Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2 & Z3: What is the difference in performance?

Final Words

In our review, we discovered that although the Z3 features some new design and operational enhancements, the difference in performance is not so clear cut. Both the Z2 and Z3 offer several recording options, including Auto, Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, and Digital Subject Programs. The photographer can also choose from 3 metering modes and several focusing options. The Continuous advance mode is exceptional, allowing you to take up to 5 full-resolution frames at 2.5 fps. Both cameras offer movie modes that allow recording video at 30 fps with audio.

The Z3 offers a more solid construction along with several design enhancements over the Z2. For example, the Z3 features a 12X optical zoom and Anti-Shake system. Also, the Z3 does away with the Switch Finder system of the Z2, while retaining the option to view the LCD through the viewfinder. Konica Minolta addressed the noisy zoom issue that is apparent on the Z2. This makes the movie mode on the Z3 really fantastic.

When it comes to other performance points, the Z3 does not necessarily have an advantage over the Z2. Despite the same 4MP sensor, we found significant differences in image quality between these two cameras. Although both cameras produce images that are somewhat fuzzy, we were surprised to see such a loss of detail in shadow areas with pictures taken with the Z3. In the place of detail, we found distracting lines. With the Z2, shadow areas were far more detailed than the Z3. Also, the Z2 simply produced brighter images with more vibrant colors than the Z3.

Overall, we found the Z2 to perform better than the Z3 in relation to Auto WB in tungsten light. In our color reproduction test, the Z3 had a much stronger yellowish-pink cast than the Z2. Indeed, it performed worse than we could have imagined. However, both cameras did pretty well reproducing colors in tungsten light when we used the Tungsten preset or set the WB manually. That said, we noticed that the Z3 slightly underexposed all of our indoor image tests (including video).

In our timing tests, we also discovered ambiguous results. Although the startup and shutter lag times were similar between both cameras, the shot performance times were very different. The Z3's Shot to Shot w/out Flash time was nearly half that of the Z2. However, when it comes to Shot to Shot w/Flash, the Z2 was almost a second faster than the Z3. Both cameras have the ability to shoot a burst of 5 full resolution images at 2.5 fps. The Z3 is much faster than the Z2 at shooting subsequent frames after the burst. The Z2 is a bit faster than the Z3 in clearing its internal buffer for the next 5 shot burst.

In the end, it is up to the photographer to make a decision when deciding between these two cameras. Each camera has its ups and downs, but we really feel that the overall image quality of the Z2 is preferable to the Z3. The Z2 is a well-rounded camera with manual options and a 10X optical zoom. It can take colorful and appealing images if you don't mind the fuzzy quality that we discussed earlier. The Z3 has the benefit of a 12X optical zoom, Anti-shake system, and exceptional video capability. It is too bad that the Z3 is weighed down with the problems that we found. If the image quality was identical to the Z2, we would think it was a great compact zoom digicam. However, we would most likely choose the Z2 over the Z3 as a more balanced option.

DiMAGE Z2
Pros	Cons
Impressive line resolution for 4mp Fast write times Brighter images than the Z3 Great continuous drive Vibrant well-saturated color Little shutter lag Decent color reproduction Fast shot to shot w/flash time Very fast LCD refresh rate	Fuzzy images Visible JPEG artifacts Slow startup time Slow zoom-out response Loud focus and zoom in movie mode Plastic body feels delicate Manual flip-up flash

DiMAGE Z3
Pros	Cons
Very Impressive line resolution for 4mp Fast shot to shot w/out flash time Superb macro range Responsive zoom (in and out) Very nice movie mode (silent zoom and focus) Little shutter lag Great continuous drive Solid construction Very fast LCD refresh rate	Fuzzy images Visible JPEG artifacts Low detail in shadows and visible lines Slow startup time Below average indoor Auto WB Darker images than the Z2 Manual flip-up flash

Thanks again to Newegg.com for loaning us the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2 and Z3 for review.