Konica Minolta's DiMAGE
Z5 brings a 5-megapixel resolution to the Z series,
until now limited to 4 megapixel with the Z3. The Z5 inherits
the same 12X optical zoom and the Anti-Shake
system, but gets an electronic viewfinder with a few less
pixels, while receiving a larger 2-inch LCD monitor with a
higher definition than the Z3 had.
The grip itself supports 4 controls and the Exposure Mode
Dial. Starting at the front, the oval shutter release is
positioned at a 45° angle towards the front, and mounted
on a slightly raised pod. Directly behind it, are the DiMAGE
Z5's microphone and speaker.
Towards the rear of the grip,
the Exposure Mode Dial is bracketed by two buttons at the
front, and by the zoom control at the back, the latter also
controlling the magnification of an image in playback (up
to 4X). Starting with the two button in front of the Exposure
Mode Dial, the one on the left controls:
the macro mode, offering first
a Standard Macro mode which has a focus range of 10cm
to 1m (3.9 to 39 inches); or second, a Super Macro mode
which has a range of 1cm to 1m (0.4 to 39 inches) with
the lens set and locked at the 10.45 mm position, equivalent
to 63mm.
And the button on the right
is to select the flash modes:
Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Fill-in,
Slow-Synch (front curtain), and Forced Off. Or, if re-programmed
in the menu, to access other functions of the Recording
menu as a Custom button.
The pop-up flash itself is the same as was used on the DiMAGE
Z3. With the camera's sensitivity set to Auto, the flash range
remains 0.2 to 4m (0.7 to 13.1 ft) when the zoom is at the
wide angle position, and 1.2 to 2.5m (3.9 to 8.2 ft) when
the zoom is at the full telephoto mode.
In addition to its pop-flash,
the DiMAGE Z5 also provides a flash shoe (Konica Minolta type)
and is compatible with Maxxum/Program Flash units 2500(D),
3600HS(D), and 5600HS(D).
The Exposure Mode Dial has 11 positions:
Handles all camera settings
and includes Automatic Digital Subject Selection, a type
of scene recognition that allows the camera to select
the appropriate Scene mode automatically, or failing that,
to fall back on the standard Program mode.
The next 5 positions are for Scene modes which optimize
the camera's settings for specific subjects:
Portrait Mode: is
optimized to reproduce skin tones while causing a slight
defocusing of the background, achieved by the use of a
large aperture. The manual recommends using the telephoto
end of the zoom and use the built-in flash in addition
to direct sunlight to reduce shadows.
Sports Action: uses
continuous focusing to improve the odds of the
image being in focus. CCD sensitivity is automatically
controlled.
Landscape Mode: maximizes
depth of field through the use of a smaller aperture,
and enhances sharpness and contrast.
Sunset: is optimized
to reproduce warm tones which enhances sunset colours.
Night Portrait:
uses a slow shutter speed and the flash, which must
be opened by the user, to capture both foreground and
background.
Manual mode of the
DiMAGE Z5 allows the user with the means to set aperture
or shutter speed.
Shutter Priority offers
a shutter speed range that covers from a maximum of 4
seconds to 1/1000 second, while the Z5 selects a matching
aperture.
Aperture Priority offers
an aperture range of f2.8 to f8 when the zoom is set
to wide angle, and f4.5 to f8 at the telephoto end.
Program controls both
aperture and shutter speed, but leaves all other parameters,
including sensitivity, up to the user. The shutter speed
and aperture selected by the camera are shown on the screen
when the shutter release is held halfway.
The Movie mode allows
the Z5 to be used to capture video clips with sound
at any one of 3 frame/quality settings:
640 x 480 Fine,
640 x 480 Standard,
320 x 240 Standard.
Video clips last as long as there is space on the memory
card, and can be captured at either 15 frames per second
or 30 frames per second, which produces a smoother moving
image. During movie recording the stabilized 12X optical
zoom remains useable and exposure and focus are adjusted
continuously.
Moving to the back of the camera, the largest control is
the 4-direction controller. As always, the 4-direction controller
serves to move around in the menus and go from one photo to
another in Playback. In addition, when the camera is set to
any shooting mode, including the scene modes but with the
exception of the Auto or Manual modes, the right
and left arrows serve to adjust exposure compensation over
a range of ± 2EV in 0.3 EV increments.
In the Manual mode,
the right and left arrows adjust the aperture while the up
and down arrows adjust the shutter speed, and with either
Aperture or Shutter Priority the up/down arrows adjust shutter
speed or aperture respectively. Finally, when in Playback,
the down arrow can be used to rotate images shot vertically.
The centre button of the 4-direction control also has a dual
function. First, it serves to confirm changes made in the
camera's menu. Second, with all still image shooting
mode, when the button is held in for more than a second it
provides access to the alternative focusing mode: Wide
Area AF which lets the camera select automatically the
focus point from 5 zones situated horizontally in the middle
of the frame. Or Focus Area Selection, which allows
the user to choose one of the 5 focus points.
Three more buttons are aligned
along an arc below the 4-direction controller:
Simply displays the menu
for the current mode, and also serves to back out of a
menu without registering any changes. For more information
on the Z5's menus, see the Characteristics
section of the review.
Provides a Quick View
of the last captured image, and can also be used to delete
unwanted photos. The Quick View mode does not allow access
to the Playback menu, but does allow going back and forth
through the photos. In addition, a thumbnail screen can
be displayed by pressing the
button, or the screen cleared of any superimposed information.
The
button controls the information superimposed on the
monitor. By default, when the camera is in the recording
mode, the standard display indicates the settings for
flash, shooting mode, image size and resolution, etc.
Pressing the Information button once adds a real-time
histogram, just below the AF brackets, showing the distribution
of brightness for the image. While pressing the button
twice eliminates all superimposed information, leaving
only the indication for the focus area once the camera
has selected it.
When the Z5 is in playback mode, the
button cycles from a default display that superimposes
basic data such as the image size, compression, file
number and shooting date, to a display that shows only
the image, to a thumbnail/index display that shows 6
images.
Finally, holding the
button and pressing the up arrow of the 4-direction
controller displays a histogram for the picture under
review and adds the shutter speed, the aperture, exposure
compensation, white balance and ISO settings.
Two other controls are positioned directly below the 2-inch, 114,000
pixel LCD monitor. The button on the right turns the camera
On or Off. While the three position lever on
the right serves to:
select the recording mode
using the 114,000 pixel electronic viewfinder which is
equipped with diopter correction.
select the recording mode
using the LCD monitor.
select the Playback with the
LCD monitor active.
As noted at the outset, aside from the addition
of a separate On/Off button, the DiMAGE Z5 is extremely similar
to the Z3 externally, and therefore there is no major difference
in the way the camera handles. The controls are quite well-positioned,
and the shape of the camera makes it comfortable to use.
Still, one area of the Z5 could have been better: its EVF.
While it offers a bigger and better monitor than the Z3, the
Z5's EVF has a low resolution and its image is prone to loosing
detail when the subject is brightly lit. Moreover, once the
camera AF locks onto a subject, there is a noticeable image
freeze that can be occasionally disconcerting.
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