The
Revio KD-200Z is one of 2 new Konica digital cameras to arrive
on the market. This model is a 2.1-megapixel with a 3X optical zoom; the
other, the KD-300Z, a 3.3-megapixel.
Turned
off, the KD-200Z has a rectangular shape and a fairly small size, which
although compact, is not the smallest size currently available for a 2.1-megapixel
camera.
There are only two controls on the top the KD-200Z. Towards the front
is a 2-stage shutter release, and towards the back a 5-position Mode
Dial with 2 Recording modes, a Playback mode, a Setup
mode and the Off position.
The
back of the KD-200Z provides a 1.5-inch LCD screen, which is turned off
by default when the camera is powered on. Directly above it is a 2 cm
status display that shows the flash modes, battery state, image quality
setting and the number of photos that can be stored on the memory card.
An optical viewfinder is fitted on the left side, and two LED indicators
on its right indicate various camera activities.
Four
buttons and a multifunction control complete the back layout. The uppermost
button, labelled Mode, cycles through the flash modes, the pre-programmed
shooting modes and the self-timer. Directly below, a second button [Picture]
is used to select the image recording format.
The remaining two buttons are aligned on the edge of the LCD screen. Menu
calls up the menu connected to the mode selected by the Mode Dial. Display
turns on or off the LCD screen. Unlike many other cameras, the KD-200Z
does not provide an information overlay on the LCD screen. Only the live
view from the CCD, or the playback image, is shown.
The
last control, but one of the most important, is the Multifunction controller.
A rounded knob that is used much like a joystick dominates the control.
Pushing it to the left or right activates the optical zoom, and up and
down the navigation of the menus, or the review of photos.
Regrettably, the control suffers from a lack of precision (at least this
one did), and continuously picks up unintentional movements.
For example,
calling up the menu and pressing the button downwards to move the highlighted
option to another very often cancels the menu instead.
Similarly, when used for the zoom, trying to change the focal length can
involve more than one attempt to get the control to react.
