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Help deciding between 2 cameras...

E

ExileinBlonde

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 21, 2006
84
0
Hey, I'm trying to decide between 2 digital cameras, and I just can't seem to make the decision, so I'm turning to you guys for opinions. It has come down to 2 options:
The Minolta Dimage X1:
http://konicaminolta.com/products/consumer/digital_camera/dimage/dimage-x1/index2.html
or
The Kodak V530:
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/19/31/7113&pq-locale=en_US
I'm not going to be doing anything real photo intensive, I just want something that takes good quality pictures at a good speed. As far as price, they are both about the same $200.
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks guys!!
 

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I don't have a personal opinion on these 2 specific cameras, but I wanted to point you to some general resources.
www.dpreview.com and
www.dcresource.com

Both websites are excellent references for everything involved with digital photography. DP Review, in particular, has excellent forums - if you go their forums and search for the cameras you're interested in, I would guess that you will find the same comparison / discussion.

Good luck!
 
I've got an old Dimage X, the ancient ancestor of the X1 and the first of its kind and its simply fantastic, I've always loved it. I recently had to buy a compact camera for my girlfriend and I got her a Nikon Coolpix S2 though, which was really nice and used SD memory. Had the Minolta have been available at the time I would probably have gone that route though.
 
QCassidy352 said:
I don't know about these particular cameras, but as a general rule, I'd always go with Minolta over Kodak.
Click to expand...

What is your major reason for preferring Minolta?
Is it related to reliability, picture quality, or some other feature?
 
Canon makes the best cameras out there. I would forget those two and pick up one fo their powershots, especially if you want image quality. Will you be shooting in low light?
 
From a side-by-side from DPReview.com here are my thoughts:

The Max Res on the Konica is better, not to mention you have 4 other lower resolutions and Kodak only has one which oddly enough is slightly larger than their max. Someone should edit that!

You are getting better resolution and more pixels (3) with Konica at the same price. I can't speak to the sensor size but I am sure they are pretty close to the same.
You have more ISO choices on the Kodak and that may be an issue for you on the Minolta.
Similar zoom ranges so it is a non event.
Both offer digital zoom which to me doesn't matter because digital zoom is how you get pixelated images.
It appears that you have better macro on the Minolta.
Also your min shutter is better on the minolta. The rest for you may be a non event. So with this I'd go minolta.
 
I OWN the Kodak V530 and it's a lightning fast camera. It takes pictures instantly after you hit the button. The only issues are using the LCD in bright sunlight and since it has a small aperture you need a lot of ambient light if you're not going to use the flash.

The video's also play very nicely with iLife 05/06. I got mine for $229 at Sam's Club over Christmas.
 
QCassidy352 said:
I don't know about these particular cameras, but as a general rule, I'd always go with Minolta over Kodak.
Click to expand...

I don't know if I would be so quick to say that. Kodak has become the marketshare leader in digital cameras has really became aggressive in improving their cameras. I have a Kodak DX4530 5MP that I have had over a year and it has been an excellent camera.
 
A friend of mine has the Kodak V530 and the one thing I can say about it is it's lightning fast!!! I've been reading reviews on the Minolta Dimage X1, and they are horrible!!! I've had my eye on the X1 for some time, so it dropping in price was a no brainer, I was going to pick it up tomorrow, but seriously the reviews I've read, have been absolutely terrible, so now I don't know what to do.
As for my camera usage, I probably will not be using it that often at all, I just want to have a camera for special occasions. I just want something that will take good quality pictures, I'm also concerned about the speed, I tend to take alot of pictures of my cats, and they're fast!
 
ieani said:
Canon makes the best cameras out there. I would forget those two and pick up one fo their powershots, especially if you want image quality. Will you be shooting in low light?
Click to expand...

Can't go wrong with Canon, they're at the top of their game right now. I've read that Konica-Minolta has withdraw from the digital camera business in january. If you're sticking between these two models, I'd go with Kodak but if you can afford it, take a look at what Canon and Nikon have to offer imo.
 
But Konica-Minolta still offer support and are still contributing to the digital camera game, just through Sony, that's all.

I'd get the Konica Minolta. Kodak is like the Kia Motors of digital camera manufacturers. :p

Canon's point and shoot's are quite good. Sony's offerings are also quite good, but their LCDs are so bad, IMO.
 
ieani said:
Canon makes the best cameras out there. I would forget those two and pick up one fo their powershots, especially if you want image quality. Will you be shooting in low light?
Click to expand...

Yes! I couldnt agree more. I have an Canon SD550 and my mother has an SD 450 and we simply love them. Check them out big screen, great quality, functionality, and size.
 
I don't have any personal experience with either manufacturer's cameras, but I can hole-heartedly recommend Panasonic's Lumix line of digital cameras. I recently purchased a Panosonic Lumix DMC-FX8, which has been succeeded by the FX01 , which features 16:9 image recording, and FX9.

I have been very impressed with my FX8. It is a very compact, stylish digital camera with a 5 megapixel CCD, 3x optical zoon and Panasonic's optical image stabilization, which seems to work pretty well in low-light situations. The battery life is pretty impressive, and the unit came with a wall-charger for the included Lithium battery. The large screen is a plus, but the FX8 does have less that adequate screen resolution, making straight lines appear jagged when viewing images. The FX9 and FX01 has addressed these issues by introducing a higher-resolution display. All of these cameras use Leica lenses.

Part of my reason for loving this camera is the dedication Panasonic has to continually updating the line. When the FX7 arrived with much success, the one complaint many had was low battery life, which the FX8 addressed readily. The FX8, like the FX9, had a low-resolution display, and that too has been addressed. Their products are updated at a rapid pace, which may make you regret your purchase if you buy at the end of a revision's cycle, but will prove beneficial if you wait for a unit that addresses all your needs.

The FX8, which I bought for about $349, can be had for as low as $259 if you shop around. Highly recommended.

[EDIT] Looks like some of my links are sessions; sorry. It is very easy to navigate to the Lumix site from Panasonic's homepage.
 
Canon's digital powershot elphs, the small metal case ones, similar to the ones you are comparing, can not be beat.

Canon makes the best small camera. You can not go wrong with a canon. I would never buy a Kodak, and Minolta does not make a good p&s in my opinion.

Go with the canon powershot elph, you will love it.
 
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