Konica Minolta Dimage Z3 4MP is the first Z-series camera to feature Konica Minolta proprietary Anti-Shake system. This new camera provides photographers with high-quality images and features a wide range of convenient and easy-to-use high-end functions.
The Dimage Z3 incorporates an AF-dedicated ASIC to video AF system. Focusing takes a mere 0.15 seconds at wide angle and only 0.20 seconds at telephoto. And in Continuous AF, the Dimage Z3 includes Predictive Focus Control, which allows photographers to capture sharper images of moving subjects—like a child running at full speed. The Dimage Z3 also features a faster focusing lens drive that moves the focusing lens more than twice as fast as the previous Z-series model. Its Quick Speed Image Readout in AF function reads images from the CCD at a rate of 100 frames per second from when the shutter-release button is pressed partway until the image is brought into focus, giving contrast information in half the time of normal mode (50 frames per second). With Optimized AF Sequence, in Video AF the Dimage Z3 uses AF Sequence Control to simultaneously determine the focus drive direction and drive the lens to the position of maximum contrast through repeated focusing. This means that focusing operations start as soon as the shutter-release button is pressed partway. The Dimage Z3 also offers improved AF accuracy through several features. 5-point Area AF provides 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. A human subject sensor algorithm uses color information in an AF area to prioritize and focus on that area if it is more than 50% occupied by flesh tone. This reduces shots that erroneously focus on a background rather than on the person in the picture.
Helpful consumer’s review
I needed a camera for a cruise we were taking to Anarctica and wanted a digital camera with a large zoom. After trying to decide for about a month, I bought the Z3 and an Olympus C770 together. I decided to keep the Z3 and return the C770, mostly because of some of the great features on the Z3. The antishake really seems to make a difference and I like how fast the camera is. The C770 wasn’t exactly slow, but with the test pictures I took with it I got a lot more blurred ones than with the Z3. The ultra high speed shooting modes on the Z3 are great and I got a lot of pictures I would have otherwise missed with slower shooting rates, especially when taking pictures of wildlife. As one of the other reviewers mentioned, it sounds like a machine gun when its taking pictures. I could see it being a lot of fun with candid shots too. The focus is fast and there is almost no lag taking pictures once the object is in focus. Its still not quite SLR fast, but this camera’s not an SLR. The zoom is great and when showing pictures to other people on the ship they couldn’t believe how close the camera was able to get with just the optical zoom. The pictures it takes are pretty good, there is some purple fringing on some things, particularly in dark areas at higher zooms, but you really have to get in close or blow the pictures up pretty large to notice. I took a few videos on my trip to and thought they were pretty good. The focus seems to hunt a little bit at times which got a little annoying, but this isn’t a video camera. I thought the white balance and color was very good and I had only a couple of pictures that I would say the colors were off. The white balance on the Z3 in auto was better than the Olympus, where I seemed to have to manually change the white balance modes, especially when taking pictures outside.
