Konica Minolta DImage Z6: High end Digital Camera at Mid-Level Price
Written: Jan 04 '06 (Updated Jan 04 '06)
Product Rating:
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Shutter Lag
Pros: High-end camera with mid-level price tag! Includes some features found only on high-end cameras! Terrific!
Cons: Slightly complicated at first; accessories difficult to use at first.
The Bottom Line: High-end camera with high-end features with a mid-level price tag. Slightly difficult to learn at first but basically useable out of the box with a little reading of the manual.
paisleyplace's Full Review: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6 Digital Camera
We all have to face a few facts in life when it comes to purchasing digital cameras. The Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 shows there are cameras out there with the ability to offer the most at the least possible cost.
For most people, money does play a factor in determining what we buy. We want the most bang for the buck without breaking the piggy bank.
Highest possible pixels with best possible zoom and great photo output.
Customer service and support.
Nothing requiring a degree in photography to operate camera.
Well-known brand name.
As many extras that the camera will allow on a budget.
The Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 has all of the above and more! Konica Minolta is a well-known camera in photography circles. Chances are during the manual 35mm camera days, this company was the end-all, be-all of camera companies. It ranks up there with Nikon but very few other companies hold the standing within the public as Minolta and Konica Minolta. The Dimage Z6 is a wonderful camera with high-end features and options at a mid-level price.
Let's talk turkey and the name of that turkey is price. Price plays a major factor in today's market because let's face it, times are tough, money is tight, and well, the economy is not what we would like it to be. Cost plays a major factor in what we buy and how much we spend on any given product especially during the holidays such as Easter, Christmas and other traditional holidays. It's the end of the year with tax time right around the corner so while everyone wants to give as much as they can, it is sometimes simply not possible. The Z6 model of the Konica Minolta line presents the best price for a high quality product. I cannot emphasis enough how much this camera is literally a high-end camera with a mid-level price tag. A well-known established company makes the camera, which brings a huge check in the plus column.
Most people, me included, want to find a camera with as many features as possible. The Z6 is chock full of features not available on many lower-priced brands and even many higher priced brands. For example, the Konica Minolta Z6 offers sepia and B&W photos. The camera has an auto function but it is able to photograph in the daytime, nighttime, cloudy days, and the ability to take photos of moving subjects. Minolta's spec sheet lists these options as portraits, sports, landscapes, sunset, and night photo taking abilities. The auto setting accommodates changes of light and subjects without the photographer having to do anything more than simply sit behind the camera and hold until the auto-focus finds the best shot. There are options to manually configure these shots but if one does not possess the know-how to do it, auto focus can and will do it for you. The white balance adjusts for daylight, cloudy, tungsten, and fluorescent. An auto option is available for this too. By the way, this camera includes a built-in flash and the ability to add another separate flash to the unit as well. For the average user, the included built-in flash is sufficient but it is nice to know the camera can grow with the user.
Portrait Option: The portrait optimization is to reproduce warm, soft skin tones and a slight defocusing of the background. Most portrait settings look best at the telephoto setting. Use of the built-in flash with strong direct sunlight or backlight reduces harsh shadows.
Sports Action: The sports action is a feature to capture action by maximizing shutter speeds. The AF system continuously focuses. When suing flash, the subject much be within flash range however.
Landscape Mode: Landscape modes optimize to produce sharp and colorful landscapes. Use this with bright outdoor scenery. A prime example of using this mode of photographer exists around my home. I have azaleas lining the front, back, and both sides of a beautiful country-style ranch home located in a subdivision in the midst of "Mayberry Incarnate" as my friends refer to my hometown. Each spring, the azaleas produce the most beautiful flowers that fill every nook and cranny of each bush. The home is white with black trim, at least until we replace the siding in the near future, which I plan to return to the exact current color scheme when choosing new siding. The yard itself contains numerous landscaping islands with various colorful flowers, bushes, and plants within each. The landscape mode will bring out the beauty of the azaleas and other flowers within our yard better than any previous camera we have owned in the past.
Sunset Mode: The sunset mode optimization reproduces rich, warm sunsets but remember not to point the camera toward the sun for prolonged periods. The intensity of the sun can damage the CCD. Between exposures, turn off the camera or cover the lens with the include lens cover.
Night Portrait: The night portrait mode brings out deep, subtle night scenes. Again, the manual recommends the use of a tripod but in my daughter's opinion, the anti-shake option built into the camera, night photographic shots will turn out well even in the night sky with the use of the built-in flash.
The Z6 camera was actually a gift for my 18-year-old daughter. It is her senior year of high school and there is a high probability this camera will last long into and possibly behind her college years. This young woman has a knack for photography. If given the right instruction, according to a professional photographer I know that has seen her work, she could easily take up a career in the field. Her heart is in nursing so the field of photography's loss is the field of medicine's gain. She specifically asked for a camera with the ability to take photos in black and white with the ability to take photographs in sepia. Immediately out of the box, she began taking photographs. All turned out extremely well. Her father, who is not nearly as camera proficient, could take photographs with the camera as well. The 2.0-inch TFT LCD screen allowed me to take a few photographs as well despite my vision problems. The Z6 can accommodate varying levels of photo-taking proficiency skill levels.
There is a major debate between my husband and me regarding what is the most outstanding feature on this camera. The additions run the gamut with each having a unique sensation of their own. In addition to the 2.0-inch TFT LCD screen one can use to line up photos is not the only way to take pictures. The Z6 includes a separate EVF or electronic viewfinder in addition to the LCD. The electronic viewfinder is a small 0.33-inch color monitor with a magnified eyepiece. The eyepiece for the EVF has full diopter adjustment with approximately 100 percent field view. The dioptric adjustments are -3 - 1m(-1). Basically, if the photographer wears glasses, the user can remove their prescription lenses and turn the roll-type knob directly beside the viewfinder to adjust for vision correction in order to take their picture using the viewfinder instead of the LCD screen. This is an option generally ONLY found on high-end cameras. Do see what I mean about this being a high-end camera with a mid-level price tag?
The best part of both the viewfinder and the LCD screen is that each brightens in low light conditions providing much clearer view of the subject matter ensuring the best photograph possible. The LCD and electronic viewfinder provides playback options much like camcorders. In fact, this camera has the ability to record, complete with moving video and excellent audio, mini-video movies. Video length and quality depends on memory card size and photo/video quality settings in the menu options.
My husband and I did agree on one amazing selling point of the Z6. The Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 includes image stabilization! Many cameras we tested, and there were hundreds over the last three months, went one way or a complete other. Many cameras did not advertise having image stabilization. Other cameras had it but did not advertise it. Still other cameras did have it but the quality was so inferior one could say with certainty it did not exist at all. The Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 not only has excellent image stabilization, which it calls the anti-shake system. Believe me when I say the anti-shake or better yet image stabilization DOES work and it works well! When we first began researching cameras for our daughter, image stabilization is the one option we could not in good faith fail to ensure it came on any camera we chose for our daughter. It is such an important feature to offer on any digital camera as much as it is any camcorder bought today. The camera does allow one to disable or enable the function in order to save battery power. Anti-shake and/or image stabilization is not necessary when using a tripod. The instruction manual booklet recommends disabling anti-shake whenever using a tripod.
The Z6 camera has smart-features built into the camera's brain, if you will. The unit includes an audible and visual warning. The unit will beep and the LCD will display a visual warning on the 2-inch LCD display when the camera shakes to the point where any pictures will not take properly. This feature works even when disabling the anti-shake within the menu setup. The Dimage Z6 from Konica Minolta is one smart camera! It does everything except take the photos for you but when you consider the built-in self-timer, it nearly does that too.
At the top of the Z6 features, one has to include the zoom options. The fact the camera is a 6.1 pixel camera is great but even more so is the fact it has a high quality zoom. The camera uses a Minolta GT APO 12x Mega-zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent coverage of 35-420mm. The maximum aperture is f/2.8 4.5. Lens construction consists of 13 elements in 10 groups including two AD glass (anomalous dispersion) in addition to two aspheric elements. Assurances for minimal flaring and ghosting throughout the zoom range are possible due to multi-coating on the lens surfaces. The five-blade aperture reproduces near-circular images of out-of-focus specular highlights. An accessory option includes a wide-angle converter kit (ZCW-300) includes a 0.75 wide-angle lens to let the camera include more of the scene in the picture. At the 26mm wide angle, the converter lens is exceptional for panoramic landscape pictures in addition to tight indoor scenes.
The Z6 uses Rapid AF in order to ensure sharp images with the least delay. The rapid AF uses a passive AF sensor that instantly estimates distance between the photographic subject and the camera to determine the best focus point. The high-speed drive focuses the lens more quickly and smoothly than any camera, I am aware of anyhow, within this price range.
Flash modes are equally impressive when described in lengthy detail. In order to use the flash, one has to raise the flash by placing two fingers on either side of the flash cover located above the camera lens to lift the top upwards exposing the flash beneath. It rises to a well usable height. Atop the built-in flash is the adapter holder for an additional accessory flash when additional flash is necessary.
Built-in Flash recycling time is approximately 7 seconds.
Accessory Flash Information : The accessory flash units compatible with the Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 but sold separately include:
Below are important notes regarding adding and removing the accessory flash to the camera.
To add the accessory flash units, slide the accessory-shoe cap off the unit by sliding the shoe cap toward the back of the camera with a sliding motion. Mount the flash unit on the accessory shoe by sliding forward until it stops.
Some notes regarding using the accessory flash units include removing the flash accessory flash when the camera is not in use. Also, always replace the accessory-shoe cap to protect the contacts.
Remember that while using accessory flash, the camera uses pre-TTL metering to determine exposure. Use of accessory flash prevents use of red-eye reduction from built-in flash. However, due to the large distance between the flash tube and optical axis, rarely is red-eye caused by accessory flash units. Off-camera flash cables and accessories are not compatible with this camera. The Close-Up diffuser CD-1000 can be used.
Red-Eye Reduction: The auto-flash option flash fires automatically in low light and backlit conditions. The flash gives off multiple flash bursts directly prior to the main flash burst to reduce red-eye. The reason red-eye is a problem when taking photographs is due to the light reflected from the retina. Use in low-light conditions when taking photographs of people or animals. The pre-flashses or mini-bursts contract the pupils of the subject's eyes, which lessens the chances of reflecting light off the retinas thus causing red-eye.
Fill-flash: The flash fires with each exposure regardless of the amount of ambient light. Fill-flash also reduces harsh shadows generally caused by strong direct light or sunshine.
Slow-Sync: Slow-sync is another of the Z6 flash options. Slow sync creates easier photo taking when in dark locations. It reveals background details. In situations requiring slow-sync, the general recommendation is to use a tripod.
Movie Recording: I will briefly discuss movie recording since the digital camera is not exactly the electronic device of choice to record movies. However, having said that, I will list the options available when working in the recording mode display. The LCD screen displays options in use for recording. The areas available/included on the LCD screen listing is below:
The Dimage Z6 includes super macro and standard macro zoom modes. Super macro mode uses 1-100 cm (0.4in to 3.3ft) while standard macro mode offers wide-angle position of 0.1 to 1m (3.0in to3.3ft) and telephoto position of 1.2 to 2.5m (3.8 to 8.2ft). These distances measure from the front of the lens.
Photo quality options using the Dimage Z6 include fine, standard, and economy. The fine quality option will use more digital card space but does produce the best quality photograph when compared to using standard and economy quality options. The Z6 comes with a 16mb digital SD media card. According to information I found through searching various memory websites in search of the largest media disk available for use in this camera, I discovered it should be able to handle up to a 2 gb card without any issues. However, the largest memory card used in the camera our daughter now has is the 512mb disk. The memory selection finder programs online, including Crucial.com and Kingston's website offer as high as 2gb. The general media card pricing is better through searches at http://www.pricewatch.com. Before Christmas, we found the 512mb SanDisk card on sale for $25. The first card purchase was a 256mb from Walmart. It cost more than the Circuit City
The 16mb card that comes with the camera holds approximately the following number of photos in the following quality settings. However, your mileage may vary:
Fine quality at 3050kb size holds 4 photographs
Standard at 3050kb size holds 8 photographs
Economy at 3050kb size holds 15 photographs.
The sizes and number of photos increase with lower image sizes. The store employee with extensive knowledge of cameras recommended using nothing less than a 512mb card with this particular camera. After keeping up with the photos and sizes of photographs taken since our daughter began using the camera, I have to agree with the employee's assessment of card size. Purchase the largest possible card size in order to take plenty of high-quality pictures to prevent constant unloading of photographs to make room for more pictures on the card. Many newer notebooks, desktop computers, and even printers offer access slots to hold numerous cards for printing. I feel the SD and MMC disks will become the industry standard considering how many printing and computer units now have those ports available.
The Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 stands heads and shoulders above every camera we went through trying to find the best one of the bunch. The Konica Minolta Z6 offers the best in digital photographs for the money. It is quite literally a high-end camera with a mid-level price tag. Second to that fact is that this camera looks and feels like a standard film-style 35mm SLR camera. Instead, this camera takes digital photos. The Z6 has the ability to set up sounds within the menu options that allow the camera to sound identical to pre-digital cameras. The snap button that controls taking photographs has the ability to sounds just like the ch-chi noise associated standard 35mm film cameras sounds identical in the digital camera of the Z6 when giving the button the ability to use audio with that particular feature. Furthermore, the setup menu gives an option of setting up continuous shots so the camera can take pictures simultaneously much like its 35mm standard film cameras. Too often today, the digital cameras are smaller than many cell phones while leaving nearly nowhere to snap the photograph let alone setup any menus where sepia, B&W, continuous shutter snaps, landscape/portrait, and many other options.
Overall, this is the camera for anyone. It is worth taking the time to save money by sticking it back in a drawer, piggybank, mad-money jar, or opening a Christmas fund account at the local bank to add money each month to save for the purchase of this particular camera. Personally, I cannot think of any reason why any photographer expert, novice, or extreme newbie would not wish to own this camera. It reminds this shopper of the holy grail of cameras.
In addition to the flash accessories, the Konica Minolta website's online store offers a specific camera case to hold the camera, additional lenses, additional flashes, media cards, and various items to make carrying this camera everywhere just in case that perfect photographer shot is out there in the world on a whim.
The camera includes the above-mentioned 16mb card but it also includes a handy strap that attaches to the camera with a smaller strap that attaches to the lens cover and the strap to avoid losing the cap.
Some of the other options not listed above include the ability to delete all pictures, single pictures one at a time, and the ability to format the card all from the camera itself. The camera takes four AA batteries but it can also accommodate rechargeable batteries. The camera can connect to a television set using S-Video cable and audio making it possible to view photos on a television. It can connect to printable programs such as the Kodak printer and Pictbridge. Connection to a computer using the enclosed cable allows for emailing too. Photos can go into a slideshow mode. The option within setup menu can time and date stamp photographs in order to recall time and date of each photograph. The setup menu is not difficult to maneuver. With extensive use, it becomes second nature. The camera sports an auto-save function to save on battery power. Another impressive inclusion and option is the inclusion of the AC adapter. The AC adapter saves on battery power by allowing the user to plug the adapter into a power outlet while plugged into the camera.
Windows compatible computer operating systems include Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 Professional, WinXP (home and professional editions. The Macintosh compatibles include Mac OS 9.0 – 9.2.2, and Mac OS 10.1.3~10.1.5, 10.2.1~10.2.8, 10.3~10.3.9, 10.4~10.4.1.
Check the Konica Minolta website for the latest compatibility information:
North America: http://kmpi.konicaminolta.us
Europe: http://www.konicaminoltasupport.com
Users with Windows 98 or 98 Second Edition will need to install the driver software on the included Digital Camera Software CD-Rom. No special driver software is required for other Windows or Macintosh operating systems.
** The supplied remote camera driver in the Windows edition of the digital camera software CD-rom is not compatible with this camera.
Batteries: The Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 camera uses Four AA alkaline batteries or NI-MH batteries.
Overall, this camera's performance is outstanding in every aspect including quality photos, ease of use, digital zoom, optical zoom, and the mega zoom. It takes clarity pictures even when leaving the camera set strictly to auto mode. The focusing is great. The anti-shake feature is something I would not recommend doing without on any camera. We tested numerous cameras with high-name brands including Cannons, Panasonics, Olympus, Nikon, etc.... I cannot say it enough. This camera is literally a high-end camera with a mid-level price tag and that is the only way to describe it. It's ease of taking photos simply cannot be described. One has to test it out in order to believe it. The Konica Minolta company has outdone itself in this particular model. It's great on all levels even when considering the learning curve, which can be a bit irritating at times. This does not mean it cannot be learned. It just takes a little time and even then the learning time is short-lived. In no time at all, any halfway decent photographer will be taking high quality shots with it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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