Konica Minolta Dimage Z2 - Expert Reviews

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: Announced in February 2004 at the PMA exhibition in Las Vegas, the Dimage Z2 is a direct replacement for the popular Z1, and retains that camera's 'interesting' looks and basic features, adding an all-new APO GT lens, upping the pixel count from 3 to ...

Pros: Good result in the resolution test, Excellent handling and operation, Very fast and responsive in use, Very fast focus - and generally very accurate too, Generally good color, good white balance in daylight (though see cons, below), Excellent range of ...

Cons: Images look a bit soft, need sharpening in post-processing, Images can be over-contrasty - losing highlight/shadow detail in bright conditions, Occasional mild color casts, Occasional overexposure (and more rarely, underexposure), Visible noise at ...

Verdict: Fast, fun, and easy to use, the Konica Minolta Z2 offers a compelling combination of features (including some pretty meaty movie capabilities) and image quality at an excellent price.

Review summary: The 12X DiMAGE Z3 offers several updates to its 10X predecessor in terms of design and features. In our review, we will test both cameras to determine the performance differences between them.

Review summary: The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2 ($450) is an updated version of the DiMAGE Z1, which I wasn't a huge fan of. The is pretty much the same camera as its predecessor, with the following changes:

Pros: Full manual controls ; Hot shoe (though limited to Minolta flashes) ; Supports wide-angle conversion lens ; Fabulous movie mode: 800 x 600 and 640 x 480 ; High quality (but small) LCD ; LCD still usable in low light situations ; Good redeye test ...

Cons: Above average purple fringing ; images seem fuzzy/noisy at times ; Low light focusing wasn't great ; no AF-assist lamp ; Lens rattles, plastic body feels a bit cheap ; Continued concerns about durability of switch finder ; Camera bundle not great

Verdict: Want more battery life, and don't mind carrying around a bulky battery pack? Then check out the Minolta EBP-100 battery pack kit ($275). It holds two lithium-ion batteries, which should provide you with hours of battery power (sorry, I don't have ...

Pros: Unique. Easy to shoot. Easy navigation.

Cons: Slower telephoto. Average visual resolution and pixel transition.

Review summary: The original DiMAGE Z1 was clearly one of the best long-zoom digicam bargains on the market, a fact that no doubt contributed to its being one of the most popular cameras on the entire IR site last year. The Z2 carries on in that tradition, adding a ...

Verdict: Konica Minolta's DiMAGE brand name carries with it a tradition of quality and technological innovation, covering an array of digital cameras designed to suit a wide range of experience levels and price points. The newest addition to the pack is Konica ...