Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but not perfect.
Review: .I chose to buy this camera because it was rated number 1 in Consumer Reports magazine. Besides being one of the few that was rated as actually taking good photos (which is the most important thing!), it also got a high rating for being small, light, simple to use, for containing many features, and for being well priced. I agree with this in general and recommend it. I tested all the features and they seemed to work well. I even compared photos from this camera with those taken at the same time with my other two cameras (including an SLR). My conclusion is that the Minolta Freedom Zoom Explorer does take nice clear pictures with good colours that I am pleased with. However, a potential buyer should be aware of certain things: 1) The viewfinder itself is quite small and dim, and the objects within the viewfinder are also very small. The viewfinder is the biggest problem with the camera and an annoying one. You have to squint and struggle to get your objects into the frame even if you are not an eyeglass wearer. Dark settings will make the situation worse. 2) Some, but not all, of my 28mm wide-angle photos have a dimness or darkness near the sides. 3) When you turn the camera on, it goes to the 28mm wide-angle setting by default. This is annoying since you will rarely use this setting for photos. Instead it should go to a more common middle setting like 50mm (since that represents what you see with your naked eye). 4) There is no way to know what zoom setting you are at. Ideally, as you zoom in and out you should see the numbers (mm) displayed in the viewfinder or at least on the main LCD display. The camera does not do this, and the objects in the viewfinder are too small and dim to even help guide you. So you are basically guessing with every shot. 5) When taking shots with no flash, especially self-timer shots, you'll have a hard time knowing when the shutter has closed. You can hardly hear it when you are not right next to the camera or if you are in a loud environment. A light should stay on for the length of time that the shutter is open. Otherwise you or your subjects might stop posing before the camera is done taking the picture, which produces a blurred image. 6) The remote works, but not as smoothly as I would have liked. Sometimes I have to push the button 2 or 3 times to get the camera to shoot. I did test the battery and it is good. 7) It is difficult to use this camera with gloves on because the buttons are quite small. 8) A couple more features like the BULB feature (to keep the shutter open for as long as you want) and the feature that overlaps frames (for cool effects) would have been good to have. Some point and shoot cameras have these features. But besides all this, all the features that the camera has work well on mine like Macro (for close-ups), Panoramic, Night, Landscape, even the Red Eye Reduction seemed to do its job despite all the flashing being so annoying. It is also a very easy to understand and use camera, and I like the yellow Date numbers on my photos instead of red ones that most cameras produce. Overall, I am very pleased with this small, light, fun camera in general, and still recommend it despite the faults written above. .
Rating:
Summary: Great camera for the money
Review: For under $200, this is probably one of the better point-and-shoot cameras. The Minox CD-140, ... is nice too, but a little pricier. It is near perfect! It has autoexposure with center-weighted metering, 4 modes you can select between for dummy-proof GREAT shots you might otherwise screw up, infrared focusing, uilt-in flash with "red-eye reduction" (but this only works so-so). It also has a panorama mode, but most people never use this. The date imprinting, and self-timer are nice additions too. I ave TWO complaints though. 1) Small viewfinder for your eye to look through and compose the picture. 2) Only a 28-75mm zoom; most other zoom point and shoot cameras in this price range have a longer zoom (like up to 100 or so) so you can get closer to the action/image. Overall, it's a GREAT buy.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera for the money
Review: For under $200, this is probably one of the better point-and-shoot cameras. The Minox CD-140, ... is nice too, but a little pricier. It is near perfect! It has autoexposure with center-weighted metering, 4 modes you can select between for dummy-proof GREAT shots you might otherwise screw up, infrared focusing, uilt-in flash with "red-eye reduction" (but this only works so-so). It also has a panorama mode, but most people never use this. The date imprinting, and self-timer are nice additions too. I ave TWO complaints though. 1) Small viewfinder for your eye to look through and compose the picture. 2) Only a 28-75mm zoom; most other zoom point and shoot cameras in this price range have a longer zoom (like up to 100 or so) so you can get closer to the action/image. Overall, it's a GREAT buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Camera!
Review: I also have the Explorer Freedom Zoom that came in the black model. I have owned mine for a month and I am extremely pleased with my purchase! It takes very clear, very crisp pictures that will rival the much more expensive SLR's. It feels great in your hands and is well balanced. Can you tell I am excited about my Explorer? If you are looking for a user friendly point and shoot, yet want the advanced technology offered with the high end models, you can't go wrong with this camera.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice options, wish it had nice results!
Review: I bought this camera because it had the options I was looking for ~ panoramic, date, good price, felt comfortable in my hand. I had good luck shooting pictures outdoors in sunny weather. The color was accurate, the pictures sharp. Indoor pictures were dark when shooting at the wide-angle (28mm) end of the lens. The pictures looked like only the middle half was illuminated. The pictures also looked very grainy. A trip to the Minolta plant didn't fix the problem. I shot 4 rolls total with Kodak and Fuji 400 film, results the same with both. Would be an ok camera if you only need it for outdoor photography.
Rating: 
Summary: Repair Problem
Review: I got this camera 6 months ago after reading that it was a rated one of the best in Consumer Reports, and I have been extrememly happy about it. The pictures are extremely clear and just exceptional. The only thing to watch out for is that the lens is wide angle when unzoomed. That means you get more of the field of view in, which is great on some shots, such as in big buildings. However, shots of scenery that have not been zoomed may have dark corners as the lens creats a fish eye effect. Its not bad, and the wider angle is great for many occasions. If it happens just know its not a defect, just something to watch for.
Rating:
Summary: camer has wider angle lens than others
Review: I got this camera 6 months ago after reading that it was a rated one of the best in Consumer Reports, and I have been extrememly happy about it. The pictures are extremely clear and just exceptional. The only thing to watch out for is that the lens is wide angle when unzoomed. That means you get more of the field of view in, which is great on some shots, such as in big buildings. However, shots of scenery that have not been zoomed may have dark corners as the lens creats a fish eye effect. Its not bad, and the wider angle is great for many occasions. If it happens just know its not a defect, just something to watch for.
Rating:
Summary: I think it's a great camera...
Review: I got this camera almost two years ago and never had a problem with it. It got stolen recently and now I'm shopping to replace it with the same model. After reading other reviews I was reminded that the only problem I really had with the camera was the viewfinder. It was hard to find. Other than that the camera was great. I even dropped the dang thing like 10 times and it still worked great. So, buy it. :)
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment...
Review: I guess I'm the exception in reviewing this camera... The Minolta Freedom Explorer EX Panorama has a nice design, lightweight, great features including zoom, panoramic, date, remote, and multiple flash modes -- if only the pictures were as good! I was very disappointed in the photo quality of the Minolta Freedom Explorer EX. Photos were grainy and not very sharp. Pictures came out darkish (yes, the flash was on) -- even on daytime outdoor shots! I decided to forego the panoramic and zoom for better picture quality -- So I exchanged my purchase to the top rated Yashica T-4 Super (with a Carl Zeiss lens).
Rating:
Summary: Just Buy It! Awesome Quality Camera!
Review: I had the junky Yashica before I purchased this Minolta. This Minolta is an excellent camera. You won't regret buying it. The film results were clear and crisp. No blurry prints with double faces showing-up like on the Yashica. This camera has features that work just as the instruction manual describes (pretty unusual for me). Simply awesome!
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