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Reviews
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3 and Z5
If
youâre interested in a unique camera with a tremendous optical zoom
and lots of good, common-sense features, and can live with the relatively
bulky body a big optical zoom lens necessitates, Minoltaâs DiMAGE
Z series will almost certainly be of interest to you. Weâre actually
reviewing three of them in this issue of Digital Camera Magazine,
the DiMAGE Z3/Z5 here and the slightly newer DiMAGE Z20 on page
40. Since they are quite similar in design and concept, read the
Z20 review first as I will compare the Z3 to that camera rather
than repeating everything I said about the Z20: its uniquely styled
body that looks like a SLR but isnât; the relatively cumbersome
overall shape due to the big lens; the ãswitchfinderä that uses
one and the same LCD for external viewing and as the basis for an
electronic viewfinder; the excellent ergonomics; and the amazing
range that covers extreme close-ups all the way to massive zoom.
What
does the Z3 offer over the Z20?
So whatâs the difference between the Z3 and the Z20? At first sight
they look identical down to the smallest design element. But they
are not. For starters, even though the older Z3 has only four megapixel
compared to the Z20âs five, it is a higher end camera with a number
of features that were left out in the Z20 for cost reasons. Like
a 12X zoom instead of ãonlyä 8X, a flash shoe, a pop-up flash instead
of a built-in flash, Minoltaâs excellent ãAnti-Shakeä feature, and
a somewhat tighter and slightly more compact body. On the other
hand, the Z3 same dinky 1.5-inch LCD and fewer megapixel.
In
terms of design, itâs as if Minolta had assembled two design teams
and told them, ãLook, guys, we have finalized the design of the
Z series down to almost the last detail. The overall shape and design
are final. Button and control placement is final. Functionality
is final. Hereâs a spec sheet. Do not mess with it. However, we
want you to be creative and differentiate those cameras!ä Not an
easy task.
So
while Team A came up with the silver Z20 with its dark-gray rubber
inserts, Team B made the Z3 matte-black and gave it a slightly more
compact body. They shaved almost half an inch off the depth of the
camera by using a zoom that motors out of the body of the camera
instead of being entirely internal as with the Z20. As soon as you
turn on the Z3, its massive 12X optical zoom lens extends another
inch and an eighth. I donât generally like lenses that motor out,
but in this case getting a more compact body in return may be worth
it. Unlike the Z20 which has an internal flash, the Z3 has a manual
pop-up flash and an external flash shoe. The pop-up doesnât have
quite the range of the Z20âs internal (26 versus 39 feet max), but
it cuts down on red-eye by being farther away from the lens. However,
I much prefer pop-up flashes that open automatically. Else, youâll
inevitably miss shots because you forgot to open the flash.
As
for the controls, itâs interesting how two cameras can have them
in exactly the same places, but theyâre all different nonetheless.
The Z20 has a zoom rocker whereas the Z3 has a knob that you push
left and right. The Z20 has four individual navigation buttons whereas
the Z3 uses a single ring. The Z20âs buttons are generally large
whereas the Z3âs are small. The Z20âs diopter adjustment is on the
side where you can easily get to it. The Z3âs is a scroll wheel
right next to the eye piece thatâs next to impossible to operate
while youâre looking through the viewfinder. Even the toggle between
LCD and electronic viewfinder is different. Instead of the dramatic
flapping action that covers the LCD in the Z20, the Z3âs simply
winks out when you switch to electronic viewfinder mode. Overall,
the Z3âs controls are more elegant, but not as handy to use as the
Z20âs.
Both
cameras use SD cards, but more differences here. While the Z20âs
card sits in an unprotected slot on the left and there is an additional
14.5 MB of internal storage, the Z3âs card slot is at the bottom
of the camera, protected by a plastic door. Both cameras use four
AAs, but the Z3 places them inline instead of staggered, which makes
for a much smaller bridge between the powerbulge and the lens/LCD
part of the camera.
As
stated above, compared with the Z20 you get both more and less with
the Z3. There is audio, the pop-up flash, the flash shoe, the anti-shake
feature, the massive 12X zoom, and a more compact and arguable better
looking body. On the other hand, no internal memory to tide you
over between cards, a full megapixel less, a weaker internal flash,
and an autofocus mechanism that didnât work nearly as well as that
of the Z20. When trying to focus in long zoom and digital zoom,
the camera would often either not be able to focus at all, or first
focus right, then move on until the image was blurry. Our review
sample was brand-new but I wonder if something was wrong with it.
The Z5 (see below) did not have this problem.
As
is, those attracted to the DiMAGE Z3âs awesome 12X optical zoom
and higher rent looks will face a tough decision as in some areas
the Z3 offers less than its cheaper sibling. The logical alternative
is to go with the (more expensive) Z5. Ah, the price of progress.
Model-Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3/Z5
List price-Z3: seek best/Z5 US$549
Sensor res-4.0/5.0 megapixels
Image dimensions-2272x1704/2560x1920
ISO-auto, 50/100/200/400
Lens-F:2.8-4.5
Lens focal length-5.8-70 mm (35-420
mm equiv.)
Shutter-1/2000 to 15 seconds
Exposure compensation-+/- 2.0 EV
in 1/3 EV steps
Storage-SD Card (16MB card inc.)
Autofocus-Video AF: 5-point or spot
LCD screen-1.5/2.0 inch (78/114k
pixels)
Flash modes-5 modes
Viewfinder-Electronic ãswitchfinderä
Battery-4 AA
Weight-11.8/12.0 ounce w/o batteries
Dimensions-4.3 x 3.1 x 3.3 inches
Included-DiMAGE Viewer, cables,
strap |
Enter
the new DiMAGE Z5
If you want the big 12X zoom and the terrific anti-shake feature
of the Z3 but canât quite figure out why it has to come in a 4-megapixel
package that, depending where you get it, costs more than the lesser
DiMAGE Z20, the new DiMAGE Z5 is for you. It offers the same massive
12X optical zoom, has the anti-shape feature and all the other goodies
of the Z3, but thatâs not all. It is a 5-megapixel camera and, perhaps
even more importantly, it replaces the wimpy little 1.5-inch LCD
of the Z3 with a higher resolution 2.0-inch display. The new and
larger LCD makes a huge difference. You no longer have to squint
to see whatâs on the screen.
As
far as design goes, the Z5 is almost identical to the Z3. It differs
in minor design elements only. The ring around the big zoom lens
is glossy instead of matte, the dials and buttons are metallic or
gray instead of black, and the on/off-mode switch combo of the Z3
has been separated into two separate controls. Everything else is
the same, including the Z3âs few shortcomings: The flash still doesnât
pop up automatically, but most serious users will likely use an
external flashlight anyway. And the diopter adjustment is still
right next to the eye-piece where itâs almost impossible to adjust.
Other than that, the resemblance to the Z3 is only good news. The
Z5 is very fast, the massive zoom dazzles and the super-macro amazes.
The camera is simple to use, yet powerful. Unless you can find the
Z3 at a big discount and donât mind the lower megapixel count, the
Z5 is the way to go.
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