Digital-Camera Reviews

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.

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 !!! Check out some of the pics that I've captured with this camera at http://community.webshots.com/user/pindiyath100

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

I've owned a Fuji F401 for over a year and been very happy with it. I decided to get another digital camera and picked this one due to it's even smaller size and the fact that the video length is only limited by the size of the memory card. Also, it uses SD memory, which I prefer due to it being cheap and available in sizes up to 512MB.

I've found that in spite of it's small size I have no trouble operating it. I am very happy with it's features and quick response time when navigation menus and managing (reviewing, deleting, etc.) photos and videos. I don't mind the small LCD and I manage not to get my finger in the way of the lens.

My only major disappointment is the picture quality. I find it very challenging to take a nice picture. I get blurred, dark or poorly colored shots much of the time. While the Fuji doesn't have the control over Exposure, White Balance, etc. this one has, I could just fire away with it and get pictures that were brighter with better color and in focus more of the time. Many of the pictures I take are indoors, which seems to be a particular challenge with the Dimage Xt. The video quality is worse than the photo quality in low light situations. Much worse than my Fuji in the same conditions.

Also, althought the startup time is short, there is a long delay between when you push the button and the picture actually takes, at least when using the flash. This has caused me numerous missed shots of my rapidly moving 2 year old.

Maybe I will learn the best settings for each type of shooting I do and improve the percentage of good photos I take, but I'd prefer not to have to do this. I will only use this 3.2MP camera as a backup to my 2MP Fuji.

Strengths:
Small size, light weight, user-friendly, videos for full length of memory card, built-in speaker.

Weaknesses:
Memory card (secure digital) is more expensive than most others, camera mode selector not easy to move, takes longer than expected to actually take pictures (but quick start up).

Comments:
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Anyway, this camera is GREAT! Compared to my previous camera which I bought about 2 years ago, they have DEFINITELY come a LONG way in digital camera technology. First off, the 3.2 megapixel quality is more than sufficient for everyday photos. This camera is also great for close-ups (up to 15cm).

The user menus are super easy to use as well. Love the sound that comes along with it! The camera makes sounds when turned on/off, picture taken, and when a picture is focused. You can even CUSTOM record your own sounds to some of these features! You can also preview the pictures without actually having to switch to preview mode too. That saves a lot of time!

The start up time is also amazing. My old camera took forever to take picture after picture. This one is quick.

The downfalls are that the memory card is pretty expensive compared to other makes and taking pictures takes a little longer than I had expected. The camera takes a while to focus the image(s). The camera also sometimes hangs when using the USB connection (I have to pull out and put in the battery).

The biggest problem I have is moving the camera mode selector (from image shooting, preview, movie/audio mode, and setup).

Overall, however, I would HIGHLY recommend this camera!!!

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.

I've been using this camera for a while and it's just wonder.
Pros:
Small - I can put it in my Minolta leather camera holder and wear it on a belt. Very portable, good for traveling.
Movie - 35 seconds movie in QuickTime format. Pretty good quality WITH SOUND!! Can zoom while shooting movie.
Functionalities - You can choose TIFF or JPEG format. 35 sec. audio memos for each picture and 30 mins audio recording. Different ISO settings, night time photo exposure compensation, can zoom-in when viewing pictures on the LCD, e-mail format, EXIF photo printer format
Zoom - 3x optical zoom using built-in prism. No protruding lens during zoom. Awesome!
Memories - comes with 16MB but not enough. So, I got the 128Mb which is more than enough for my use. About 130 high quality 4x6" type of photo (not the largest size and highest quality yet).
Battery - small and last for a whole day at least. I used the Olympus before and its AAA battery runs out so quickly. This Lithium battery in the Minolta is so much better.

Cons:
Software - Slow to load up pics and kinda useless. But I used Photoshop for editing and ACDSee for viewing anyway.
Moive - on 35sec Max even if you have a 128M memory card.

Conclusions:
Cons is minimal. It's definitely worth it. Very eye-catching, easy to use, easy to upload pics. Definitely need a 128Mb memory card, an extra battery.

This camera is amazing. It's so light and compact, it's hard to believe you've got a 3.2 megapixel camera with 12x combined zoom in your hands!

The camera uploaded/connected to Windows 2000 via USB with absolutely NO problems, and I had no trouble AT ALL at removing either the memory card OR the battery. Wish it could take standard AA or AAA batteries, but that's the tradeoff you make for a tiny package.

Also, I'm astounded with the extra features this camera offers: record short movies WITH sound, record voice messages/memos to yourself, tiny moving lens cover, internal zoom parts, FAST startup and shutdown, just to name a few. Wow.

Even the manual is easy to follow and written in plain english. I didn't try any of the enclosed photo software because Paint Shop Pro 7 is the best and easiest photo and paint software I've ever found. .

The camera also has several levels of quality. With my 128mb memory card, it can store 13 pictures on highest quality and picture size, and 1958 pictures on the lowest quality and smallest picture size. On medium settings, you'd get at least 391 pictures at a time. Not too shabby!

I'd recommend buying an extra battery pack so you won't worry about running out of power, although the batteries do last a long time if you aren't using the LCD display much.

All in all, this camera is worth the money you pay for it.

I was looking for a small camera that I could shove in a pocket and take wherever I went so that if a photo oportunity came about, I would have a camera ready. I was low on money, and found this camera refurbished. I read lots of reviews and compared this camera to other cameras with the same features. Buying this camera is definitely not a mistake! I have the basic case and an extra battery, and since the batteries only take about an hour and a half to charge I always have one ready when the battery in the camera dies (Which is usually after a full day of continuous photography).
The camera is incredible rugged, I have dropped it on more than one occasion, and it still works. Whether I am in school, at home, or pretty much anywhere, this I know that I am sure to get a good picture.
Now to adress some of the problems that people say this camera has:
1. anemic flash - Although the flash is a little wimpy, when you use it within about 12 feet of your subject it is fine.
2. picture quality - the picture quality is as good as any 3.2 megapixel camera. It just depends what setting you have it on. I always keep mine of the largest picture and fine quality(next level below tiff). If you are complaining about image quality, get a film camera, and wait until digital cameras get better. Film is the equivalent of about 15-20 megapixels.
3. 16 megabyte card - duh, you can't get many pictures on here that are even somewhat decent in quality. No matter what camera you buy, you will still have to buy a larger card if you want a good amount of pictures. I have a 256 megabyte card that holds 160 pictures on fine and about 38 in tiff mode.
4. Finger in the picture - yeah, I agree that if you have big hands this can become a problem. The best way to hold this camera, is to use the controls and take the picture with your right hand and hold the bottom left hand corner of the camera with your left hand to steady it.
5. this camera is not for professionals - I agree. If you want all the controls of a manually controlled camera, keep looking, however, the autofocus does do a nice job, and I don't understand why a camera with more things to adjust would be better for snapshots and and active lifestyle.
All in all, this camera is truly one of the most handy electronic gadgets that I can think of and I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS CAMERA TO ANYONE.

I have several regrets with this purchase. From the fact that I listened to the sales person who was unknowledgeable about megapixels to the very unpridictable prints from this camera. Some come out ok but for the most part they are pretty bad. Very grainy. Even when printing 4 X 6. And if I can help with the Megapixel confusion, I've done alot of research on the matter since I bought this camera, and have found out a few things. The best place to start is http://electronics.howstu ffworks.com/digital- camera.htm Hope this helps in your digital camera purchase

I bought and then lost this little camera on a trip to Tokyo, Japan. It is quite a lovely little digicam that looks cool and works well. The positives are that it is lightweight, easy to use, easy to transfer photos, simple to handle and the quality of the photos is great for a 2 MP camera. If you are looking for a camera that will take large-print pictures, this is not your camera because come on! don't spend money on a 2 MP camera if you want 5 MP quality. The options for taking the pictures are very fun to play with. With a large memory card, you can store a large amount of snapshots.

The drawbacks include short battery life. The camera just drains the two AA batteries too quickly. The setting have to be reset everytime the camera is turned off. The shutter release time is bit slow.

Buy this camera if you only wish to spend under $200 on a digicam that takes nice, but not exceptional, quality pictures. Definitely shop around and if you can afford the extra hundred, look into getting a higher MP camera. This probably would make a nice gift for a teenager or child. Minolta has the sleekest designs around.

The Minolta Dimage X20 is great. For its size it offers very impressive features. The 3x optical zoom is excellent because its internal so you don't have to mess around with a lens slide. It doesn't even look like this camera could have a zoom lens but Minolta did a wonderful job. I don't miss the viewfinder in my old digital camera at all.

It takes good quality digital photo's if you're not a professional. I think the majority of the people buying this camera will be happy with the quality. Its also very easy to use. It has a good graphical interface system so you'll get used to changing settings in no time.

With a 256mb sd memory card I can record 12 minutes of video and audio in Quicktime. The included 8mb memory card isn't enough in my opinion. Minolta should include more memory.

Its very small in size so its easy to take with you pretty much everywhere. You may want to use a small case as it can get scratched or damaged if you rough it up.

If your only going to use it for small sized pictures and prints its perfect because most likely you won't be needing anything better than a 2.1 mega pixel camera anyway.

Overall a really great camera for the price and I'd highly recommend it. Its selling for well under $200 everywhere I've looked!

I bought this case from Amazon for my Dimage X (the old one, with 2MP). It fitted nicely onto the camera, but the nasty surprise came when I actually tried to use it during snorkeling.
The shutter lag is about a second, which means that the camera takes a picture about a second after you press the button (see other review). Now try shooting fish when bouncing in the surf!
Very disappointing indeed. I hope they fixed this for the Xt, because the Minolta hotline plainly stated, that it's just the way it is for my camera, not fix is being considered. Now if you shoot static pictures on the beach, the case may be nice, but trying to frame marine life is next to impossible and makes the case practically useless for snorkelers or divers.

I bought this for a vacation to the Caribbean and was quite surprised with the ease of use and the results that the Dimage Xi produced underwater. I had to occasionally push harder on a button for the camera to respond, but that may have just been because the camera wasn't perfectly aligned in the housing. All in all, it's been a great buy.

Let me start by saying I use to teach photography at college and an a critic as far as picture quality goes. A college of mind bought this camera and I was so impressed with the size and features I figured what the heck I'll give it a shot because my Cannon G1 is just to big to carry with me all the time.

One of the most important feature to me was size, I wanted something I could carry around. This covered it, it is small, wow is it small and light. It's slender body fits into my pocket and I forget it is there. As a result I shoot more pics. The other nice feature is the quick worm up time of about a sec. Cameras I have had in the past I missed shots because they were booting up. This camera has a exceptional exposure control in low light, it is hard to take a bad picture.

Now for the down side. The picture quality is OK. I find it a bit smooth and not crisp enough for my taste, but nothing photoshop can't fix. I miss a volume control on the shutter it is either on or off and there are no shortcuts to the menu items to quickly toggle features or delete frames. The view window on the back is fixed and a bit small and dark sometimes, mostly in low light. Also when shooting movies the mic is on the top of the camera rather than the front so if you are in a busy room it pics up everything else as loud as the people you trying to shoot.

Over all for the size it is awesome. I would call it a excellent party, snapshot type camera. If I lost it I would go out and buy another one without hesitastion.

I've owned the Minolta Dimage X for about 6 months now, and I have been very happy with it thus far. I will admit I'm not a photography expert, and this is my first digital camera. I'm not the greatest judge regarding photo quality, but I'm definitely happy with it. This camera is definitely an attention-getter, and people will always be asking you to check it out. I love that it fits in the pocket of my dress shirt as well.
The menus on the screen are very easy to use, and there are three size settings and four quality settings. You can also turn off the screen (to save battery life) and use the viewfinder instead. This is handy if you don't have much battery life left. I also like that it tells you how many photos are remaining on the memory card.
There is one negative- the software that comes with the camera is absolutely terrible. It has an ugly lay-out and some of the functions don't even work. If you are doing constant uploading, you may want to use external software. But this is a great and stylish camera for the casual user.

The new DiMage X is just an incredible camera! First of all it's small, perhaps the smallest 2-megapixel digicam on the American market today. I still have my Canon S100 but this one is not only thinner but also lighter -- and the battery life is longer, too!

The second most amazing thing is even though the camera lens does not move, it *is* capable of 3X true *optical* zoom!! This is accomplished through an internal movable prism. Simply an ingenious piece of work! This means two things: fast zoom, and less distortion.

The camera is quite fast in saving images (max resolution is 1600x1200, just like the Canon S100) to the SD card. It takes about 1-1.5 seconds between pictures when flash is used and around 1 sec when flash is off.

Picture quality is *excellent*! One gripe I have about the S100 is the image quality is so so, especially in low-light conditions. The DiMage X easily ranks among the high-quality digital pictures. Images are sharp and color-rich. You can also make exposure compensation if you feel the picture is slightly over or under exposed.

This is one awesome camera! Its unique shape, extraordinary compactness and awesome picture quality make it simply the best consumer digital camera.

Disappointing - This camera case is good only as a dust cover for carrying the camera in something like a purse or backpack.
For being an official Minolta product, this case appears very cheezy.
Very thin [faux] suede / plastic material offers little protection.
Small internal pocket has space for one or two compact flash cards.
No room for batteries or anything else besides the actual camera.
No carrying strap or belt loop.
There are MUCH better cases out there.