Product Description

MD) CL) MINOLTA DIMAGE Z5 DIG CAM

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55028 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Konica-Minolta
• Model: Dimage Z5 Black
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .66 pounds
• Display size: 2

Features

• 5 MP CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints
• Amazing 12x optical Mega Zoom with Anti-Shake technology allows you to shoot at speed 4 to 8 times longer with clear results
• Rapid AF focuses in approximately 0.2 second in wide angle and 0.3 second in telephoto
• Large 2.0-inch LCD; macro mode for shooting subjects as close as 1 centimeter
• Stores images on SD cards; powered by 4 AA batteries (alkaline or Ni-MH)

From the Manufacturer
The DiMAGE Z5 is a superb all-round digital camera that offers 12x optical mega zoom, a proprietary Anti-Shake System, 5.0-megapixel CCD, fast overall response including raapid AF, and a large 2.0-inch LCD to ensure you see it all clearly. All of these features combine to ensure that you won't miss a photo opportunity and that the subjects of your photos are big, beautiful, and shake-free.

The DiMAGE Z5's 12x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom combine for a total 48x zoom. Konica-Minolta's proprietary CCD-shift Anti-Shake System--the same one used on the top-of-the-line Dynax 7D, Maxxum 7D, and DiMAGE A200 models--is particularly effective at such high zoom levels. It allows the photographer to shoot with shutter speeds four to eight times longer (2-3 stops) than when shooting without an anti-shake function. It also works to give steady, shake-free images of evening or other dimly lit shots, which are susceptible to shaking because of their slow shutter speed. This means significantly less shaking even without a flash or tripod.

To ensure that you don't miss those beautiful images, the DiMAGE Z5 has a Rapid AF that's the fastest autofocus for digital cameras with predictive focus control. Focusing in a mere 0.2 second (approximately) at wide angle and only 0.3 second (approximately) at telephoto, it's ideal for capturing any subject, moving or still.

The DiMAGE Z5 has everything you need to take high-quality pictures: 5.0-megapixel CCD, high-performance GT APO lens, and Konica Minolta's proprietary CxProcess III image processing technology, which gives you images as beautiful as those you see with your own eyes.

The Z5 boasts a large, easy-to-view 2.0-inch LCD monitor. This makes navigating menus easier and allows you to see exactly what you're shooting.

In addition to rapid AF, the DiMAGE Z5 has fast startup, short shutter release time lag, Ultra-High-Speed Continuous Advance, Progressive Capture, and Real Motion monitor for smooth display on the LCD. All of these combine to let the user capture any subject, no matter how fleeting, on the spur of the moment, and not miss a photo opportunity.

In addition to beautiful stills, the DiMAGE Z5 takes high-quality, high-resolution VGA movies that look as good as TV images. These movies are also shake-free thanks to the anti-shake function.

The Z5 fits its 12x optical Mega Zoom and large 2.0-inch LCD into a compact body. With a design that's easy to hold and an LCD that’s easy to view, you’ll have a secure grip and a clear view to beautiful pictures.

Product Highlights

• 12x optical Mega Zoom and 4x digital zoom for 48x total zoom; complemented with CCD-shift Anti-Shake System
• Fastest-in-class rapid AF with Predictive Focus Control
• High-quality pictures with 5.0-megapixel CCD, Konica Minolta GT APO lens, and CxProcess III image processing technology
• High-resolution, shake-free VGA movies that look as good as TV images
• Ease of operation with large 2.0-inch LCD, compact body, and fast response
• Super Macro mode for shooting subjects as close as 1 cm from the lens
• 26mm wide-angle shooting (35mm equivalent) with the optional Wide-angle Converter ZCW-300

Features
Incredible 48x Total Zoom Range
Combining the 12x optical zoom with the 4X digital zoom gives you a 48x total zoom, ideal for taking distance shots at sports events or when capturing far-away scenery. This incredible optical zoom delivers a focal range equivalent to a 35-420mm range on a 35mm camera lens. With the digital zoom, total zoom is equivalent to 35-1680mm (35mm equivalent).

CCD-Shift Anti-Shake Function
The DiMAGE Z5 uses Konica-Minolta's proprietary CCD-shift Anti-Shake function, convenient for telephoto shots and dimly lit situations. Anti-Shake compensates to minimize the effect of camera shake, allowing you to shoot with shutter speeds four to eight times longer (2-3 stops) than on cameras without an anti-shake function. The DiMAGE Z5 can correct shaking without increasing shutter speed or raising ISO sensitivity, factors that increase image noise. The CCD-shift method doesn't require extra correction lenses like optical anti-shake systems, so the DiMAGE Z5's body remains compact and light. The Z5's Anti-Shake system is effective in correcting both the fine movement of pressing the shutter-release button and the larger and slower movements of the user's body.

Rapid AF is Fastest in Class for Autofocus (AF)
The DiMAGE Z5 focuses in a mere 0.2 second (approxiamtely) at wide angle and only 0.3 second (approximately) at telephoto. In Continuous AF, the DiMAGE Z5 includes Predictive Focus Control, which allows you to capture sharper images of moving subjects--like a child running at full speed. When it comes to fast and reliable autofocusing, the DiMAGE Z5 is clearly ahead of the pack.

The DiMAGE Z5 also offers improved AF accuracy through 5-point Area AF, which gives five focus areas that overlap horizontally and thus reduce AF failures that occur when subjects appear in between focus areas and cause a perspective conflict.

5.0-Megapixel CCD for Beautiful Prints
The 5.0-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD produces plenty of detail for creating high-quality enlargements as big as 21.7 x 16.3 centimeters at 300-dpi print resolution. In addition, the CCD's primary color filter offers high color fidelity.

Konica Minolta GT APO Lens
The DiMAGE Z5 employs a high-performance lens system that supports CCDs with 5 million effective pixels. The optical lens system consists of 13 elements in 10 groups and includes two AD (anomalous dispersion) glass lenses and two aspheric elements, a construction that adds up to sharp, high-quality images. Multi-coating on 14 lens surfaces ensures minimal flaring and ghosting in all zoom ranges. A 5-vane iris diaphragm beautifully reproduces a near-circular fading effect.

Superbly Detailed Images with CxProcess III
The DiMAGE Z5 incorporates CxProcess III, the latest evolution of Konica Minolta's proprietary image processing technology. This means even higher resolution and the ability to capture the subtlest details of texture, resulting in photos that look as natural as the subject itself.

High-quality Movies as Beautiful as TV Images
The Z5 takes movies in VGA size (640 x 480) at 30 frames per second (fps) for smooth video with sound rivaling TV images. You can also choose from other movie image sizes. The Anti-Shake function also works with the movie function to give shake-free telephoto movies. The XR (Extended Recording) Movie function lets you record movie clips onto the SD memory card as long as it has the capacity. With Night Movie, the DiMAGE Z5 can record in extreme low-light conditions. The Select Shot function allows you to make stills from movie clips, while the Movie Editing function allows you to cut unwanted parts from movie files.

Large, Easy-to-View 2.0-inch LCD
The DiMAGE Z5's 2.0-inch LCD gives you the big picture. The large screen makes it easier to take pictures, easier to play back stills and movie clips, and easier to navigate menus.

Get as Close as 1 Centimeter with Super Macro
Shoot amazing close-ups in either Macro or Super Macro modes. Whichever mode you choose, Konica Minolta’s superior image quality will make your close-ups look stunning and powerful. In Super Macro mode, you can bring the lens as close as 1 cm from your subject.

Real Motion LCD Monitor
The DiMAGE Z5 features the Real Motion LCD monitor, which delivers crystal clear images. The smooth, realistic movement displayed on the monitor makes it ideal for shooting moving subjects.

UHS (Ultra High Speed) Continuous Shooting
The DiMAGE Z5 captures 20 images at 10 fps (approximately) at an image size of 1024 x 768 in UHS (Ultra High Speed) continuous shooting. This function is convenient for situations where you need to capture and study your form in continuous movement, such as with a golf swing.

Progressive Capture
With the DiMAGE Z5 in Progressive Capture mode, the last several images in the sequence--as many as 20 images at 10 fps (approximately) at an image size of 1024 x 768--get saved when you stop pressing the shutter-release button. So when shooting fast-moving subjects, Progressive Capture ensures that they are recorded when and where you want them. These functions are handy for shooting sports events or for recording and improving your form in personal sports training situations.

Noise Reduction
Noise Reduction gives exceptional night images by automatically preventing the blemishes and graininess associated with slow-shutter shots.

PASM Exposure Control and Metering Modes
The DiMAGE Z5 offers incredible control over exposure. There are four modes: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual. The DiMAGE Z5 has three metering modes: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, and Spot. Multi-segment metering uses 256 segments to determine exposure.

Automatic Digital Subject Program Selection
Automatic Digital Subject Program Selection automatically chooses the best recording mode for your images. You can also manually select from Portrait, Sports action, Landscape, Sunset and Night portrait modes. Either way, this convenient function enables you to take fabulous photos with ease.

Key Customize
For added flexibility and convenience, the flash button can be customized to handle different settings. This means that instead of going through the menus on the LCD, you can use the flash button to change settings like the drive mode, white balance, focus mode, color mode, or sensitivity.

PictBridge-Compliant
Forget all about complicated connections with a PC. Get fast, fun printouts directly from your camera by connecting the Z5 to a PictBridge-compliant printer.

---

Customer Reviews

This is more like it
I've gone with every version of the Sony Mavica for my digital pics over the years but with my son turning one I needed a camera that would get clear shots when he was moving fast.

The hardest thing to find was something that had a powerful optical zoom (Sony spoiled me with 16x), and tho I have two fine camcorders it is nice to have video recording that does zooms and stabilization during vid recording (again, Sony has always done zoom/stabilization in it's video capture but most cameras don't).

After much research and coming very close to buying the Panasonic Lumix (very nice camera but terrible viewscreen) and the Kodak (no stabilization and required to use that silly dock) I noticed the Z5 had a bigger viewscreen than the older Z3.

Looking closer and seeing the 12x optical and the video recording that not only does zoom and stabilization but also 640x480 at 30fps (Mavica does only 15 second 320x240) and the deal was done. I bought a 1GB SanDisk Ultra2 (60x) sd card which allows up to 350 highest res pictures (and/or up to 28 minutes of wonderful stutter-free video) and now I am taking shots of my little moving target with no more blurring results.

My wife isn't into tweaking any camera and the controls are great, a little more complicated than the Mavica but not by much. Really it's point & shoot ease with only having to know four other buttons (one to switch between playback and "record", the toggle to go back and forth between stored images, a dedicated delete button to get rid of ones you don't like and the shutter button. If you are into doing more then there's a lot more on the camera from macros to in-camera video editing and on and on.

I know that most people don't buy a still camera for video and so I have to stress that the stills are blowing me away ... but also mention that if you do care about the video option then consider that the reason I only gave the unit a 4 is that the videos are Quicktimes. If you're a Windows person then you'll have to pay Apple (the real monopolist of PCs) $30 for a copy of QuickTime Pro to convert them to AVI and then use Microsoft's free Media Encoder or the consumer-grade freebie "Windows Movie Maker" to convert the AVIs to WMV format for best viewing in Media Player or use the AVIs in Pinnacle Studio 9 to make DVDs (why the heck don't cameras just record to WMV? This Quicktime default is so old fashioned). The quality of the videos IS good enough for your DVDs.

Aside from the video conversion pain, as a still camera This is the one.

Stay Away from this Camera
I have taken literally thousands of pictures with my Dimage Z1. I was very excited about getting the Z5. I thought the anit-shake technology and extra zoom would make this an amazing camera. Unfortunately this camera is HORRIBLE compared to the Z1. Here is why:
1. I used the 400 ISO setting quite often on the Z1 with great results. The 320 ISO setting on the Z5 is completely unusable unless you want pictures that look like they were taken with a first generation digital camera.
2. The pictures are not even close to as clean and clear. The colors are muted and I can not seem to set the camera to get anything close to white. None of this was a problem with the Z1. I frantically looked around for my receipt to return this (not from amazon.com) but I cannot find it. I am stuck with a very expensive but nearly useless camera.

The only reason I gave this 2 stars is for the anti-shake feature. This works quite well. I suppose I could use the 100 ISO setting, but I still do not get great colors.

Please keep this in mind...I seriously took thousands upon thousands of pictures with the Z1. I am actually quite heartbroken about this. I own a ton of Minolta products and this if the first time I have been let down. I guess I can let the kids use this camera. It is not much use to me.

Please find another camera. I am not a frequent review writer but I feel so strongly about this that I want to warn others.

I hope I have saved someone the $$$$.

Very nice mid-range camera
To start off, let me say that I'm a neophyte digital camera user, so my review will be based on someone with little experience.

That being said, the Z5 has been a pleasure to use. The ergonnomics are excellent, even for my big hands. The buttons are oriented very well for the left hand, so that you can virtually use this camera one-handed. Outdoor photos with good ambient light are very nice, and the 12x zoom makes it icing on the cake. The autofocus works very fast even on very distant objects. I didn't notice any excessive graininess or noise in outdoor photos, and the colors of the photos didn't look off to my eyes. However, if you shoot a moving subject, I found that it's wise to turn off the anti-shake, otherwise the picture will come out blurry, even if you manage to focus lock the subject (I tried this with flying birds).

The EVF viewer is okay, but not great. It's very grainy and there's a significant amount of lag. Because of this and the fact that the EVF momentarily blacks out while taking a pic, don't use it for moving subjects. In contrast, I found the 2" LCD screen to be very nice, with good contrast, brightness, refresh and resolution.

The main reason I knocked the camera down to 4 stars was its relatively poor indoor or low-light performance, with what seemed to me to be a weak flash. Even with longer exposure times and a tripod mount, I noticed a fair bit of noise in the pictures. And the flash, though rated out to 7' didn't seem to be enough to do the job, even on the slow flash. There was however no problem with redeye that I noticed.

What makes this camera truly awesome though (and a big reason I purchased it) is for its movie mode. Oddly, the movie mode seems to do better in low light situations than still photos. It does have some trouble focusing if you pan around too much or too fast, but otherwise, capturing video at 640x480@30fps with sound for as long as you have memory is great. And being able to zoom in this mode is a very nice feature, not to mention that the anti-shake feature works in this mode as well. The end result is SVHS quality video without too many shakes that looks really nice.

The battery life seems good to me, though I have little comparisons to make. It's also nice that the camera uses standard AA batteries so in a pinch, you can throw in some alkaline or lithium batteries.