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Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 By: Dave Etchells & Mike Tomkins Konica Minolta existing Z3 model gets an updated sensor, larger LCD and slightly updated control layout. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet Z5 Sample Images Z5 Imatest Results Z5 Photo Gallery! --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Comparison with previous DiMAGE cameras 3. Camera Overview / Field Test 4. Design 5. Viewfinder 6. Optics 7. Exposure & Flash 8. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 9. Operation & User Interface 10. Camera Modes & Menus 11. Image Storage & Interface 12. Video, Power, Software 13. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on Z5 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 11:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 03/28/2005

The DiMAGE Z5 uses Secure Digital or MultiMediaCard memory cards for image storage, and ships with a 16MB memory card - enough to test the camera works when it arrives, but essentially useless after that first test (since it only fits four images at the highest resolution / quality). Third-party SD cards are available separately in memory capacities as high as two gigabytes, and I'd recommend purchasing at least a 128MB card to accompany the camera. The SD slot is on the bottom of the camera, covered by a hinged plastic door that opens easily and snaps shut crisply. The card inserts with the connector edge going in first, and the front of the card facing the back of the camera. As is always the case with SD card slots, the card is removed by gently pressing on it - a spring-loaded mechanism will pop it out far enough to pull from the camera with your fingertips. One oversight that I noted in my review of the DiMAGE Z3 remains in this camera. The SD card door has no latch on it to prevent it accidentally opening. While you're unlikely to lose the SD card from the slot, since it is slightly recessed into the bottom of the camera, I'm concerned that the door itself could catch on clothing or some other object, and perhaps be damaged. The card door is also too close to the tripod mount to allow memory cards to be changed with the camera on a tripod - something I'm particularly quick to notice, given the number of tripod-mounted sample images we take for an Imaging Resource review!

In addition to the switch found on SD cards which allows them to be write-protected or locked against erasure or manipulation, the DiMAGE Z5 lets you lock individual images or groups of images through the Playback menu. Once protected, images cannot be erased or manipulated in any way, except through card formatting. The Playback menu also lets you delete images shown in the LCD display, view an index display, create a custom slide show, set images up for printing on DPOF compliant printers, and copy images via camera memory to a new SD card.

Four image resolution settings are available: 2,560 x 1,920; 2,048 x 1,536; 1,600 x 1,200; and 640 x 480 pixels. Files may be saved in any one of three JPEG compression levels. The number of remaining images that can be stored on the memory card appears in the lower right corner of the LCD or Electronic Viewfinder, in addition to the selected Resolution and Compression settings.

The table below summarizes the compression ratios and number of images that can be stored on a 128MB memory card, with each Resolution / Quality (JPEG Compression) combination. (No card is provided with the camera, but 128MB is a common card size that's probably about the minimum you should consider for use with the Z5.)

A USB 2.0 "Full Speed" (the slow version of USB 2.0) cable and interface software accompany the DiMAGE Z5 for quick connection and image downloading to a PC or Macintosh computer. It appears as a "storage class" USB device, meaning that no driver software is needed for Mac OS versions 8.6 or later or for Windows Me, 2000, and XP. Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 792 KBytes/second, a good but not remarkable rate. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)

When its USB interface is set to PTP mode, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5 supports direct printing (no computer required) to PictBridge compatible photo printers. The extent of PictBridge support varies greatly between cameras, and the Z5's support is more robust than many. Provide that it's connected to a printer that offers an equivalent level of support and control, you can select paper size, bordered or borderless, print quality, and date imprint options directly from the camera's menu system. (Very slick.)

Recommended Software: Rescue your Photos!
Since we're talking about connectivity and memory cards, this would be a good place to mention recovering images from damaged memory cards: Just as important as an extra memory card is a tool to rescue your images when one of your cards fails at some point in the future. I get a lot of email from readers who've lost photos due to a corrupted memory card. Memory card corruption can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now, so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for Windows or PhotoRescue for Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF manual and quickstart guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...