S$748
Product Summary
8
out of 10View score
The bad: Expensive SD card; lack of manual features.
The bottom line: A compact and reasonably-priced digital camera that should appeal to most first-time digicam users.
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Average User Rating
CNET Asia Review
The general direction for new models in a digital camera series seems to be smaller footprints with yet more powerful new features. The Minolta E203 is no exception. Designed to be a successor to the Dimage E201, the new model comes with a 3x optical zoom lens, on top of a 2-megapixel CCD and 2x digital zoom. This not only allows distant objects to be brought closer without any decrease in image quality, the combined 6x zoom also offers more flexibility and convenience when taking scenic shots.
Pocket-Size Dimensions
However, the additional zoom lens does not add to the length of the E203 digital camera. Rather, Minolta has managed to make the camera even lighter and more compact. Measuring 101.5 x 61.5 x 40 mm and weighing 175g (excluding batteries), the E203 is just slightly larger than a deck of cards and 15g lighter than the Canon IXUS V (without battery and memory card).
All this is housed in a silver-coated plastic mould, separated from the front and back by an aluminum metal strip. There's certainly nothing fanciful or ergonomic about the E203's design, but it does have a strong build quality. The compartment for the battery and memory card is securely fastened by a plastic door held together with a metal hinge.
Secure Digital Card Storage
One of the factors contributing to the smaller form factor of the E203 is Minolta's choice of the memory card media. The earlier E201 stored captured images on a CompactFlash card, while the E203 has moved forward with the smaller and more expensive MultiMediaCard (MMC) and Secure Digital (SD) media instead.
However, the camera is supplied with only an 8MB SD card. Thus, if you factor in the highest-resolution images at about 300KB per image, you will need to fork out another S$120 to S$150 for an additional 64MB card if you intend to take loads of pictures.
Another reason for the smaller and lighter E203 could be the battery used. The new Minolta Dimage is powered by just two AA-size batteries, cutting down from four, and also accepts the CR-V3 Lithium battery.
Simple User Interface
Built with the first-time digital photographer in mind, the E203 is surprisingly easy to use. The automatic shooting mode provides a convenient point-and-shoot option while the manual mode offers the experienced photographer the freedom of adjusting white balance, exposure compensation, shutter speed and spot metering.
Although this camera has only a 2-megapixel resolution, the E203 captured pretty sharp pictures, even in the automatic mode, in our tests. For both indoors and outdoors, the colors on the pictures came out natural, with sufficient illumination from the built-in flash. The landscape and night shooting mode also worked quite effectively, ensuring good image quality almost every time we used it. The performance only dipped when it came to movie recording. The quality of the 15-second AVI clips was poor, while sound capture was not available.
Other Camera Features
The Minolta camera comes with an optical viewfinder as well as a sharp 1.5-inch LCD display. It is recognized as a USB storage device, so no drivers need to be installed if it is connected to a Windows Me or 2000 PC.
In addition to the 8MB SD card, the Minolta camera is bundled with a USB cable, one CR-V3 Lithium battery, a hand strap, a driver CD-ROM, instruction manual and a software CD-ROM containing ArcSoft's PhotoImpression. Because the E203 does not have a lens cover, we recommend getting a soft camera case to protect the lens from scratches and dust.
Conclusion
With a budget (S$748) and size that fits the pocket comfortably, the Minolta Dimage E203 is an easy proposition for first-time digital photographers. However, if you are prepared to pay more for a camera with a tad more punch, Nikon's CoolPix 885 and Kodak's DX3900 are worth considering as well.
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