Imagin-Resource reviews Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3 4.0 megapixel digital camera
The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3 digital camera is the latest in a long line of Konica Minolta digital cameras featuring uncommon innovation, aggressive pricing, and superior optics. The original Minolta Z1 (before their merger with Konica) was their first long-zoom (10x) digital camera aimed squarely at the consumer market, and has been one of the most popular cameras on the Imaging Resource site since its introduction. The Minolta Z2 also proved to be a popular model, with a higher-resolution 4.0 megapixel sensor, and expanded movie capabilities. Now, the new Konica Minolta Z3 provides a fairly dramatic update, extending the zoom range to a full 12x ratio, and also adding Minolta's highly effective anti-shake technology, to make that long zoom truly useful under a much wider range of conditions than previously was the case. Like its predecessors, the Konica Minolta Z3 offers a combination of ease of use, features, and retail price that are squarely aimed at the bulk of "point & shoot" users. At the same time though, the Z3 offers optional advanced exposure modes (including full-manual operation and a flash hot shoe) that appeal to more advanced users. As such, it makes a great camera for situations where users of widely varying experience levels need to share the same camera. It's also a great choice for novices who want a camera with features that they can "grow into" as their photographic abilities mature. The most important feature though, is its anti-shake technology. Long-zoom cameras are currently one of the most popular categories of digicams, but few people realize just how hard it is to hold a 10x zoom lens steady on a distant subject. Unless you're shooting in very bright light, or have the camera mounted on a solid tripod, it can be very difficult to avoid blurring caused by camera shake. By contrast, with its advanced anti-shake technology, the Konica Minolta Z3 is able to compensate for a surprising amount of jiggling, delivering sharp photos across a much wider range of conditions than would be possible otherwise. All in all, the new DiMAGE Z3 delivers an amazing amount of technology in a very approachable package, at a very attractive price. Read on for all the details!...
[read more]
