Amazon.co.uk Review
Judging from the diminutive size of Konica's KD-400Z, most people assume it's little more than a digital toy. In reality, a whopping 4.13 mega-pixel CCD lurks within the camera's sleek stainless steel and silver plastic frame capable of capturing images with outstanding detail.
The KD-400Z is also the first four megapixel digital camera to incorporate both SD and Memory Stick slots, and it can use both types of memory simultaneously. The SD slot will also work with MMC cards.
The camera has fewer buttons on the back than most digital cameras in this price range, but that's only because it is designed to be so easy to use. Most menus that appear on the crisp, colour LCD screen are navigated using a small four-way switch, and a button next to that switch is used to activate highlighted menu items. Other buttons allow for the easy viewing and deleting of images and also to control the camera's 3x optical zoom. A digital zoom is also available, but as with all digital cameras, digital zoom results in reduced image quality.
Powering up the device is as easy as sliding back the protective lens cover on the front. The camera springs into action almost instantly, and zooming also works very quickly compared to most digital cameras. Pressing the shutter button down halfway activates the autofocus, and also causes a blue light on the front of the camera to illuminate so subjects know a picture is about to be taken.
Although there are no manual controls for things like shutter speed and f-stop settings, the camera does offer enough control to take it one step beyond a basic point-and-shoot camera. The four-way switch can be pressed right or left to turn the flash on or off, change to macro or landscape shooting mode, set the self-timer, apply red-eye reduction, or set up a combination of these things.
Image quality is excellent. The CCD captures details that lesser cameras simply can't resolve, and exhibits exceptionally accurate colour reproduction. Outdoor shots look terrific with the exception of low-light and night shots, where the automatic-only shutter comes into play. Skin tones are accurate, and the camera takes good portraits, but red-eye is a big problem even with reduction enabled. We can only presume it is caused by the camera's flash being so close to the lens.
Regardless, this is an excellent automatic digital camera for those who don't want to fuss with manual controls at all but also want to capture more detail than point-and-shoot 2MP cameras can handle. The included 16 MB SD memory card is skimpy for a camera that generates images at a native resolution of 2307 x 1704 pixels, and you'll probably want another set of rechargeable batteries, but otherwise the KD-400Z's price and performance offer very little to complain about. --T Byrl Baker
Manufacturer's Description
The Digital Revio KD-400Z is the world's first 4-megapixel digital camera with dual memory slots accepting both SD and Memory Stick! It is the smallest 4-megapixel digital camera in its class at only 3.7 x 2.2 x1.2 and weighing only 7.2 oz. It features a 4.13-megapixel CCD, offering image excellence suitable from high-resolution photo quality printing to e-mailing. Suited with a 3x optical Hexanon zoom lens (39-117mm) and a 2x digital zoom this camera allows you to achieve 6x zoom power. Having the flexibility of dual memory slots for SD and Memory Stick, you can connect to the most digital devices on the market today. Equipped with multiple recording modes and an array of included accessories such as a 16MB SD card, rechargeable battery and charger, USB cable, and more, now you're ready for anything.
