Bill Emery
Well-known member
Have had the camera for a few weeks, less several days for a minor adjustment at the repairer. Very impressed with image quality, though only at higher light levels. Low light on full auto can be a bit grainy/noisy. Macro shots are mind blowing, you don't appreciate them fully till loaded on the computer and you zoom in. Very easy to use on auto, and with a little photography knowlege, the manual/semi manual settings give great results. Movie mode at full spec chews out the 256mb sd, aiming for the recently released Sandisc 1gb ultra 2 card for a trip to Eastern Australia (with my laptop) next month. Not bothering to take my Sony mini-dv camera due to the quality of the Z3 images, very comparable.
Am a convert from Yashica SLR (had it 20+yrs) till electronics gave out. Can use 52mm Cokin holder and filters from SLR. Bonus!! As well as having the same lens power, wide-angle to 400mm tele and macro. Now though I don't have to wait for processing. All I wanted in a digital, only more, and some I hadn't even thought of. Not perfect (what is), but will do me for a while, though probably not 20+yrs like the beloved Yashica. Keep the adaptor tube and UV filter (from SLR) on all the time to protect all the moving bits, when first got it inadvertantly held the front of the camera a couple times at turn on, causing the lens motor to labour till I realised I was doing it. Tube helps stop this.
Supplied USB cable seems poor quality ( very, - um, grindy I suppose is the feeling when inserting into camera or computer) so tend to use direct SD read. Flap for USB/RCA connectors/power socket seems crappy for such a camera. Will it also be falling off after a while? Supplied software better than some I have seen, with some handy features. Very versed in multimedia so reasonably impressed KM, good effort.
Problems:
Have a feeling the battery lid will one day have to be held closed with tape when the small catches break, they don't look substantial enough to last the distance, especially as it is opened and closed quite often. Will KM come out with a metal replacement?? SD card lid has flipped open by itself after getting caught on lace tablecloth, and if not seen could have been snapped off when putting back down, well, maybe!!
Had to be returned as lcd/viewfinder switch wouldn't stay in viewfinder mode, minor adjustment apparantly, but repairer gave back camera with fingerprint and scratch on inside of LCD screen. Not grossly noticable, as I tend to use viewfinder mainly, but wasn't giving it back to someone who couldn't care. Not KM fault, but one of their approved repairers. When out of warranty will rectify myself.
Am a convert from Yashica SLR (had it 20+yrs) till electronics gave out. Can use 52mm Cokin holder and filters from SLR. Bonus!! As well as having the same lens power, wide-angle to 400mm tele and macro. Now though I don't have to wait for processing. All I wanted in a digital, only more, and some I hadn't even thought of. Not perfect (what is), but will do me for a while, though probably not 20+yrs like the beloved Yashica. Keep the adaptor tube and UV filter (from SLR) on all the time to protect all the moving bits, when first got it inadvertantly held the front of the camera a couple times at turn on, causing the lens motor to labour till I realised I was doing it. Tube helps stop this.
Supplied USB cable seems poor quality ( very, - um, grindy I suppose is the feeling when inserting into camera or computer) so tend to use direct SD read. Flap for USB/RCA connectors/power socket seems crappy for such a camera. Will it also be falling off after a while? Supplied software better than some I have seen, with some handy features. Very versed in multimedia so reasonably impressed KM, good effort.
Problems:
Have a feeling the battery lid will one day have to be held closed with tape when the small catches break, they don't look substantial enough to last the distance, especially as it is opened and closed quite often. Will KM come out with a metal replacement?? SD card lid has flipped open by itself after getting caught on lace tablecloth, and if not seen could have been snapped off when putting back down, well, maybe!!
Had to be returned as lcd/viewfinder switch wouldn't stay in viewfinder mode, minor adjustment apparantly, but repairer gave back camera with fingerprint and scratch on inside of LCD screen. Not grossly noticable, as I tend to use viewfinder mainly, but wasn't giving it back to someone who couldn't care. Not KM fault, but one of their approved repairers. When out of warranty will rectify myself.