Alan Stafford
Minolta Dimage 2330 Zoom
Images taken with the 2330 Zoom look extremely dark--most of them so dark that our attempts to correct them in software were unsuccessful. Blues came out black; our test mannequin reminded us of Ingrid Bergman hiding in the shadows in Casablanca. The camera's weak flash didn't help. Even outdoor shots suffered from poor contrast; details in shadows disappeared. Images on the LCD panel disappeared in sunlight and became grainy in low light, and the minuscule optical viewfinder doesn't provide a very good alternative. Pushing a recessed, nickel-size button toggles up, down, left, and right for navigating settings menus, but it has so little feel that you end up using your fingernail to move through the small text options. Three mushy buttons on the left side of the panel activate the menus, confirm a setting, or turn the LCD panel off. You can save a few settings--whether the camera beeps at you or how long it takes to power down--but others that you use often always revert to their default setting. The flash, for example, returns to red-eye flash mode whenever you turn the camera off. Focusing is very slow, and the image in the LCD blurs while the lens moves. The zoom won't stop where you want it--the lens takes a couple of beats before it begins to move, and it keeps moving even after you've released the button. It then refocuses, but invariably not at the distance you desire. Worse, the 2330 Zoom often cannot focus in modestly lit conditions such as under fluorescent lights in an interior office--it simply will not lock on. The red-eye-reduction mode is nearly useless--the flash goes off three times, very slowly with lots of time in between flashes, so subjects, not knowing the camera is still working on the shot, may suddenly exit the scene.
To transfer images to a computer, the 2330 Zoom can use a standard USB cable (one with the same wide, flat connector on both ends). A video-out terminal allows you to view images on a television. The manual, while big with very large type, does not include an index, so you'll have to pore over the table of contents or wade through to find specific details.
The $475 Dimage 2330 Zoom is priced comparably to other 2-megapixel cameras, but its execution falls far short. You can get much better image quality and features by spending the same or less money.
| Buying Information |
| Minolta Dimage 2330 Zoom 2.31 megapixels, 1792 by 1200 maximum resolution, 38mm to 114mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f3.4 to f3.6 aperture range, shutter speeds from 2 seconds to 1/500 second, LCD and optical viewfinders, USB and video connections, bundled 8MB CompactFlash card, four rechargeable NiMH AA batteries with external charger, 13.5 ounces with batteries; Adobe PhotoDeluxe 4.0 software. One-year parts and labor warranty; toll-call support for 8.5 hours on weekdays. $ 475 2.31 megapixels, 1792 by 1200 maximum resolution, 38mm to 114mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f3.4 to f3.6 aperture range, shutter speeds from 2 seconds to 1/500 second, LCD and optical viewfinders, USB and video connections, bundled 8MB CompactFlash card, four rechargeable NiMH AA batteries with external charger, 13.5 ounces with batteries; Adobe PhotoDeluxe 4.0 software. One-year parts and labor warranty; toll-call support for 8.5 hours on weekdays. 201/825-4000 http://www.minoltausa.com |