I researched digital cameras for several months to find THE one for me, a digicamaphobe. THE camera is the does it all AND at a reasonbable price Minolta s414. I considered Canons, the G2, the Elph s230, various Olympus cams, and the easy,cheesy Sony. The elph was easy to use, but small, awkward, and distance shots were blurry and pixilated. I tried a friend's Olympus, but it was kind of complicated for me, downloading seemed a pain...My sis emailed me Sony pics she took, but the quality wasn't there...In April, while shopping, a friend pointed out the Minolta s414, 4 megapixels and 4 times zoom with movie and sound. So, I researched it...From reviews and info about the s414 I learned it was truly awesome with options galore. Additionally it was considered "user friendly"... I showed my boyfriend the info I'd found...An amateur photographer, he'd had never thought digicams could produce the quality of his NIKON, but he was impressed with the research I showed him; so he bought one. He was immediately blown away with the quality from the moment he started using it. His first macro shot of flowers with the s414 convinced him to set aside his Nikon. Then he had me try he camera...and had trouble wresting it away from me, because the Minolta s414 REALLY IS USER FRIENDLY.
I had to have the s414, and we went to buy mine...In addition to "user friendly", we found "sold out" at three stores... At the fourth stop, we bought the demo... along with rechargeable batteries, a 256 picture card and card reader...
Sunday, June 8, armed with our s414s, my boyfriend and I went to a dance recital and took some stupendous pictures in sepia and black and white as well as color ...EASY. ..After downloading the pics, we were amazed as we zoomed in on an eye to see the outline of my daughter taking the picture was reflected in the pupil!!! I took 100 pictures and made three quick films, plus reviewed and downloaded the pics before needing to recharge the batteries...Now how awesome is that? This camera RULES...
**************************************************************** This is about my 12th digital camera, and in general each one gets better in several ways as the technology expands. This one takes the place of a Sony P72 which I bought for about the same amount of money 8 months ago. However, the Minolta brings several higher end features to the table, including a 4 megapixel resolution (great clarity in poster-sized enlargements possible) and a true, 4X optical zoom, which was my main reason for upgrading. However, the icing on the cake, it turns out, is the 414's faster CPU, allowing it to wake up quickly and to write and recover faster btwn shots. In fact, it is so quick that it allows for continuous shooting of digital stills at 0.8 second intervals until either the battery is exhausted or the memory card is full. Likewise, it takes fairly good quality video *with* sound, as well as allowing for voice over of still images. The controls are logical, intuitive and clearly marked, the thru-the-lens framing is bright and easy to use, and playback on the 1.8" LCD is clear even in bright haze. Even the synthesized camera-like sound effects are good; they are a pleasing means of non-visual feedback to the user. Of course, it's a camera, so the quality of the photographs is what really counts, and here I can say the Minolta optics are superb, easily trouncing the Sony & Olympus cams I've been using of late. Battery life has not been an issue for me, weight and balance are okay, and even the non-integral (but tethered) lens cap hasn't bothered me. It does, of course, need a much larger memory card right away; with a 256MB CF card I'm getting about 120 shots at the highest resolution.
In short, this is an amazing camera at a very good price.
Buy Konica Minolta Dimage S414 4MP Digital Camera w/ 4x Optical Zoom Now
I cannot begin to tell you how impressed everyone was with the pictures I took with this camera. Many have seen digital... but this is something else. And for under [money]? 4MP images, 4X OPTICAL Zoom -you won't find that in a Canon for under [money]. Even better -standard AA batteries so you'll never have to worry about your battery pack being depleted with no options or having your batteries become irreplaceable after a few years. IT takes video too and the 320 x 240 videos are usable, cute, and a nice additional feature. The ease of use is excellent. And best of all the vivid quality of the images combined with the sharpness left me impressed. I didn't need to refer to the manual during first use to get started. Very simple. Need to read to understand all the features.UPDATE:
Most of the few bad reviews that drag down the rating of this camera are due to the common misperception that using regular AA batteries is the norm. READ THE MANUAL PEOPLE! ALL cameras are the same in this regard and everyone will tell you to BUY RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. Yes, they make a HUGE difference. I have a set of 1850mAh which will easily last me 125+ shots with the LCD on, reviewing the photos, etc. What is great is that this camera CAN use standard AAs if you are in a jam, one of its greatest assets. The picture quality is superb for the most part. Like all other cameras, autofocus is not perfect but it is very good and many of the pictures have just overwhelmed people who see my work. There are numerous other features that this camera offers and for 4 megapixels, the options and the price, this camera is a total steal. It feels good to grip in the hand. For some this camera might be a tad large and slightly heavier but you get quality photos which is the bottom line. Get a tiny camera you'll get much lower battery life and picture quality. Make your decision regarding the trade off. Having seen the pictures from this camera I would easily have paid more.
Read Best Reviews of Konica Minolta Dimage S414 4MP Digital Camera w/ 4x Optical Zoom Here
I have owned two other digital cameras, this was to be a replacement for a dead 3.2MP Casio QV300EX. I am a point-and-shooter primarily, but like to have the controls when I feel creative. If all you want is an auto setting camera, you can do much worse. However, if you are at all interested in manual control, look elsewhere!The bad:
1. Only two aperature settings
2. Lens does NOT zoom when in Macro mode
3. In manual mode, the LCD does NOT display the focus. The user is expected to view the focus as a number displayed on the LCD, i.e. 0.6m, etc. This makes it impossible to get the correct focus in manual mode.
4. Has problems in low light getting a good focus. My test photos were blury in evening light, the kind of light that makes for some of the best photos. This is probably due to the relatively slow lens.
5. Lacks shutter priority mode. Come on!
6. Battery door seems fragile and is hard to close. The tabs that lock it into place seem to be stuck when sliding the door, I'm afraid over time they would break.
7. Too easily turned-on while in the pocket/bag.
The good:
1. Solid metal case
2. Turns on quickly
3. Good battery life
4. Good feel in the hands
Want Konica Minolta Dimage S414 4MP Digital Camera w/ 4x Optical Zoom Discount?
The S414 is an excellent choice if you are looking for an all-around awesome camera. A very good fried of mine has the S404 and loves it. I consider myself an advanced photographer that has been fighting off the digital craze. Until now 35mm is had been dear to me but the instant gratification of digital is amazing. I am very happy with the manual settings that let me be creative. The auto setting also takes very good pictures. My 10 year old daughter has no problems in taking nice shots. I would recommend NiMh batteries and at least a 128 meg CF card. I purchased a 256 meg card and at medium setting the card will hold over 400 images. At this price with all the features...well I am very happy!!!
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