Amazon.com Product Description

A close cousin of the Dimage A2, Konica Minolta's SLR-style Dimage A200 offers a smaller, more rounded body design and is lighter by 2.1 ounces. But it's packed full of powerful features that will be appreciated by a wide range of photographers, from professional to advanced amateur. In addition to its 8-megapixel resolution and 7x optical zoom, the Dimage A200 features a movie mode with 800 x 600-pixel resolution, 1.8-inch flip-out LCD monitor, and Minolta's anti-shake technology to keep things smooth.

Optics and Resolution
The Dimage A200 has an 8.0-megapixel, 2/3-inch interlace scan CCD that can subtle, expressive images--even individual hairs or the stitches of a suit in sharp detail. It has the following resolution options: 3264 x 2448, 3264 x 2176 (3:2 aspect ratio), 2560 x 1920, 2080 x 1560, 1600 x 1200, and 640 x 480. The 7x optical zoom GT lens is designed specifically for digital photography with sharper, clearer images minus any color aberration, even when using the large aperture setting. It has a 28-200mm equivalency in 35mm photography and a focal range of f2.8 to f3.5. It also has two digital zoom options: a normal 2x and an interpolated 4x.

With its proprietary new advanced LSI engine and CxProcess III image-processing technology, the DiMAGE A200 provides high-speed and stress-free image processing with low power consumption. And, its ability to suppress noise and provide exceptionally accurate color reproduction means that users get high-quality images every time.

The Dimage A200 features a CCD-shift mechanism, outlined above in green, to stabilize images by offsetting the shaking pattern of the user's hand. Below, a photo with Anti-Shake off (right) and the same subject with Anti-Shake on (left).

Movie Mode
The Dimage A200 offers a true VGA (640 x 480 pixels) movie mode, enabling you to record video at TV-quality 30 frames per second (fps). You also have the option to shoot at a larger resolution (800 x 600, SVGA) at 15 fps, good for viewing on a PC screen. Unlike many digital cameras, the Dimage A200 allows use of both the optical and digital zoom while recording movies, and the Night Movie function makes subjects highly visible even in dark settings. You can shoot a maximum of 15 minutes of video with audio.

Anti-Shake Technology
The Anti-Shake feature provides a highly effective way to deal with camera shake--a major cause of substandard images, especially with telephoto shots and when shooting in dim lighting. The Dimage A200 features a CCD-shift mechanism to stabilize images by offsetting the shaking pattern of the user's hand, providing stability at up to three shutter speeds slower than on digital cameras without an Anti-Shake function.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on CompactFlash cards (Type I/II), and it supports Microdrives. The Dimage A2 does not come with a memory card. It connects to Macs and Windows-based PCs via USB 2.0 connectivity.

Direct Printing
By directly connecting the Dimage A200 to a PictBridge-compliant printer, you can easily create prints without going through a computer--just choose your image directly from the LCD monitor.

More Features
The camera's 1.8-inch TFT Vari-angle LCD monitor rotates 270 degrees vertically and 180 degrees horizontally, allowing you to get a clear viewpoint for shooting artistic angles or taking flawless self-portraits.

Other features include:

• In addition to JPEG images, the Dimage A200 can also save captured images to RAW (12 bits per pixel), RAW+JPEG, and TIFF formats.
• The Ultra High Speed mode captures images at a continuous advance of 40 frames at 10 frames per second.
• Automatic or manual popup flash has a five-second refresh and fill, red-eye reduction, slow sync, and rear flash sync modes.
• Sure-grip, ergonomic body makes it easy to carry and use anywhere.

What's in the Box
This package includes the Minolta Dimage A200 digital camera, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (NP-800) and battery charger (BC-900), USB and AV cables, lens cap, accessory shoe cap, lens shade, wireless remote control, and CD-ROM with Dimage Viewer and ULEAD Video Studio 8 SE software. ... Read more

Features

• 8-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 16-by-22-inch enlargements
• Konica Minolta 7X optical zoom GT lens combines with a 2x digital zoom and 4x interpolated digital zoom
• Anti-shake feature for smooth photographic close-ups; flip-out, tilting 1.8-inch LCD
• Store images on type I or II Compact Flash memory cards or Microdrive; connects to PC via USB 2.0
• Powered by 1 NP-800 Lithium-ion battery

Product Description

The compact DiMAGE Z5 is an all-round digital camera that offers a built-in 12x optical Mega Zoom lens, Konica Minolta's proprietary Anti-Shake System, 5.0-megapixel CCD, fast overall response including Rapid autofocusing (AF), and a large 2.0-inch LCD screen for easy viewing. All of these features combined, these features ensure that photographers won't miss a photo opportunity and that the subjects of their photos are big, beautiful, and shake-free. An ideal companion for travel photography as well as everyday picture taking, photographers will appreciate the versatility of this digital camera. With the camera's built-in 12x optical zoom lens and Konica Minolta's innovative Anti-Shake technology, even novice photographers can easily capture clear, sharp detailed views of the world around them. To ensure that photographers don't miss their shot, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 has a Rapid AF that's the one of the fastest autofocus for digital cameras with predictive focus control. Focusing in a mere 0.2 second (approximately) at wide angle and only 0.3 second (approximately) at telephoto, it's ideal for capturing any subject, moving or still. DiMAGE Z5 Highlights 12x optical Mega Zoom and 4x digital zoom for 48x total zoom; complemented with CCD-shift Anti-Shake System Fastest-in-class Rapid AF with Predictive Focus Control (As Nov 2004 - based on Konica-Minolta Tests) High-quality pictures with 5.0-megapixel CCD, Konica Minolta GT APO lens ... Read more

Features

• Large 2.0-inch LCD; macro mode for shooting subjects as close as 1 centimeter
• Stores images on SD cards; powered by 4 AA batteries (alkaline or Ni-MH)
• 5 MP CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints
• Amazing 12x optical Mega Zoom with Anti-Shake technology allows you to shoot at speed 4 to 8 times longer with clear results
• Rapid AF focuses in approximately 0.2 second in wide angle and 0.3 second in telephoto

Reviews (3)

Disappointed
I have an old Olympus 2.1 megapixel C-2100. It had a built in stabilization just like this Minolta Z5. Unfortunately, the built-in stabilizer option is about the only plus I can find for this Minolta.

My pictures that I take using my 2.1 megapixel Olympus are night and day more vibrant in color than the ones taken with the Minolta.

We are returning this camera to get our money back. We were excited about the stabilization feature, as it is a hard feature to find in a camera, but if it sacrifices picture quality, then it is not worth it.

Very nice mid-range camera
To start off, let me say that I'm a neophyte digital camera user, so my review will be based on someone with little experience.

That being said, the Z5 has been a pleasure to use.The ergonnomics are excellent, even for my big hands.The buttons are oriented very well for the left hand, so that you can virtually use this camera one-handed.Outdoor photos with good ambient light are very nice, and the 12x zoom makes it icing on the cake.The autofocus works very fast even on very distant objects.I didn't notice any excessive graininess or noise in outdoor photos, and the colors of the photos didn't look off to my eyes.However, if you shoot a moving subject, I found that it's wise to turn off the anti-shake, otherwise the picture will come out blurry, even if you manage to focus lock the subject (I tried this with flying birds).

The EVF viewer is okay, but not great.It's very grainy and there's a significant amount of lag.Because of this and the fact that the EVF momentarily blacks out while taking a pic, don't use it for moving subjects.In contrast, I found the 2" LCD screen to be very nice, with good contrast, brightness, refresh and resolution.

The main reason I knocked the camera down to 4 stars was its relatively poor indoor or low-light performance, with what seemed to me to be a weak flash.Even with longer exposure times and a tripod mount, I noticed a fair bit of noise in the pictures.And the flash, though rated out to 7' didn't seem to be enough to do the job, even on the slow flash.There was however no problem with redeye that I noticed.

What makes this camera truly awesome though (and a big reason I purchased it) is for its movie mode.Oddly, the movie mode seems to do better in low light situations than still photos.It does have some trouble focusing if you pan around too much or too fast, but otherwise, capturing video at 640x480@30fps with sound for as long as you have memory is great.And being able to zoom in this mode is a very nice feature, not to mention that the anti-shake feature works in this mode as well.The end result is SVHS quality video without too many shakes that looks really nice.

The battery life seems good to me, though I have little comparisons to make.It's also nice that the camera uses standard AA batteries so in a pinch, you can throw in some alkaline or lithium batteries.

This is more like it
I've gone with every version of the Sony Mavica for my digital pics over the years but with my son turning one I needed a camera that would get clear shots when he was moving fast.

The hardest thing to find was something that had a powerful optical zoom (Sony spoiled me with 16x), and tho I have two fine camcorders it is nice to have video recording that does zooms and stabilization during vid recording (again, Sony has always done zoom/stabilization in it's video capture but most cameras don't).

After much research and coming very close to buying the Panasonic Lumix (very nice camera but terrible viewscreen) and the Kodak (no stabilization and required to use that silly dock) I noticed the Z5 had a bigger viewscreen than the older Z3.

Looking closer and seeing the 12x optical and the video recording that not only does zoom and stabilization but also 640x480 at 30fps (Mavica does only 15 second 320x240) and the deal was done.I bought a 1GB SanDisk Ultra2 (60x) sd card which allows up to 350 highest res pictures (and/or up to 28 minutes of wonderful stutter-free video) and now I am taking shots of my little moving target with no more blurring results.

My wife isn't into tweaking any camera and the controls are great, a little more complicated than the Mavica but not by much.Really it's point & shoot ease with only having to know four other buttons (one to switch between playback and "record", the toggle to go back and forth between stored images, a dedicated delete button to get rid of ones you don't like and the shutter button.If you are into doing more then there's a lot more on the camera from macros to in-camera video editing and on and on.

I know that most people don't buy a still camera for video and so I have to stress that the stills are blowing me away ... but also mention that if you do care about the video option then consider that the reason I only gave the unit a 4 is that the videos are Quicktimes.If you're a Windows person then you'll have to pay Apple (the real monopolist of PCs) $30 for a copy of QuickTime Pro to convert them to AVI and then use Microsoft's free Media Encoder or the consumer-grade freebie "Windows Movie Maker" to convert the AVIs to WMV format for best viewing in Media Player or use the AVIs in Pinnacle Studio 9 to make DVDs (why the heck don't cameras just record to WMV?This Quicktime default is so old fashioned).The quality of the videos IS good enough for your DVDs.

Aside from the video conversion pain, as a still camera This is the one.
... Read more

Features

• 6-megapixel resolution for photo-quality 14-by-19-inch enlargements
• The world's first digital SLR camera with body-integral antishake technology and a CCD-shift mechanism
• Full compatibility with the Maxxum system of lenses and accessories
• 2.5-inch LCD large-screen monitor with ultrafine 207,000-pixel resolution
• Simultaneous RAW and JPEG recording, plus 3 metering systems (14-segment honeycomb-pattern, center-weighted average, and spot) for fine control

Amazon.com Product Description

Minolta's DiMAGE Scan Dual IV provides a high-quality 35mm film, slide, and APS film scanning solution. Scanning is achieved using the accompanying film and slide holders (APS film holder must be purchased separately), delivering up to 3,200 dpi resolution. Ideal for serious photo enthusiasts and professionals alike, the DiMAGE Scan Dual IV offers Pixel Polish, Auto Dust Brush, and Grain Dissolver to correct and enhance your photo images.

Pixel Polish restores film images that have faded over time as well as those that suffer from light-distortion (under-exposure, backlighting, and so on). Auto Dust Brush automatically cleans any dust or lint that may have been scanned with your film. It can also be used manually as a separate plug-in with certain Photoshop versions to give you more precise control of removal parameters and to let you preview results. Grain Dissolver removes excess grain that may be visible when scanning high-speed film or that may appear in images scanned at very high resolutions.

The DiMAGE Scan Dual IV offers fast USB 2.0 connectivity for both PC and Mac users. It can perform batch scanning (up to six filmstrip frames or four mounted slides) or multi-sampling (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x), and lets you control a large number of factors such as tone curve, histogram, sharpness, brightness, exposure, and color balance. The system comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.

What's in the Box
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual IV, 35mm film holder FH-U2, slide mount holder SH-U1, USB cable UC-2 (USB 2.0 compatible), AC adapter AC-U25, CD-ROM for DiMAGE Scan Dual IV, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 ... Read more

Features

• Delivers sharp 3,200 dpi color scans with 16-bit A/D conversion
• Multi-sample scanning; batch scanning using film and slide holders
• 35mm and slide mount holders; supports optional APS adapter
• Pixel Polish, Auto Dust Brush, and Grain Dissolver for optimized image results
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0; USB 2.0 interface, PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (12)

Superb precision instrument - but NOT a Plug & Play device
After studying professional reviews (including CR), I decided on the Dual4. Forewarned by other users' comments about troublesome startup, I followed the manual's detailed installation instructions step-by-step. No problem whatever! Realize well that this is NOT a Plug-and-Play unit you just plug into a USB2 slot; if you do, Windows will use its own lame-duck generic WIA scanner driver, and gone are all the wonderful enhancements that Minolta's marvelously sophisticated scanning software offers. THE big secret is patience; precisely follow the instructions (same goes for my HP flatbed scanner) -- install the software from the CD first, and *only then* connect the USB cable when you are instructed to do so. If you don't: well just read what dissatisfied reviewers have to say. Also, when the manual tells you to initialize the scanner "with the door closed", it doesn't explicitly tell you to remove the film holder [it's the only way you can close the scanner door, after all]. Although better written and organized than an Asian DVD-player manual, there are some dense spots that you will need to explore on your own. Still, you can't unlock all the treasures of the software until you read (painstakingly, I might add) the software capabilities. I've only had the scanner for a few weeks but, once I learned how just a hair on the negative will magnify to a tree trunk on the print, it does an astonishing job of converting analog film slides to digital images that you can enhance in the accompanying complete PhotoShop Elements 2 software. A magnificent tool indeed but, like any precision tool, it needs careful adherence to instructions and some experimentation to realize its full potential. An unbeatable harware product, with software fine-tuned to provide the ultimate in quality images. Even so, lack of online tech support, such as simple driver updates, is disconcerting. Ask Amazon for tech support? You must be kidding!

IMPRESSED
I am totally impresed with this scanner. I was scanning 35mm film with an Epson 2450. What a difference! More latitude in the tonal range. Very sharp, Scanner has auto and manual focus. Professional driver software. Images consistant in color from scan to scan.
Have not used the dust remove feature yet. So far all my negs and trans are flawless. Even thou it is only 3200 dpi, if you know photoshop, the quality of the scans are so good I have no problems enlarging to 36x24 poster. I did a test and enalrged in the computer to 100 inches and just checking it out on the monitor it still held together NO PROBLEMS!
Have had the scanner for about a month and use it everyday and have had no start up problems or any other sort of problems, yet. But then again I use a MAC. Read the instruction manual before you do anything!
Anyway, well worth the $270 I spent !

I love it!!!!
For the price this is the best film scanner I have ever used. I have scanned close to 9000 slides and negatives since I purchased it in February. It is easy to use and I have been quite pleased with the color balance and exposures it returns. Images are all sharp and crisp. I just wish it would scan 120 and 220 film.

Good scanner, startup procedure a little twitchy
Yeah, I hear what some of the other reviewers are saying about the documentation and the fussy startup process - however complaining that you have to follow the instructions _exactly_ when installing it seems a bit odd to me... I had no problem with the install but then again I don't have a problem following instructions ;->.

But all that said, once you get it right it's a very good scanner. I've used others and this is by far the best. I'm suprised to hear the one reviewer complain about the sharpness of the shots - my scanner does an excellent job. I've scanned in over 500 slides so far (archiving the parent's slide collection from the 60s) and they look great.

The dust remover feature works reasonably well, although I've turned off all the pixel polish and image adjustment stuff - it doesn't make that big of a difference on my shots and makes the resulting images bigger.

The batch scan is great - I just sit here and work on other stuff and feed in 4 slides at a time. I've tried both color slides and negative film, both look excellent.

For those still frustrated by the startup sequence - here's what I do and it works every time.

1. Turn on your computer, let it boot.
2. Once up, turn on the scanner with the door closed.
3. Fire up the scanning software you want to use (batch scan, easy scan etc...).
4. once it barks at you to put the film in properly, then open the door and feed in your tray.

After that, you're good to go. I find if you deviate from the process you can come to grief. Once up, I've never had it fail and I've crammed through 150 slides at a sitting without a hitch.

Good but Quirky
1) The lack of any product support is infuriating as stated by the others.
2) The resulting images and flexibility of features provided are amazing... and I did not say "at this price." I don't consider a $270 gizmo for a $1300 computer cheap. It's over 1/5 the price of a high end host machine.
3) The scanner works well, has user friendly film strip and slide holders, does everything I expected it to do. A lot of flexibility in resolution and a lot of features for fixing freckles.
4) The main complaint is the overly sensitive startup procedure. Do it just right or it doesn't work, won't say why and just sits there. On the other hand, Do It Just Right and it may do the very same thing.
5) The documentation is helpful but poorly organized and vague. NOWHERE does it state a simple 5 step procedure for starting the device, bringing up the software and getting on with the scanning. That is THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL basic any manual should obviously provide. The booklet rambles from topic to topic throwing in a dire warning every few paragraphs and never offers a simple "Here's how you use it" sequence.
6) One of the problems with film scanners is LOW VOLUME AND POOR SHOPPING ACCESS. For most buyers, there is no place you can go and see the physical units nor see them demonstrated. Neither Circuit City nor Best Buy stores in MD stock them or demo them.
7) Overall impression: A great product that can do all you expect of it within specifications BUT an immature product that was not debugged and idiot-proofed before being thrown on the market. That is especially strange since there was a II and a III prior to this IV model. ... Read more

Features

• 5-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 13-by-17-inch enlargements
• 2.8x optical zoom lens combines with 4.3x digital zoom for 12x total zoom
• .5-second start-up time; 2-inch LCD monitor; PictBridge compatible
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16 MB SD card included
• Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included with charger)

Amazon.com Product Description

The stylish, SLR-style Konica Minolta Dimage Z2 is offers appealing features for a wide variety of photographers--from sports enthusiasts to serious wildlife photographers. Packed with power, yet easy to use, the Dimage Z2 features an amazing 10x optical zoom lens, quick startup time (1.8 seconds), and a rapid autofocus (the fastest for digital cameras of this class as of January, 2004) that helps you capture images in virtually any situation. It also offers a 4-megapixel resolution, VGA-quality video mode with audio, and a real-motion LCD monitor.

Optics and Resolution The Dimage Z2 has a maximum resolution of 2272 x 1704 pixels, good enough for enlargements up to 20 x 30 inches. It also offers 1600 x 1200 (2 MP), 1280 x 960 (1 MP) and 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution modes. The camera's 10x optical zoom lens is a fast f2.8 - f3.5, allowing fast shutter speeds for sports or natural-light photography. With a focal range of 5.8mm-58mm, it is equivalent to a 38-380mm 35mm camera lens. When combined with the seamless 4x digital zoom, it has an amazing 40x zoom range, equivalent to a 38-1520mm lens.

Movie Mode
The Dimage Z2 can record high-quality VGA (640 x 480) movies at 30 frames per second (fps), which is comparable to S-VHS video. It also offer's the world's first (as of January, 2004) SVGA option, with a resolution of 800 x 600 and a 15 fps rate. Viewed on a PC, the SVGA movie delivers approx. 6.3 more pixels than the standard QVGA (320 x 240) found on many other comparable digital cameras. You can record as much video as your

More Features
The Dimage Z2 features Rapid AF with Predictive Focus Control to ensure sharp images with minimum delay. The Rapid AF system uses a high-speed drive to focus the lens quickly and smoothly--a 0.3 second focusing time at a focal length of 5.8mm and 0.4 seconds at 58mm--giving the DiMAGE Z2 the world's fastest AF among digital cameras with a built-in 10X or greater optical zoom as of January 1, 2004. The Predictive Focus Control compensates for the minute delay from when the shutter-release button is pressed until the image is captured and adjusts focus right up until the exposure is made.

Startup time is a mere 1.8 seconds and shutdown time is 2.4 seconds. After focus has been locked, the shutter-release time lag is 0.06 second -- comparable to a 35mm SLR camera. The Z2 is ready to capture another image in just 1.2 seconds after the previous exposure.

The powerful built-in flash can cover distances of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) with the lens at its widest angle. Unlike most compact digital cameras, the Dimage Z2 offers extra versatility with flash photography. It has a hot shoe for attaching any of these Konica Minolta flash units: the Maxxum Flash 2500(D), 3600HS(D), or 5600HS(D).

The Real Motion LCD monitor uses a 60 fps rate, showing action smoothly compared to the slower 30 fps rate of conventional monitors. It's also equipped with Konica Minolta's exclusive Switch Finder, a unique system allows the camera's LCD monitor to be viewed either directly or through the viewfinder. Since a single monitor is used, you need not worry about the color, contrast, and resolution difference between separate rear and viewfinder monitors. Automatic monitor amplification brightens the monitor under low light so the live image is always visible

Select the UHS (Ultra High Speed) option from the rapid shooting menu. The enlarged 32MB internal memory allows the Z2 to capture 15 images at 10 frames per second. When the shutter-release button is pressed and held, Progressive Capture begins saving images in the buffer memory. Five frames are saved with standard continuous advance and 12 frames with UHS continuous advance

Other features include:

• Super Macro mode lets you focus as close as 1.2 in. (3cm) from the front of the lens
• Real-time histogram shows the luminance distribution of the image before it is captured
• Output photos directly to a PictBridge-compliant printer without having to go through a personal computer
• Flash modes: auto, red-eye reduction, fill flash, and slow sync
• Five subject programs--portrait, sports action, landscape, sunset, and night portrait--cover common and specialized shooting conditions and can be selected manually
• Four exposure-control modes: programmed AE, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual
• Three selectable metering modes: multi-segment, center-weighted, and spot

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards; a 16 MB starter card is included (which will store approximately 17 standard 2272 x 1704 images). It transfers images to Macs and Windows-based PCs via a speedy USB 2.0 connection.

CxProcess II Image Processor
Konica Minolta's newest image processing technology, CxProcess II, is used to bring out the best in the 3.3 megapixel CCD. CxProcess II controls the essential image qualities of color, contrast, and sharpness while minimizing noise. Brilliant, saturated color remains vibrant without becoming unnatural. Subtle contrast is rendered to retain the richness and depth of the subject while preserving details in the highlights and shadows. Sharpness is controlled to show fine detail while minimizing hard, unnatural edges.

Power and Size
The camera is powered by four AA batteries (alkaline included; NiMH rechargeables recommended). The Dimage Z2 measures 4.3 x 3.1 x 3.2 inches and weighs 10.8 ounces without batteries or recording media.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Dimage Z2 digital camera, 16 MB Secure Digital memory card, 4 AA alkaline batteries, neck strap, lens cap, accessory shoe cap, USB and A/V cables, and CD-ROMs with Dimage Viewer and ArcSoft VideoImpression software. ... Read more

Features

• 4-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 11-by-15-inch enlargements
• GT 10x optical lens system combines with 4x digital zoom for 40x total zoom
• TV-quality movie recording; 1.2-inch super macro mode; 1.8-second start-up time
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards
• Powered by AA-size batteries

Reviews (14)

great for the enthusiastic beginner
I've had this camera for a little over a month and so far, I love it. It's got the full-auto (point-and-shoot) mode for the casual photographer/beginner, but it also has a variety of manual modes and advanced features like aperture priority, shutter priority, program mode, and full manual, as well as manual white balance for those interested in learning the art of (digital) photography.

The two built in macro modes (close and *really* close) allow for excellent close-up shots. Despite having almost no experience in photography beyond point-and-shoot cameras, I was taking pretty good macro shots my first day with it (at least that's what mom said ;). The 10x zoom is great for the long shots. The 16MB SD card is useless (pick up at least 256MB). I still carry the 16 for a spare, but at the highest image resolution, I doubt I could fit 10 pictures on it.

Do yourself a favor and buy the lens adapter ring and a UV filter for the camera. The UV filter can be had pretty cheap, won't affect picture quality, and will keep your built-in lens safe from scratches, dirt, and UV rays (evidently pretty damaging to camera equipment). And having the adapter, you'll be able to attach other filters as your need/skill grow. Oh, and get a couple of sets of rechargeable NIMH batteries too. They'll save you a lot of money. I briefly looked into the Konika-Minolta LI battery pack that's made for the camera, but being more than half the price of the camera, decided it was more expensive than I needed. At least for now.

So far, my only complaints are: the battery cover door seems pretty flimsy. I'd like to see something more substantial. And, I'm not sure the idea of the mechanical mirror used to select the view through the eyepiece or on the display screen is wise. It just seems like more mechanical parts to fail in the future. Also, the use of the eyepiece won't prolong battery life as it would in most digital cameras.

So, it's few faults aside, I give the KM Z2 a solid 5 star rating.

You will not regret the purchase
This camera will do everything for you except hold it in place. The auto mode does it all. I was very impressed with the battery life and BRIGHT flash. The camera is just perfect, video mode is brilliant, no noise from the camera's AF feature. The zoom, well seeing is believing, you will not believe the details that you are missing on these 2x and 3x zoom cameras. Can't wait for the next generation. Get one!

Where's the color?
I purchased my Z2 and couldn't wait to see the great images it could produce with 4 megs and 10x zoom. What a disappointment! I want my old Olympus 510 back. The color is horrible on the Z2. I could get the color ok by adjusting the white balance in the program modes (not using a flash), however it's not adjustable in the "Auto" mode, which also meant switching back to "Auto" for a flash shot. Also, this camera's size and shape make it totally impossible to just carry around in your pocket. I have missed way too many shots because I didn't have the camera with me.

Great Camera
What a great camera! I compared this to a Cannon Elph, and this camera blew it out of the water. It's real easy to use, it's light, and the auto focus is quick. From the time you press the shutter button to the time the camera takes the picture is lightning fast. The Cannon Elph was a lot slower, causing me to miss action shots. The picture quality is great!

Quality product
In short, I did a LOT of research, and I found this camera to fit my needs best. The 4MP are more than adequate, the stills are sharp, the menus friendly, the video AWESOME. Well worth your money. ... Read more

Product Description

Scanning color negatives can be a tricky business, even for experts. But with the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II, you can take advantage of a new Film Expert algorithm that draws on decades of Konica Minolta expertise in photofinishing and optical imaging technology.As a result, you can get consistently beautiful results without the hassle of manually adjusting scanner settings to match the different exposure characteristics and color balance of various types of negative film.The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II boasts class-leading 5400 dpi resolution that transforms a single frame of 35mm film into more than 42.2 megapixels of rich, 16-bit color data. Designed specifically to meet the demands of people who are serious about image quality, it captures every detail and tonal nuance of the original, allowing you to produce stunningly beautiful large-format prints*.16-bit analog-to-digital signal conversion and a wide, 4.8 dynamic range deliverover 65,000 gradations in each of the three RGB color channels. The result is smooth shading of color tones, with excellent shadow and highlight detail.There's no need to compromise on scanning area when you're working with filmstrips, because the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II offers edge-to-edge 24mm x 36mm scanning that captures 100% of every frame.Multi-sample scanning allows images to be scanned 2, 4, 8, or 16 times, significantly reducing random noise in shadow areas and revealing subtle tonal gradations tha ... Read more

Features

• 35mm film and slide holders; advanced color restoration
• USB interface; PC and Mac compatible
• 5,400 dpi optical resolution with 42.2-megapixel sensor
• User-selectable 8 or 16 bits per color channel, 4.8 DMax
• High speed scanning at 25 seconds per frame

Features

• 6.3-megapixel sensor captures images with up to 3,008x2,000 resolution
• JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG image capture format
• 2.5-inch color LCD screen
• Stores images on CompactFlash memory card
• Powered by NP-400 Li-ion battery, up to 400 shots on single charge

Features

• 6-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 14-by-19-inch enlargements
• 3x optical GT Hexanon zoom lens
• 1.3-second start-up time; capture movie clips up to 30 seconds with audio; PictBridge support
• Store images on Memory Stick or Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16 MB SD card included
• Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery NP-600 (included with charger)

Reviews (1)

G600, more to be desired
Opinion
Fredrik in Sweden.

I had a 3 Mpix Olympus D-550 (C-300) for 12 months and it has been very difficult to find a better camera when it broke.

I first bought a Casio QV 5700, a semi-big and very sophisticated camera. It had all the features I wished for, bright optics, manual settings etc. but the size and ancient slow action bothered me. I swiftly returned it.

I realized I wanted something pocketable with great performance. Since no reviews on the web met my demands I finally went for the G600, the heir of a test winner, unreviewed until now.

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The G600 with a spare battery and 512 Mb is a good setup. After the first charge of 14 hours the battery was good for 250 images (no flash, always display and 3 unloads) The very first charge also charges the onboard memory battery so it will perform better after that. It also takes 10 cycles before the battery is ripe. I expect 300-350 images.

Charging takes 2 hours with the bundled charger, neat.

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A normal image in fine mode takes up about 1500-2800 kb of space. => 240 images on my SD card.

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The shutter lag is ok, but not as awesome as I got the impression of. (with focus lock it is pretty instant)

I flung a stick into the evening air and shot it while it fell and the result was really neat and sharp. (See sample)

Startup time is really quick.

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The size is dreamy. You can hardly feel it is in your front pocket on a pair of tight jeans. The metal gives it a sturdy feel.

The blue LED's on the front are a nuissance. They provide extra light for focusing etc. I don't know when they are activated, or if I can turn it off.

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I have some sample images for you here.
All handheld on a grey spring evening in Sweden.
http://www.microsaft.com/g600/ this page.

Problems
I dislike using flash, as a result indoor images turn up dark.
Some are VERY dark with the automatic setting in spite of normal illumination.
I somewhat enhanced this by increasing ISO to 200.

Still not as good as my Olympus D-550 (C-300) in low light. I feel it necessery to switch between ISO modes for indoor and outdoor shots. Requires clicking in the menu.

The G600 wants to use flash at all times indoors. Flash make the pictures flat and boring. I want to capture atmosphere, not cold hard vectors.

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The Automatic "focus depth" was very tight.
If I focus on my face, the eyes look great but the nose gets blurry. (My nose isn't huge). I am not sure how to compensate for this. (still learning)
In macro mode this is apparent when shooting a fat larva where half the larva is out of focus. Unless you only photograph coins... this is a problem.

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In the evening, the automatic light control make the images a tad less bright and less in contrast than real life. Increasing brightness and contrast +25 and +25 in Pshop helps evening pictures.

I suspect this can be adjusted in the white balance settings.

Much of this can be compensated for, with internal tweaking, once and for all. The colors overall are very natural and life like.

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The multi spot autofocus tend to pick the items in the background and not the thing I want to shoot.
I saw no reason to use spot metering until I got the G600.

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The amount of "flawed images" are less than with the Casio, and I think that when I get used to this one it will perform as well as the point and shoot Olympus. I am well on my way.
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I would love it if it had a "speed dial" to chose
between different scene modes.

The sound and avi format works very well.
16 seconds amount only to 2800 kb.

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I'd rather they had two compartments for batteries than two for memory cards. Running out of juice is a bummer when you are to shoot the sunset from the top of a hill.

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Some would say that the zoom is too fast.
It is, like the Borg would say, ...efficient.

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It could be easier to record sound and movies. The menu system requires clicking... clicking...

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I need to test the lense and ccd more, with some colorful sunsets, but so far the quality is really nice. I can count individual strains of hair on my head on my images. I'll keep this one, because it is portable and creates great images under the right conditions and decent images under strain.
A third battery may be an investment.

Manual settings will work out some of my problems.

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/Fredrik

My free for all, no copyright 1000+ image archive.
(Most shot with the Olympus, but that will change.) http://www.microsaft.com ... Read more

Features

• 3-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 10-by-13-inch enlargements
• 8x optical zoom combines with 4x digital zoom for 32x total zoom
• .5-second start up time; PictBridge compatible; autofocus feature locks in on subjects in as little as .3 seconds
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16 MB SD card included
• Powered by 4 AA-size batteries (alkaline included; rechargeable NiMH recommended)

Features

• 35mm SLR camera with 28 to 100mm zoom lens
• Fast, precise focusing with 9-point AF sensor system
• Advanced AF focus-point indication accurately tracks moving subjects
• High-grade body construction for balanced, responsive handling
• Powerful built-in flash (GN52.5 in feet) for worry-free low-light shooting

Product Description

The DiMAGE Z20 - 5.0-megapixel digital camera with 8x optical zoom lens. The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20's 8x optical Mega Zoom lens and 4x digital zoom combine for a total 32x zoom, allowing users to capture everything from sporting events to panoramic scenery. And with the camera's Rapid AF with Predictive Focus Control and a 0.5-second (approx.) fastest-in-class startup, photographers will be sure to captures those unexpected photographic opportunities. 8x Optical Mega Zoom - The new DiMAGE Z20 offers photographers a wide shooting range - the 8x optical zoom lens provides focal lengths from 36-290mm (35mm equivalent) while providing focal lengths up to 1160mm (35mm equivalent) when combined with the 4x digital zoom. With the 8x optical zoom and the 4x digital zoom combining for a 32x total zoom, the DiMAGE Z20 is ideal for taking distance shots at sporting events or capturing far-away landscapes. The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20 incorporates a high performance 8x optical lens consisting of 11 elements in nine groups that includes two aspheric lens elements. With two aspheric lenses, the DiMAGE Z20 corrects various kinds of optical aberrations in the zoom range and renders beautiful, homogenous, distortion-free images from the center to the edges. ... Read more

Features

• Stores images on SD cards; powered by 4 AA batteries (alkaline or Ni-MH)
• 5 MP CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints
• 8x optical zoom; fast start-up time of .5 second
• Rapid AF focuses in approximately 0.3 second in wide angle and telephoto modes
• 1.5-inch LCD; macro mode for shooting subjects from as close as 1 centimeter away

Reviews (1)

Perfect Camera!
I own this camera for three weeks now, and I'm very pleased with it. Bought it with a 512MB SD-card, which can handle about 250 pictures (highest quality). I never use the automatic setting, defining the shutter-speed and the diaphragm by yourself is much more fun. The possibilities with this camera are enormous. Great zoom range, also with the digital zoom disabled. The Macro-function is also a great feature. Considering the 5.0 MP, the 8x optical zoom and it's price (239 pounds), this is one of the best camera's in it's class!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Like the very popular Dimage Xi, the Minolta Dimage Xt is a 3.2 megapixel camera, but with more versatile features and packaged in an even smaller body. The new design eliminates more than 5 percent from the size and nearly 8 percent from the weight of the Dimage Xi. The exclusive folded optical zoom system allowed Minolta to recreate the world's thinnest (as of April 2003) compact, planar digital camera with a 3x optical zoom.

Optics and Resolution

Minolta's folded optics provides a 3x optical zoom within its slim design.

Featuring a 3.2-megapixel CCD sensor, the Dimage E223 delivers image detail up to 2048 x 1536 pixels for print enlargements up to 11 x 14 inches. This revolutionary non-extending lens is responsible for maintaining the camera's 0.8-inch thin profile either while recording or when stored. The 3x optical zoom, equivalent to a 37-111mm lens on a 35mm camera, is assisted by a 4x digital zoom giving a seamless zoom range of 12x. The lens focuses down to 5.9 inches at all focal lengths for close-up photographs without having to use a separate function.

Storage and Transfer
Images can be stored on either Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards; a 16 MB SD card is included. Download image files to either a Mac or PC via USB connectivity, including any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Movie and Audio Modes
The Dimage Xt is not limited to recording still images. Video with audio can be captured at either 160 x 120 or 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The length of movie clips is only limited by the memory card capacity. The new Direct Video function allows the camera to be connected directly to a VHS or DVD recording deck.

The Dimage Xt can be used as a remote camera for video conferencing. Simply use the supplied USB cable to connect the camera to a computer with a Windows operating system and a compatible application such as Microsoft Windows Messenger.

The audio recording mode records up to 180 minutes of audio. Voice memo allows up to 15 seconds of audio to be attached to an image when it is captured. The audio-caption function can attach an audio track to any recorded still-image. The audio tracks can be played back in the camera.

The included base serves as both a recharging station and camera stand.

More Features
The Dimage Xt is a fast, responsive camera. It is ready to use approximately 1.1 seconds after turning it on. This is the fastest start-up time of any digital camera with an optical zoom (as of April 2003). The fluid playback performance only causes a slight 0.2 second delay between frames regardless of file size.

An improved e-mail copy function allows a still image to be copied and resized to 640 x 480 or 160 x 120 pixels so that it may be attached to an e-mail message or posted on the Internet.

The Dimage Xt's charger stand can recharge the battery while it is still in the camera. It can also charge a single spare battery by itself. The charger doubles as a camera stand for when the Dimage Xt is used for self-portraits, a remote camera, or when connected to a computer.

• 1.5-inch TFT (transreflective) LCD monitor.
• Built-in flash with autoflash, autoflash with red-eye reduction, fill-flash, night portrait, and flash cancel modes.
• Extended shutter-speed range controls the exposure from 4 seconds for night scenes to 1/1000th of a second for brilliant sunlit landscapes.
• Spot metering and spot AF allows you to meter or focus on a specific subject.
• Multi-segment metering and five-point AF make taking beautiful, sharp images simple.
• Exposure control from 4 seconds for scenes at night to 1/1000th of a second for brilliant sunlit landscapes

Features

• 3.2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 8 x 10 prints and medium-quality prints up to 11 x 14
• New design is smaller in size and lighter in weight than Dimage Xi
• Exclusive folded 3x optical zoom system with 4x digital zoom (for 12x total); movie mode (320 x 240) with sound
• Includes 16 MB Secure Digital card; also compatible with MMC cards
• Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery(NP-200, included); connects to PCs and Macs via USB 1.1

Reviews (50)

Great little package
I just bought this camera to take with me to Harley-Davidson's 100year anniversary celebration in Milwaukee. I already had a Fuji Finepix 4700 digital camera, but wanted something smaller & easier to carry. I also chose the Dimage Xt because of it's 3X optical internal zoom which works with the Minolta Marine Case (MC-DG200). I also wanted to take the camera kayaking and underwater.

The Dimage Xt appears to have many features which I have yet to use. I found taking regular snapshots easy. However, changing settings was not as quick as on my Fuji. The small built in flash is not the best. Even group shots at night caused the shutter to be too slow and the resulting photos shakey. But we have to make compromises for the advantages that the size of this camera provides. Its so easy to slip into a pocket and have with you for those "non-Kodak moments". Quality of daylight photos were very good.

Overall, I recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for a pocket-size camera that will take sharp enough pictures for most purposes. Add the Marine Case if you want to turn it into a nice underwater digital camera that you can take down to 100 feet. Add an extra battery too. You'll need it.

All the right features, but picture quality could be better.
I looked at a lot of digital cameras before I bought this one. I chose the Dimage Xt because it was the only ultracompact under $300 with all the features I wanted.

Pros
-Ultracompact size. Take it anywhere you go.
-SD card. Small, plenty of memory for the money, acts like a hard drive when you connect to a computer.
-Quick startup. You won't miss many pictures with this camera.
-Docking station gives you the option of charging battery in-camera (my preference) or by itself.
-Auto white balance. This feature seems to work very well.
-Auto ISO (50-160), ISO 400 selectable.
-3X optical zoom. Amazing for a camera this size.
-3.2 MP.
-Night mode. Works very well as long as you keep the camera still. Almost a necessity with the inadequate flash.
-Makes movies and can be used as an audio recorder.
-Reasonable price given all the above features.
-Controls are easy to use and understand. In minutes, I was more comfortable with this camera than with my 2 year old, 1.3 MP, Olympus D-460.

Cons
-Picture quality could be better for a 3.2 MP camera. I think it must be the folded lens.
-Flash is underpowered and does not cover wide angles. Night mode makes a big difference, but you have to tell the subjects to be still for a couple seconds after the flash.
-Autofocus could be quicker. Results in out-of-focus shots if you rush. Take time to compose your shots.
-Easy to take a picture of your finger if you use your left hand to hold the camera steady.

Overall, I'm quite happy with this camera. The picture quality could be better, but the small size, features, and ease-of-use make up for it. I will probably get a more advanced camera in the future to take better pictures, but I will probably keep this camera to carry around.

I love mine, but a few warnings...
For me, the compact size of the camera was key. I also liked that all of the zoom was internal, leaving less possibility of problems with focusing and external zoom damage (e.g. getting sand in the camera if you take it to the beach).

I found that it stacked up nicely with others in it's price range; however, I would not recommend this camera for a 1st-time-digital-camera owner. The features and settings are in depth.

The major downfall of this camera, I think, is that with it's compact size it begs to be taken everywhere, but the camera does not come with a case. My screen is pretty scratched now, and I've had mine for about 6 months. I'm not rough on it, it just accumulates, and I'm noticing now that it seems to be from the positioning of the plastic part on the wrist strap. As a precaution I'd also get a case of some sort.

Great Camera, Easy to use!
Well, I know nothing about techology and I don't want to spend too much time on figuring out how to use a camera. This camera is perfect for me! I love it! I brought it for 2 months now, I am still loving it! The ONLY problem I had was the memory card that came with it.. it didn't work. I thought it was the camera problem, I was going to return the whole thing, but I brought another memory just to see if it was the camera problem or the card.. Thank god it was the card, not the camera. Besides that, everything else went well, nothing to complain about this camera, this is one good deal.

The Minolta Dimage...a handy camera
I bought the Dimage about 6 months ago. For the most part I have been very pleased with its performance. It is very easy to use....The controls and settings are very self explanatory and doesn't require a computer science degree to figure out. In fact, I didn't even open up the manual to learn how to use it. The construction quality is sound and seems to be pretty rugged. (Yes I have dropped it at least twice and it still works). The image quality is decent. On the TIFF mode, you can't beat it, but at other settings...well let me say I have seen better. I call it my "snap shot camera" I wouldn't use this camera if I were a professional.
I choose this camera primarily for its size. It is awesome! Put it in your jacket pocket and go. Its light and small. (almost too small if you have big hands) For those of you that remember the Kodak disc cameras...the Dimage is very similar in feel. For the "on the go" folks or outdoors types, I highly recommend this camera. If you are interested in "professional" or "artsy" photos...this is not the camera for you.

Here are the pros:
light, easy, decent quality shots, rugged (and it always seems to be a conversation piece because of its size, if that is impt to you). Battery life...I have taken a number of long weekend trips without difficulty. The battery does gripe a little when its cold out...but what battery doesn't.
Cons:
--the viewfinder..useless. Use the LCD--mayber for smaller hands it might be more useful, but the mits I have always block the lens when I bring the camera to my face.
--The Flash...works great in low or medium light...not great in very low light situations. The images come out blurry. If you plan on taking shots in darkness, take a pen light so the camera has something to focus on.
--Shutter delay...seems long. I have had to redo a number of pics because the subjects thought they had waited long enough and walked away mid-shot.

The true test would be to ask if I would buy this camera again? I would! ... Read more

Features

• 3.2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 10-by-14-inch enlargements
• Non-protruding 3x optical zoom combines with 4x digital zoom for 12x total zoom
• Less than an inch thick; one-second start-up time; PictBridge compatible
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards (16 MB SD card included)
• Powered by AA-size batteries (alkaline included, rechargeable Ni-MH recommended)

Amazon.com Product Description

Konica Minolta updates its popular Dimage X series with the Dimage Xg, featuring a faster start-up time of approximately 0.8 seconds, larger LCD (1.6 inches), and continuous advance of 2 frames per second. Its thin, lightweight body (weighing only 4.2 ounces and just 0.8 inches thick) enables you to comfortably carry the Dimage Xg wherever you roam. In fact, it's the world's thinnest optical zoom digital camera (for 3.2 MP models as of January 2004). The Dimage Xg offers a 3.2-megapixel resolution, a non-extending 3x optical zoom lens, movie mode with audio (with a length limited only by your memory card),

Optics and Resolution The Dimage Xg has a 3.2-megapixel resolution, which enables you to print enlargements up to 11 x 14 inches. It has a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, as well as 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, and 640 x 480 pixel modes.

Although the Dimage Xg is thinner than any single focal length digital camera (just 0.8 inch), it houses a revolutionary folded 3X optical zoom lens that can capture everything from scenic landscapes to macro close-ups. The lens never extends from the camera body and zooming noise is kept at a minimum. The slow shutter speed and Dark-Noise Reduction combine to prevent graininess and give exceptional night photos with clearly contrasted dark tones.

Video and Audio
The Dimage Xg can record video at two resolution modes--160 x 120 or 320 x 240 pixels. The length of the movie is limited only by the memory card capacity. With the Remote Camera function, you can use standard Windows programs like Microsoft NetMeeting to teleconference with users anywhere in the world by simply connecting the Dimage Xg to your PC with a USB cable.

You can record up to 15 seconds of sound with the Voice Memo feature immediately after a shot has been taken. The Audio Caption feature records simultaneously during playback and you can record up to 180 minutes of audio (depending on your memory card size).

More Features
Two autofocus modes give you precise control over image sharpness. Wide AF uses a large, 5-point autofocus area for quick, easy picture-taking. Spot AF uses a small focus area in the center of the image frame for singling out a specific subject or detail.

Dark noise, an ever-present problem in electronic systems, manifests itself by giving a grainy or sandy appearance to digital images taken with long exposures. The Dimage Xg combats this with user-selectable noise reduction, which automatically activates for exposures of one second or longer.

Other features include:

• 1.6-inch digital interface TFT with anti-reflection coating
• Optical real-image zoom viewfinder
• Crop frame feature trims parts of captured still pictures and save the image as a separate file
• Email copy function creates a compressed 640 x 480 or 160 x 120 JPEG image for easy transfer to PC and transmission through your email program
• Multiframe mode captures 9 sequential images in a 3x3 grid in a single frame
• Focus as close as 5.9 inches without the need for special macro settings
• The advanced 256-segment metering evaluates subject and scene brightness and monitors the situation for even the slightest changes
• The Dimage Xg can printout photos directly to a PictBridge*-compliant printer without having to go through a personal computer

Storage and Transfer
The Dimage Xg stores images on Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards, and a 16 MB SD card is included. It will hold approximately 17 standard 3.2-megapixel images. It transfers image to PCs and Macs via a speedy USB 2.0 connection.

CxProcess II Image Processor
Konica Minolta's newest image processing technology, CxProcess II, is used to bring out the best in the 3.3 megapixel CCD. CxProcess II controls the essential image qualities of color, contrast, and sharpness while minimizing noise. Brilliant, saturated color remains vibrant without becoming unnatural. Subtle contrast is rendered to retain the richness and depth of the subject while preserving details in the highlights and shadows. Sharpness is controlled to show fine detail while minimizing hard, unnatural edges.

Power and Size
The camera is powered by a proprietary rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NP-200), which can shoot approximately 220 images on a single charge. The Dimage Xg measures 3.4 x 2.6 x 0.8 inches and weighs 4.2 ounces without battery or recording media.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Dimage Xg digital camera, rechargeable battery (NP-200), battery charger (BC-700), hand strap, USB cable, 16 MB SD memory card, and CD-ROM with Dimage Viewer software. ... Read more

Features

• 3.2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 10-by-14-inch enlargements
• 3x folded optical zoom lens, 4x digital zoom combines for 12x total zoom
• .8-inches thick; movie mode with audio; PictBridge support
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards
• Powered by 1 NP-200 lithium-ion battery

Reviews (18)

Konica Minolta DiMAGE Xg Digital Camera
Strengths:
Compact and lightweight camera that allows photographers on the go to take high-quality pictures in any place and at anytime
Weaknesses:
No A/V output and slide show function. This is probably the biggest loss for the XG.
Summary:
The ultra slim Minolta DiMAGE Xg packs a 3x optical zoom and 3.2-megapixel resolution into a body that is just 20mm thick! Though the DiMAGE Xg is almost identical to its predecessor, the DiMAGE Xt, it has a number of fundamental difference, including a faster start-up time (a speedy 0.8 seconds), a larger 1.6" LCD monitor, and a fast, 30-frame-per-second movie mode for high quality movies. Much longer battery life - 240 minute playback versus 120 for the XT. Specific AE program modes for sports, portraits, landscapes, sunsets, night scenes. Sports means faster shutter to catch action and so on. Multi-frame in one frame capture for action sequences (9 pics in less than three seconds). Manual settings mode somewhat like the Canon S230. One switch setting chooses the auto settings including the 5 AE modes. The other lets you choose color mode, ISO sensitivity, metering, and white balance. PictBridge printing support. In camera picture editing functions such as cropping and reframing pictures. In camera cut/paste function allows you to place an image within another image. This is one fantastic camera!

Xg is a Winner
By far the best ultra compact, truly shirt pocket digital camera with the right combination of features. Not the best in the world, but real close. The start up time is less than a second and your ready to shoot. One mode for fully automatic with preprogrammed settings for portait, sport, sunset, night, and landscape. Another mode to have more granular control of sensitivity, white balance, and exposure.

Prints great 4x6 pictures on glossy paper, which is 99.9% of the type of pictures I will print. Comes with a 16MB SD card allowing continuous shooting at 1.5 frames per second.

There is a 3x optical zoom that is non-protruding. Great technology with great pictures. I haven't taken a camera on trips due to their bulkiness. Yes, I'm lazy. The Xg is easily kept in a shirt pocket readily available when the urge strikes.

Disappointing camera from Minolta
I was in awe with this cute little camera because of it's size which seemed to amaze me, especially because it had a 3X zoom without any protruding lenses, minolta's worth-praising technology. I thought this was going to be every amateur photographers dream come true, as it is extremely mobile.

After purchasing this camera and seeing the quality of pictures, I now realize what the price of this camera is all about. To say the least, the picture quality is pathetic. When I compare this to my already existing canon powershot, the difference is strikingly clear. Quality of pictues in this camera would be like those of a web camera, if you excuse the size.

I am terribly disappoited. The photo looks totally granulated with lot of disturbance. The color is made up and not natural. I would have forgiven the cheap little camera had I taken photos in no-so-good lighting condition. But as the lighting was good, the performance should have been better.

After checking out so many cameras, I belive there is nothing better than canon powershot. If you have some extra bucks, it's worth spending on a canon. The picture quality is amazing.

You can read my review for Canon powershot 4 mega pixel digital camera. This doesn't come even close to that.

You can waste your money on this one only if you need to be able to carry a camera around in your shirt pocket and be least bothered about quality photos. I wonder how many of us would do that.

Small, light, but not that fast
I read all the reviews and got this great form factor camera, however it does not shoot as fast as the Sony T1 (my other choice), but the low light performance is better and causes less red eye. It also has the optical as well as the lcd viewfinder. 10x zoom in a non-prutruding lens design is great. BATTERY LIFE IS PHENOMENAL! One note, the lens cover which opens and closes automatically when turning it on or off, is very thin. I just busted it when the camera slipped from my shirt pocket to the floor. So now I have to send it in for service :( . Overall a great little camera that you can take anywhere and forget you are carrying it. I love taking the SD card out and slipping it into my Pocket PC and seeing the pictures right there.

Absolutely a great camera
First off, I have owned a few digital cameras. The first was a Sony dsc-p92, nice camera, great quality pictures, a little bulky for the pocket. Traded this camera for the Olympus c-750uz, which is a fabulous camera and has everything one would want in a camera except size. This camera was stolen because instead of putting it in my pocket(can't do way to big) after the battery went dead, I stupidly put it back in my car in sight (I always put the camera in the trunk except this day) while at the Lowry Park zoo in Tampa for what was to be a few minutes while walking around the park outside. Anyway some Lowlifes broke out he window and grabbed the camera. (We were told by the park security they had been doing this a lot, Thanks for the warning after $700 worth of camera gone). The dilemma for the next camera was primarily wanting a camera that I didn't mind having in my pocket even after the batteries went dead, and one my girfriend didn't mind carrying(she hated both the other cameras for their bulkiness). We also wanted a camera that took decent pictures. Did lots of internet research and came across the Xt, I read reviews for the Xt and loved everything about it, except that some reviewers had complained about picture quality, so it was out. Later while going to Ritz camera they had an Xg, and was told about a wall street journal article that raved about it picture quality being even better than the new Sony 5mp mini. Decided to get the Xg and test it out. Wow, Minolta must have fixed any problems with the previous model, this takes a great picture for 3.2mp. It is not up to the definition of the Olympus or sony, and I do miss the 10x zoom sometimes, but this camera goes everywhere. It is so fast to start up, advertised as the quickest, and It focuses very fast. My other cameras were a lot slower. Was out last night at a club, and got some great pictures of the band, the flash is very bright. I also experimented with the movie and recorded one of the songs. Now this place was dark, so the movie pictures were not the best, but the sound quality was amazing! If you want a great audio recorder this is it. The movies taken in full light are ok, but you wouldn't want this camera to be your movie camera nevertheless, cool movies as long as the memory card can handle(The memory cards are very small and cheaper than comparable Sony and Olympus). Also just started using the burst mode for pictures, If you want some good pictures of your friends this camera can snap off (very quickly)as many pictures as you need, so you can go back and keep the one where everyone has the best smile. Why try for the one perfect picture? I get about six real quick and always have at least one really good picture. Other nice features are the battery life, very long outlasts 256mb of pictures. At first I wanted a camera that took AA batterys, already have rechargeables, but I love this Li-ion battrery, very lightweight and small, and can get them for about $10 on the internet, not bad, and they don't have be drained completely like the Ni-Mh. They charge really fast too. An Hour Maybe. SO how about the complaints? A little weird to handle at first because of the lens and Lcd location. Finger gets in front of lens until trained :) LCD worthless in sunlight, but didn't expect it to be. If Minolta could put the lcd into the viewfinder and have an eyecup attached that kept out the light, that would be fantastic. And if they could ever get a 10x zoom and 5mp in a camera so small, WOW. Your camera purchase comes down to what do need the most. I think the Olympus has the most features, 10x zoom is amazing plus they sell 2x multipliers for 20X!! and best picture, has raw file mode for uncompressed files. This camera is great for wildlife photography. The only drawback is the size, but still not a big a some digitals or 35mm. The Minolta gives up a few things but much less than any other camera I saw that was as portable or in the price range. The problems I read others had with this camera I did not find. Someone had a focusing problem indoors, I did not, without flash they will blur sometimes which is to be expected (use a mini tripod). I have taken pictures at night without the flash(and a solid platform) to get the background and they come out brighter than my eyes can see, very surprised. Other people complained about not having a battery cradle and AV output, but you get so many other things other cameras dont have and the easiest portability of almost any other camera, so this was not a problem for me, it all comes down to what you want, and they haven't made a Camera that has everything in one package yet.....getting close though :) ... Read more

Features

• 4-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 11-by-15-inch enlargements
• Konica Minolta GT APO 12x optical zoom with CCD-shift anti-shake system; combines with 4x digital zoom for 48x total zoom
• Fastest autofocus in its class (May 2004); captures movies with sound; PictBridge compatible
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16 MB SD card included
• Powered by 4 AA-size batteries (alkaline included, rechargeable NiMH recommended)

Amazon.com Product Description

Ergonomically designed, SLR-styled, and packed with powerful automatic and manual controls, the Minolta Dimage Z1 is a great choice for advanced photographers. It features an amazing 10x optical zoom, 3.2-megapixel resolution, and a 30 frame-per-second movie mode with sound.

Optics and Resolution
The Dimage Z1 features a 3.2-megapixel resolution that produces images up to 2048 x 1536 pixels for photo-quality prints up to 8 x 10 inches and medium-quality enlargements up to 11 x 14 inches. Other resolution modes include 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480. The 10x optical zoom has a focal range of 5.8-58mm (equivalent to 38-380mm in 35mm photography). It also has a 4x digital zoom.

Movie Mode
With the Dimage Z1, you can capture TV-quality video (comparable to S-VHS) with sound. You can select from three resolution modes: 640 x 480 (VGA), 320 x 240, and 160 x 120. Video can be captures at 30 frames per second (fps) for flicker-free movies, or at 15 fps to maximize recording time. The length of your captured video is limited only by your memory card capacity.

More Features
Turn on the power, and you can take your first shot in approx. 2 seconds. Shutter release time lag is only 0.06 seconds, and shot intervals are 1.2 seconds. The DiMAGE Z1 also boasts the fastest autofocusing in its class. At 10x zoom, the Rapid AF, which employs video AF for accuracy and a passive sensor specifically to boost speed, has your subject in focus in approximately 0.4 seconds, and is even faster at wider angles.

• 1.6-inch LCD screen with anti-reflection coating
• Built-in flash with Autoflash, Autoflash with red-eye reduction, Fill-flash, and Slow-Sync modes
• Hot shoe for adding external flash
• Capture an entire sequence of 1.3 megapixel images at 10 frames per second
• White balance modes: Automatic, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash), Custom
• Color modes: Natural Color, Vivid Color, Black and White, Sepia

Power and Size
The camera is powered by two AA batteries (alkalines included, rechargeable NiMH batteries recommended). It measures 4.31 x 3.05 x 3.15 inches and weighs 10.8 ounces (excluding battery).

What's In The Box
This package includes the Dimage Z1 digital camera, 16 MB Secure Digital memory card, four AA alkaline batteries, USB and AV cables, lens cap, accessory shoe cap, neck strap, and CD-ROM with Dimage Viewer software and USB drivers for Windows and Mac. ... Read more

Features

• 3.2 megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 8 x 10 prints and medium-quality prints up to 11 x 14
• 10x optical plus 4x digital zoom (for 40x total)
• Includes 16 MB Secure Digital card; also compatible with MMC cards
• Unique SLR-style; fast f2.8 - f3.5 lens allowing fast shutter speeds for sport or natural-light photography; 2-second start-up time
• Powered by 4 AA batteries (alkalines included); connects with Macs and PCs via USB 1.1

Reviews (36)

Ideal Choice for Everyone
I've been using three major brand SLR cameras for the past few years.To satisfy & explore further stages of my increasing interest in photography I decided to move on to digital level. I started to look for a good digital camera. I wanted to have at least 3MP with zoom & other basic functions. Since my knowledge about digital cameras were limited, I researched a lot, starting with Steve's Digicams (www.steves-digicams.com), reading almost all the reviews posted on various sites on the net and trying out almost every possible camera on display. After reading all the reviews and observing the market prices I went for this model. Dimage Z1 looks and feels like a real SLR camera. Perhaps this may be the main reason that made me buy this model. However it turned out to be a ideal choice for me. I can't explain how easy it was to zoom in on distant objects to take a sharp, bright & clear picture without a tripod. This is one fine user friendly camera with too many features to mention, yet simple to use. Excellent battery life ! I love this camera !!! If you've time check out my photos located at
http://community.webshots.com/user/pindiyath100

Impressive features. Sharp, crisp, and detailed pictures
A great Buy

This is my first foray into digital photography. I was looking for a perfect digital camera within $400 price range, I definitely wanted at least 3MP with as much optical zoom as I could get, and also desired the video/audio features for short video clips. I also wanted complete manual controls so that the camera can grow along with my increasing interests and skills in photography. I researched a lot, reading reviews and trying out every possible camera on display. I tried SONY P72, Fuji 3800, Toshiba M700, Panasonic FZ1, Minolta S414, Canon A70, Olympus C4000Z and many more. Although I could not lay my lands on a demo unit of Dimage Z1, I just ordered it blindly, because of its impressive features and looks, the Minolta name and my experience with S414.

Dimage Z1 looks and feels like a real SLR camera, a fairly compact, very user-friendly package indeed! As far as style and looks are concerned, this is the best camera out there right now. I received it just a day before (22 Sep 03) and I am fallen in love with it.

The camera is ergonomically designed with a very good hand -grip but the body is in plastic so the robust and sturdy feel is not there.

All controls are available at the figure tips and strategically located, with a very good feel and tactile feedback.

Zoom is superb and unmatched. Lense movement is soft and noiseless. I heard a lot of noise in other cameras I tried.

I particularly like the movie mode, which records at 15fps or 30 fps clips w/audio, thus combining limited features of a digital video camera.

The 1.5-inch LCD is quite bright and well protected. Both LCD and EVF cover almost the entire frame. Camera uses the same LCD screen for both LCD and EVF and switching is done through an internal mirror/shutter mechanism. This is something different I saw in Dimage Z1 as compared to others.

Flash although weak provides a pretty standard set of lighting options .A flash sync socket allows users to connect an external flash (Minolta only!) to the camera for more powerful flash lighting

The battery life appears to be good.

I just started playing with this camera but all the pictures came out perfectly sharp, crisp, and detailed. I am impressed with the quality, which is at par with 35mm.

However there are some points to note:

1>The lens cap is something where Minolta has to pay some attention. It is loose fitting and of cheap quality. Compare with FUJI S5000's lens cap.

2> Printed manual needs to be more descriptive. (Like Olympus)

3> Lens assembly is designed in such a way that it moves, shakes creating some rattling noise.

4> During movie recording, lens is in All time AF mode and thus makes some clicking noise all the time, this noise gets recorded and it is irritating while playback.

5> Video and Audio syn problem (movie mode)

6> Camera body is in light weight plastic, sounds too delicate, no good for heavy outdoor use.

7> Accessories such as Lens adapter ring, flashes etc are expensive and difficult to find.

8> For full 10X zoom tripod is a must.

9> Battery compartment door won't last longer.

10> Noise and CA.

Over all I am quite happy with this camera, this is the best I could get within this time frame and cost budget. (of course there is one more camera worth looking, that's FUJI S5000, it is almost at par with Dimage Z1!)

Last Update on 13 Oct 2003:

Returned the camera today!

Yes, images are sharp; focus is fast all sounds good but what about reliability?
1> Lens shake (wobble) is simply unbearable, period. I did check other Digicam like C740/C750, S5000 and Kodak 10X Zoom etc all exhibit some amount of Lens wobble but in Dimage Z1 it is too much. Just hold the camera in your hand and you start hearing the lens wobble sound as if something is loose inside it. With such a wobble how long will it work reliably?

2> Battery compartment cover is flimsy! In last 20 day, I changed batteries for 7-8 times and every time I had a hard time in closing the door. I am sure if one applies a bit more pressure the cover will break! Hinges won't last for more 100 odd operations!

3> Lens AF noise during Movie mode is annoying. And Audio-video is out of syn!!

Please do check these things before you buy.
This is my first Digicam and I am not planning another one in coming 4-5 years, and I do not want to deal with Minolta Service center!

There are other options available at almost the same price.

I...

Hope this helps - - have a great day!

Suhas Gokhale

San Diego, CA, USA

all you need now is...
all you need after a purchase of one of these is a bag for it, 256MB memory card, a flash adapter (Z1 is poor at night), and rechargable batteries [AA] w/ charger, oh and a tripod preferably the tall one.
...go ahead buy it.

Great for the price
I bought this camera about 4 months ago and have taken about 1500 pictures with it thus far. I've taken it on trips to DC, Philly, and London. It's been windsurfing (though it stayed safely on the beach), and cross country skiing (where it got to go along for the ride). I also use it for documenting projects around the house, and as the PR camera for my Toastmasters club.

The major technical cons with the unit are:
1) Noisy auto focus - the videos do in fact come out with a clicking sound in the background. In fact they have disabled the zoom feature during video+sound capture mode seemingly for this very reason.
2) Movie mode auto focus is less than optimal and frequently loses focus.
2) Sub-optimal lens - Unfortunately this lens falls far short, and on many occasions the chromatic aberration problems have shown up. It is most evident in shots where the light levels are greatly different between different parts of the shots. For example, in a shot of bare tree branches in the winter against a bright sky, the tree branches will show up purple. Other than the chromatic aberration problem, it appears to be a good lens, on 21st century standards (cheap plastic lenses with sub-optimal optical characteristics being the norm nowadays).
3) Lack of a remote shutter release capability - it is very annoying to be taking long exposures and having to use the 10 second timer function to keep the subject from blurring. Seriously, how do they possibly expect us to make use of the slow-speed synch function without one??? On a positive note, the long exposure shots came out beautifully using the timer.
4) Macro mode is largely unusable due to the difficulty of the auto focus of handling these subjects, and the difficulty of accurately focusing on a subject on a low resolution LCD screen. It has a 1:1 display function when you are using the manual focus mode, but even this is not really useable. Fortunately since it is a digital camera (and film is free!), I usually get the focus into the ballpark, then take a series of shots moving the camera through about 6 inches fore and aft of where I thought it was in focus. One of those shots usually turns out in focus and I can guiltlessly toss out the rest of the blurry mess.
5) The built in flash is utterly useless. At 15 feet in a poorly lit room it will take a picture, but they will likely turn out blurred due to long exposures, grainy due to the increased gain, and overall pretty poor. It does have a hot shoe mount, but see rant #1 for my experience with that.
6) The clear plastic back over the LCD does not appear to be replaceable. This also doesn't appear to be the case on any other camera available today, and it does appear to be made of lexan or something fairly resistant to scratching, but it is only a matter of time before it becomes unusable due to this design flaw.

I have a few rants with the system as well:
1) Apparently Minolta changed their hot shoe mount sometime between the mid 80s when my Minolta Alpha-7000 was purchased and now, and as a result none of my expensive digital flashes will work with the new camera.
2) People can't seem to figure out how to use it. I usually end up out of all pictures I take, which is disappointing because I usually bring this camera on vacations and trips.
3) Movie capture is in QuickTime only. Unless you're in the 1% of the population who can afford a Mac, the player for these movies is buggy and has an annoying popup ad every time it starts up. It does have a conversion program that comes with it so you can put it into a format you would be able to pass onto friends without being embarrassed.
4) The battery cover is pretty chinsy and I expect it to have duct tape on it before not too long.

On the pros for the unit:
1) It usually takes excellent pictures if you know how to use it.
2) For the price I think you would be hard pressed to find a better camera.
3) The SLR like controls make it nearly seamless for me to transition between my SLR and this camera, as well as allowing me to practice techniques using the same modes. With this camera I can get instant feedback and adjust settings to get the perfect shot before it disappears. This ability has allowed me to get some stunning sunset shots I would normally have missed.

Other notes:
1) While RAW format pictures would be nice, it still takes pictures good enough if you turn the compression all the way down. With the resolution cranked and the compression at a minimum, the 3.2 shots come out to between 1.2MB and 1.6MB each. With a 256MB memory card, this is the setting I usually leave it on, and I have never run out of memory.
2) The auto focus on the system overall is pretty good. It is fast, as long as you are patient enough to wait for it to settle down. It has a very difficult time with low light situations and I frequently find myself using the manual focus mode. An illuminator would help greatly, and they do have one on their hot shoe mount flashes.

Also, make sure and look at this camera in person before purchasing - it is much smaller than it looks (for good or bad).

Overall I would buy the camera again. For the price it takes very good pictures. I don't expect this camera to last as long as my Minolta Alpha-7000 has, but I do expect it to get more use.

Blindly taking pictures
This is probably a pretty good picture taking camera, but I can't try any of the controls because I can never see what I am taking! All my pictures are outside and the LCD (at the darkest setting) is so bright and washed out I simply point at shadows and hope I come out with what I want. The eyepiece is no better since it is mostly gray spots. The pictures I get on automatic settings are good, but I could get better composition and lighting if I could see what I was aiming at! Also, the card door keeps comes open when just brushed by the bag. ... Read more

Features

• 35mm SLR camera kit with 28-100mm and 75-300mm zoom lenses
• Fast, precise focusing with 9-point AF sensor system
• Advanced AF focus-point indication accurately tracks moving subjects
• High-grade body construction for balanced, responsive handling
• Powerful built-in flash (GN52.5 in feet) for worry-free low-light shooting

Amazon.com Product Description

The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 gives even novice users the power to achieve professional-quality digital scans at up to 5,400 dpi from 35mm film or slides, perfect for countless professional applications or for professional-looking images of friends and family.

With 16-bit A/D conversion, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 is able capture and reproduce the depth, subtleties, and rich variations in tone and color of the original film image. Choose from Grain Dissolver or Digital ICE functionality to select the desired level of visible grain, or remove the affects of surface contaminants such as dust, scratches, even fingerprints. Pixel Polish provides automatic corrections for color, exposure, and more, and can even provide restorative simulation for faded colors on aged film.

With clean, modern styling, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 is housed in a sleek metal body, slim enough to fit into small spaces on your busy desktop. It offers automatic or manual focus, with a large manual focus dial that allows you to make fine adjustments quickly and easily.

Offering compatibility for both PC and Mac based systems, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 is connected to your computer through an IEEE1394 (FireWire) or USB 2.0 interface, both of which offer fast data transfer rates well suited to the large image files associated with image scanning.

What's in the Box
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 Scanner, FH-M10 35mm film holder, SH-M10 slide mount holder, UC-2 USB cable, FC-2 IEEE 1394 cable, AC-U25 AC adapter, DiMAGE Scan, Photoshop Elements 2.0, ST-M10 stand, RT-M10 reset tool ... Read more

Features

• Single-pass, 35mm film and slide scanner
• 16-bit A/D conversion, 5,400 dpi image resolution
• Grain Dissolver, Digital ICE, Pixel Polish software
• FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity
• PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (4)

Unit good when it works, problem is it doesn't always work.
I purchased this unit in Dec 2003. Scanned a few slides, then came back to in a month later. The unit would not load or unload slides. It made all sorts of grinding noises. Minolta fixed it under warranty. When they shipped it back, it had a damaged face plate. I stupidly did not bother to call them back and demand it to be fixed again. I did not care about minor cosmetic damage to the face plate. I subsequently scanned over 500 slides with it with good results. I did not use if for several months, and now the unit is dead. Won't load or eject the film holder. Now Minotla claims it is damaged and not under warranty. Before you buy this unit, look for others will similar repair problems. I wish I did before I bought this scanner. Not recommened do to the poor workmanship and faulty design that requires frequent trips to the repair shop.

ok but inconsistent and disappointing
I've tested this scanner for two weeks now, and I must admit that despite it doing excellent slide scans, I am worried
about numerous items that may force me to return it.

I'll start with the good: It does excellent slide scans
at 2700 dpi and these come through in about 4 minutes,
pretty consistently and beautifully sharp. The saturation seems only very slightly lacking and I've
been noticing some deficiency in the yellow end of the color balance, but I also have to admit they are very sharp and
perfectly acceptable for a scanner at this price. The Elite also does excellent scans of very dark images, for
instance night shots, which exceeded the capacity
of my last slide scanner.

There remain other problems, however. Top of the list is the results from color negatives. Granted, the results from
my Nikon Coolscan III also suffered the same deficiency in
saturation but I bought that scanner in 1999 and figured
this would be a solved problem. When you scan a negative
in this unit, expect to have to readjust it, a hassle with
negatives for which there may be no real reference
(ie prints, etc) I've gotten beautiful rich prints from
Kodak negative film and these scans just do not come
anywhere near that richness of color. You'll do much better
to scan prints from a flatbed.

Of equal or more concern is the slapdash look of the software included. There was little or no attention paid
to the look of the user interface, which leads me to distrust the value of many of the suppposedly automated functions, such as noise reduction and dust and scratch removal.
The prescans seems to be superfluous. Nikon's
software left this in the dust. I know for a fact that the color adjust is basically for show only. It doesnt appear to
update as you adjust it. Anyway, it's advertised as some
remarkable support ware for scanning which it is not.

The most serious concern is the occasionally wild
variations in scan times that occur when scanning
negatives, however, and the varying times of setup
when you leave it unattended after scanning.
I've seen this unit take from 6- 20 minutes(!) per image at the 2700dpi negative setting
and why it should take so much longer than the slide scan
is a mystery. What's worrisome is the variation in
function. In all fairness, the loaders allow you to load
and leave 4 slides or a strip of six negatives. While the scanner works, you can take a break or snack. I really
appreciate this function and you won't find it elsewhere
at this price. The unit has a thin long profile, and the firewire
makes transfer much faster than any USB scanner will muster.

However, the variation in function and motor noise, cheap appearance of the software, and online rumors make me wonder about the long-term durability of this item, so
proceed with caution. Buy an extended warranty, I guess. So far so good on the slides, though, and that's what really counts, since my experience until now has shown me that negative scans are not gonig to be great at the sub-$1000
price point. They're certainly sharp enough, but Minolta,
where's the color saturation? Telling me to adjust
it in the crappy interface is not a sufficentt answer. And
what in golly's name is the focussing button for?
How am I going to accurately focus a laser on a
small piece of emulsion? Does this mean that this
thing goes out of focus easily? GREAT. That's YOUR
job, Minolta. Mine is to focus the camera.
I'll be looking to another company from now on.
I expect to see a software update if you want to keep the
business of a PRO photographer.

Faulty design useless for serious work
Please, check out postings on serious digital photography forums before even considering this scanner. I would suggest the Digital Darkroom forum at www.photo.net (you can search for DSE 5400 related threads) and especially the Film Scanners forum at www.photo-i.co.uk.

Regarding my personal experience with this scanner, my unit was faulty right out of the box (the "green lines" problem, see forums for more). As of now my (less than one month "old") scanner has been at Minolta repairs service once where it was cleaned. NOTHING was actually done to repair the problem despite the truckload of info (including my original slides and their scans) that I'd assembled for the repairs service. In the next few days the scanner will be shipped out for repairs again but I have a big suspicion that my problem will be ignored just as the first time.

This is what I think about this. Yes, if you are lucky to get a perfectly operational unit, it would produce excellent scans for you. However, my feeling is that Minolta is pushing a poorly designed and tested product that is inherently faulty and susceptible to various quality problems. Currently the risk of getting such faulty unit is fairly high, and if you read this post then you know how you will be treated by Minolta repairs. Minolta appears not to be an honorable company. There is a big chance that if your unit is not operating as it should it will not be repaired but you will not get a refund for it either.

Minolta 5400 - Great Scanner - Easy to use
This is a wonderful machine. Software installed first time, not common for scanners, and worked first time. I have a ton of stuff on my machine (XP/Pro) and found no conflicts.
Best film/slide holders I've seen.
3 scanning modes available.
Easy which does a quite good job, but with little ability to change settings and full which lets you adjust everything. The third mode is batch which lets you set up to scan all negs or slides in the holder.
The full mode can be used within Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements 2 which is included).
Shadow detail is stunning.
All film scanners are slower than flatbeds and this is no exception. An ultimate negative scan (Maximum input resolution, Maximum output resolution, 48bit color, Digital Ice) takes just under 4 minutes and produces a 233Meg Tif file. But you seldem need quite that quality. Most scans would be about 1.2 minutes to 3 minutes. Negatives take longer than slides.
You must have USB 2 or Firewire! You could connect this to USB 1.1, but speeds, especially at the high end would be terrible.
My only complaint is that you can't tell the software the length of the film strip. My of my film is in 4 negative strips and the software always scans the whole holder which is 6 long.
Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Housed in an elegant metal case and weighing just 7 ounces, the compact Minolta Dimage G500 can be easily slipped into a pocket or fanny pack while on vacation. It blends powerful automated features with a host of manual controls (such as color saturation, contrast, and sharpness) and offers a 5-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, compatibility with SD cards and Memory Sticks, and a movie mode with sound.

Optics and Resolution
The Dimage G500's precision electro-optical system is built around a 5.36-megapixel interline primary-color CCD with 5 million effective pixels for beautifully crisp, high-resolution images. It captures up to 2592 x 1944 pixel images for up to 13 x 17-inch enlargements (at 150 dpi). It also offers 2048 x 1536 (3 MP), 1600 x 1200 (2 MP), and 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution modes.

With its high-quality 3x aspheric optical zoom lens, the Dimage G500 has a focal range of 8–24mm (equivalent to a 39–117mm zoom on a 35mm camera). It also has a smooth 3x digital zoom for a 9x total zoom. The maximum aperture of f/2.8–4.9 allows the camera to be used in less than ideal lighting conditions without flash.

Movie and Audio Modes
The Dimage G500 captures up to 30 seconds of video with sound at a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The camera can also record audio on its own, either as an audio-only file (up to 30 seconds) or as an image caption.

More Features
With a fast 1.3-second startup time, you can capture the action at a moment's notice. Plus, the ergonomic control layout makes settings quick and simple; the three most used controls are conveniently placed on the top of the camera body for quick, one-touch access.

The e-mail copy function creates a 640 x 480 or 160 x 120 JPEG copy of an image on the memory card so that it can be easily transferred over the Internet.

The Dimage G500's versatile flash modes let you shoot in a variety of lighting situations with confidence. In automatic mode, the flash fires whenever it's needed. If the main subject is backlit, you can select fill-flash for additional subject illumination.

Other features include:

• 1.5-inch LCD with optical real-image viewfinder
• Image adjustment control settings include saturation, contrast, sharpness, and color balance as well as ISO-equivalent sensitivity and flash compensation
• Manual exposure mode allows you to adjust the lens aperture and shutter speed (from 1/1,000 to 15 seconds ) independently
• Macro mod can get as close as 2.4 inches in both telephoto and wide angle shooting

Power and Size
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NP-500). It measures 3.7 by 2.2 by 1.2 inches and weighs 7.1 ounces excluding the batteries or 8.3 ounces when loaded with the battery.

What's In The Box
This package contains the Dimage G500 digital camera, 16 MB SD memory card, lithium-ion battery (NP-500), battery charger (BC-500), USB cable (USB-800), hand strap (HS-DG130), Dimage Viewer CD-ROM, instruction manual CD-ROM, and quick-start guide. ... Read more

Features

• 5-megapixel sensor creates 2592 x 1944 images for prints at 13 by 17 inches and beyond
• 3x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom (for 9x total)
• Dual SD/MMC and Memory Stick memory slots; 2MB internal memory
• Fast 1.3-second startup time; measures only 3.7 x 2.2 x 1.2 inches and weighs a mere 7 ounces
• Powered by NP-500rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack; connects with Macs and PCs via USB 1.1

Reviews (29)

All you expect from a small digital camera
I am using this 5 megapixel camera for about 1 week. My thorough research of review sites (the best is http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/advanced-digital-cameras-ratings.html) convinced me that I should go with DiMAGE G500 and I was not disappointed. Everything seems to work very well: the pictures are sharp in various conditions, color rendition is accurate (although somewhat on the cool side; try to play with white balance), it is easy to use and the resolution is great. On the latter aspect, follow Minolta instructions in the manual and you will be pleased with the results. The biggest file size is about 1.5 MB, which is quite all right with modern computers. Awesome sharpness, depth of focus and detail! Red eye for me is always a huge problem since my pupils are naturally dilated. However, at point blank range the flash with red eye reduction produces very nice pictures with only a slight red visible. The pictures are best viewed in QuickTime viewer; Photoshop darkens them a lot. However, simply tweak brightness and contrast and it will be OK. Did not have a chance to try the supplied DiMAGE viewer software. The learning curve is short when you print the 127-page manual (only supplied as pdf. file; customer service also a problem) as it has all you need and provides nice recommendations. When buying more memory, consult Minolta compatibility chart (http://www.minoltausa.com/eprise/main/MinoltaUSA/MUSAContent/CPG/CPG_Compatibility/DiMAGEG500). Not all cards are created equal; to avoid problems with bigger memory, use Panasonic or Toshiba SD cards. Do not buy a card reader since the camera connects seamlessly to a USB computer port and all works well. I did not care that much about fingerprints although they are in fact all over the place. Overall, I am very impressed with ease of use, style, size and (!) picture quality and can heartily recommend this little pocket-size gem. Lately (2 months use), I got some disappointment about the viewfinder and saw the same complaint in another review. On wide angle, the lens side becomes visible in one corner of the viewfinder, which I have to use in bright sun (initially thought it was a defect). Also, there is a big discrepancy between the picture sizes in the viewfinder and on the screen. Fortunately, the screen picture is bigger so try to use it as much as you can.

BEST pic quality, BEST menus,BEST compact design, BEST VALUE
i've researched Canon 400S Elph, Sony Cybershots, Minolta F100 - all that jazz (see dpreview.com, cnet.com and steves-digicams.com for thorough reviews) and nothing pocketable held up to this Minolta G500 (Olympus left out for consistently poor image quality and construction). Why is the G500 the best?

For starters, 5MP vs. 4 - not always the main concern, but it's easily the finest 5MP in its price range. Sure, Sony has some new 5MPs out that are only about $50 more (although the ones as small as the G500 are around $100 more) but they feel cheap, have inferior reviews, and lack the picture quality of this Minolta. The only real competition for high-res digicams that are highly-pocketable is the Canon Elph 400S, but this Minolta is at least comparable in every respect, and of course it has 25% more megapixels.

Makes fun camera shooting sounds when you snap pics. Gorgeous displays and intuitive controls. Quick and easy... start-up with cool green light on front. Zoom very quick - zips open and shut. great weight to it - not too heavy by any means, but feels solid in your hands - nice ergonomics. I spent $350 - nothing else around that price point compared. Buy it. Peace!

Great little camera
Got this camera as a result of the reviews on here. As a summary of what most of them seem to say. It's great, battery life is good, picture quality is spot on. I've even used both memory formats though I didn't think I would. The two problems that seem to have been noticed by other people is red-eye and the amount of time it takes to take a photo. Though I have had red-eye in photos it's never been a problem really and I've never really seen a camera that didn't have red-eye of some sort. As for time taken between shots, I've compared it to a 3MP camera and it was faster, it's slower than my previous camera but that was only 1.4MP which I think has something to do with it.

Excellent for the price
This camera has a good number of features for the price.
The upsides include:
- easy to get started
- excellent resolution
- very easy to move pictures to computer
- cool power on/off feature
- good menu system and picture preview
- goo picture monitor (the little screen)
The bad things:
- takes too long to recharge the flash betwen photos
- takes a little too long for the camera to focus and shoot
- 16 MB card only holds about 10 pictures
- shouldn't make me remove battery to recharge

Excellent Camera
This camera is excellent! I bought is two months ago and have taken hundreds of pictures with ease and great clarity. I definitely recommend this camera. ... Read more