About me:A child of the sixties, I grew up in a world of music and aircraft mechanics. I now work as an IT C...
Member since:23.08.2004
Reviews:12
Review rated by 11 Ciao members on average: helpful
This review received a counterstatement by a party concernedRead Comment
I upgraded from a compact Nikon Coolpix camera in a to regain full control over my photography. In particular I wanted maual zoom, aperture selection control (to choose my own depth of field) and manual focus. The latter, I don't use as dissapointingly, there is no split screen or focus confirmation method in manual control and the focus ring is awkward to use. However, the spot focus option works very well with the ability to switch at ease and move the focus 'spot' around the screen. The other features work very well; there are buttons instead to replace confusing menus that are intuitive and easy to control and if you make soo many settings that you loose track, simply press the P button and return to the preset settings. You can save your programs in four memories but these cannot be named are not much use.
Speed of operation was also a major issue for me. My old camera took several seconds from turning on to being ready and took a long time to compose a shot. Therefore I often missed pictures. The Minolta however, is ready straight away and focuses quickly, being ready for the next shot immediately (you can select how long, if at all, the captured image remains on screen but this can be cleared with a press of the shutter release). The multi frame feature also works well with Ultra Higher Speed shutter continuing to take photos as long as the shutter release is pressed.
There are manny easy to access and useful features including a hotshoe and remote flash socket so this camera is great for keen amateurs and professionals. The CF card slot is easy to access but beware the eject button which is very annoying as you have to take care to fold it before closing the card slot cover.
The LCD display is recessed to avoid glare and when putting your eye to the view finder, the LCD turns off and the viewfinder turns on. Both can be switched on permanently or left to switch automatically. On my unit, the viewfinder LCD has a completely different colour cast which can be disconcerting and the flipup hinge seems too loose making it difficult to use. A better feature would have been a flip up screen.
Lastly, the all important battery life. This camera is battery hungry but is supplied with four Ni-MH 1850mAh rechargeable batteries and a charger. With careful use, the batteries will last a long time and I have had a few days of holidaying at a time without needing to charge them. I would suggest you can get over 100 shots per set and then it is simply a matter of charging up again. For studio use, the camera accepts DC power from any suitable supply and in an emergency, standard AA batteries can be used.
Overall a great purchase. A few niggles, and maybe one day I will find out how to mark frames.
Welcome, not bad first review. I have to say that the lack of a price makes it difficult to assess your good VfM rating. I suspect this is a bit pricey for amateur Jo me.
by (36%):
by (64%):
24.08.2004 11:58
Welcome to Ciao...good first review.
24.08.2004 11:37
sounds quite good but too bulky for me - xara
24.08.2004 11:05
Welcome, not bad first review. I have to say that the lack of a price makes it difficult to assess your good VfM rating. I suspect this is a bit pricey for amateur Jo me.