Minolta Freedom Zoom 160 Date 35mm Camera Kit w/bag

by Konica-Minolta

Product Details

Product Manual [911kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000631YZ
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,534 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 15, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The compact Freedom Zoom 160 is loaded with state-of-the-art features, including Minolta's latest AREA-AF autofocus technology, a 4.3x zoom lens ranging from 37.5mm to 160mm, date and time imprinting, and a worry-free, red-eye reducing flash that fires automatically whenever necessary.

It's also one of the fastest autofocusing cameras available. Bring the camera to your eye and the eye-start sensor activates the focus and exposure systems so that the camera is ready to capture the image when you are. The Zoom 160 is smart enough to recognize your subject and fast enough to capture it on the move.

The Freedom Zoom 160 has three autofocus modes: area AF, spot AF, and target AF. The area AF is a fully automatic mode that allows the user to just point and shoot the camera. Spot AF mode accurately singles out a subject among a group of objects. Target AF is optimized to capture sharp images of moving subjects.

The Freedom Zoom 160 is great for vacations and gatherings of family and friends. The flexible zoom range of 37.5-160mm will capture those important images, group pictures, and close-ups of distant landmarks. The aspheric zoom lens produces sharp prints, thanks to the area AF system with its 940 focusing steps.

The worry-free flash fires automatically whenever necessary, even in tricky backlit situations. The red-eye reduction feature helps to reduce the red-eye effect to give your pictures a more natural look.

The built-in quartz data imprints the date or time right onto the photo, making it very useful for cataloging photographs and making photo records of important events. Data imprinting can be turned on or off as desired.

Other features include:

• A film-chamber lock function prevents accidental opening of the back cover
• Film advancing is silent thanks to new belt-drive system and nylon gears
• Continuous drive mode allows the user to automatically take sequential shots every 2.2 seconds by simply holding down the shutter button
• The night-portrait mode blends flash with longer shutter speeds to provide greater detail in night-time scenic or sunset shots
• An IR remote control RC-3 offers immediate and 2-second delay from as far away as 16.4 feet

From the Manufacturer

The Freedom Zoom 160, which is loaded with state of the art features, is unlike any camera you have ever used. The Freedom Zoom 160 camera incorporates Minolta's latest AREA-AF autofocus technology. Simply raise the camera to your eye, locate the subject and the camera will do the rest. Employing the largest autofocus area in film cameras today, the Freedom Zoom 160 evaluates the objects in the area autofocus frames and locks the focus on the subject.

If that’s not enough, the Freedom Zoom 160, which is equipped with a 4.3x zoom lens, has the worlds fastest autofocusing. Bring the camera to your eye and the eye-start sensor activates the focus and exposure systems so that the camera is ready to capture the image when you are. This sophisticated compact autofocus camera is smart enough to recognize your subject and fast enough to capture it on the move.

Features:

The world’s first high-performance AREA-AF
The AREA AF makes taking pictures as easy as seeing. No complicated procedures to lock focus on the subject are necessary. The AREA AF analyzes the objects within the wide focus frames and prioritizes the point of focus on a human subject to reduce the probability of focusing on an extraneous object in the foreground or background. Simply point the camera at the scene and the autofocus system does the rest; subjects no longer have to be placed in the center of the picture.

Direct AREA-AF viewfinder confirmation
Regardless of the subject’s position, the 3 x 8 LED matrix AF indicator projects the AREA AF frames in the viewfinder. Hold the camera up to your eye and the matrix AF indicator automatically changes to show the area of focus. The active AF display encompasses the subject in a red LED box to indicate its position to confirm focus.

The world's fastest autofocus
Bring the camera to your eye and eye-start function activates the focus and exposure systems. While moving through the field of view, the AREA-AF system will follow the subject and continually adjust the focus without having to touch the shutter-release button. The high-speed 32-bit RISC CPU swiftly processes the data so the camera is ready to capture the image when you are. The Freedom Zoom 160 has the world's fastest AF system among compact cameras with a 3X or larger zoom.

Advanced subject-weighted multi-segment metering
The information from the multi-line AF sensor and subject-detection system is used to calculate perfect exposures. The subject-weighted multi-segment metering system uses subject position information and up to 125 metering segments to calculate the exposure based on the subject and background luminance.

3 AF modes for any shooting conditions
The Freedom Zoom 160 has three autofocus modes: AREA AF, Spot AF, and Target AF. The AREA-AF is a fully automatic mode that allows the user to just point and shoot the camera. Spot AF mode accurately singles out a subject among a group of objects. Target AF is optimized to capture sharp images of moving subjects. Access to these modes is as simple as pressing a button.

4.3x Zoom Lens ranging from 37.5mm - 160mm
The Freedom Zoom 160 is perfect for vacations and gatherings of family and friends. The flexible zoom range of 37.5mm – 160mm will capture those important images, group pictures, and close-ups of distant landmarks. Sharpness is assured because of an amazing aspheric zoom lens and Area AF system with 940 focusing steps.

Tight, crisp, close-ups
With its macro feature, you’ll capture every detail of your subject in sharp focus. Perfect for shooting memorabilia, flowers, or anything else that requires getting up close to your subject.

World's smallest and lightest
The ultra-compact Freedom Zoom 160 slides neatly in to pocket or purse, making it the camera that you want to take everywhere. This remarkable achievement was made possible by amazing advances in miniaturization of focus and zoom motors, film transport, viewfinder system and flash. The camera’s sleek aluminum cover protects as well as pleases.

Film Chamber Lock
The Film Chamber Lock function is included to prevent accidental opening of the back-cover.

Silent Film Transport
The film advance is silky smooth and whisper quite thanks to new belt-drive system and nylon gears.

Continuous Drive Mode
The Continuous Drive mode allows the user to automatically take sequential shots every 2.2 seconds by simply holding down the shutter button, which is great for shooting sports or other fast-paced action.

Exposure-compensation
This mode cancels the flash and increases value by +1.5 EV to make bright white subjects appear more true to color. Use it whenever you’re shooting with backlighting, such as very bright walls or glistening snow.

Night-portrait mode
This mode blends flash with longer shutter speeds to provide greater detail in night-time scenic or sunset shots.

New Slim Flash with Red-eye reduction
The worry-free flash fires automatically whenever necessary, even in tricky backlit situations. The red-eye reduction feature helps to reduce the red-eye effect to give your pictures a more natural look.

Date/Time Imprinting
The built-in quartz data back imprints the date or time right onto the photo, making it very useful for cataloging photographs and making photo records of important events. Data imprinting can be turned on or off as desired.

Remote control
The IR Remote Control RC-3 with immediate and 2 second delay, allows the photographer the opportunity to shoot without having to hold the camera. The IR Remote Control RC-3 range can be from as far away as 16.4 feet (5m).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Camera, May 30, 2003

By 

nowar99 (Longmont, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minolta Freedom Zoom 160 Date 35mm Camera Kit w/bag (Electronics)

The picture quality on this camera is pretty good. For most events, it has replaced my SLR (which is just too big and clunky otherwise). It has a grid which allows you to focus on different items in your viewfinder, which can be very useful.

However, If you are dealing with a scene that has multiple focus points, the "area focus" grid starts jumping around, which I've been told by others is somewhat annoying (doesn't bother me).

Overall, while I ideally like controlling all my settings, I find that this camera is just ideal for any kind of setting where you would want easy pocket portability.

I would change one thing: The little flaps that cover the lense seem pretty easy to move, and make me a little nervous about keeping the camera in my pocket: I would personally prefer a hard cover like some Kodak flip cameras or even the Olympus.

But otherwise, I would highly recommend.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauitful Photographs!, June 2, 2003

By 

"felina-san" (Easton, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minolta Freedom Zoom 160 Date 35mm Camera Kit w/bag (Electronics)

After having attended the 2000 Belmont Stakes with my Canon Elph LT camera and gotten good, but very distant looking photos, I decided I needed a good zoom lens camera for my next trip. After some searching, I had come across the Minolta Freedom Zoom 160. At the time I had purchased it, it had the longest zoom lens available in my budget. I took it with me to the 2002 Belmont Stakes and I was amazed at my final results!

I had taken 75 photos (About 10 had come out blurry, but mainly because my hand was shaking and no fault to the camera), and they came out very crisp, clear and vibrant. I suggest that anyone who uses this camera get their photos made onto a photo CD, because thats where the camera's detail really sticks out.

Photograph Examples Available:
[website]

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Photos, June 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Minolta Freedom Zoom 160 Date 35mm Camera Kit w/bag (Electronics)

I used this camera for an Alaskan trip, for the first time. I was very pleased with the results and ease of use. I did find the multiple flash settings a little difficult to master. However, overall the camera produced remarkable, clear photos.
A lens cover would be very helpful, as an accessory.