This is the first in the Z series of cameras since Konica and Minolta merged and is a direct descendent of the Minolta Z1 and Z2. Announced at the same time as the 4MP Z3, the Konica Minolta Z10 is a 3MP model and features an impressive 8x zoom lens that covers the 35mm equivalent of 36-290mm.

Camera shake at longer lengths is always a problem and with a maximum aperture of f/3.4 and a top ISO of 400, the Z10 can often be in danger of producing this picture spoiling effect. This is more so than it's big brother the Z3, which features Konica Minolta's ground breaking anti-shake CCD.

The Z10 does feature another Minolta innovation though, with the joint LCD monitor and Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). With this system, instead of two LCDs- one on the back and one in the finder- there is just one. In monitor mode, the screen is viewed on the camera back, as we have come to expect. In EVF mode, the screen drops back into the camera body by 45 degrees and a shutter type blind fills the gap left. A pentaprism system then allows the screen to be viewed through the finder, which is essential if you are shooting in bright light or with the lens at longer focal lengths (which is a more stable way of shooting and reduces camera shake). The system works well and on this model seems less clunky than on the older cameras.

Technology has always been Minolta's forte, and the merger has not dappened this ability. So, for example the Konica Minolta Z10 has inherited the AF of the older company, with predictive AF, which tracks the speed and movement of the subject so can predict where the AF should focus at the press of the shutter button. The camera's fast, with a half-second start up, focusing within three tenths of a second and fast shutter release time lag.

There is a slight delay between shots though as the screen blacks out which can make tracking moving subjects difficult. Another criticism is the lack of a door over the Secure Digital card slot. While the card feels fairly snug in the slot, I can't help worrying that a number of cards are going to be accidentally ejected and lost by careless owners.

The pictures from the camera are an improvement over the previous versions, with less, though still noticeable, fringing. Colour and sharpness is very good, particularly skin tones, while noise is well controlled in the lower sensitivity settings.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras 3 megapixels Konica Minolta Digital cameras

Konica Minolta Z10 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 29 Oct 2004 17:24:41 +0100

Canon's huge-selling Ixus 400 has been given a makeover and rechristened the IXUS 430. It continues along the same vein as the older model, but has been encased in an attractive finished aluminium shell, instead of the metal and ceramic body of the 400.

There's a new feature added too, in the form of a share/print button, which is rapidly becoming a standard feature on digital cameras. The button makes emailing pictures and direct printing a snip, and supports both Canon's Direct Print and PictBridge.

The DIGIC processor has also been updated providing faster shooting and better colour than the previous model while for movie buffs Canon has added a new in-camera movie-editing feature. This allows very simple editing, and is obviously not meant to replace Adobe Premiere, but is useful for deleting scenes and making space on the Compact Flash card. Movies are captured to QVGA size and the camera allows up to 3 minutes of recording with sound.

One of the disappointing aspects of the camera is the tiny 1.5inch screen, other manufacturers are incorporating up to 2.5inch monitors on similar sized cameras, so why is Canon lagging behind? Worse still, the screen isn't as bright as some of its competitors and can be difficult to see in bright sunshine.

The camera is easy to use though, with an automatic exposure system, and a very limited manual mode, but it is really about pointing and shooting, and on this level it does the job. The flash and AF is improved over the 400, with better exposure and less blurred shots in low light.

Picture quality is more than acceptable for a camera of this type, with excellent colour and sharpness, though there is the occasional purple fringing around areas of high contrast, where building edges and bright skies meet for example.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras 4 megapixels Canon Digital cameras

Canon Ixus 430 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 19 Oct 2004 10:00:00 +0100