After having a generally good experience with the new 6-Megapixel Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6, I decided to try the 5-Megapixel Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5. Having used the similar Canon S2 IS, Panasonic DMC-FZ5 and Sony DSC-H1 cameras as well as the Z6, I wanted to see how the Z5 stacks up. It is very similar to the aforementioned cameras, but sells for less.

Just like Canon S2 IS, Panasonic DMCFZ5 and Sony DSCH1, the Z5 features 5-Megapixel resolution, has 12x optical zoom and optical image stabilization, but its implementation of the image stabilization is different. Instead of shifting an optical element within the lens assembly, it moves the CCD itself.

Similar to S2 IS, the Z5 uses four AA-size batteries (4 disposable batteries included, rechargeable recommended). The Sony H1 uses two AA batteries, whereas the Panasonic FZ5 uses a compact Li-Ion rechargeable battery of proprietary design.

What is Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5?

The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 is a 5-Megapixel digital camera with 12x optical zoom (35-420 mm equivalent) and optical image stabilization that is powered by 4 AA batteries. It features a movie mode, has a pop-up flash (and a flash hot shoe) and stores images on a Secure Digital memory card.

The Z5 has a large 2-inch LCD screen and a high-resolution electronic viewfinder. The camera has manual control (Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual Mode) as well as Auto, Program and pre-programmed scene modes.

The camera also has automatic or manual focus, auto or pre-set white balance and can display live histogram. The camera features maximum apertures of f/2.8 at wide angle and f/4.5 at full telephoto. The camera is very similar to the 6-Megapixel Z6.

Getting Started

Once the camera arrived, I found it to be very similar to 6-Megapixel Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6. The camera is rather large and heavy, especially when loaded with proper NiMH rechargeable batteries. The camera has a very sturdy lens cover that attaches directly to the lens barrel, so there is no danger in forgetting to remove it before turning the camera on.

The camera also comes with a starter SD card, cables, strap and manuals. The camera has a battery door that is rather large and slightly difficult to close once the batteries are loaded as the springs are rather strong. You really have to push the door down. The memory card has a separate lid. Once I inserted the batteries and the memory card, I was ready to shoot.

Ergonomics

The Z5 is generally well-designed with major controls within easy reach. I dislike the weight of it and the unconventional shape, however.

The camera has a mechanical switch between shooting, review on the LCD and review on the viewfinder on the back panel. The back panel also has the menu control buttons and on/off button. The top deck features a more selection wheel, flash mode and macro buttons and the shiny shutter release button. In front of the mode wheel, facing you, there is a zoom control lever.

The flash is not spring-loaded (like Panasonic FZ5) and does not pop up automatically (like Sony H1), but you rather have to open it manually by pulling it up (like Canon S2 IS). I do not like this system. I like the spring-loaded flash like that of the FZ5 better.
The menus are easy to use but lack refinement of Panasonic or Sony. There are too many colors involved and the icons on the screen take up too much space. But the menus and icons are legible and easy to understand. They could be a bit brighter, however.

In Use

The camera uses a different system of optical image stabilization than the others. Instead of shifting an element within the lens assembly, it shifts the imaging sensor (CCD) itself. The end result is still the same: the camera helps you produce handheld blur-free pictures at high zoom levels and/or in darker environments than possible with a conventional camera.

The camera lets you select if you want to have the image stabilization enabled while composing the shot or only while the shot is taken. I usually use the second mode to have slightly better picture quality and to conserve battery power.

I did not test the limits of the camera’s image stabilization system (or Anti-Shake, AS as the call it), but was able to shoot handheld at zoom levels that would otherwise have produced blurry pictures. The bottom line is the AS really works.

The camera proved to be a capable performer. The 12x optical zoom is very impressive. The zooming uses one speed, unlike Canon S2 IS or Sony H1, but I found it generally sufficient.

The camera can be used as a point-and-shoot model in full auto mode. You can also switch to open of the pre-programmed scene modes (portrait, landscape, etc). And for more control, there are Aperture Priority mode (you set the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed automatically), Shutter Priority (vice versa) or Manual mode.

In A and P modes (as well as others except M), you can use exposure compensation in 0.3 EV steps by pushing the left and right arrow buttons. You can also call up a live histogram by using the I+ button.

The Manual mode is strange. It works just as in any other camera (you select both the shutter speed and the exposure), but the camera does not show you the measured exposure value. Or, in other words, you do not know if the camera thins you will over- or underexpose the shot, unless you use the histogram.

Ease of Use

I have not read the manual but was able to use the camera in no time in all modes, including manual modes. Your mileage will vary based on your experience level, but anybody can use it in Auto mode.

Performance

The camera powers on rather quickly for a mega-zoom in only about 3 seconds. The focusing is fast too, albeit only in bright light. In dim light, the focusing slows down and may take up to 2 seconds at wide angle or 3 seconds at full telephoto. Sometimes the camera fails to focus at all, but it happens rarely.

The camera has no focus-assist light. For comparison, Sony H1 focuses even slower at 3-5 seconds in the dim light (despite having a focus assist light). But my Panasonic FZ5 focuses faster than the Z5 and has a focus assist light.

Keep in mind that the camera has manual focusing provision and lets you use it when you feel like it or when you have difficulties focusing in low light. The camera shows you a distance scale (helpful) and magnifies the central portion of the screen (helpful in bright light, but too noisy and lacks contrast in dim light).

The camera can take pictures at a rate of about 1.5 seconds per picture. In burst mode, it can take 3 pictures at about 2 fps (0.5 sec per picture). Overall, it is faster than Sony H1 but slower than Panasonic FZ5.

Picture Quality

The camera has a good auto white balance system, but is struggles with incandescent lighting. The Z5 produces generally good pictures. The problem I found was the lack of Standard color mode. The camera has Natural color mode, in which the colors look slightly dull (but technically correct) and Vivid mode, where they are too vivid. But there is no middle ground and I suspect many consumers will either use the oversaturated Vivid mode or dislike the slightly dull colors of Natural mode.

I do not mind the Natural mode as it is technically correct and Photoshop-friendly.

The images are sharp corner to corner at wide angle and normal focal lengths, but the corners get a bit soft at telephoto. Also, just as the case with the Z6, telephoto shots at full zoom level have high amounts of chromatic aberration (purple fringing).

Overall, the camera does very well until you start using its full zoom potential, where the corners of the image get a little soft and chromatic aberration appears. The full zoom is still usable though.

ISO

The camera has ISO range (in addition to Auto) of 50-320. At 50, the noise is barely visible, but rises at ISO 100 and 200. The ISO 320 features rather high levels of noise and should not be used for anything other than 7x5 or 6x4 prints. And the ISO 50-100 images are good up to 11x14 inches.

Computer Connectivity

The camera features a USB 2.0 full-speed (slower version of USB 2.0) connection. I could download files at about 700-800 KB/s, which is decent, but not the best speed. The camera did not require me to install drivers and, once connected to my Windows 2000 SP4 computer and powered on, appeared as a removable drive. I also used my card reader to get faster speeds.

Battery Life

The camera uses 4 AA batteries (I used my 1600 NiMH rechargeables). I took about 80 pictures and the battery indicator still stayed at the full mark. Very impressive. You should be able to take more than 300 pictures on one set (especially if you use high-capacity NiMH batteries).

Memory

The camera shipped with a small 16MB memory card. Plan on buying a Secure Digital card of larger capacity. Fortunately, the camera uses Secure Digital cards that are not as expensive as proprietary Sony Memory Stick/Pro/Duo or Fuji/Olympus xD-Picture cards. I used my 1GB Kingston Elite Pro Secure Digital card.

Conclusion

The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 is a very good mega-zoom camera. With 12x stabilized optical zoom, 5-Megapixel resolution and a price tag that undercuts the 5-Megapixel mega-zoom competition, it is as good choice. As long as you can stand its color modes, shape and 4-AA battery usage.



My Reviews of Other Digital Cameras

Canon:
Canon Powershot S2 IS Digital Camera Review
Canon Powershot S1 IS Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A520 4-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A510 3.2-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot A95 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot S500 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot S410 / Digital IXUS 430 Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD200 3.2-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD300 4-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD400 5-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Canon PowerShot SD500 7.1-Megapixel Digital Camera Review

Panasonic:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 5-Megapixel Digital Camera with 12x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 5-Megapixel Digital Camera with 12x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 4-Megapixel Digital Camera with 6x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 5-Megapixel Digital Camera with 6x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ4 4-Megapixel Digital Camera with 12x Optical Stabilized Zoom Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15 4-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 Digital Camera Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2 Digital Camera with 12x Leica Lens and Optical Image Stabilizer Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1 Digital Camera with Optical Image Stabilizer and 12x Leica Lens Review

Olympus:
Olympus Camedia C-765 4.0-Megapixel Digital Camera with USB and ED Lens Review
Olympus Stylus 410 4-Megapixel All-Weather Digital Camera Review
Olympus Camedia D-580 / C-460 4.0-Megapixel Digital Camera Review
Olympus D-565 Zoom Digital 4-Megapixel Camera Review
Olympus D-575 Zoom Digital Camera Review
Olympus D-595 Zoom Digital Camera Review
Olympus Stylus 500 Digital Camera Review

Sony:
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H1 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-M1 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P200 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S40 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S60 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T1 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T33 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T7 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W5 Digital Camera Review
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W7 Digital Camera Review

Fuji:
Fuji FinePix A345 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix A350 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix E500 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix E510 Digital Camera Review
Fuji FinePix F10 Digital Camera Review

Kodak:
Kodak EasyShare Z700 Digital Camera Review
Kodak EasyShare Z740 Digital Camera Review
Kodak EasyShare Z7590 Digital Camera Review

Konica Minolta:
Minolta DiMAGE Z2 Digital Camera Review
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 Digital Camera Review
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6 Digital Camera Review

Others:
Pentax *istD Digital SLR Camera Review



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 320
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts