I have to start by saying that I really know very little about digital (or any sort) cameras. A friend of mine got a Z2 and the pictures she got with it looked pretty good, so when I saw one on eBay within my price-range, I thought I'd treat myself.
Design-wise, it makes me very happy. It's a really cute-looking camera - that shouldn't be a huge deciding factor, but it's nice to have something that looks nice! It's also very comfortable to hold and use. It's not too heavy and easy to use one-handed if you need to. Although it's very much designed for right-handed users - something I didn't notice until a left-handed friend pointed it out to me!
I originally had problems with the flash - namely finding it! Because it was a second-hand camera with no manual (and possibly because I don't know much about cameras!) I didn't know that he flash was hidden just above the lens and needs to be popped up before you can use it. This might be very obvious to everyone else, but it really confused me until someone pointed it out to me!
As for the pictures it takes, I couldn't be happier! The pictures usually come out wonderfully clear and focused. It's great for most conditions I've used it in. The settings can be a little confusing, but I found them quite easy to figure out by trial-and-error. It's got an impressive zoom function too - fantastic for far-away things and very close-up shots. I've always been very happy with the quality of the pictures and last year had a few of the photos I took with this camera published!
The video function is quite nice too. I compared some videos I took with my camera with ones taken on my friend's Z2 and the main thing I noticed was how much better the sound quality was. I thought that the Z2 picture quality was slightly better, but the Z1 had better sound. Of course, this could just be down to where the video was taken...
As I said earlier, the settings are really pretty easy to use - even for a total amateur! The menu is quite easy to navigate too. You get 3 sizes(640x40, 320x240 and 160x120) and 2 frame rates (30 or 15FPS) as well as audio (on/off), white balance and movie mode (STD. or night) for video. For pictures there's different "drive mode"s (single pic, self timer, continuous etc.); 4 different image sizes (2048x1536 to 640x480); Fine, standard and economy quality settings and on/off digital zoom.
Battery-wise, it's not too bad. the flash can get annoyingly slow when the batteries are starting to get low, but with decent batteries (anything other than the "bargain" type) it lasts quite well.
In terms of durability, generally it's pretty tough. I've actually owned two Z1s - both of them I've taken to a number of gigs and festivals - they've been knocked, bumped, splashed and generally mis-treated horribly! My first Z1 lasted right up until I dropped it in Leicester station - the battery door chipped and needed some gaffa-tape to hold it together. It still works, but having to tape the door shut got a bit incontinent so I bought another second-hand Z1! It's just such a lovely camera to use that I wouldn't want anything else!
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1GB micro SD memory card for Konica Minolta DIMAGE Z1 (SD adapter inclusive)match ... more
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