The Long Zoom digicam market niche has long been dominated by Olympus, but that may be changing. The new Minolta DiMAGE Z1is a versatile digital camera that’s simple enough for casual photographers and simultaneously complex enough to appeal to serious shutterbugs. The Z1 offers buyers a 10X zoom, 3 megapixel images, a full range of exposure options, a genuinely weird combined Electronic Viewfinder/LCD Screen system, lightning fast auto focus, TV quality 30 fps VGA movies, and a very competitive price.

NUTS & BOLTS

Viewfinder/LCD

Minolta’s digital cameras are instantly recognizable for their quirky engineering and innovative design. Minolta’s first (and only) digital SLR used two 3 megapixel CCD imagers mounted side by side to capture images and on-board software to stitch the picture halves together. The company’s tiny “X” series digicams feature a unique periscope style vertically oriented zoom lens.

The new Z1 continues that tradition with a truly unique Rube Goldbergish combined Optical reflex-Electronic Viewfinder/LCD system that sets this Minolta apart from every other digital camera on the planet. The Z1 uses a single LCD for both eyelevel and rear panel displays. When the eyelevel viewfinder is enabled an internal mirror/shutter mechanism locks out the rear panel screen and reflects the image upward (SLR fashion) to the tunnel style eyepiece. The eyelevel viewfinder has a rather low eyepoint and that means eyeglasses wearers will have to press the right side of their glasses tightly against the eyepiece to see the full frame. The Z1 does provide a dioptric adjustment knob so vision challenged users may be able to use the EVF without their glasses.

When shooters opt to use the LCD screen, the Electronic Viewfinder is locked out (the EVF and LCD screen can’t be utilized at the same time). The Z1's Real Motion LCD (with anti- reflection coating) screen is exceptionally fluid (the refresh rate is very high), bright, and color accurate. The LCD shows continuous motion in real time (rather than the jerky motion seen on the LCD’s of most digicam screens) and features a live histogram display. The LCD’s brightness can be boosted in low light. The optical reflex EVF shows approximately 94 percent of the frame (digicam average is 80-85 percent) and the LCD screen shows approximately 98 percent of the frame.

Lens

The Z1’s most prominent feature is the f2.8-f3.5/38-380mm (35mm equivalent) 10X optical zoom lens. When powered up, the 10X lens extends just barely an inch from the front of the camera. This monster optic offers photographers enormous versatility in image framing and magnification. The lens is fast, especially at the telephoto end of the range where the f3.5 maximum aperture allows shutter speeds high enough to make handheld shots possible, in bright outdoor light.

Barrel distortion is slightly above average at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, but pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the range is very well controlled and shouldn’t be a problem except in formal architectural studies. Some minor corner softness is visible at maximum aperture (especially at the telephoto end of the zoom range). Overall, the Z1’s resolution and optical performance is surprisingly good for a 10X zoom. Filters (52mm) and auxiliary lenses can be mounted via an optional adapter.

Auto Focus

Many long zoom digicams have problems with slow AF speed, however the Z1 features an incredibly quick Rapid AF system (utilizing a passive autofocus sensor) to instantly determine subject distance. A contrast detection AF system (and a powerful high-speed lens drive) then smoothly and quickly snap the lens into sharp focus. Minolta claims the Z1’s combo AF system is the fastest on any currently available long zoom digicam, and based on my experiences with the Olympus C740 and C750 (competitive models) I’d say the claim is accurate. The default AF mode bases focus on a large center bracket, however the spot AF mode allows users to base focus on any one of three spot AF targets arranged across the middle of the frame. The Z1 also provides a full-time AF mode that continuously adjusts focus whether the shutter button is pressed or not.

Macro Focus

The Z1’s normal macro mode allows users to focus as close as 3.9 inches (at the wide-angle setting) and the Super Macro mode permits focus as close as 1.6 inches from the 10X zoom’s front element. There is some noticeable corner softness at the super macro setting, but this is fairly typical in long zoom digicams.


Manual Focus

In Manual focus mode the Z1 displays an LCD distance scale and the compass pad (four way controller) is used to adjust focus with the central area of the image frame enlarged (2X) to facilitate accurate focusing.

Flash

The Z1 is genuinely gifted in the flash department, especially for a digicam in its price range. The multi-mode (Auto, Red-Eye reduction, Fill-flash, and Slow-Sync) built in flash is substantially more powerful than average (Minolta claims coverage out to 20 feet, but 15-16 feet is more accurate---still stronger than most of its competition). Flash output can be adjusted +2/-2 EV (in 1/3 EV increments) and the unit throttles down nicely for macro work.

The Z1 also features a flash hot shoe (for Minolta flash units only) that allows users to mount Minolta Maxxum Program 5600 HS, Program 3600 HS, and 2500D external speedlights. The Minolta Macro Twin Flash 2400 and Macro Ring Flash 1200 close-up lighting units can also be used.

Image File Storage/Memory Media

The Z1 stores images to SD/MMC memory cards and a 16MB SD card ships with the camera. A larger memory card should be considered a required purchase. A 256MB SD card will provide enough capacity for a moderate full day photographic outing.

Image File Format(s)

JPEG (four compression levels)

Connectivity

Storage Class USB 1.1, A/V out, and DC in

Power

The Z1 draws its juice from four universally available AA batteries. Rechargeable (1600-2100 mAh) AA’s are good for 200-300 exposures, depending on flash use—and review frequency. Alkaline AA’s should be good for 100-150 exposures, depending on flash use—and review frequency. Very good power management, most users will only need two sets of rechargeable AA’s (as opposed to three sets needed with some digicams).

EXPOSURE

The Minolta DiMAGE Z1 provides a wide range of exposure options including: Auto, Program AE, five preset Scene modes, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes.

In Auto mode (point & shoot) mode, the Z1 makes all exposure decisions. In Program AE mode, the camera selects the aperture and shutter speed, but the user is free to choose all other exposure parameters. In Aperture Priority mode, shooters select the lens aperture and the Z1 selects the appropriate shutter speed. In Shutter Priority mode, (Shutter speeds range from 1/1,000th of a second to 15 seconds in Manual and Shutter Priority modes and the Bulb setting permits exposures as long as 30 seconds) users select the shutter speed and the Z1 selects the lens aperture. Users can also choose one of the five Scene modes -- Night Portrait, Sunset, Landscape, Sports Action, and Portrait (Minolta calls these Digital Subject Program modes) -- and the camera optimizes all exposure parameters for the specific type of scene selected. In Manual mode users have complete control over all exposure parameters.

Movie Mode

The Z1 is especially well suited for family users with one of the best movie modes available. The camera records TV quality video clips (with audio) @ 640x480 at 30 fps. Clip duration is limited only by SD/MMC memory card capacity. For the icing on the cake, the Z1’s AF system focuses continuously during video clip capture, virtually guaranteeing sharply focused movies. Filmmakers can select between Standard and Night movie modes. In the Night Movie Mode the camera boosts CCD sensitivity allowing users to film in lower light. My friend says he’s heard rumors that first production run Z1’s couldn’t synch video and audio properly, but we didn’t check out the video capability, so I can neither confirm nor deny this.

Exposure Compensation/Exposure Bracketing

Very bright or very dark subjects can trick light metering systems into underexposing or overexposing images. The Z1’s base exposure can be adjusted from -2 /+2 EV in 1/3 EV increments to compensate for difficult lighting/subject reflectance problems or to compensate for environmental exposure variables.

Very minor exposure differences can affect the overall tone and dramatic appeal of an image. Z1users can ensure that they’ll get very close to the perfect exposure with the camera’s auto bracketing function. The Z1 can capture either 3 or 5 exposures in rapid sequence (with one press of the shutter button) varying the exposure between shots from 0.3 to 1.0 EV.

In-Camera Image Adjustment

The Z1 provides a useful range of In-Camera Image Adjustment Options allowing skilled photographers a useful range of incremental sharpness/color/contrast tweaks. In camera image adjustment is an often overlooked but very important tool for overcoming minor exposure problems, ensuring “sharp as a tack” resolution, balancing contrast, and fine tuning color saturation.

Color Saturation

Z1 users can adjust color saturation by selecting Natural Color or Vivid Color allowing shooters to increase or reduce color intensity. Users can also opt to capture images in B&W or sepia tone.

Contrast

The Z1’s contrast can be adjusted through a 3 step range (low, normal, high) allowing users to balance, enhance, or reduce image contrast for better mid tones, improved shadow/highlight detail, and a broader tonal range.

Sharpness

The Z1’s images can be tweaked through a three step sharpness range (soft, normal, hard) permitting shooters to precisely enhance or reduce apparent image sharpness.

Metering

The Z1’s default metering is a multi-segment system that reads several areas of the frame and instantly evaluates brightness and contrast in each of those areas to determine the best overall exposure. More advanced users can also enable Spot or Center-Weighted metering modes for more control in tricky lighting situations. The Spot mode allows users to align the center of the frame with the most important compositional element (like the eyes in a portrait) and bias the exposure on that very small area and then re-compose. Center-Weighted metering is useful for re-creating the retro look of “classic” golden age photography or ensuring that the exposure is based on a large central area of the frame.

White Balance

The Z1’s White Balance system provides TTL Auto and fixed pre-sets optimized for Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, and Fluorescent lighting plus a Flash and a Custom (Manual setting for adjusting the color balance with a white card) setting.

Sensitivity

The Z1’s light sensitivity can be set to TTL Auto or is adjustable in user selected ISO (35mm equivalent) values of 50, 100, 200, and 400.

Noise-Reduction

The Z1’s Noise Reduction System utilizes dark-frame subtraction technology to minimize image noise in high ISO shots, low-light images, and long exposures. When NR is enabled (via the Setup menu) the camera captures a second exposure with the shutter closed and this “dark frame” (with no image noise) is compared to the primary exposure and the noise is subtracted, however noise reduction processing does noticeably lengthen shot to shot intervals.


CONTROLS, DESIGN, & ERGONOMICS

The polycarbonate bodied Z1 looks like a shrunken 35mm SLR. The snappy silver and slate gray camera is compact (it weighs just under a pound) but not small enough to drop in a shirt pocket or small purse. The large ergonomic handgrip is nicely balanced by the 10X zoom lens, providing a stable platform that’s comfortable for extended photographic outings and long shooting sessions.
The user-friendly controls are logically laid and come easily to hand and menus are easy to understand, efficient, and quick to navigate. Experienced digicam users should be able to operate the Z1 right out of the box. Neophytes, technophobes, and first time digicam users will need no more than a brief familiarization scan of the manual before they can start shooting.

Technical Specifications

Resolution: 3.2 megapixels (2048 x 1536)
Viewfinders: EVF & 1.5” LCD
Lens: f2.8-f3.5/38-380mm (35mm equivalent) optical (10 elements in 7 groups) zoom lens.
Auto Focus: Contrast detection and passive AF system
Manual Focus: Yes
Exposure: Auto, Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual
Metering: Multi Segment, Spot, and Center-Weighted
Flash: built-in multi mode and hot shoe for external flash units
Shutter speeds from 1/1,000th of a second to 15 seconds (and a Bulb setting for exposures up to 30 seconds)
White Balance: TTL Auto, five pre-sets (Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom)
Sensitivity: TTL Auto, and 50, 100, 200, and 400 (ISO equivalent)
Image File Formats: Jpeg
Image Storage Format: SD/MMC
In Camera Image Adjustment: Yes (Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation)
Noise Reduction: Yes
Power: 4 AA batteries (rechargeable recommended)

MSRP $499.00 -- Street Price Range $329.00-$379.00

Included

16MB SD card, neck strap, lens cap, accessory shoe cap, AV/USB cables, software CD-ROM, 4 AA Alkaline batteries, users & software manuals

Optional

ZCW-100 Wide Converter auxiliary lens kit, AC-1L AC Adapter, Leather Strap, EBP-100 External High Power Battery Pack Kit, Minolta Maxxum Program 5600 HS, Program 3600 HS, and 2500D external speedlights. The Minolta Macro Twin Flash 2400 and Macro Ring Flash 1200 close-up lighting units are also compatible.

In the Field/Handling & Operation

My friend (who sells new and used digital and analog photography equipment) and I got together on a recent Saturday afternoon to check out Minolta’s new Dimage Z1. It has been extremely cold and the weather was so nasty that all we could do was stay inside and run some color tests. Over the past couple of years we’ve developed a simple color/white balance test that works pretty well and allows us to compare results from one digital camera to another. We use a large cardboard box (with the front and top panels cut away) lined with white photographic background paper. We first auto white balance the camera (using the white background) and then set up and shoot a selection of brightly colored (red, blue, green, and yellow) plastic children’s beach toys with the camera mounted on a tripod. The Z1’s images showed consistently accurate hue and good saturation, but there was a very slight pinkish-yellowish color-cast in most of the pictures. After we finished with our color tests we called it a day.

Saturday night we had an ice storm and Sunday morning when we got together to continue our Z1 test it was as cold as hell but the sky was blue (the temperature was in the mid twenties) and the oblique late winter light was incredible. We headed for Dog Hill in Cherokee Park, our number one local sledding venue. When the ice storm hit we had some light snow cover already on the ground. Those of you who live in colder parts of the country know this makes for the very best (and fastest) sledding. We’d brought along another photographer friend who managed to slip soon after we got to the top of Dog Hill. He went down the long steep slope at breakneck speed on his butt. We shot colorfully clad sledders for about an hour before our friend started to turn blue (he was wet from the back of his head to his ankles) so we made tracks for Heine Brothers Coffee shop to get a cappuccino, warm up, and try some interior shots.

The coffee shop shares an old Victorian house with Carmichael’s Bookstore so it’s a great place to catch an eclectic collection of neighborhood characters. Because of the bone numbing cold the joint was jumping, which made it difficult for anyone to tell that we were sneaking high ISO flash shots of our fellow caffeine junkies. There was so much activity that nobody paid any attention to us and we were able to give the Z1’s 10X zoom, powerful flash, and lowlight capabilities a pretty good workout. After we finished our cappuccinos (and our friend dried off a bit) we called it a day.

The following Saturday we had fresh snow on the ground, gorgeous blue skies with beautiful puffy white clouds and great afternoon “golden light” so we headed for Cave Hill cemetery to shoot magnificent pink sandstone Moorish style mausoleum. The pink stone just glowed in the afternoon light and the snow was absolutely pristine. We were able to use the Z1’s 10X zoom to perfectly frame the old 19th century crypt with fresh snow in foreground and a cobalt blue sky with puffy white clouds in the background. After we finished up we headed downtown to Louisville’s Extreme Park. Skateboarders gravitate to the park at all hours and in all sorts of weather to hone their skills in the twenty-four foot full pipe, the eleven-foot bowl, and the six-foot quarter pipe. The bowl and pipes are perfectly placed (although the urban backgrounds are consistently ugly and very difficult to overcome) for getting action shots of skateboarders “catching some air” in gravity defying leaps.

We mounted the Z1 on an old Slik 444 Sport tripod to test the Z1’s shutter lag, AF lag, and shot to shot times. Really good skateboarders move at fantastic speeds and the Z1 did a very good job of catching them in mid leap. The Z1’s Auto Focus is the fastest that I’ve seen on any digital camera and absolutely incredible for a 10X zoom. Shutter firing is almost instantaneous if you pre-focus and requires about half a second (at high shutter speeds in good light) if you don’t. Still a bit too slow for catching the fastest action (noticeably slower than even entry level 35mm SLR’s) but a skilled photographer can achieve optimal timing on action shots by anticipating the crucial moment and tripping the shutter just before everything comes together. It is very hard to get the timing just right and freeze the boarders in mid air, but I did manage to get a couple of fairly decent shots.

We printed two 8X10’s (one from Cave Hill and One from the Extreme Park) with an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 (on Epson photo paper) and both showed accurate color, very good resolution, and a wide dynamic range.

PERFORMANCE

Image Quality

The Z1’s images are consistently excellent with accurate color and very good (although just a bit warm) skin tones. White balance is dependably accurate, handling even very difficult outdoor lighting situations with aplomb. Resolution and apparent sharpness are very good, especially at lower ISO settings. Noise levels remain low up to ISO 200, but ISO 400 shots are a bit too noisy. Lowlight/night images are better than average (for long zoom digicams) and action shots are noticeably better than average. Red-eye is very well controlled, especially with the typically weird (two pre-flash bursts instead of one) Minolta red-eye reduction mode. The Z1’s elegant and useful Scene modes do yeoman work, producing consistently sharp, well-saturated, and properly exposed images in all five (Night Portrait, Sunset, Landscape, Sports Action, and Portrait) settings.

Timing/Shutter Lag

The Z1’s boot-up cycle is less than 2 seconds, which is astonishingly fast for a 10X zoom unit. AF lag has been an unfailingly dependable drawback with most long zoom digicams, but the Z1’s designers have apparently managed a quantum leap in this arena. The Z1 is the fastest long zoom model I’ve used to date, in fact the Z1’s 10X snaps into focus faster than many 3X zooms ((less than one second in good lighting – AF is noticeably slower in lowlight). Unlike most long zoom digicams, the Z1’s AF lag is actually shorter at the telephoto end of the zoom range than it is at the wide-angle end.

Shutter lag is equally impressive, virtually non-existent (at higher shutter speeds) with pre-focusing and less than one second from scratch. Shot to shot times are also remarkable (between 1 and 1.5 seconds at the highest resolution) for up to five frames, more than adequate for kiddie soccer games and following rapid toddler action.

A Few Concerns

Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is higher than average and is especially noticeable in high contrast color transition areas. I’ve heard a few people complain about the Z1’s build quality, but I believe this is based on unrealistic expectations. The Z1 looks like a professional camera, but it wasn’t designed for the sort of heavy-duty abuse routinely suffered by pro gear. The Z1 is more than sufficiently durable for amateur use, especially with the loving care most consumers lavish on their electronic toys. The zoom does rattle a bit, but this doesn’t have any noticeable affect on its performance. Noise levels are a bit higher than average (for 3 megapixel digicams) at ISO 400. There is no AF assist beam for low light shooting (I guess the designers figured users could overcome this shortcoming by mounting an expensive external Minolta flash unit). Minolta’s marketing folks didn’t include a remote control and that’s a little chintzy, even worse they made the USB and A/V cables proprietary, which is downright tacky.

Conclusion

Minolta’s snazzy looking Z1 provides a raft load of nifty automatic features, lots of manual exposure options, produces consistently excellent images, and sells for a very reasonable price. Serious amateur photographers will appreciate camera’s “tweakability” quotient and wide array of advanced image making capabilities, but the Z1’s also designed to appeal to casual and family photographers who want point and shoot simplicity and the extra reach of a 10X zoom. The Z1 does a good job of meeting the needs of both groups. The Z1 should also appeal to weight conscious travelers, hikers/backpackers, and nature lovers who want a fairly compact digicam with a long zoom.

Links

Check out my review of a bargain priced and very capable photo quality ink-jet printer.

Epson Stylus Photo 785 EPX ink-jet printer
http://www.epinions.com/content_60776812164

For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1

For information about comparable/competitive Digital Camera models you may find the links below informative

Canon Digital Cameras

Canon Powershot A70
http://www.epinions.com/content_99985034884

Olympus Digital Cameras

Olympus C740
http://www.epinions.com/content_111133363844

Panasonic Digital Cameras

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC33
http://www.epinions.com/content_118143749764







Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 379.00
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts