If you want a digital camera with features replicating those of an SLR camera, at under half the price of an SLR, this is the camera to buy. If you are wanting a digital camera to take simple family photos this camera is maybe to bulky in size (not weight), and cheaper options that are simpler to use are available.

The best feature of this camera, must be the flipping lcd display that allows you to view it either through the view finder in SLR camera style, or as a 1.5' lcd monitor on the back of the camera. This means you can view images of what you are taking in all light conditions, and can ease focusing and limit camera shake.

The x10 optical zoom and x4 digital zoom is unrivalled, and giving a total of x40 zoom. The quality of the zoom is excellent, and truely magnifying, but be warned camera shake at x40 zoom can be excessive without a tripod or steady hand. However the camera does warn you of shake.

The camera comes with an optional wide angle lense extension, however i have yet to find one in stock in the uk, although some companies are advertising it at £69.99. A camera bag is also going to be available from minolta, and I would recommend that you purchase one to protect the camera, as although the camera is supplied with a neck strap it is far to large to put in a coat pocket.

This is the first non-SLR digital camera to offer a wide angle lense and a lense eqivalent of 38-380mm which gives the capability of telephoto and macro in one lense.

The camera also has a shoe for a flash in addition to the built in one.

For me it was a choice between the Z1 and the Olympus c-750 ultra zoom.

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Looking at the tech specs for both cameras the main advantage the c-750 has over the z1 is the 4megapixel resolution and the remote control. But according to the articles I have read the z1 is faster to start up, faster to autofocus, has a better quality EVF, and a more powerful onboard flash. Also the SD cards the z1 takes are cheaper to purchase than the XD cards required by the c-750.

I am glad that I waited for the Z1 from Minolta. It's a great camera! A worthwhile purchase if you are considering an entry level digital replacement for a 35mm SLR. Ok it's only 3.2 megapixels. But if you are not making prints any bigger than A4 you wont need a higher resolution camera. The 10x zoom is fantastic. The camera powers up fast and auto focus is fast. AutoFocus in low-light is good. The flash is powerful. The button controls are laid out well and I have found them intuitive to operate in the dark as soon as I started experimenting with the camera. The only control switch problem I note is the exposure dial. It is a bit awkward to operate when you are looking through the view finder.

The LCD display is a little on the small side. I wish that they didn't use white text to show the standard camera information. I find it to be difficult to read. Orange would be much easier. I have used a number of digital cameras and I have to say that I have found the Fuji finepix 2800 menu system the easiest to navigate and the moss aesthetically pleasing. Orange, green, or blue text is much easier to read than white - believe me!

The EVF is accessed via a switch positioned below the LCD screen. The EVF is actually the LCD flipped backwards and viewed via a mirror through the eyepiece. I like the idea! Saves on components and ensures a good quality EVF. The only niggle is that you can see a thin line of light emitted from the monitor window because the window isn't fully blacked out. Makes no difference to operation - it just lacks style and looks amateur. BTW the eyepiece could do with a bit of rubber moulding to make it more comfortable to look through.

I like using long exposures to get light trails. This camera takes great night shots and I get superb trails. Another niggle here is that when you take the long exposure shot the monitor goes black. I know this is what would have happened when taking these shots with a 35mm SLR - but I would like to be able to track the light trails via the monitor! I don't know if this is a common feature of taking long exposures on digital cameras or not.

Picture quality is good. Though occasionally you will experience very noticeable "purple fringe" of colour aberration where the edge of a hardlined dark subject has a bright subject behind it. This is a common problem for digital cameras. The z1 is just very average in this department.