Amazon.com Product Description

A close cousin of the Dimage A2, Konica Minolta's SLR-style Dimage A200 offers a smaller, more rounded body design and is lighter by 2.1 ounces. But it's packed full of powerful features that will be appreciated by a wide range of photographers, from professional to advanced amateur. In addition to its 8-megapixel resolution and 7x optical zoom, the Dimage A200 features a movie mode with 800 x 600-pixel resolution, 1.8-inch flip-out LCD monitor, and Minolta's anti-shake technology to keep things smooth.

Optics and Resolution
The Dimage A200 has an 8.0-megapixel, 2/3-inch interlace scan CCD that can subtle, expressive images--even individual hairs or the stitches of a suit in sharp detail. It has the following resolution options: 3264 x 2448, 3264 x 2176 (3:2 aspect ratio), 2560 x 1920, 2080 x 1560, 1600 x 1200, and 640 x 480. The 7x optical zoom GT lens is designed specifically for digital photography with sharper, clearer images minus any color aberration, even when using the large aperture setting. It has a 28-200mm equivalency in 35mm photography and a focal range of f2.8 to f3.5. It also has two digital zoom options: a normal 2x and an interpolated 4x.

With its proprietary new advanced LSI engine and CxProcess III image-processing technology, the DiMAGE A200 provides high-speed and stress-free image processing with low power consumption. And, its ability to suppress noise and provide exceptionally accurate color reproduction means that users get high-quality images every time.

The Dimage A200 features a CCD-shift mechanism, outlined above in green, to stabilize images by offsetting the shaking pattern of the user's hand. Below, a photo with Anti-Shake off (right) and the same subject with Anti-Shake on (left).

Movie Mode
The Dimage A200 offers a true VGA (640 x 480 pixels) movie mode, enabling you to record video at TV-quality 30 frames per second (fps). You also have the option to shoot at a larger resolution (800 x 600, SVGA) at 15 fps, good for viewing on a PC screen. Unlike many digital cameras, the Dimage A200 allows use of both the optical and digital zoom while recording movies, and the Night Movie function makes subjects highly visible even in dark settings. You can shoot a maximum of 15 minutes of video with audio.

Anti-Shake Technology
The Anti-Shake feature provides a highly effective way to deal with camera shake--a major cause of substandard images, especially with telephoto shots and when shooting in dim lighting. The Dimage A200 features a CCD-shift mechanism to stabilize images by offsetting the shaking pattern of the user's hand, providing stability at up to three shutter speeds slower than on digital cameras without an Anti-Shake function.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on CompactFlash cards (Type I/II), and it supports Microdrives. The Dimage A2 does not come with a memory card. It connects to Macs and Windows-based PCs via USB 2.0 connectivity.

Direct Printing
By directly connecting the Dimage A200 to a PictBridge-compliant printer, you can easily create prints without going through a computer--just choose your image directly from the LCD monitor.

More Features
The camera's 1.8-inch TFT Vari-angle LCD monitor rotates 270 degrees vertically and 180 degrees horizontally, allowing you to get a clear viewpoint for shooting artistic angles or taking flawless self-portraits.

Other features include:

• In addition to JPEG images, the Dimage A200 can also save captured images to RAW (12 bits per pixel), RAW+JPEG, and TIFF formats.
• The Ultra High Speed mode captures images at a continuous advance of 40 frames at 10 frames per second.
• Automatic or manual popup flash has a five-second refresh and fill, red-eye reduction, slow sync, and rear flash sync modes.
• Sure-grip, ergonomic body makes it easy to carry and use anywhere.

What's in the Box
This package includes the Minolta Dimage A200 digital camera, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (NP-800) and battery charger (BC-900), USB and AV cables, lens cap, accessory shoe cap, lens shade, wireless remote control, and CD-ROM with Dimage Viewer and ULEAD Video Studio 8 SE software. ... Read more

Features

• 8-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 16-by-22-inch enlargements
• Konica Minolta 7X optical zoom GT lens combines with a 2x digital zoom and 4x interpolated digital zoom
• Anti-shake feature for smooth photographic close-ups; flip-out, tilting 1.8-inch LCD
• Store images on type I or II Compact Flash memory cards or Microdrive; connects to PC via USB 2.0
• Powered by 1 NP-800 Lithium-ion battery

Product Description

The compact DiMAGE Z5 is an all-round digital camera that offers a built-in 12x optical Mega Zoom lens, Konica Minolta's proprietary Anti-Shake System, 5.0-megapixel CCD, fast overall response including Rapid autofocusing (AF), and a large 2.0-inch LCD screen for easy viewing. All of these features combined, these features ensure that photographers won't miss a photo opportunity and that the subjects of their photos are big, beautiful, and shake-free. An ideal companion for travel photography as well as everyday picture taking, photographers will appreciate the versatility of this digital camera. With the camera's built-in 12x optical zoom lens and Konica Minolta's innovative Anti-Shake technology, even novice photographers can easily capture clear, sharp detailed views of the world around them. To ensure that photographers don't miss their shot, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 has a Rapid AF that's the one of 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. DiMAGE Z5 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 (As Nov 2004 - based on Konica-Minolta Tests) High-quality pictures with 5.0-megapixel CCD, Konica Minolta GT APO lens ... Read more

Features

• 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)
• 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

Reviews (3)

Disappointed
I have an old Olympus 2.1 megapixel C-2100. It had a built in stabilization just like this Minolta Z5. Unfortunately, the built-in stabilizer option is about the only plus I can find for this Minolta.

My pictures that I take using my 2.1 megapixel Olympus are night and day more vibrant in color than the ones taken with the Minolta.

We are returning this camera to get our money back. We were excited about the stabilization feature, as it is a hard feature to find in a camera, but if it sacrifices picture quality, then it is not worth it.

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.

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.
... Read more

Features

• 6-megapixel resolution for photo-quality 14-by-19-inch enlargements
• The world's first digital SLR camera with body-integral antishake technology and a CCD-shift mechanism
• Full compatibility with the Maxxum system of lenses and accessories
• 2.5-inch LCD large-screen monitor with ultrafine 207,000-pixel resolution
• Simultaneous RAW and JPEG recording, plus 3 metering systems (14-segment honeycomb-pattern, center-weighted average, and spot) for fine control

Amazon.com Product Description

Minolta's DiMAGE Scan Dual IV provides a high-quality 35mm film, slide, and APS film scanning solution. Scanning is achieved using the accompanying film and slide holders (APS film holder must be purchased separately), delivering up to 3,200 dpi resolution. Ideal for serious photo enthusiasts and professionals alike, the DiMAGE Scan Dual IV offers Pixel Polish, Auto Dust Brush, and Grain Dissolver to correct and enhance your photo images.

Pixel Polish restores film images that have faded over time as well as those that suffer from light-distortion (under-exposure, backlighting, and so on). Auto Dust Brush automatically cleans any dust or lint that may have been scanned with your film. It can also be used manually as a separate plug-in with certain Photoshop versions to give you more precise control of removal parameters and to let you preview results. Grain Dissolver removes excess grain that may be visible when scanning high-speed film or that may appear in images scanned at very high resolutions.

The DiMAGE Scan Dual IV offers fast USB 2.0 connectivity for both PC and Mac users. It can perform batch scanning (up to six filmstrip frames or four mounted slides) or multi-sampling (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x), and lets you control a large number of factors such as tone curve, histogram, sharpness, brightness, exposure, and color balance. The system comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.

What's in the Box
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual IV, 35mm film holder FH-U2, slide mount holder SH-U1, USB cable UC-2 (USB 2.0 compatible), AC adapter AC-U25, CD-ROM for DiMAGE Scan Dual IV, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 ... Read more

Features

• Delivers sharp 3,200 dpi color scans with 16-bit A/D conversion
• Multi-sample scanning; batch scanning using film and slide holders
• 35mm and slide mount holders; supports optional APS adapter
• Pixel Polish, Auto Dust Brush, and Grain Dissolver for optimized image results
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0; USB 2.0 interface, PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (12)

Good but Quirky
1) The lack of any product support is infuriating as stated by the others.
2) The resulting images and flexibility of features provided are amazing... and I did not say "at this price." I don't consider a $270 gizmo for a $1300 computer cheap. It's over 1/5 the price of a high end host machine.
3) The scanner works well, has user friendly film strip and slide holders, does everything I expected it to do. A lot of flexibility in resolution and a lot of features for fixing freckles.
4) The main complaint is the overly sensitive startup procedure. Do it just right or it doesn't work, won't say why and just sits there. On the other hand, Do It Just Right and it may do the very same thing.
5) The documentation is helpful but poorly organized and vague. NOWHERE does it state a simple 5 step procedure for starting the device, bringing up the software and getting on with the scanning. That is THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL basic any manual should obviously provide. The booklet rambles from topic to topic throwing in a dire warning every few paragraphs and never offers a simple "Here's how you use it" sequence.
6) One of the problems with film scanners is LOW VOLUME AND POOR SHOPPING ACCESS. For most buyers, there is no place you can go and see the physical units nor see them demonstrated. Neither Circuit City nor Best Buy stores in MD stock them or demo them.
7) Overall impression: A great product that can do all you expect of it within specifications BUT an immature product that was not debugged and idiot-proofed before being thrown on the market. That is especially strange since there was a II and a III prior to this IV model.

Superb precision instrument - but NOT a Plug & Play device
After studying professional reviews (including CR), I decided on the Dual4. Forewarned by other users' comments about troublesome startup, I followed the manual's detailed installation instructions step-by-step. No problem whatever! Realize well that this is NOT a Plug-and-Play unit you just plug into a USB2 slot; if you do, Windows will use its own lame-duck generic WIA scanner driver, and gone are all the wonderful enhancements that Minolta's marvelously sophisticated scanning software offers. THE big secret is patience; precisely follow the instructions (same goes for my HP flatbed scanner) -- install the software from the CD first, and *only then* connect the USB cable when you are instructed to do so. If you don't: well just read what dissatisfied reviewers have to say. Also, when the manual tells you to initialize the scanner "with the door closed", it doesn't explicitly tell you to remove the film holder [it's the only way you can close the scanner door, after all]. Although better written and organized than an Asian DVD-player manual, there are some dense spots that you will need to explore on your own. Still, you can't unlock all the treasures of the software until you read (painstakingly, I might add) the software capabilities. I've only had the scanner for a few weeks but, once I learned how just a hair on the negative will magnify to a tree trunk on the print, it does an astonishing job of converting analog film slides to digital images that you can enhance in the accompanying complete PhotoShop Elements 2 software. A magnificent tool indeed but, like any precision tool, it needs careful adherence to instructions and some experimentation to realize its full potential. An unbeatable harware product, with software fine-tuned to provide the ultimate in quality images. Even so, lack of online tech support, such as simple driver updates, is disconcerting. Ask Amazon for tech support? You must be kidding!

IMPRESSED
I am totally impresed with this scanner. I was scanning 35mm film with an Epson 2450. What a difference! More latitude in the tonal range. Very sharp, Scanner has auto and manual focus. Professional driver software. Images consistant in color from scan to scan.
Have not used the dust remove feature yet. So far all my negs and trans are flawless. Even thou it is only 3200 dpi, if you know photoshop, the quality of the scans are so good I have no problems enlarging to 36x24 poster. I did a test and enalrged in the computer to 100 inches and just checking it out on the monitor it still held together NO PROBLEMS!
Have had the scanner for about a month and use it everyday and have had no start up problems or any other sort of problems, yet. But then again I use a MAC. Read the instruction manual before you do anything!
Anyway, well worth the $270 I spent !

I love it!!!!
For the price this is the best film scanner I have ever used. I have scanned close to 9000 slides and negatives since I purchased it in February. It is easy to use and I have been quite pleased with the color balance and exposures it returns. Images are all sharp and crisp. I just wish it would scan 120 and 220 film.

Good scanner, startup procedure a little twitchy
Yeah, I hear what some of the other reviewers are saying about the documentation and the fussy startup process - however complaining that you have to follow the instructions _exactly_ when installing it seems a bit odd to me... I had no problem with the install but then again I don't have a problem following instructions ;->.

But all that said, once you get it right it's a very good scanner. I've used others and this is by far the best. I'm suprised to hear the one reviewer complain about the sharpness of the shots - my scanner does an excellent job. I've scanned in over 500 slides so far (archiving the parent's slide collection from the 60s) and they look great.

The dust remover feature works reasonably well, although I've turned off all the pixel polish and image adjustment stuff - it doesn't make that big of a difference on my shots and makes the resulting images bigger.

The batch scan is great - I just sit here and work on other stuff and feed in 4 slides at a time. I've tried both color slides and negative film, both look excellent.

For those still frustrated by the startup sequence - here's what I do and it works every time.

1. Turn on your computer, let it boot.
2. Once up, turn on the scanner with the door closed.
3. Fire up the scanning software you want to use (batch scan, easy scan etc...).
4. once it barks at you to put the film in properly, then open the door and feed in your tray.

After that, you're good to go. I find if you deviate from the process you can come to grief. Once up, I've never had it fail and I've crammed through 150 slides at a sitting without a hitch. ... Read more

Features

• 5-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 13-by-17-inch enlargements
• 2.8x optical zoom lens combines with 4.3x digital zoom for 12x total zoom
• .5-second start-up time; 2-inch LCD monitor; PictBridge compatible
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16 MB SD card included
• Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included with charger)

Product Description

ReplaceYour Inkjet With Speedy Laser The magicolor 2400W from KONICA MINOLTA is the color laser alternative to ink jet printers. It's small, quick, and ready for any print job—from letters and reports to family photos and fun flyers. There's no special paper required and it's got long-lasting supplies so you can print page after page of durable, high-impact color. Don't try this with a bargain-bin ink jet! ... Read more

Features

• USB 2.0 interface, optional Ethernet; PC compatible
• 2,400 x 600 dpi resolution in black and color
• Up to 5 ppm color, 20 ppm black print speed
• 35,000-page maximum monthly duty cycle
• 32 MB standard memory

Reviews (5)

Not for the Typical Home User
I owned this printer less than a month and sent it back.

For: 1. Great price for a color laser printer.

2. Nice looking copies, especially photos.

3. Fast color photo printing.

Against: 1. Power consumption. It uses 11 amps of my 15 amp circuit when on. (Spec found on pg 87 of the PDF manual) It is like having a small space heater on all the time.

The lights flicker while the element stays hot. So I let it go into standby, which solved the flickering. When coming out of standby the power surge killed my ups (on the same circuit, but not powering the printer). Unless you have two circuits in your home office, beware.

2. No Surge Protection. The printer should not be plugged into a surge protector or ups. This is not stated in the manual, but you are told this by tech support when you call to complain about the flickering lights.

3. The time from warmup to print is 45 seconds. If you are only printing a couple of pages in black an inkjet is just as fast or faster. And the print quality isn't enough difference to be noticable for text.

4. Envelope printing. Typically home users print one or two envelopes at a time. To print an envelope, you have to take out all the paper, put in your envelope, move the slide, open the top, move two levers, close the top, and print. When you are done, reverse the process. In my HP inkjet, you put the envelope in the slot in the output tray and print.

According to the manual (pg. 23), "laser" envelopes only, lest they seal shut during printing. Staples has no such thing.

5. Lables. Precut or perforated lables need not apply. Whole uncut sheets only. (Pg 24)

6. Printable area. Normal margins = .157" all around...except for legal paper in color mode, when the bottom margin = .409". Since the printer is normally in color mode, it is one more thing to change when printing on legal and you need all the print area you can get or need an even print area.

7. Noise. It is extremely noisy when starting up or coming out of standby with a lot of loud clunking.

8. Tech Support. When I called about the power surge when coming out of standby (that caused the computer to reboot) I was told, "Don't put in standby."

On the second call to tech support for this problem I was told "Plug it directly into the wall socket, not a surge protector or ups."

When leaving it on caused the lights to flicker (Call 3), Tech Support Level 1 kept putting me on hold and relaying my questions to a Level 3 tech and relaying the answers back to me. The solution to the flickering lights...plug it into a different circuit. (Not an option in my home.)

Conclusion: For the average home office user that doesn't print a lot of color photos, get a good color inkjet. (I am partial to HP). For most printing needs it is just too much hassle.

If you do print color photos, just make sure you have a seperate circuit to plug it into.

This is being returned
I did my homework and read many reviews. Not one mentioned that you can not share this printer. I didn't need network ready, but I do need to share with my home network. This is an important consideration and should be noted in the specifications.

Also, no one mentioned that to print an envelope I would have to remove all the paper, open the cover, adjust 2 levers, close the cover, load the envelope, print and do it all again to replace the paper. What a hassle!

One last complaint, and I read about that one. This is one very noisy printer. Don't expect to print while you are on the phone. Neither of you will be able to hear.

On the plus side, the print quality was good.

Overall, the negatives are not worth the cheap price!

A COLOR LASER PRINTER THAT WON'T BREAK YOUR BUDGET
I recently purchased the Konica Minolta Magicolor 2430DL Color Laser Printer and I LOVE IT!I run a small desktop publishing business from home and needed a reasonably priced color laser printer that would produce good quality products in a short period of time and this printer fits the bill.The text is awesome and graphics are awesome and the speed is just what the doctor ordered.The only problem I have with this printer is that the documentation that comes with it is awful.It's in at least 5 different languages and pretty much, all you can decipher from it once you find the English version is how to set it up.I still don't know how to change out the toner cartridges or even how to troubleshoot if I was to run into a problem.So for the job that it does, I give it 5 stars.It serves its purpose, it's compact and it's reasonably priced.As for instructions and/or tech support, I give it 2 stars.(Lets hope I never run into any problems with it.)

Excelent for home use
I bought that printer because I was sick and tired of ink jets:
* There would always be clogged heads and print output with horizontal bands
* You would use most of the expensive ink cleaning the heads
* The ink would run out in middle phrase without any prior warning, as opposed to the progressive fading of a laser
* You had to wait for the paint to dry
* The result was not waterproof
* Photo quality requires expensive paper

I was almost buying the Oki 5050. The Oki is fast even in color mode and has relatively inexpensive toner. But the 2400W was positioned as a photo printer and was just US$300! I ended up with the 2400W.

This is a great printer for home/home office use. It does print very decent photos even in plain paper. The results are even better with a light (90 g/m2) or matte (167 g/m2) photo paper. My mother stopped complaining that I don't give her enough pictures of the kids.

I have only a few complains:
* The toner is expensive. You can buy a 1500-page "standard" cartridge for US$70 each or a 4500-page "high capacity" cartridge for US$120 each. Since I don't print a lot of stuff, this is ok with me. Interestingly, the set of 4 "standard" cartridges might cost more than a brand new printer - that comes with the same cartridges!
* It cannot print a photo at full page size (Letter, A4) at maximum resolution (2400 X 600) because of lack of memory (it's not expandable); I have to settle with the still decent 1200 X 600 resolution. The most you can get at full resolution is 1/3 of a page.
* It does not come with an Ethernet print server and is incompatible with the Linksys PSUS4 print server that I bought.

Both of the last issues above are addressed at the 2430DL that costs about US$100 more, so I think you should consider that model instead.

Excellent printer - worthless documentation
This is the second Konica-Minolta Magicolor color laser I have purchased. The first was a 2430DL which I purchased for my office. Basically the printers are the same except that the 2400W does not have ethernet connectivity, or an LED read-out (the printer messages from the 2400W pop up in a window on your computer screen), and the 2400W costs about $100 less.

Printing quality is the same on both units. Warm up time is quick, pages come out fast, and quality is good. Text quality is excellent. We also have a $10,000 color laser at work and the Konica units print text just as well and graphics almost as well.

Obviously I liked these printers enough to buy a second one, however I only give the product 4 stars because neither my 2430DL or the 2400W worked right out of the box and the accompanying "documentation" (if you can call it that) is a total joke.

Installation of my 2400W conked out with a message saying, and I quote: "Put Cyan toner". Huh? I opened up the unit and the magenta toner was on top. The rotate toner cartridge button refused to work and, as I said before, the manual is useless. I had to call tech support. Eventually we discovered that the magenta and cyan toner cartridges were switched. When switched back the unit performed perfectly.

Installation of my 2430DL appeared to work but the prints initially were faded and the toner rubbed off. Another call to tech support revealed that two clips that are supposed to hold the paper tightly against the fuser were not down all the way. When these were seated properly the unit functioned perfectly.

The installation instructions contain one page of sketches that look like they were made by a grade-schooler. Worthless. The thick "manual" consists of only one-quarter of one page of generic information which is repeated a bazillion times in a bazillion different languages, 4 per page. Curious, but utterly worthless.

On the plus side, Konica's tech support is excellent. The calls are toll-free, I only had to wait on hold a few minutes each time, and I got to speak to native English speakers who were very knowledgeable, polite, and helpful.

Here are a couple of other tidbits which may be of interest. The 2400W only connects via a USB cable, which is NOT included. Also, the printer uses 4 toner cartridges: black, cyan, magenta, and blue. The combined cost of theses cartridges is almost as much as the printer sells for at discount office stores. And... the toner cartridges which come with the printer are "starter" cartridges which are only one-third full, so get ready to spend some $$$ on replacement cartridges.

Power consumption on this unit is high compared to my previous home laser (an HP Laserjet 6L). When the Konica unit is switched on my room lights flicker constantly, even when not printing. So I turn the thing off after every use. Normally you can leave it on all the time and it will go into power saver mode by itself after about 20-30 minutes (by the way, you will have to get used to the loud clunk it makes when going to sleep - initially it will scare you because 20 minutes after making a print you have forgotten all about the printer, and, as I say it is a LOUD clunk!)

Both the 2430DL and the 2400W have a paper tray with a complete enclosure, which is very nice for keeping the paper clean and out of the way.

Duplexing is manual. You have to print one side then put the sheet(s) back into the printer upside down for the second side.

So, in summary: some installation headaches, great tech support, worthless documentation, but very nice printing, especially for the money. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The stylish, SLR-style Konica Minolta Dimage Z2 is offers appealing features for a wide variety of photographers--from sports enthusiasts to serious wildlife photographers. Packed with power, yet easy to use, the Dimage Z2 features an amazing 10x optical zoom lens, quick startup time (1.8 seconds), and a rapid autofocus (the fastest for digital cameras of this class as of January, 2004) that helps you capture images in virtually any situation. It also offers a 4-megapixel resolution, VGA-quality video mode with audio, and a real-motion LCD monitor.

Optics and Resolution The Dimage Z2 has a maximum resolution of 2272 x 1704 pixels, good enough for enlargements up to 20 x 30 inches. It also offers 1600 x 1200 (2 MP), 1280 x 960 (1 MP) and 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution modes. The camera's 10x optical zoom lens is a fast f2.8 - f3.5, allowing fast shutter speeds for sports or natural-light photography. With a focal range of 5.8mm-58mm, it is equivalent to a 38-380mm 35mm camera lens. When combined with the seamless 4x digital zoom, it has an amazing 40x zoom range, equivalent to a 38-1520mm lens.

Movie Mode
The Dimage Z2 can record high-quality VGA (640 x 480) movies at 30 frames per second (fps), which is comparable to S-VHS video. It also offer's the world's first (as of January, 2004) SVGA option, with a resolution of 800 x 600 and a 15 fps rate. Viewed on a PC, the SVGA movie delivers approx. 6.3 more pixels than the standard QVGA (320 x 240) found on many other comparable digital cameras. You can record as much video as your

More Features
The Dimage Z2 features Rapid AF with Predictive Focus Control to ensure sharp images with minimum delay. The Rapid AF system uses a high-speed drive to focus the lens quickly and smoothly--a 0.3 second focusing time at a focal length of 5.8mm and 0.4 seconds at 58mm--giving the DiMAGE Z2 the world's fastest AF among digital cameras with a built-in 10X or greater optical zoom as of January 1, 2004. The Predictive Focus Control compensates for the minute delay from when the shutter-release button is pressed until the image is captured and adjusts focus right up until the exposure is made.

Startup time is a mere 1.8 seconds and shutdown time is 2.4 seconds. After focus has been locked, the shutter-release time lag is 0.06 second -- comparable to a 35mm SLR camera. The Z2 is ready to capture another image in just 1.2 seconds after the previous exposure.

The powerful built-in flash can cover distances of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) with the lens at its widest angle. Unlike most compact digital cameras, the Dimage Z2 offers extra versatility with flash photography. It has a hot shoe for attaching any of these Konica Minolta flash units: the Maxxum Flash 2500(D), 3600HS(D), or 5600HS(D).

The Real Motion LCD monitor uses a 60 fps rate, showing action smoothly compared to the slower 30 fps rate of conventional monitors. It's also equipped with Konica Minolta's exclusive Switch Finder, a unique system allows the camera's LCD monitor to be viewed either directly or through the viewfinder. Since a single monitor is used, you need not worry about the color, contrast, and resolution difference between separate rear and viewfinder monitors. Automatic monitor amplification brightens the monitor under low light so the live image is always visible

Select the UHS (Ultra High Speed) option from the rapid shooting menu. The enlarged 32MB internal memory allows the Z2 to capture 15 images at 10 frames per second. When the shutter-release button is pressed and held, Progressive Capture begins saving images in the buffer memory. Five frames are saved with standard continuous advance and 12 frames with UHS continuous advance

Other features include:

• Super Macro mode lets you focus as close as 1.2 in. (3cm) from the front of the lens
• Real-time histogram shows the luminance distribution of the image before it is captured
• Output photos directly to a PictBridge-compliant printer without having to go through a personal computer
• Flash modes: auto, red-eye reduction, fill flash, and slow sync
• Five subject programs--portrait, sports action, landscape, sunset, and night portrait--cover common and specialized shooting conditions and can be selected manually
• Four exposure-control modes: programmed AE, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual
• Three selectable metering modes: multi-segment, center-weighted, and spot

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards; a 16 MB starter card is included (which will store approximately 17 standard 2272 x 1704 images). It transfers images to Macs and Windows-based PCs via a speedy USB 2.0 connection.

CxProcess II Image Processor
Konica Minolta's newest image processing technology, CxProcess II, is used to bring out the best in the 3.3 megapixel CCD. CxProcess II controls the essential image qualities of color, contrast, and sharpness while minimizing noise. Brilliant, saturated color remains vibrant without becoming unnatural. Subtle contrast is rendered to retain the richness and depth of the subject while preserving details in the highlights and shadows. Sharpness is controlled to show fine detail while minimizing hard, unnatural edges.

Power and Size
The camera is powered by four AA batteries (alkaline included; NiMH rechargeables recommended). The Dimage Z2 measures 4.3 x 3.1 x 3.2 inches and weighs 10.8 ounces without batteries or recording media.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Dimage Z2 digital camera, 16 MB Secure Digital memory card, 4 AA alkaline batteries, neck strap, lens cap, accessory shoe cap, USB and A/V cables, and CD-ROMs with Dimage Viewer and ArcSoft VideoImpression software. ... Read more

Features

• 4-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 11-by-15-inch enlargements
• GT 10x optical lens system combines with 4x digital zoom for 40x total zoom
• TV-quality movie recording; 1.2-inch super macro mode; 1.8-second start-up time
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards
• Powered by AA-size batteries

Reviews (14)

great for the enthusiastic beginner
I've had this camera for a little over a month and so far, I love it. It's got the full-auto (point-and-shoot) mode for the casual photographer/beginner, but it also has a variety of manual modes and advanced features like aperture priority, shutter priority, program mode, and full manual, as well as manual white balance for those interested in learning the art of (digital) photography.

The two built in macro modes (close and *really* close) allow for excellent close-up shots. Despite having almost no experience in photography beyond point-and-shoot cameras, I was taking pretty good macro shots my first day with it (at least that's what mom said ;). The 10x zoom is great for the long shots. The 16MB SD card is useless (pick up at least 256MB). I still carry the 16 for a spare, but at the highest image resolution, I doubt I could fit 10 pictures on it.

Do yourself a favor and buy the lens adapter ring and a UV filter for the camera. The UV filter can be had pretty cheap, won't affect picture quality, and will keep your built-in lens safe from scratches, dirt, and UV rays (evidently pretty damaging to camera equipment). And having the adapter, you'll be able to attach other filters as your need/skill grow. Oh, and get a couple of sets of rechargeable NIMH batteries too. They'll save you a lot of money. I briefly looked into the Konika-Minolta LI battery pack that's made for the camera, but being more than half the price of the camera, decided it was more expensive than I needed. At least for now.

So far, my only complaints are: the battery cover door seems pretty flimsy. I'd like to see something more substantial. And, I'm not sure the idea of the mechanical mirror used to select the view through the eyepiece or on the display screen is wise. It just seems like more mechanical parts to fail in the future. Also, the use of the eyepiece won't prolong battery life as it would in most digital cameras.

So, it's few faults aside, I give the KM Z2 a solid 5 star rating.

You will not regret the purchase
This camera will do everything for you except hold it in place. The auto mode does it all. I was very impressed with the battery life and BRIGHT flash. The camera is just perfect, video mode is brilliant, no noise from the camera's AF feature. The zoom, well seeing is believing, you will not believe the details that you are missing on these 2x and 3x zoom cameras. Can't wait for the next generation. Get one!

Where's the color?
I purchased my Z2 and couldn't wait to see the great images it could produce with 4 megs and 10x zoom. What a disappointment! I want my old Olympus 510 back. The color is horrible on the Z2. I could get the color ok by adjusting the white balance in the program modes (not using a flash), however it's not adjustable in the "Auto" mode, which also meant switching back to "Auto" for a flash shot. Also, this camera's size and shape make it totally impossible to just carry around in your pocket. I have missed way too many shots because I didn't have the camera with me.

Great Camera
What a great camera! I compared this to a Cannon Elph, and this camera blew it out of the water. It's real easy to use, it's light, and the auto focus is quick. From the time you press the shutter button to the time the camera takes the picture is lightning fast. The Cannon Elph was a lot slower, causing me to miss action shots. The picture quality is great!

Quality product
In short, I did a LOT of research, and I found this camera to fit my needs best. The 4MP are more than adequate, the stills are sharp, the menus friendly, the video AWESOME. Well worth your money. ... Read more

Features

• 6-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 14-by-19-inch enlargements
• 3x optical GT Hexanon zoom lens
• 1.3-second start-up time; capture movie clips up to 30 seconds with audio; PictBridge support
• Store images on Memory Stick or Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16 MB SD card included
• Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery NP-600 (included with charger)

Reviews (1)

G600, more to be desired
Opinion
Fredrik in Sweden.

I had a 3 Mpix Olympus D-550 (C-300) for 12 months and it has been very difficult to find a better camera when it broke.

I first bought a Casio QV 5700, a semi-big and very sophisticated camera. It had all the features I wished for, bright optics, manual settings etc. but the size and ancient slow action bothered me. I swiftly returned it.

I realized I wanted something pocketable with great performance. Since no reviews on the web met my demands I finally went for the G600, the heir of a test winner, unreviewed until now.

---

The G600 with a spare battery and 512 Mb is a good setup. After the first charge of 14 hours the battery was good for 250 images (no flash, always display and 3 unloads) The very first charge also charges the onboard memory battery so it will perform better after that. It also takes 10 cycles before the battery is ripe. I expect 300-350 images.

Charging takes 2 hours with the bundled charger, neat.

---

A normal image in fine mode takes up about 1500-2800 kb of space. => 240 images on my SD card.

---

The shutter lag is ok, but not as awesome as I got the impression of. (with focus lock it is pretty instant)

I flung a stick into the evening air and shot it while it fell and the result was really neat and sharp. (See sample)

Startup time is really quick.

---

The size is dreamy. You can hardly feel it is in your front pocket on a pair of tight jeans. The metal gives it a sturdy feel.

The blue LED's on the front are a nuissance. They provide extra light for focusing etc. I don't know when they are activated, or if I can turn it off.

---

I have some sample images for you here.
All handheld on a grey spring evening in Sweden.
http://www.microsaft.com/g600/ this page.

Problems
I dislike using flash, as a result indoor images turn up dark.
Some are VERY dark with the automatic setting in spite of normal illumination.
I somewhat enhanced this by increasing ISO to 200.

Still not as good as my Olympus D-550 (C-300) in low light. I feel it necessery to switch between ISO modes for indoor and outdoor shots. Requires clicking in the menu.

The G600 wants to use flash at all times indoors. Flash make the pictures flat and boring. I want to capture atmosphere, not cold hard vectors.

---

The Automatic "focus depth" was very tight.
If I focus on my face, the eyes look great but the nose gets blurry. (My nose isn't huge). I am not sure how to compensate for this. (still learning)
In macro mode this is apparent when shooting a fat larva where half the larva is out of focus. Unless you only photograph coins... this is a problem.

---

In the evening, the automatic light control make the images a tad less bright and less in contrast than real life. Increasing brightness and contrast +25 and +25 in Pshop helps evening pictures.

I suspect this can be adjusted in the white balance settings.

Much of this can be compensated for, with internal tweaking, once and for all. The colors overall are very natural and life like.

---

The multi spot autofocus tend to pick the items in the background and not the thing I want to shoot.
I saw no reason to use spot metering until I got the G600.

---

The amount of "flawed images" are less than with the Casio, and I think that when I get used to this one it will perform as well as the point and shoot Olympus. I am well on my way.
---

I would love it if it had a "speed dial" to chose
between different scene modes.

The sound and avi format works very well.
16 seconds amount only to 2800 kb.

---

I'd rather they had two compartments for batteries than two for memory cards. Running out of juice is a bummer when you are to shoot the sunset from the top of a hill.

---

Some would say that the zoom is too fast.
It is, like the Borg would say, ...efficient.

---

It could be easier to record sound and movies. The menu system requires clicking... clicking...

---

I need to test the lense and ccd more, with some colorful sunsets, but so far the quality is really nice. I can count individual strains of hair on my head on my images. I'll keep this one, because it is portable and creates great images under the right conditions and decent images under strain.
A third battery may be an investment.

Manual settings will work out some of my problems.

---

/Fredrik

My free for all, no copyright 1000+ image archive.
(Most shot with the Olympus, but that will change.) http://www.microsaft.com ... Read more

Features

• 6.3-megapixel sensor captures images with up to 3,008x2,000 resolution
• JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG image capture format
• 2.5-inch color LCD screen
• Stores images on CompactFlash memory card
• Powered by NP-400 Li-ion battery, up to 400 shots on single charge

Product Description

The DiMAGE Z20 - 5.0-megapixel digital camera with 8x optical zoom lens. The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20's 8x optical Mega Zoom lens and 4x digital zoom combine for a total 32x zoom, allowing users to capture everything from sporting events to panoramic scenery. And with the camera's Rapid AF with Predictive Focus Control and a 0.5-second (approx.) fastest-in-class startup, photographers will be sure to captures those unexpected photographic opportunities. 8x Optical Mega Zoom - The new DiMAGE Z20 offers photographers a wide shooting range - the 8x optical zoom lens provides focal lengths from 36-290mm (35mm equivalent) while providing focal lengths up to 1160mm (35mm equivalent) when combined with the 4x digital zoom. With the 8x optical zoom and the 4x digital zoom combining for a 32x total zoom, the DiMAGE Z20 is ideal for taking distance shots at sporting events or capturing far-away landscapes. The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z20 incorporates a high performance 8x optical lens consisting of 11 elements in nine groups that includes two aspheric lens elements. With two aspheric lenses, the DiMAGE Z20 corrects various kinds of optical aberrations in the zoom range and renders beautiful, homogenous, distortion-free images from the center to the edges. ... Read more

Features

• Stores images on SD cards; powered by 4 AA batteries (alkaline or Ni-MH)
• 5 MP CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints
• 8x optical zoom; fast start-up time of .5 second
• Rapid AF focuses in approximately 0.3 second in wide angle and telephoto modes
• 1.5-inch LCD; macro mode for shooting subjects from as close as 1 centimeter away

Reviews (1)

Perfect Camera!
I own this camera for three weeks now, and I'm very pleased with it. Bought it with a 512MB SD-card, which can handle about 250 pictures (highest quality). I never use the automatic setting, defining the shutter-speed and the diaphragm by yourself is much more fun. The possibilities with this camera are enormous. Great zoom range, also with the digital zoom disabled. The Macro-function is also a great feature. Considering the 5.0 MP, the 8x optical zoom and it's price (239 pounds), this is one of the best camera's in it's class!! ... Read more

Features

• 35mm SLR camera with 28 to 100mm zoom lens
• Fast, precise focusing with 9-point AF sensor system
• Advanced AF focus-point indication accurately tracks moving subjects
• High-grade body construction for balanced, responsive handling
• Powerful built-in flash (GN52.5 in feet) for worry-free low-light shooting

Amazon.com Product Description

Like the very popular Dimage Xi, the Minolta Dimage Xt is a 3.2 megapixel camera, but with more versatile features and packaged in an even smaller body. The new design eliminates more than 5 percent from the size and nearly 8 percent from the weight of the Dimage Xi. The exclusive folded optical zoom system allowed Minolta to recreate the world's thinnest (as of April 2003) compact, planar digital camera with a 3x optical zoom.

Optics and Resolution

Minolta's folded optics provides a 3x optical zoom within its slim design.

Featuring a 3.2-megapixel CCD sensor, the Dimage E223 delivers image detail up to 2048 x 1536 pixels for print enlargements up to 11 x 14 inches. This revolutionary non-extending lens is responsible for maintaining the camera's 0.8-inch thin profile either while recording or when stored. The 3x optical zoom, equivalent to a 37-111mm lens on a 35mm camera, is assisted by a 4x digital zoom giving a seamless zoom range of 12x. The lens focuses down to 5.9 inches at all focal lengths for close-up photographs without having to use a separate function.

Storage and Transfer
Images can be stored on either Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards; a 16 MB SD card is included. Download image files to either a Mac or PC via USB connectivity, including any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Movie and Audio Modes
The Dimage Xt is not limited to recording still images. Video with audio can be captured at either 160 x 120 or 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The length of movie clips is only limited by the memory card capacity. The new Direct Video function allows the camera to be connected directly to a VHS or DVD recording deck.

The Dimage Xt can be used as a remote camera for video conferencing. Simply use the supplied USB cable to connect the camera to a computer with a Windows operating system and a compatible application such as Microsoft Windows Messenger.

The audio recording mode records up to 180 minutes of audio. Voice memo allows up to 15 seconds of audio to be attached to an image when it is captured. The audio-caption function can attach an audio track to any recorded still-image. The audio tracks can be played back in the camera.

The included base serves as both a recharging station and camera stand.

More Features
The Dimage Xt is a fast, responsive camera. It is ready to use approximately 1.1 seconds after turning it on. This is the fastest start-up time of any digital camera with an optical zoom (as of April 2003). The fluid playback performance only causes a slight 0.2 second delay between frames regardless of file size.

An improved e-mail copy function allows a still image to be copied and resized to 640 x 480 or 160 x 120 pixels so that it may be attached to an e-mail message or posted on the Internet.

The Dimage Xt's charger stand can recharge the battery while it is still in the camera. It can also charge a single spare battery by itself. The charger doubles as a camera stand for when the Dimage Xt is used for self-portraits, a remote camera, or when connected to a computer.

• 1.5-inch TFT (transreflective) LCD monitor.
• Built-in flash with autoflash, autoflash with red-eye reduction, fill-flash, night portrait, and flash cancel modes.
• Extended shutter-speed range controls the exposure from 4 seconds for night scenes to 1/1000th of a second for brilliant sunlit landscapes.
• Spot metering and spot AF allows you to meter or focus on a specific subject.
• Multi-segment metering and five-point AF make taking beautiful, sharp images simple.
• Exposure control from 4 seconds for scenes at night to 1/1000th of a second for brilliant sunlit landscapes

Features

• 3.2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 8 x 10 prints and medium-quality prints up to 11 x 14
• New design is smaller in size and lighter in weight than Dimage Xi
• Exclusive folded 3x optical zoom system with 4x digital zoom (for 12x total); movie mode (320 x 240) with sound
• Includes 16 MB Secure Digital card; also compatible with MMC cards
• Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery(NP-200, included); connects to PCs and Macs via USB 1.1

Reviews (50)

Very convenient, a few flaws
I love this camera's easy portability: tiny size fits in any pocket, which was my main criterion. I'm not very organized, so any camera that needs its own bag, supplies, etc., is just going to get left at home. This one is currently in my jacket pocket--I take it everywhere, and snap anything I want whenever the idea pops into my head.
I'm mostly a snapshot taker, so the quality is fine with me, although I have taken some nice nature pictures that came out very well. Mostly I use it for taking photos to email, which it does just fine, and the occasional video. I like the video feature: it has audio included, and the video can be as long as the memory card can handle (I did upgrade to a 256 MB card right after buying this, as the included 16 MB card is very small--a common problem with digicams). Obviously the picture quality for videos is not razor-sharp--but you can capture some nice baby playtime or surprise parties or whatever. By contrast, I used a friend's Optio for a weekend, and the video feature has a set length limit; a real drawback, in my mind.
I also like the four compression options, so you can choose rich detail for artsy landscape shots, or more compressed file sizes for taking huge numbers of snapshots.
Problems: As others have noted, the viewfinder shows a smaller frame than what is actually captured; no big deal to me. My lcd screen did get scratched also, which is a bigger annoyance but not crucial. I do think Minolta should include a fabric drawstring bag or something, just to slip over the camera and prevent this type of scratching.
Otherwise I love it. I have taken it skiing, where a bulky camera would not work, and like I said it goes with me everywhere without any special forethought. It's just what I wanted.

Awesome tiny digicam!
I'm VERY happy with this as my first digicam. I've had it for a month and it's SO easy to work with. I hesitated jumping into the digital world but I'm glad I did. I won't get technical on you. I bought it b/c: previous Minolta user, 3.2 mp w/digital zoom, tiny size, quick start-up time, enough advanced features but doesn't overwhelm me (111 pg manual, easy to read), sleek, no moving parts, did I mention how small it is?!?! I throw it in my purse, diaper bag, pants pocket, fanny pack - it fits in the palm of your hand...the XT goes with me EVERYWHERE! I immediately bought a wallet-size case for the tight fit, neck strap and a set of clear LCD Protectors (a must!) I take pictures of something everyday and just know to charge the battery regularly, as well as download the pix to my computer regularly so I haven't used the 256 SD memory card I have. I will eventually by an extra battery & the Minolta belt case. It comes with a basic Photoshop type Dimage Viewer program that fixes any problems I had in taking a photo. I'm a mom who takes pix of the kids, eBay items, PT business use and this is perfect for this once-loving SLR fan. You can't beat keeping only the pictures you like & being able to take photos without lugging a bag of stuff around. I hated taking a whole roll of pictures & discover only 2 pictures are good. Picture quality is great for this scrapbooking mom; takes photos fast, real shutter time: ??? - the usual lagtime it sounds like most digicams have but other reviewers say it's faster than most, but it's fast enough not to miss what the kids do...so it doesn't bother me. Besides there's a continuous advance shot mode. It makes cool sounds (you can choose or record your own) when you push buttons so you know something "registered." There aren't a lot of buttons to push to get it to do what you want so it's very user-friendly, even the menus. XT can take color, B&W and sepia-tone photos; recording movie & audio will be something I use one of these days & another reviewer mentioned that you can focus in on a portion of a photo you've taken (i.e. let's you see if someone's smiling or their eyes are closed) I read a lot of reviews prior to purchase, professional & consumer and almost bought a Sony Cybershot, but this XT's micro size is it's best feature, you'll want to take it everywhere and you REALLY can. I mean, if you're spending the money, you want to be able to use it ALL the time right? My husband took a great photo of our ceiling fan, it was on medium speed and the XT made it look like a still-shot...ok, not a big deal but it's just a real cool fun camera - you won't be disappointed with this purchase!!!

I love mine, but a few warnings...
For me, the compact size of the camera was key. I also liked that all of the zoom was internal, leaving less possibility of problems with focusing and external zoom damage (e.g. getting sand in the camera if you take it to the beach).

I found that it stacked up nicely with others in it's price range; however, I would not recommend this camera for a 1st-time-digital-camera owner. The features and settings are in depth.

The major downfall of this camera, I think, is that with it's compact size it begs to be taken everywhere, but the camera does not come with a case. My screen is pretty scratched now, and I've had mine for about 6 months. I'm not rough on it, it just accumulates, and I'm noticing now that it seems to be from the positioning of the plastic part on the wrist strap. As a precaution I'd also get a case of some sort.

Great Camera, Easy to use!
Well, I know nothing about techology and I don't want to spend too much time on figuring out how to use a camera. This camera is perfect for me! I love it! I brought it for 2 months now, I am still loving it! The ONLY problem I had was the memory card that came with it.. it didn't work. I thought it was the camera problem, I was going to return the whole thing, but I brought another memory just to see if it was the camera problem or the card.. Thank god it was the card, not the camera. Besides that, everything else went well, nothing to complain about this camera, this is one good deal.

The Minolta Dimage...a handy camera
I bought the Dimage about 6 months ago. For the most part I have been very pleased with its performance. It is very easy to use....The controls and settings are very self explanatory and doesn't require a computer science degree to figure out. In fact, I didn't even open up the manual to learn how to use it. The construction quality is sound and seems to be pretty rugged. (Yes I have dropped it at least twice and it still works). The image quality is decent. On the TIFF mode, you can't beat it, but at other settings...well let me say I have seen better. I call it my "snap shot camera" I wouldn't use this camera if I were a professional.
I choose this camera primarily for its size. It is awesome! Put it in your jacket pocket and go. Its light and small. (almost too small if you have big hands) For those of you that remember the Kodak disc cameras...the Dimage is very similar in feel. For the "on the go" folks or outdoors types, I highly recommend this camera. If you are interested in "professional" or "artsy" photos...this is not the camera for you.

Here are the pros:
light, easy, decent quality shots, rugged (and it always seems to be a conversation piece because of its size, if that is impt to you). Battery life...I have taken a number of long weekend trips without difficulty. The battery does gripe a little when its cold out...but what battery doesn't.
Cons:
--the viewfinder..useless. Use the LCD--mayber for smaller hands it might be more useful, but the mits I have always block the lens when I bring the camera to my face.
--The Flash...works great in low or medium light...not great in very low light situations. The images come out blurry. If you plan on taking shots in darkness, take a pen light so the camera has something to focus on.
--Shutter delay...seems long. I have had to redo a number of pics because the subjects thought they had waited long enough and walked away mid-shot.

The true test would be to ask if I would buy this camera again? I would! ... Read more

Features

• 3.2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 10-by-14-inch enlargements
• Non-protruding 3x optical zoom combines with 4x digital zoom for 12x total zoom
• Less than an inch thick; one-second start-up time; PictBridge compatible
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards (16 MB SD card included)
• Powered by AA-size batteries (alkaline included, rechargeable Ni-MH recommended)

Features

• 4-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 11-by-15-inch enlargements
• Konica Minolta GT APO 12x optical zoom with CCD-shift anti-shake system; combines with 4x digital zoom for 48x total zoom
• Fastest autofocus in its class (May 2004); captures movies with sound; PictBridge compatible
• Store images on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16 MB SD card included
• Powered by 4 AA-size batteries (alkaline included, rechargeable NiMH recommended)

Features

• 35mm SLR camera kit with 28-100mm and 75-300mm zoom lenses
• Fast, precise focusing with 9-point AF sensor system
• Advanced AF focus-point indication accurately tracks moving subjects
• High-grade body construction for balanced, responsive handling
• Powerful built-in flash (GN52.5 in feet) for worry-free low-light shooting

Amazon.com Product Description

The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 gives even novice users the power to achieve professional-quality digital scans at up to 5,400 dpi from 35mm film or slides, perfect for countless professional applications or for professional-looking images of friends and family.

With 16-bit A/D conversion, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 is able capture and reproduce the depth, subtleties, and rich variations in tone and color of the original film image. Choose from Grain Dissolver or Digital ICE functionality to select the desired level of visible grain, or remove the affects of surface contaminants such as dust, scratches, even fingerprints. Pixel Polish provides automatic corrections for color, exposure, and more, and can even provide restorative simulation for faded colors on aged film.

With clean, modern styling, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 is housed in a sleek metal body, slim enough to fit into small spaces on your busy desktop. It offers automatic or manual focus, with a large manual focus dial that allows you to make fine adjustments quickly and easily.

Offering compatibility for both PC and Mac based systems, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 is connected to your computer through an IEEE1394 (FireWire) or USB 2.0 interface, both of which offer fast data transfer rates well suited to the large image files associated with image scanning.

What's in the Box
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 Scanner, FH-M10 35mm film holder, SH-M10 slide mount holder, UC-2 USB cable, FC-2 IEEE 1394 cable, AC-U25 AC adapter, DiMAGE Scan, Photoshop Elements 2.0, ST-M10 stand, RT-M10 reset tool ... Read more

Features

• Single-pass, 35mm film and slide scanner
• 16-bit A/D conversion, 5,400 dpi image resolution
• Grain Dissolver, Digital ICE, Pixel Polish software
• FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity
• PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (4)

Unit good when it works, problem is it doesn't always work.
I purchased this unit in Dec 2003. Scanned a few slides, then came back to in a month later. The unit would not load or unload slides. It made all sorts of grinding noises. Minolta fixed it under warranty. When they shipped it back, it had a damaged face plate. I stupidly did not bother to call them back and demand it to be fixed again. I did not care about minor cosmetic damage to the face plate. I subsequently scanned over 500 slides with it with good results. I did not use if for several months, and now the unit is dead. Won't load or eject the film holder. Now Minotla claims it is damaged and not under warranty. Before you buy this unit, look for others will similar repair problems. I wish I did before I bought this scanner. Not recommened do to the poor workmanship and faulty design that requires frequent trips to the repair shop.

ok but inconsistent and disappointing
I've tested this scanner for two weeks now, and I must admit that despite it doing excellent slide scans, I am worried
about numerous items that may force me to return it.

I'll start with the good: It does excellent slide scans
at 2700 dpi and these come through in about 4 minutes,
pretty consistently and beautifully sharp. The saturation seems only very slightly lacking and I've
been noticing some deficiency in the yellow end of the color balance, but I also have to admit they are very sharp and
perfectly acceptable for a scanner at this price. The Elite also does excellent scans of very dark images, for
instance night shots, which exceeded the capacity
of my last slide scanner.

There remain other problems, however. Top of the list is the results from color negatives. Granted, the results from
my Nikon Coolscan III also suffered the same deficiency in
saturation but I bought that scanner in 1999 and figured
this would be a solved problem. When you scan a negative
in this unit, expect to have to readjust it, a hassle with
negatives for which there may be no real reference
(ie prints, etc) I've gotten beautiful rich prints from
Kodak negative film and these scans just do not come
anywhere near that richness of color. You'll do much better
to scan prints from a flatbed.

Of equal or more concern is the slapdash look of the software included. There was little or no attention paid
to the look of the user interface, which leads me to distrust the value of many of the suppposedly automated functions, such as noise reduction and dust and scratch removal.
The prescans seems to be superfluous. Nikon's
software left this in the dust. I know for a fact that the color adjust is basically for show only. It doesnt appear to
update as you adjust it. Anyway, it's advertised as some
remarkable support ware for scanning which it is not.

The most serious concern is the occasionally wild
variations in scan times that occur when scanning
negatives, however, and the varying times of setup
when you leave it unattended after scanning.
I've seen this unit take from 6- 20 minutes(!) per image at the 2700dpi negative setting
and why it should take so much longer than the slide scan
is a mystery. What's worrisome is the variation in
function. In all fairness, the loaders allow you to load
and leave 4 slides or a strip of six negatives. While the scanner works, you can take a break or snack. I really
appreciate this function and you won't find it elsewhere
at this price. The unit has a thin long profile, and the firewire
makes transfer much faster than any USB scanner will muster.

However, the variation in function and motor noise, cheap appearance of the software, and online rumors make me wonder about the long-term durability of this item, so
proceed with caution. Buy an extended warranty, I guess. So far so good on the slides, though, and that's what really counts, since my experience until now has shown me that negative scans are not gonig to be great at the sub-$1000
price point. They're certainly sharp enough, but Minolta,
where's the color saturation? Telling me to adjust
it in the crappy interface is not a sufficentt answer. And
what in golly's name is the focussing button for?
How am I going to accurately focus a laser on a
small piece of emulsion? Does this mean that this
thing goes out of focus easily? GREAT. That's YOUR
job, Minolta. Mine is to focus the camera.
I'll be looking to another company from now on.
I expect to see a software update if you want to keep the
business of a PRO photographer.

Faulty design useless for serious work
Please, check out postings on serious digital photography forums before even considering this scanner. I would suggest the Digital Darkroom forum at www.photo.net (you can search for DSE 5400 related threads) and especially the Film Scanners forum at www.photo-i.co.uk.

Regarding my personal experience with this scanner, my unit was faulty right out of the box (the "green lines" problem, see forums for more). As of now my (less than one month "old") scanner has been at Minolta repairs service once where it was cleaned. NOTHING was actually done to repair the problem despite the truckload of info (including my original slides and their scans) that I'd assembled for the repairs service. In the next few days the scanner will be shipped out for repairs again but I have a big suspicion that my problem will be ignored just as the first time.

This is what I think about this. Yes, if you are lucky to get a perfectly operational unit, it would produce excellent scans for you. However, my feeling is that Minolta is pushing a poorly designed and tested product that is inherently faulty and susceptible to various quality problems. Currently the risk of getting such faulty unit is fairly high, and if you read this post then you know how you will be treated by Minolta repairs. Minolta appears not to be an honorable company. There is a big chance that if your unit is not operating as it should it will not be repaired but you will not get a refund for it either.

Minolta 5400 - Great Scanner - Easy to use
This is a wonderful machine. Software installed first time, not common for scanners, and worked first time. I have a ton of stuff on my machine (XP/Pro) and found no conflicts.
Best film/slide holders I've seen.
3 scanning modes available.
Easy which does a quite good job, but with little ability to change settings and full which lets you adjust everything. The third mode is batch which lets you set up to scan all negs or slides in the holder.
The full mode can be used within Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements 2 which is included).
Shadow detail is stunning.
All film scanners are slower than flatbeds and this is no exception. An ultimate negative scan (Maximum input resolution, Maximum output resolution, 48bit color, Digital Ice) takes just under 4 minutes and produces a 233Meg Tif file. But you seldem need quite that quality. Most scans would be about 1.2 minutes to 3 minutes. Negatives take longer than slides.
You must have USB 2 or Firewire! You could connect this to USB 1.1, but speeds, especially at the high end would be terrible.
My only complaint is that you can't tell the software the length of the film strip. My of my film is in 4 negative strips and the software always scans the whole holder which is 6 long.
Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Konica Minolta intends to be a company that constantly brings new surprises to customers, through its unique and innovative products and services, by mobilizing its broad technological capabilities in the field of imaging. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Minolta has packed quite a punch into the compact, 4-megapixel DiMAGE F100, adding a 7.5x total zoom, movie mode, and audio recording capability so you can leave yourself notes about your shots. Even better, Minolta has done a great job of making the camera fun and easy to use, which is essential in any camera, but invaluable in today's crowded compact digital-camera market.

The 4-megapixel resolution of the F100 produces very large images that are fantastic for prints larger than 11 by 14 inches. Thankfully, the F100 allows you to step down the resolution to a more manageable 2-megapixel level (1,600 x 1,200 pixels) if you need the space on your memory card.

Its 3x optical zoom lens aids in photo composition, and an additional 2.5x digital zoom (7.5x total) further magnifies your image. Remember, however, that digital zoom reduces the sharpness and detail of your image, so it's best used sparingly.

Minolta built in some great autofocus features to help make your life easier, including wide-focus area autofocus, and spot-focus areas with focus-area selection (which enables you choose a specific, narrow focus field). During our testing, the autofocus worked beautifully, and we never ended up with our target out of focus.

The F100 uses AA batteries and, disappointingly, comes with a set of disposables. We used the camera at a family gathering over the course of a weekend, and the batteries held up fine, so the power drain isn't as horrendous as in past digital cameras. Ideally, though, you'll want to buy a set of rechargeables, to help preserve your sanity, pocketbook, and the environment.

Overall, the DiMAGE F100 performs admirably and is the perfect size to carry just about anywhere. --Michael Lewis

Pros:

• 4-megapixel resolution produces fantastically rich prints up to 11 x 14 inches
• Nice bonuses, including movie mode and audio recording for notes to yourself
• 7.5x total zoom
• Compact size

Cons:

• 3x optical zoom is serviceable, but you can always use more
• Includes disposable batteries--you'll want to add rechargeables

Features

• 4.13 megapixel (3.95 effective megapixels) sensor creates 2272 x 1704 images for prints at 8 by 10 inches and beyond
• 3x optical plus 2.5x digital (7.5x total) zoom lens with autofocus
• Included 16 MB SD card holds 14 images at default resolution
• Connects with Macs and PCs via USB connector
• Features subject tracking autofocus

Reviews (42)

Finally took the Plunge!!!!
After being a die-hard film photographer for the last 20 years, I finally took the plunge and bought a digital camera. After much research, I decided on the Minolta F100. This camera is the perfect size for backpacking and other trips. You will never have to worry about leaving it behind. I was a little disapointed that the camera did not come with an A/C adapter, but I bought an inexpensive SD/MMC memory card reader that connects to my computer via a USB cable. This way the camera does not have to be on in order to download pictures to your computer, thus saving wear and tear on the camera, and saving batteries. Speaking of batteries, I like the fact that the Minolta gives you the option of using AA batteries, which can be a real benefit if you run out of Lithium and/or rechargeable batteries.

Most importantly, the pictures are great! The camera is easy to use in automatic mode, but you have the option of complete control in manual, aperture priority, and shutter priority modes.

Excellent and versatile
After extensive research on this site and several others, I returned my Canon S200 and upgraded to the Minolta F100. I am very pleased with my purchase, because this is an excellent camera well-suited to my two main reasons for finally making the move to digital: clear, quick snapshots and the flexibility to completely control the shot. With a set of rechargeable lithium-ions (not included - easily worth the $ I paid) and a 128MB SD card I was able to shoot over 100 pictures at a friend's birthday party (most with flash, including movies, motor-drive style, automatic and manual exposures). I dropped them onto my ibook and went right back out to try my hobbyist's hand at our historic village. I can't think of a thing to complain about: this camera is small enough to go into a jacket pocket, versatile enough to offer complete f-stop, shutter speed and exposure control, and it takes phenomenally good pictures at all image grades (from the 2 MB, small to the 4MB superfine level). No purple fringing, no unnatural white balance - just excellent pictures. Worth every penny. Finally time to retire my APS Elph after 7 years. (I had also considered the S230 and the S45, but they just didn't match up. The S230 was overpriced and limited in its flexibility, while the S45 was too big and too expensive. I'm hooked on the Minolta.

Great stills, but non-Windows compatible video format
This is a good camera for awesome still photos, but don't get too close; tend to be blurry. And even in macro mode, you have to be perfectly still (tripod) as well as your subject. The lens did get stuck once, but has worked fine since.
My biggest pet peeve is that the video only records in .mov format. Only RealOne can play that. I cannot use it with Windows Movie Maker, as only Macs can. I wish it could have an option to record in .avi or .mpg formats.
So, when my husband lost it a month ago, I was a bit upset, but glad that now I can get a camcorder that records in a Windows compatable format and that takes stills as well. I will not buy any Minoltas until they offer those formats. It is very important to me; I have 3 children that are growing fast.
And I also have one more pet peeve: everytime your batteries die or you remove them, you have to reset your date and time. VERY annoying! No memory battery to keep data you entered. This camera is good, but with a few minor improvements, it can be awesome.

Good camera, but not for action shots
This is my first digital camera. I have been a film guy for 30+ years and have lots of 35mm equipment.

The picture quality is better than I expected. I regularly do 8X10s, and if you don't compress the files, they look pretty good.

My only complaint is that the camera takes forever to turn on, turn off, focus and shoot. I'm used to getting candid and action shots "from the hip", and have missed many opportunities with this camera.

I have had no mechanical, electronic or optical problems.

Good product, bad details
In general, I like this camera, but I have one major complaint. (You can read about other complaints in the rest of the reviews.) The file memory feature is sub-par on this camera. Basically, if your batteries die, your file memory function will reset itself, and the numbering gets screwy. It seems minor, but it's a real pain if you like to have all of your pictures numbered nicely, and honestly, Minolta should have designed their camera with this simple thing in mind. ... Read more