One of the biggest complaints about most digital cameras is the shutter lag. When the time lag between when you press the shutter and when the picture is actually captured is too long, those great action moments can be lost forever. This won’t happen with the Z1. It has extremely fast shutter response. Actually, it is one of the fastest that I’ve seen on a digital camera, making it a joy to use especially for working with children and taking action shots. After focus has been locked, the shutter-release time lag is comparable to a 35mm SLR film camera

The DiMAGE also has an extra speedy startup. You can be ready to shoot a photo in less than two seconds from when you touch the power button! You can take another picture in 1.2 seconds. Focusing this camera is easy. Just get the subject in the focus frame and the camera focuses automatically. If you want to use the manual focus feature, it is easy to activate. Amazingly, with the super macro button you can focus down to less than two inches from the front of the lens.

Another excellent feature is the 10x optical zoom lens, which produces clean and clear zooms. This can also be combined with a 4x digital zoom for an effective 40X zoom. To use that level of zoom, you will want to put the camera on a tripod. Luckily, the camera has a tripod shoe.

This camera also records TV-quality movies, 640 x480 at 30 frames per second with sound. Although the movies are good, the files they produce are huge.  So unless you purchase a really large memory card, you will have to limit yourself to short video clips.

The Z1 is smaller than most 35mm SLR cameras, yet it seems a little chunky when you first see it. After using it for awhile you realize that it is well-designed with a good hand grip. The body is light and the weight is evenly balanced. This is not a camera that you will be slipping in your pocket. While it comes with a neck strap, you may want to consider purchasing a carrying case to keep it protected.

The 1.5” LCD screen was a little small for my taste, but it was bright and clear. As with most digital cameras, I had to put my glasses on to read the details on the screen as I worked with the menu system. One unique thing about this about this camera is that the LCD screen is projected on the rear viewfinder panel by a special shutter mirror. When you flip the switch to use the viewfinder, the mirror in the screen closes and the image appears in the viewfinder. This distinctive feature is just plain cool. The viewfinder is excellent, bright and clear. Unlike some other view finders, this one gives the same view as the LCD screen, except perhaps just slightly smaller. It is extremely useful for outdoor photography.

The Z1 has audio cues that I really liked. You hear notes when the camera starts and when it is turned off. A click sounds when the picture is taken, a ding when you turn the dials, a mechanical shuffle when the LCD screen closes and the viewfinder illuminates. This made me actually feel the responsiveness of the camera. Certainly not everyone will like this feature, but the volume can be controlled and/or silenced in the set up menu.

What’s not to like? My main complaint is that the lens cover does not fit snuggly enough. It was easily dislodged by a slight knock or jar. The plastic camera casing looks and feels substantial, but the battery and memory card doors seemed slightly flimsy. The 16MB memory card is certainly not sufficient for most applications. These small things do not alter my positive opinion of this camera. Hopefully Minolta will rectify these shortcomings in their next model.

The DiMAGE comes with software that is easy to install and use. The included USB cable is proprietary; meaning that if you lose it you will have to purchase another one from Minolta. This is not a real problem since you could also purchase a little card reader to transfer your pictures to the computer. I find this method of transfer easier and faster anyway. The supplied AV cable also uses the proprietary USB port, so if you want to show your photos on your television, be sure you don’t lose this cable.

I was initially drawn to the Z1 because it has large buttons. I was happy to find that the

The menus were easy to navigate and the controls were large, easy-to-use, and logically placed. I found this camera’s auto modes excellent for an amateur like myself. If you are a more advanced photographer you can also have full control over the aperture, exposure, and focus. Or tou can control as much or as little as you wish, and the camera will use the automatic adjustments for the rest.  Color modes are natural, vivid, B&W, and sepia. There are also five built-in scene modes which can be easily chosen by the mode dial on the top of the camera. The scene modes are: Portrait, Sports Action, Landscape, Sunset, and Night Portrait.

The Z1 focuses well in dark light situations even without a flash. The flash must be manually opened. Some might think this is a pain, but I found that I quickly got used to it, and it is an easy way to have immediate control over the flash without fumbling with the controls. There is also a shoe for extended flash, and being an SLR camera, you can add other lenses, as well.

To power the camera you need four AA batteries, which I like because of their easy availability. You don’t have to purchase an extra battery pack, just throw a few extra batteries in your case and you’re ready to go. The battery life is excellent. I took over 200 pictures, most with the LCD screen on, and the camera was still going strong on my original four alkaline batteries. Minolta documentation states that rechargeable batteries will last even longer

I’ve already been long-winded with this review and I haven’t covered many of the camera’s features. So just for a quick rundown, the Z1 also has a self-timer, three metering modes, a noise reduction function, a monitor brightness adjustment, the ability to rotate images on the screen, on-screen zooming, date-imprinting, and an on-screen camera-shake warning. Oh by the way, did I mention that the pictures looked great? This is about as close as you can get to a traditional 35 mm camera with the all the benefits of digital photography at a down-to-earth price.