Konica Minolta Dimage G600 6MP Digital Camera with 3X Optical Zoom

No dials with modes as in many other cameras. The menus are complex and complicated, not easy to navigate - try it on a small screen in bright sun. Small LCD screen.
The camera gives good outdoor pictures in good light. At indoor or low light conditions it has some problems - rising the ISO number to 200 or 400 produces image noise (particularly at ISO 400).
Setting ISO in AUTO mode in the Quality menu - the camera always sets it to ISO 50 even if there is a very little light available. Thus I manually set the ISO at 100 or 200 for most situations (rarely at ISO 400 or ISO 50).
Proprietary AC adapter - no generic adapters for digicams fit this camera.

The flash on this camera broke after < 2 months. Sent back to Konica-Minolta for warranty service was told that repair takes 2 months. 3 1/2 mos go by and no word from manufacturer. I called, found out they are awaiting parts from Japan and would take another month. I called again after 6 weeks and was told that the parts are no longer being made as camera is discontinued. They will send me a "REFURBED" replacement as my only recourse. Since I had no choice, I took that. The refurb broke after 2 months as well - autofocus no longer focuses, and the metal ring around the tip of the lens fell off. No wonder Konica-Minolta is now out of the digital camera business. Buy a Canon or Nikon instead.

I have had this camera about 6 months and have had to return it twice so far for the same repair, without any explanation or recourse of requesting a replacement. I use the camera for my work so two to three weeks per repair is pretty disruptive to my schedule. Quick shots are out of the question since the camera is ultra sensitive to any tremor, and I must always use a tripod.

Good points:
1. The price is magnificent...you can get it for about $244.00 for 6Megapixels!(as of Jul-11-2005);
2. The quality of the pictures is excellent;
3. Battery Life is fairly good (about 280 flash pictures);
4. Takes BOTH SD and MemoryStick memory types;
5. Optical Zoom at 3X is about normal and works fine;
6. On-Off system is nice and simple;
7. FAST shutter speed (time from moment you press button to picture actually being taken); Canon is awful at this.
8. Very FAST Flash recovery time (picture-to-picture): about 1.5 seconds.

The problems are few, but very real:
1. Video is really limited to 30seconds - no matter how much memory you have or what resolution you choose;
2. Doing anything other than taking pictures is a MESS...you have to go through the menus and the complicated button sequences...forget about my MOM using it for anything other than taking pictures;
3. Even VIEWING the pictures you took is a mess...having to go through the menus. If you're a gadget freak or a techie, you'll be just fine...but if it's for your mom or dad and they can't program their VCR, then look for a user-friendly camera (not this one, sorry!); they WILL end up erasing pictures they're trying to see...
4. The USB transfer cable is NOT standard...good luck if you travel and leave it at home (better have lots of memory and not lose the camera while traveling or you'll lose your memories before you get to transfer them!!);
5. Zoom controls could be better located.

Summary:
If you are a techie and don't need videos longer than 30seconds, this camera is great.

I love this camera. I wanted a small camera. I looked at the Cannon Elph. After reading negative comments on the internet about the E-18 error problem and knowing a friend who had problems with the E-18 error right out of the box I decided to pass.

I have a bigger camera with many features, the Sony F717, and I love the pictures it takes. I guess it spoiled me because after seing another friends small Sony camera the picture quality was not as nice even with the higher megapixels. I had to purchase Sony Memory cards and after purchasing several(expensive) I wanted a small camera that could use them.

My old small point and shoot which finaly died used SDcards. I was resigned to switching but still wanted to be able to use my SDcards because I hate to waste money.

This camera seemed to be the answer to my dilemma. It uses the two media cards I alreay own. It has a sturdy metal body. The layout/design of buttons is easy and simple. I love the fact that opening the lens turns the camera on and off. I purchased an extra battery and keep it in the charger. The charger comes with the camera and charges fast.

It is a great point and shoot and has many features if you want to do more. It is small and fits in my evening bag but is not so small/delicate that I worry about damage.

It has an optical viewer as well as an lcd screen. I thought this was critical. If you need to take a picture in bright sun or want to conserve battery life use the viewer. One of the things I did not like about my old point and shoot was it only had an lcd screen. I was very careful with it and damaged the screen while on vacation and could not use the camera. I had to buy some disposeables and send it for repairs when I got home.

Konica makes a great product. It may not be as sexy looking as some but it is great and I have yet to take a bad photo. Two media cards is terrific. I was at a good friends wedding and went to visit family and with both cards in the camera I had enough space to take pictures for the week. I took 800 pictures a couple of movies and still had plenty of space. I put in two 512MB cards and did not have to worry about carrying extra cards.

I love this camera! Hope this helps you in your search, happy hunting!