Product Review: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z10 Ultra-Zoom 3.2MP Digital Camera

There is a surge in the popularity of older digital cameras, as their price point is often very low, and they can be found like new or refurbished. Many individuals do not use more than three megapixels for their snapshots, even though modern cameras are available in the 10-12 range.

One popular digital camera from the early 2000's is the Konica Minolta z10 DiMAGE 3.2MP with 8x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, for a total of 32x zoom. It was released in 2004, and is the lower end version of the Minolta z3 camera. While the camera originally released for a very high price of $500, refurbished versions can be found on Amazon for $80 or less at the time of this article.

EXTERNAL

The external design of the DiMAGE z10 is aerodynamic and futuristic-looking, with a design most people either love or hate. It has a completely enclosed barrel that is very apt at keeping dust and other debris out of the lens cavity. Because the lens in enclosed, the barrel is fixed and doesn't extend outwards while zooming.

Directly above the barrel is the flash, which sits in front of the electronic viewfinder. There is an SD card slot on the right side of the camera, a video out port on the left side of the camera, and two metal loops for a neck strap above the ports. On the top of the unit sits the power button and mode dial, which includes shutter mode, aperture, manual, landscape, video, portrait, nightshot, auto, and a few other settings.

The back of the camera is where the majority of the controls are, as with most all cameras, and there is a 1.5" TFT display above the power button, with has a switch around it to allow the user to switch between gallery, LCD, and viewfinder. To the right sits a gallery button, the menu button, and another settings button.

PHOTO QUALITY

The maximum photo size of the Minolta z10 is 2048 x 1536 pixels, which is large enough to make an 8" x 10" print, though smaller prints will look better. There is a noticeable amount of grain in the nighttime and low-light shots, though not enough to render the photo unusable--running the image through a noise cleaner, such as Neat Image, easily solves the problem.

Daytime shots, especially outdoor shots, look wonderful despite the lack of image stabilization, and come out sharp and blur-free. There is almost no discernable noise in outdoor photos I have taken, even at the highest resolution possible.

The zoom is fast and easy to use, and switches seamlessly from optical to digital if you have digital zoom set in the MENU. It does make a discernable whirring sound when used, but due to the lack of onboard microphone, that matter is irrelevant to most users.

VIDEO QUALITY

Video quality is low, as is expected from early digital cameras. The maximum resolution is 320x240, and there is no sound, due to the lack of a microphone.

TRANSFERRING PHOTOS

Transferring photos is easy is your laptop or computer has a built-in card reader, or if you have a card reader adapter. If not, you can use the USB cable that came with the camera--unfortunately, it doesn't use the standard mini-USB cable that is common, but a micro-USB cable, which is hard to find at stores.

CONCLUSION

If you're looking for an ultra-zoom digital camera that is cheap and easy to use, while regularly turning out high-quality photos and allowing for a great level of setting manipulation, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE z10 is an excellent option.