Excellent Quality at Minimum Cost
Written: Nov 12 '04
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Pros: Excellent no fussing use; with or without LCD.
Cons: The power button is close to the shutter release.
The Bottom Line: This is an older camera; it's my backup camera but I am using it more than my Nikon 5700 because it so simple.
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| chef_tony's Full Review: Konica Minolta Q-M200 Digital Camera |
I purchased the Konica Q-M200 as a spare (no frills) camera that I could toss in my backpack and to take with me when I went fishing. I got it on eBay for about $35 (second owner in original box with documentation) including shipping.
I only use this camera at the highest quality mode (1600x1200) and the JPEG images are outstanding. This point and shoot delivers sharp images with brilliant colors. I'm not kidding the images rival that of my Nikon 5700 - a 5 megapixel camera.
This camera is very basic. There is no zoom lens. It is very easy to frame the shot outdoors with the optical viewfinder. There is a LCD you can also use to compose shots with, but it's useless outdoors in bright light.
I have made enlargements up to 8x10 and the results are as good as my 35mm Canon ShureShot.
The 8MB CF card that comes with the camera is obsolete. It works just fine, but it doesn't have very much capacity. I opted for Lexar 64MB USB enabled CF cards. They can connect to your computer via the Lexar Jumpshot CF adapter.
I get about 150 - 200 high resolution 1600x1200 images per 64MB CF card. Altogether I have 4 cards that I keep in a small aluminum case that's designed to hold 4 CF cards. I can store an entire vacation's worth of images in a case the size of a calculator. I bring the JumpShot cable with me in case I need to drop and image to disk, CD or send an email on vacation. Computer time at an internet cafe is cheap - less than $6 per hour practically anywhere you go. All you need to do is slide the CF card in the JumpShot, connect the JumpShot cable to a USB port and you're ready to access your images on a Mac or PC.
Last month In St. Petersburg, Russia I dropped about 450 images to CD for safety at an internet cafe down the street from my hotel. It took me less than 20 minutes and cost less than $4 including a short email session.
Sometimes you don't want to lug around your $800 dollar camera; sometimes you're afraid your $800 camera might get ripped off and sometimes you're scared your $800 camera might get sprayed with saltwater while you're fishing, but it's good to know you can get a great quality camera for a few beans and of it's lost don't worry about it.
By the way - I use 2200mAh Powerex and NexCell batteries and a MAHA charger. These are the very best you can buy. The Q-M200 uses 3 AA batteries and I get about 30 - 60 images per set using a combination of flash and LCD use. Don't scrimp on batteries. they are the most important thing there is. A set of Energizer AA batteries will only take 8 - 12 with flash and LCD before dying. You can buy the AA NMHI on eBay for about $20 for 12 AA cells.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 35
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
chef_tony
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Location: Coral Gables, FL
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
DTP professional - page layout and design. Avid editor. Chef.
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