Minolta's new Z1 Mega-zoom!

[steve]

Here's all the info about the new Minolta Z1 Mega-zoom:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/diginews.html#z1

-Steve

[davidcyc]

Can the optical zoom be used during videoing?

[Herb]

I see that the write-up on the Z1 says -

"With such powerful optics, the effect of camera shake, a slight blurring of the image when the camera is handheld, can be a significant problem. Minolta engineers have developed an advanced program exposure line to maximize shutter speeds by controlling the aperture and camera sensitivity based on the subject program and focal length in use."

Programming a camera to reduce shake by automatically selecting the highest shutter speed possible seems, to me, to fall a long way short of building in an image stabilization system.

[steve]

Originally Posted by davidcyc

Can the optical zoom be used during videoing?

The answer is yes - you can use the optical zoom during movie recording. At least at 15fps, it doesn't work at 30fps on my pre-prod camera.


-Steve

[sjms]

it's rather obvious that Konica/Minolta hasn't been sleeping the past few months. i like the A1 but now i'm rather attached to my 1Ds.

[shibumi]

I was all set to purchase a Cannon S50 tomorrow at Best Buy (have a 10% off coupon good for Fri - Sun)...

Then I saw this new Z1!!

My main use is going to be for just regular photos, things I'll post on the web or e-mail... I will very rarely actually print any out...

Most of my pics will be the standard 'amateur' variety... friends... trips on the boat... BUC's GAMES!! College ball games...

The biggest factor for me will be ZOOM (i think) - so this 10x + 4x digital really caught my eye!!!

I also like the fact that I can just pop in 4 AA's in an emergency - and not having to deal with Cannon's battery...

Plus I like the UHS - for taking pics at the games....

I'm just not sure I really *need* (or want) a 5 megapixel... I think for what I'm doing a 3.2 would be fine... (opinions?)

Question is - do you have any idea of when this new Z1 will actually be available for purchase?? If we're talking a matter of a couple of weeks, I'd be willing to hold off on the Cannon (and lose my 10% savings)...

Any idea??

Thanks!!

[Lajson]

Well, in Sweden the Z1 is going to be available in midle of September for $450 and the A1 is going for around $1100

[mcws]

From Steve's review: "The DiMAGE Z1 employs Rapid AF to ensure sharp images with minimum delay. Rapid AF uses a passive AF sensor to instantly estimate the distance to the subject and the camera's CCD to determine the precise focus point. A high-speed drive focuses the lens quickly and smoothly. The CCD uses a 60 frame per second sampling rate to determine the optimum focus"

So what exactly does this mean. I know the camera can focus quickly in good light, but, without an autofocus assist lamp, will it be able to focus in low light conditions? What is a passive AF sensor? Is it the same system that the Optio 550 uses?

Help!!!

[Mathilde uP]

Originally Posted by mcws

What is a passive AF sensor? Is it the same system that the Optio 550 uses?

Help!!!

Yes how can it be passive with 60 frame p.s. sampling method of the ccd ?

[davidcyc]

Originally Posted by steve

The answer is yes - you can use the optical zoom during movie recording. At least at 15fps, it doesn't work at 30fps on my pre-prod camera.


-Steve

Thanks for this vital info.

I hope they manage to get the zoom in for 30fps, even at a slow zoom rate. There are already other cameras that can do vga/qvga video at 30fps without optical zoom.

As an aside, are there any digital cameras that video into mpeg 1 or 2 format rather than m-jpeg or mepg 4? This would allow instant burning onto dvd/vcd.

Do any video with stereo sound?