Home > Consumer Reviews > Remanufactured Minolta Dimage Z1 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom

the minolta dimage z1 is an affordable and capable entry into the 10x optical zoom camera class. but there are a couple of watch-outs to consider.

pros:
- 10x optical zoom - this is the main selling point of this camera (make sure you get a tripod or monopod to hold the camera steady at 10x to prevent blurry shots).
- 3MP resolution.
- generally good image quality.
- good redeye performance (better than competition).
- uses a passive AF system that theoretically speeds up focus times at all light levels although low light focus speeds were not as fast as expected.
- has several burst mode options that should appeal to sports photographers.
- allows a great deal of manual control.
- fast start-up.
- minimal shutter lag.
- fast shot to shot times.
- external flash hot shoe - but only compatible with minolta-based flashes.
- support for optional wide-angle lens.
- bright, hi resolution 1.5" LCD display (smaller size than competition, though).
- has intriguing Switch Finder system reflects the LCD image to the viewfinder so you see what the CCD sees.
- movie mode supports VGA quality (640x480) capture at 15 or 30 frames-per-second plus the AF system operates continuously during movie mode ensuring sharpness.
- non-proprietary AA batteries used. this means replacement batteries are as close as the nearest convenience store (i recommend rechargeables though).
- not the most compact 10x zoom camera: 4.3 x 3.1 x 3.2", but one of the lightest at 10.8oz.
- for the price, has a solid feature set.

cons:
- noticeable purple fringing in high contrast and night shots.
- soft images with details having over-processed feel.
- some barrel distortion at wide-angle.
- does not support RAW or TIFF formats.
- build quality suspect as evidenced by lens rattling and a battery door that feels like it will detach easily.
- the feedback when using the Switch Finder system does not give the solid feel that is confidence building - will this system last?
- the passive AF system does not perform very well in low light.
- the supplied 16MB SD card is inadequate. be prepared to shell out a few more bucks for more memory.
- add more $$ to buy more rechargeable batteries and a charger (only disposable batteries are included).

the dimage z1 is a good value (for the feature set) in the 10x zoom camera class but two areas of improvement are: noticeable purple fringing and suspect build quality. if this camera holds up well, it's a very nice value. but if it breaks prematurely, you're out several c-notes. in the 10x optical zoom class, also consider the olympus c-740 and c750 as well as the fuji s5000.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

This is a very good camera; excellent value.
My priorities were:

1. Good picture quality (obviously).
2. Quick response time.
3. Big zoom to get close to subjects without being intrusive.

Z1 does a great job on these features. Additionally it has many other valuable features such as 60 fps screen, exposure control modes, 30 fps high res video, ease of use, etc. But it isn't a "pocket edition" due to the 10X optical. Highly recommended.

I got this camera a week ago. I'd been shopping for a compact replacement for my bulky Kodak DC5000. I had considered the Canon A70, but then I saw this Z1 and took the leap.

It's a little bigger then the A70, but the 10x zoom, ergonomics, and unique viewing system really appealed to me. I'm glad I got it. I'm very pleased.

The camera is feature rich. You have control over everything or you can just go with AUTO. I haven't even tried the MOVIE features yet.

The picture quality is, IMHO, excellent. I've taken a lot of pictures of my dog, and the color and detail are very good. A close examination reveals exceptional detail in each hair on her coat. Snapping action shots is great because the camera is fast. The auto focus is fast and the recovery time for the next shot is fast. The camera is very light weight and ergonomic so holding it and setting up a shot is a pleasure.

The unique SLR-like viewing system is very natural. Nothing out there comes close unless you're looking at a digital SLR for $1000 & up.

Yep, it's only 3.2 mega pixels, but I'll take the 10x zoom over an extra megapixel since getting a good shot, more often then not, benefits from a little detachment (with people, as well as dogs :).

I've seen criticisms about the camera's use of plastic, and comments like the NY Crank Yanker's below on picture quality & steadiness and low light issues. Hey, the camera isn't for Ansel Adams. It's not a Leica, or a Hasselbad. As to the plastic materials, I think this contributes to the camera's light weight and ergonomics and to some extent it's price point. Nevertheless, for features/performance/price ratio, this camera is an excellent value and a real joy to use.

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 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.