Thursday,
Jan 15, 2004 - Here's what I receive in the box:
Minolta
Z1
16MB
SD Card
4
AA Alkaline Batteries
Shoulder
Strap
Interface
Cables: USB and Video
Lens
Cap with cord
English
and French Instruction Manuals: Z1, DiMAGE Viewer
Software CD: DiMAGE Viewer 2.2.1, ArcSoft Video
Impression 2
Being
here in Canada, all documentation comes in both
English and French versions.
The
DiMAGE Z1 Instruction Manual is well illustrated
and written, and I was able to find all the information
I needed to operate the camera.
There
is also a DiMAGE Viewer Instruction Manual
that is quite useful in explaning how to get the
most of the Viewer software, including how to
do tone-curve corrections (to adjust the overall
colour of an image), histogram corrections, and
sharpness.
I
take the time to set the Minolta DiMAGE Z1 to
the way I would like to use it:
MENU
1:
Drive
mode = Single (also, Self-timer, Continuous,
Progressive, Bracketing)
Color
mode = NaturalColor (also, Vivid Color, B&W,
Sepia)
Flash
comp. = 0
Sharpness
= Normal (also, Hard (+), Soft (-))
Contrast
= Normal (also, High (+), Low (-))
SETUP
1:
LCDBrightness
= adjust brightness to liking
Power
save = 3 min. (also, 1, 5, 10 min.)
Inst.
Playback = 2 sec. (also, Off, 10 sec.)
Flash
comp. = 0
Sharpness
= Normal (also, Hard (+), Soft (-))
Contrast
= Normal (also, High (+), Low (-))
SETUP
3:
Noise
reductn = On
For
Shooting Mode, I mostly leave the Exposure Mode
Dial at Programmed AE.
In Manual focus, the up/down Controller keys are
used to focus and a scale showing only approximate
distance is displayed on the screen.
Note that in Autoflash mode, the flash will still
not fire if you do not manually lift it up first.
You do not have to go into the menu to set the
LCD brightness: simply press and hold the i+ button
to display the LCD brightness scale and then use
the right/left Controller buttons to select the
desired brightness.
Time
exposures of up to 30 sec. can be taken.
Macro
is at 4 cm (1.7 in.) and is set at the press of
a button.
First
impressions:
Snow-Covered
Bridge :
5.8mm, Aperture Priority, Spot, 1/80 sec., F8.0,
+0.3EV and ISO 50
The
Minolta DiMAGE Z1 is incredibly light and compact
for a 10x optical zoom digital camera. It has
a unique look with a nice melding of futuristic
and contemporary design elements: for example,
though the buttons are shiny and curved, they
work exactly as you would expect them to. Its
designer has opted for a metallic and shiny exterior
with a nice finish. I cannot help trying to picture
the Z1 in an all black body finish, and I hope
Minolta would consider offering one in the future.
The handgrip is very comfortable and I can handhold
at full telephoto shots if the shutter speed is
fast enough. You would need to use a tripod for
those long telephoto shots at slow shutter speeds.
The neck strap is a convenient way to carry the
camera for extended periods, but I find it tends
to easily get all tangled up (perhaps too thin
at the ends?). I find it a bit disconcerting that
the strap eyelets do not quite line up (just feels
funny), but I believe this is perhaps to provide
proper support to the lens.
The
Minolta Z1 comes with 4 disposable standard AA
Alkaline batteries. [For the review, Minolta Canada
also kindly sent me a Quest Platinum 2100 rechargeable
battery kit which allows batteries to be recharged
one at a time. You may also leave your fully charged
batteries in the charger without damage. Nice!]
Battery life is very good: I took more than 100
shots in sub-freezing temperatures, leaving the
camera on most of the time, reviewing after every
shot, and the batteries were still going strong.
I recommend buying an optional battery charger
and 2 sets of rechargeable NiMH batteries (4 in
the camera + 4 spare). Since these NiMH batteries
can lose charge even unused, I always carry 4
new AA Alkaline batteries as spare just in case.
Here
are a couple of "futuristic" design
elements that make the DiMAGE Z1 work just a bit
different than what you might expect:
The
power button is certainly not where you would
expect it to be. It's not around the shutter release
button and it's not on top of the camera. It's
in fact the button below the LCD. Because the
button is shiny, it's difficult to see the "Power"
marking on it. But found it I eventually did.
I could not figure out how to switch between the
LCD and Electronic Viewfinder at first. It's easy
once you look in the manual and realize it's the
ring around the power switch. For some reason,
I was expecting the switch to be closer to the
viewfinder. In its favour, the EVF is extremely
bright and clear and covers approx. 98% of the
frame.
I could not get the flash to pop up. I pressed
every button and turned every switch with no success.
Well no wonder, because the Instruction Manual
says there's no button: you simply use your thumb
and index finger to manually lift it up.
The
zoom toggle lever is where you would expect it
to be but its placement so close to the Exposure
Mode Dial means that the latter cannot be easily
rotated with your thumb alone. For me, this necessitates
taking my eye off the viewfinder and angling my
fingers to turn the dial.
The
viewfinder diopter knob is just plain impossible
to rotate, requiring the use of fingernails to
do so. A slightly raised indentation would greatly
facilitate this job. Or a wheel rotated by the
thumb should also do the trick better.
The
DC terminal socket is plainly exposed. No rubber
plug. Potential hazards pop up in my mind: dust,
humidity, corrosion?
The
macro and flash buttons are on top of the handgrip,
close to the shutter release button and angled
just so that I inadvertently press the macro button
a number of times and put the lens into super
macro mode without realizing it.
Of
course, these design decisions are not bad in
and of themselves. I personally find that they
just cause a certain amount of dissonance at first
because they are not where I expected them to
be. But, like every other digital camera, once
I get used to their placements, it becomes second
nature.
Now,
one feature I really like is that the exposure
compensation is defaulted to the Controller left
and right buttons. Yeah! No more going to the
menu to set exposure compensation. Now, with just
a press of a button, you can manually bracket
your exposure to ensure correct exposure. If only
more digital cameras adopted this standard. Kudos
to Minolta!
Using
a camera in sub-freezing temperatures is quite
a challenge, but the Minolta DiMAGE Z1 passed
with flying colours. I was quite happy that condensation
did not form on the lens as I left the safety
of my warm car and stepped into the cold outside.
The batteries held up, the mechanisms performed
flawlessly, the autofocus was quick and precise,
and there was negligible shutter lag.
If
you are serious about your digital photography
and fancy a long zoom lens, be sure to check out
the Minolta DiMAGE Z1. Not only does it have all
the features you need to learn and grow in your
photographic skills, but it's also fast and the
image quality is excellent, virtually noise-free.
The
power button is certainly not where you would
expect it to be. It's not around the shutter release
button and it's not on top of the camera. It's
in fact the button below the LCD. Because the
button is shiny, it's difficult to see the "Power"
marking on it. But found it I eventually did.
The
zoom toggle lever is where you would expect it
to be but its placement so close to the Exposure
Mode Dial means that the latter cannot be easily
rotated with your thumb alone. For me, this necessitates
taking my eye off the viewfinder and angling my
fingers to turn the dial.
The
viewfinder diopter knob is just plain impossible
to rotate, requiring the use of fingernails to
do so. A slightly raised indentation would greatly
facilitate this job. Or a wheel rotated by the
thumb should also do the trick better.
The
DC terminal socket is plainly exposed. No rubber
plug. Potential hazards pop up in my mind: dust,
humidity, corrosion?
The
macro and flash buttons are on top of the handgrip,
close to the shutter release button and angled
just so that I inadvertently press the macro button
a number of times and put the lens into super
macro mode without realizing it.
