Minolta Freedom Zoom 125 35mm Camera w/ RC-3 Remote Control

Rating:
Summary: When the you get what you pay for rule kicks in.
Review: First of all, I did a VERY exhaustive search before going for this camera. And when I say VERY, I really mean that I compared six different brands with cameras of similar aspect and characteristics. I narrowed it down to two brands, and within those two, to five cameras. I went for this one because it featured what I needed and I did not find any negative review, as I did for other models, even within the Minolta line of product.

After using the camera for over a month, this is what I have to say in its favour : it is incredibly light, easy to use, fast, and all the pictures taken outside have turned out incredible. The colours and the definition are probably as good as on pictures taken with any reliable SLR (Canon Rebel, Minolta maxxum 5 or Nikon N65). The multi autofocus system seems to work great, and I know that this is a camera I can give to anybody who happens to be around to take a picture of me, with any background. I know the picture will come out perfect, where it could come out unfocused in some cases with other autofocus cameras in "unexperienced" hands. My father even took this Minolta 125 on a trip to mexico and NOT ONE picture from his two rolls is unfocused or blurry. Besides, he took some incredible sunset shots in the bay of Acapulco. Oh, and I haven't had that scratch on the film problem I've read about for other models of this brand.

Now to the negative part : it is made in China (is quality control at the level ?), the protective cap for the lens doesn't look as good as on previous models of Minolta, surely not like the Olympus family, and.... pictures taken with flash... flunk ! Yes, Ladies and Gentemen, the red eye issue is clearly not solved here. The anti red eye system is the same as the one I have on my "old" (6 years) Minolta Freedom 115 mm zoom (three flashes), but the results are much worse in similar conditions. I really don't know why that happens, but it is a great disappointment. Also, the zoom stops at four predetermined levels and I haven't found a way to have it stop between one of those two levels.

Overall, I cannot say I was deceived because I got this at a very very low price (I'm even ashamed of saying how much), but even so, you still get what you pay for. I have asked several photographers what they think of the current "pocket size" Minolta, and they all seem to say that you give up quality for other features, and that these are probably not as good cameras as previous ones. Be aware that this works great on the outside, not so well with flash/inside. Avoid using it inside on very special occasions because even people with brown eyes can look like sheer vampires ! Besides those limitations, I believe it is a great buy, almost unbeatable at this price. Final word, use 400 ASA films for this Minolta 125.

Rating:
Summary: A must-have camera for ease and convenience!
Review: I own this camera and I must say that I really enjoy it. I have received many compliments on how well the pictures turn out. Other people have taken pictures on it for me, and they just love how easy it is to use, how compact it is, and how attractive it looks. It is well worth the money and I highly recommend this camera.

Rating:
Summary: Minolta Does it again!
Review: Minolta has done it again. How do they do it? Microelectonics and optics are combined in one of the smallest 125 mm zoom lens 35 mm compact cameras on the market today. Its sleek lightweight aluminum body protects the obvious state-of-the-art internal electronics and optics. The photos that this camera takes are extremely accurate regarding color and light balance. The flash is more than enough. I'd recommend iso 200 film. The photos are crisp and sharp. Overall, an excellent camera. I recommend it without reservation.

Rating:
Summary: Best little camera!
Review: Super handy and great to have!!! Very easy to operate!

I love it!!

Rating:
Summary: Nice camera with a big flaw.
Review: This may not sound like a 1 star camera from the below, but for me it needs a single star, other will probably care less about the flaw.

First the camera is a great small size and very lightwieght. It zooms in and out quick the remote control is a nice feature that I never had on a camera before, albeit a little unecessary when you think about it. I can't saw how well the pictures turned out because I never got that far with it before shipping it back. Which brings me to the reason for the low rating. If you enjoy taking pictures in bright light or with the flash on then it probably will be an ok camera for you.

However, be forwarned the flash in red-eye reduction mode doesn't do very well in reducing it. In my couple of test fires with it I saw enough red through the view finder to make even a vampire cringe, I'd hate to think what the actual photograph would have looked like. Additionally the red eye flash is a series of three flashes. And they are not the quick flick,flick,flick click, flash that you may be used to. No they are a regular flash with about a three-five tenth of a second delay between them at a slightly reduced power (perhaps 85-90% full flash brightness). Even the manual states to "warn your subjects not to move".

The worst part is that for people like me who like to take pictures with the flash deactivated, this camera is the worst choice. The camera when used in flash off mode, slows the shutter down to allow for more light and take a better picture, or so it says. The times I took a few inside pratice pictures the shutter stayed open between 2 and 2.5 SECONDS. Again the manual says that w/ the flash off it is not advised to take handheld photos, but instead to use a tripod. So you can pretty much forget taking any picture of fireworks, outdoor action shots, "sneaky" quick pictures, or anything that doesn't stay perfectly still till the shutter closes. And if you do try to take a picture by hand, you better have absolutely still hands or your going to get very blurry pictures with a shutter speed this slow. Maybe if there was a way to overide this I could have given this little camera 4 or maybe even 5 stars, but there isn't so too bad.

Too bad the minds at Minolta didn't just leave well enough alone and just let the camera snap the picture when you push the button like all good cameras do instead of trying to overly automated.