Konica Minolta Q-mini Digital Camera
October 27, 2008
The Konica Q-Mini offers a reasonable feature set for some decent prints and it is for the not-too-serious-consumer. Though good for outdoor shots where flash is not needed, it does a decent job of indoor get togethers too. Design wise, the Q-mini is not really the best of a designer's imagination. Square in shape it fits nicely in one's hand. The camera does not have an optical viewfinder whose function is replaced by a 1.8" LCD panel on the backside. While the LCD image is sharp and bright it is not so in the record mode. There is a stop-motion effect that you experience when trying to move your camera around to frame a subject. It is a tilt LCD that you can angle while trying to frame something on the ground without having to crouch. It is a 0.31mp resolution point-and-shoot. There is a standard CompactFlash memory card (2MB). This is used to store 23 images in the normal mode, 47 images in the economy, and 11 images in the fine mode. A new card can replace the old card when the memory is full. It has an image resolution of 640 x 480 pixels a common feature in the digi-cam market. This Konica digital camera does not boast the best macro mode in the industry and unless the subject is not naturally well illuminated the flash washes it out rendering a fuzzy image. The Konica shares the sixth place with the Olympus C 410-L and the Agfa for image quality rating (though skin imperfections are a little too distinct in the absence of a filter). There is a flap that is hinged on the right side of the unit which houses three AA batteries. Although the battery life is unknown the LCD uses up the batteries quickly. The camera does not have any kind of a zoom. The camera has a built-in flash. A power switch turns on the camera, easily switchable between play modes and record. In play mode images that are stored can be displayed single, 4 at once, or 16 on screen. To delete the image that is currently displayed you need to press the erase button and then the shutter. To delete all pictures stored in the memory you will have to press the erase button twice and then the shutter button. There is a white balance feature for the camera to judge what is white with fluorescent lighting. The camera has a self-timer that delays by 10 seconds before the click. A CD contains a software and Adobe PhotoDeluxe as well as the image downloading software. You can connect this camera to your video using the SCART socket on your television. The final verdict is that the Q-mini is not a badly rated digital camera but there is nothing special about it either. It states a decent image quality with a fair set of features but finally there are better units that one can find on test. Sure it is a good replacement to a polaroid while making test compositions. It is easy to use, easy to hold, and can take phenomenal close up shots that are sharp. There is good exposure control. It is just exceptional for anybody who is beginning photography.
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