Konica Digital Revio KD-400Z

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Weighing just 220g (fully loaded) with a tiny footprint of 94 x 56 x 29.5mm, the new Konica KD-400Z is one of the smallest high-res cameras we have tested in our Labs so far. The unique selling point, however, lies in its two memory slots, one for Secure Digital (SD) and one for Memory Stick (MS) flash memory media.

One Compact Camera, Two Memory Slots
The idea of having dual memory options for a digital camera is not new. Sony's recent Mavica offering, the MVC-FD100, offers Memory Stick as well as floppy disk slots, while the new Fujifilm FinePix S602Z accepts both SmartMedia and CompactFlash (Type I and II) cards. What makes it so special for the Konica camera is that it is the first ultra-compact to feature two memory slots.

Users can set the camera to prioritize the use of the two memory media. If the SD media is chosen, the camera will first store the captured images on the SD card, followed by the MS when the SD card is full. However, to toggle between using the two memory media during a photo shoot, there is no direct switch or button, so you will have to access several layers of menu options to change the memory storage priority. A nifty built-in feature allows copying and moving of images between memory cards.

Easy Operation And Setup
Using the Konica KD-400Z is easy, thanks to the intuitive user interface and the clever use of colors to distinguish among the various main menus, where red is used for the recording menu while green and blue are used for the setup and play menus respectively. First time users should have no problems setting up the camera to connect to the PC for image transfer, as the camera automatically powers on when the USB cable is hooked up and the driver is detected from the CD-ROM and installed.

We like the sleek, ergonomic design of the KD-400Z. The solid stainless steel case with a brushed metal finish, gives the camera a tough, yet cool touch and feel, while a protruding strip in front of the camera provides a comfortable, yet firm grip. The Konica uses a front sliding lens cover to power on the camera and it stores the memory cards and battery in one compartment.

Although the camera is of the perfect size for carrying in a pocket, we strongly advise against doing so because the bright 1.5-inch LCD display protrudes out slightly and is likely to be scratched quite easily. We also found the tripod mount located a little too far right, which can cause tilting during a shoot, especially for small cameras.

Well-Balanced Images
Our CNET Lab tests showed that the images captured using the KD-400Z are mostly sharp and well exposed. Color tones were natural and the automatic white balance mode accurately reproduces colors for indoor as well as outdoor shots. The 10cm macro shot mode also worked effectively to provide good close-ups. Video recording was less impressive though, but the camera's built-in microphone and speakers more than makes up for it.

The Konica showed a fast 2-second startup and a middle-of-the-road 6-second shot-to-shot interval (which includes a 4-second image preview). It comes with a useful one-touch image playback button which allows you to instantly view the most recently-captured images. A blue light illuminates below the lens when the camera during power up and self-timer mode.

Powered by a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, the KD-400Z can last 100 shots (under normal shooting conditions with flash and LCD on) before needing a recharge using the supplied out-of-camera battery charger. The 16MB SD card gives you enough storage for about 10 shots, so investing in a higher capacity card is most certainly a must if you intend to take more pictures with the camera.

Why It's Our Editor's Choice
We decided to give the KD-400Z an Editor's Choice mainly because it excelled in four of our five test categories, namely ergonomics, image quality, performance and price. Users who want more manual features in their cameras may want to consider other camera models such as the Canon PowerShot S40 or Minolta Dimage F100.