Customer Reviews

Minolta Dimage F200 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had to make a choice between the F300 and the F200.
I chose the F200 for the following reasons:
- Unlimited movie mode
- Separate zoom lever
- Redefined button-layout
- Anti-reflective coating on LCD
- ISO800
Before I bought the F200 I got a Canon S400 (IXUS 400). I changed to the F200 for the following reasons:
- Full manual controls in an ultra-compact metal body
- Clean and VERY SHARP! pictures in all situations
- Outstanding macro pictures, SUPER macro mode!
- Nimh battery support
- Faster and smaller SD-Cards
(- and the unlimited movie mode of course.....)
- Information display on top of camera with battery meter!

Of course, there are some netagive issues, as with every photocam:
- No AF Assist lamp
- Higher than average noise from ISO400.
- LCD gets grainy on low-light situations
- A bit slow start-up time and zoom

Despite of the lack of an AF-assist lamp, the flash is quite strong! I don't really need that lamp. On my S400 the camera took the same quality photos without the lamp as with the lamp.

The photos are REAL sharp! I made comparisons between F200 and S400 photo qualities:
- F200 is much sharper and detailed
- The colours on F200 are more natural then the ones on the S400
- However, S400 took a bit better pictures in low-light. But the F200 is still better than average. Much better than the Sony P-series.

I was afraid from the slowness of the lens. Doesn't really a matter, believe me! It is acceptable, don't let you fooled by some negative reviews about how slow the F200 is. This is NOT THAT BIG PROBLEM, believe me.

Reviewing images is fast and a pleasure.
Slideshow has many settings, it is very useful if you plug it onto the TV.
I can record about 15-20 mins at the 320 res. and 40-45 mins at the 160 res. movies on my 256 Mbyte SD-Card. A REAL PLEASURE!

One of the big problems was that the F100 get turned on accidentally. This is not with the F200. It's build quality is strong as it can be!

All in all: a great camera, I just simply cannot give it a lower mark than a five.
It's not only good for point & shooters, it is a super choice for serious amateurs also since it has aperture, shutter priorities, manual white balance and EVERYTHING.

A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CAMERA!
The price is low, I think this is the BEST BUY compact camera of 2003!

Easy to use, useful menu system for personal settings which are easy to set, a comfortable size to hold, a quick response to the telephoto, excellent image quality, especially at fine or above setting.

I have been testing diferent digital camera like Kodak, Fujifilm, etc. and the Dimage F200 is the best I have tested.
I have not tried completely the camera, but this camera has many options that don't have other conventional digital cameras. I dont finish to read the manual.
It has unlimited movie time (limited only by the memory)
Slideshow is very useful if you plug it onto the TV, and you can record a 15 seconds commentary for a picture.
It is a very great choice if you are finding more that a symple digital camera. It is a highly recommended camera.