the C770, mostly because of some of the great features on the Z3. The antishake really seems to make a difference and I like how fast the camera is. The C770 wasn't exactly slow, but with the test pictures I took with it I got a lot more blurred ones than with the Z3. The ultra high speed shooting modes on the Z3 are great and I got a lot of pictures I would have otherwise missed with slower shooting rates, especially when taking pictures of wildlife. As one of the other reviewers mentioned, it sounds like a machine gun when its taking pictures. I could see it being a lot of fun with candid shots too. The focus is fast and there is almost no lag taking pictures once the object is in focus. Its still not quite SLR fast, but this camera's not an SLR. The zoom is great and when showing pictures to other people on the ship they couldn't believe how close the camera was able to get with just the optical zoom. The pictures it takes are pretty good, there is some purple fringing on some things, particularly in dark areas at higher zooms, but you really have to get in close or blow the pictures up pretty large to notice. I took a few videos on my trip to and thought they were pretty good. The focus seems to hunt a little bit at times which got a little annoying, but this isn't a video camera. I thought the white balance and color was very good and I had only a couple of pictures that I would say the colors were off. The white balance on the Z3 in auto was better than the Olympus, where I seemed to have to manually change the white balance modes, especially when taking pictures outside.

Now for my gripes. The body and its panels all seem on the cheap side. The access door for the USB cable is just a soft plastic flap and the access door for the SD card is kind of flimsy. I've accidently caught the SD card door on things a few times and worry it might get really caught one day and rip off. I've been tempted to but some tape or velcro on it to do a better job keeping it closed, but haven't been able to make myself do it. The Olympus body was metal and the access doors on it seemed a little sturdier. The Z3 also eats alkaline batteries and you'll want to buy a set of high capacity Li-ions. Once I bought a set I would easily get over a full 1GB cards worth of shots (almost 500) before having to change batteries. The Z3 does have a hard time focusing in low light and I agree with the other reviews that a focus assist light would probably help. The Olympus was no better. I also sometimes have a hard time finding the shutter release without hunting for it and every once in a while I catch myself trying to press the bezel surrounding the shutter release rather than the shutter release. I also wish the flash would either pop up automatically or have a button like the Olympus, rather than having to grap a little tab on the side of the section that pops up. It was sometimes really difficult to do with gloves on or even without having to stop what you were doing and look at the top of the camera. Also, plan to buy a higher capacity SD card because 16mb is a joke. I have just a regular speed SD card and have not had any of the problems some people were describing capturing video, but I do wonder if I would be able to capture more continuous shots in the ultra high speed modes without the camera having to pause. The Z3 is also a little larger (maybe bulkier is better word) than the C770 and while I felt I could have fit the C770 in a large pocket or even wife's purse, the Z3 won't fit in either.

So to sum my review up, the Z3 is a good camera with some limitations. Its probably the cheap feeling construction that keeps me from giving it 5 stars.

PROS:
Speed, speed, speed
Anti shake works
Great zoom
Good menu system

CONS:
Cheap feeling construction
Eats Alkaline batteries (plan on buying Li-ion)
Wish flash was easier to pop up
Its a little bulky

Rating:
Summary: Great Zoom
Review: I used this camera for three weeks and loved it. The 12x zoom is great, the camera small and light, a good fit for backpacking, and it's anti-shake design makes it perfect for wildlife photos. The menu is very easy to navigate and the options for various modes easy to access. Unfortunately, I had to ship it back for repairs after only 4 computer transfers. Something happened and I was unable to tansfer photos anymore. I can't wait until I get it back!
Jean C. Sept. 04

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: Plusses
- 12X zoom with anti-shake lets you take pictures of things that are difficult to capture otherwise. For example, I take quite a few pictures of my animals, and when you get close to them, they tend to move. This camera lets you maintain your distance and get a good shot.
- Video mode is good. High res, and works surprisingly well in low light.
- Very good ergonomics as far as controls are concerned. Menus for various camera modes are well laid out.
- Exceedingly fast operation. Turn it on, and it is ready to go. Repeated shots are also very fast.
- Easy access to real time histogram of current image.
- Reasonably powerful flash.
- Great macro and super macro mode.
- Takes AA batteries and SD cards.

Minuses
- Small LCD display, but with some use, you'll be able to tell if you got a good shot or not.
- I think familiarity with some of the other picture taking modes of the camera is a must (i.e. aperture and shutter priority modes).
- Some purple fringing at high zoom.
- Noise in images, even at low ISOs.
- Some difficulty focusing in low light situations.

I haven't noticed any problems with capturing video to my SD card, like the other reviewer mentioned (I have a Kingmax platinum card). Nor do I think the SD card door is `flimsy'. It is thin to be sure, but I've never had a problem with it.

I think color saturation is fine. Color balance is very natural on normal setting. Vivid color setting produces rich color. Battery life seems decent to me, I use high capacity NiMH cells.

Overall, this is not a SLR, but you're not paying the same money either. Overall, I think this is a decent camera and worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars... BUT
Review: There is a movie mode issue with this camera which Minolta are not making too clear: if you use a 'bog-standard' SD card movie will stop every so often - 30/90 seconds, it seems to vary - and the egg-timer will appear to save your clip.

You then have to re-start!

It seems Minolta actually recommend you use a type II card with a much faster read/write time to avoid this problem.

Rating:
Summary: Great Camera - Software not bad but could be even better
Review: Two modifications to my earlier review (below) -

1. The macro and super macro features are fantastic if you take a little care with lighting. Have had several of my shots used by professional graphics people.
2. Low light focusing is not the best.

Number 2 is not a big deal for me and easily outweighed by the many great features.

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I love the Z3. This camera feels great in the hands and nothing out there currently matches it in terms of light weight, long zoom capabilities with image stabilization and incredibly quick response times. The similar performing new Panasonic DMC-FZ15 and FZ20 are much bigger/heavier but I am sure will also make their owners very happy.

The importance of the image stabilization feature cannot be praised enough as daylight shots at full zoom can easily be done handheld. In low light situations still best to use support/tripod.

The software supplied has some great image manipulation tools but is let down by not having a simple ability to show images on your computer in a slide show. Hope that Minolta will fix this by a free software download patch. Please Minolta that will make my experience with this camera 5 star?