Based on its specs, the competitively
priced Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 is undeniably attractive.
It has a 12X zoom stabilized by an Anti-Shake system,
a 5 megapixel resolution that guarantees large prints can
be made from its photos, and all of this fits in a compact
package.
Indeed, with most subjects, the photographic results are
almost as impressive as the specs themselves. The use of anomalous
dispersion glass in the lens makes it one of the sharpest
and least prone to chromatic aberration in its class.
Aperture: f8, shutter speed: 1/400 sec., 50 ISO.
Similarly, photos demonstrate that
at the widest angle the zoom has little barrel distortion at
normal distances, and that there is no pincushion distortion
in telephoto shots.
Aperture: f5.6, shutter speed: 1/125 sec.
50 ISO.
The quality of the lens is
also apparent in operation. Once deployed, the lens is one
of the quietest we've tested, going from wide angle to telephoto
in approximately 1.5 seconds in near total silence. And, with
the DiMAGE Z5, the fact that the zoom motor is so quiet is
put to good use. Unlike many other cameras, the optical zoom
remains fully useable in the movie mode which, in combination
with a 640 x 480 pixel frame size at 30 frames per second
for as long as there is space on the memory card, is another
impressive capability of the Z5.
As always though, the main
attraction of the DiMAGE Z5 is the fact that the zoom offers
a large focal length range, the equivalent of a 35mm to 420mm
lens.
Set to the wide angle end, the focal length (equivalent to
a 35mm) allows the zoom to capture a reasonably wide field
of view, useful for vistas such as the one shown at right,
or indoor shots.
Set to the maximum telephoto however, the lens is able to
pick out distant details remarkably easily.
This is the case with the
shot presented at left, which captures the area of the red
rectangle in the image above, an area where two Canada geese
are bobbing along on the waters of Burrard Inlet. And much
of the image's sharpness is due to the Anti-Shake system.
With zoom shots, the Anti-Shake system is very effective
at minimizing the impact of movements that are exaggerated
by the telephoto, an effect that has been experienced by anyone
who has looked through a pair of binoculars.
In fact, a well-stabilized long telephoto is
also the reason it is possible to ascertain the name of the
distant ship, in this case the Cape Athos and even
the fact that it is registered in Limasol (the area contained
in the yellow rectangle in the wide angle shot above).
But while the Z5 has much to recommend it, it also has a
few shortcomings. For one the EVF, unlike the 2-inch LCD monitor,
provides a relatively coarse image which freezes briefly during
auto focus. While this image freeze is not normally a problem,
it can be a bit disconcerting at telephoto settings when the
subject is moving and is no longer in view when the display
resumes.
On the exposure side, it is worth
noting that the metering gives the impression of being slightly
biased towards under exposure, and that occasionally some images
may require a bit of brightening later with software. Alternatively,
an exposure compensation of +0.3/0.7 EV may be advantageous
when taking photos while the sun is nearly overhead, or when
the subject contains very bright or highly reflective elements.
Aperture: f5, shutter speed: 1/60 sec., 50 ISO.
Used indoors under artificial light, the white balance is
best set to the appropriate setting, as when it is left to
its default Auto setting it may not always reproduce
colours as with the same precision as is obtained in outdoor
shots. Similarly, at ISO 200 and 320 the Z5 records a fair
bit of noise along with the image, and is therefore best kept
to the lower range of 50 or 100 ISO.
In terms of the choice of image formats and compressions
available to the user, the Z5 is less flexible than some of
its competitors, and it would have benefited from the presence
of an uncompressed format.
Finally, there is one area where
the Z5 is clearly not as advanced as some of its competition,
or even the Z3, the camera from which it is issued: long exposures.
Limited to a maximum 4 second exposure, the Z5 is, regrettably,
only marginal for night photography (see the Night photos
in the Test Photos section of the review).
While the DiMAGE Z5 may not be
perfect in all respects, it is nevertheless an excellent performer
for standard photography. Its powerful and effectively stabilized
12X zoom gives it a capability that has few equals. The quality
of its images — very low distortion, no chromatic aberration
and excellent contrast and a superb macro capability —
easily place it near the top of its class.
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