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

This camera is certainly in a class of its own. But before you buy it, here's what I found :

(I wont comment on photo quality as anything these days over 2MP will produce excellent and sharp images - the Minolta being able to do this with ease)

1. I initially wanted the Fujifilm S5000 - a very very good camera. However, when I compared picture quality, the Minolta Stood out. The Minolta also stood out with its SLR-type viewfinder which helps a lot in taking pictures.

2. Bluriness : The camera does not use infrared focusing but rather "calculates" the focal points in the picture - and then uses that to focus on the correct items. This works very well BUT - I have noticed that when taking pictures with moving smoke (i.e a barbeque) the autofocus struggled and had to switched to manual. Other than that it has given me no problems and is capable of allowing the user to focus on particular parts of the picture.

3. The cameras looks and "handle"-ability are superb. Its easy to hold, the buttons are reachable and its comfortable.

4. The Macro is just stunning!

5. The LCD display is the sharpest I have seen - another plus over the S5000.

6. And last but not least, it has a wicked flash. This baby will light-up people in pitch-black darkness like they've just been struck by lightning!

All in all I am very happy with the camera.

However, the choice comes down to the users. For the same price I could have got a 5 megapixel or higher, but with no zoom lens it kinda makes your pictures look a bit cluttered when you cant focus on what you want.

A friend of mine saw this on TV and bought one. I played around with it some, and thought it was a nice little camera. It definitely has some good points. Its light, its loaded with features (you practically get bored reading the list of specifications its so long), and it has a bigger zoom than most of the other entries in this price class.

Unfortunately, I noticed some missing items while reading the specs, that downgrade it, at least some. File types for one, most of us use computers to change, view, print and modify files, so having a number of file types supported helps. JPEG is about the only standard format supported by this camera. Next, I would have figured by now the makers would have gotten the message that we don't like digital cameras with a throw-a-way memory card. I really think today's digital camera should come with a minimum of a 32 Meg card, or larger. This one has only a 16 Meg card; it won't take many quality pictures without downloading.

I really liked playing with the 10X zoom. You could get a clear image on some really distant stuff. I did need to set it down on a rail though to get a steady shot. One of the reasons, I would wait for more of the new models to come out is to get the Fuzzy logic type of steady cam I have on my five year old camcorder. It's only a matter of time before it shows up on these medium priced models.

The camera looks really great, and has simple enough to use controls. A special feature lets you see the LCD through the viewfinder. Different from the digital optical views you sometimes get mixed results from. One thing I was impressed with was the resolution in the viewer screen. Too often these things are very blocky, but this one was clear. The flash really lights things up well, and the redeye reduction actually works!

I'm not a professional photographer by any means, so I can't comment on all the optical specifics. Suffice it to say, that the camera is probably not intended for the professional. It's easy to use, has a great long range zoom, but I think its lacking in some important areas.

I'm new to digital cameras and my criteria was:

1. At least a 5x zoom
2. Quick shutter speed for sports shots.
3. Ability to manually control shots as I grow more comfortable with digital photography.

The Dimage Z1 has met my expectations with flying colors! Some of what I like so much about the camera is true of all digital cameras: seeing your shots as you take them, a memory card that can hold hundreds of pictures, digital video, and easy download to the computer. If you're on the fence about a digital vs. tradtitional camera (as I was for a while before doing lots of research), then let me tell you digital is SO nice! I wish I had a digital on my 5 week trip to Europe! That would've been so nice not to have to worry about rolls of film, wondering if my pictures turned out, and being able to take video -- how cool would that be to have video clips of my favorite places on my trip.

Back to the Z1: the thing is a work of art. I spent a lot of time looking for the right camera but it became very clear that the Z1 was the clear winner.

The zoom is really nice, the interface is incredibly easy and intuitive, and while its a little bigger than some of the postage stamp sized digital cameras you see nowadays, it's no where near as bulky as my Minolta 5000 with the telephoto lens.

My favorite features:
1. Choosing the size and quality of your image.
2. Digital video: up to 60 fps.
3. Zoom: Beautifully clear pictures at the 10x zoom.
4. Ease of use with capability to manually program your shots.

Anyway, I'm no professional photographer, but if you want a great camera for $300 then I strongly recommend you look at the Z1.

Be sure to get a larger memory card (the stock 16mb isn't big enough to be practical), and get the Nimh batteries with the recharger.

I have used the Z1 mainly to capture the precious moments of my kids. After taking over 300 pics, I liked the Z1 very much. It just delivers the results it declares (fast focus, low shutter lag, long zoom, manual controls). I agree that there are better cameras out there (A1, FZ10, 300D) but they are all at a different price range.

I should say the Z1 is 'just enough' for me, 3 MP is just enough, 10x zoom is just enough, weight and size is just enough (FZ10 is too big, A1 too heavy). Originally I was planning to buy the Optio 555 which is smaller and lighter. But the 5x zoom is insufficient to keep a reasonable distance from the kids and keep myself unnoticed. And of course the Optio 555 is nearly twice in price (when considering the additional battery packs, etc). The Olympus C750 has also been considered, but rejected due to its slower performance.

Some pics from the Z1 are posted for reference:

http://www.pbase.com/keith_hk/keiths_collection

Regards,
Keith

I've read many reviews(dpreviews.com, pcphotoreview.com, dcresource.com,..etc) about the Z1 and 90% of it has been positive. The 10% that was negative have been from more of the advance to professional photographers. Many of the problems has been aesthetics and the purple fringing with night time shooting. Anyone who is starting out or who is at the intermediate level will find the Z1 the best value for the money. THE Z1 IS NOT A CAMERA FOR ADVANCE or PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS, AND SHOULD NOT BE RATED/REVIEWED IN THAT CATEGORY.

I'm reviewing this camera from the beginner - intermediate view. The Z1 has auto functions for the beginner and manual controls(Shutter control, Aperture priority, Manual Focus, and Manual White balance) for the intermediate photographer, But ( There is always a BUT) there are some things that due concern me.

1. The shaky lens. Minolta says they designed that way purposely for when carrying.
2. The battery cover. Not very robust
3. The mirror system used to reflect the LCD to the viewfinder. Could see this jamming or breaking down from continuous use

With all that aside, the DIMAGE is still a very solid camera. So what if it's not black, So what if its got unconventional styling Bottom line is; it takes excellent pictures and is priced very competitively.

Nuff Said!