Minolta 20 Mega Pixels Wifi Digital Camera with 35x Optical Zoom & 1080p HD Video Optical with 3-Inch LCD, 4.8 x 3.4 x 3.2, Purple (MN35Z-P)

First, I’m not a professional photographer and can’t justify spending thousands of dollars on a camera. Over a six month period I created a spreadsheet with specifications on almost 60 different cameras. I knew that Nikon was expected to release their P1000 camera and I was waiting for that. But at almost $1000 I had a hard time justifying it. So, I decided on the Minolta MN35Z. This replaces my Canon SX20IS that was released in 2009. I just got back from a Mediterranean Cruise including visits to the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. I took almost 1000 pictures. It is easy to get good pictures with almost any camera when outdoors and with good light. But when indoors like the museum and Basilica it is more difficult as would be expected. The Basilica is so large that a flash will not reach far enough. But, I did get good pictures if I was very careful holding the camera steady. With lower light the camera wants to take longer exposures so any movement will make a blurry picture. I have a tripod but in a crowded room and with so many pictures it just was not practical carrying it around. That would definitely help. This is a lightweight camera and the menu system is easy to use. At $195 it is a good camera. Yes, I would like the features on the Nikon P1000 and I still may get it one day, but this was a good selection to carry around on vacation with a lot of walking. If you are looking under $500 you need to take a close look at this one. Take a couple hundred pictures before anything important experimenting with manual and automatic settings. Experiment with various exposure times and the many scene options.

This is a great camera. Takes a little messing with to get the hang of the wifi and bluetooth function but once you get the hang of it it works great. I've always wanted a simple digital camera that can connect to my phone and this one is perfect for what I need. I am not a professional nor do I want to be. This takes beautiful clear pictures and I can share the ones I want easily. The color is really cool too ( avery bright purple) comes with all you need and an easy to charge battery. Case and strap too.

This has a huge number of features that you will never use. Once you figure out the basics it is a great camera to record family travels and memories. Excellent value.. Issues: Battery level on window is crap. Charge the camera every night and it will work fine. Function wheel is easily bumped when carrying. Ruins pics until you notice. Check every time you use.

This camera would have gotten 4.5 stars were it not for the battery. I noticed other buyers had left reviews mentioning problems with the initial charge and power up. During the first charge the camera indicated 'unusual charging'. Eventually, overnight, the battery charged and the camera would power up. However, when removing the battery it was noticed the battery case was distorted and bulging. Not good for any battery, but worse for a Li-ion battery. The battery supplier has quality control issues. Amazon (who was the seller) refunded a percentage of my purchase price, which I used to buy a replacement battery. This is the only reason I left 3 stars. It should be noted that not all NC-120 have the same geometry and some might not fit the camera. If Amazon works with Minolta to resolve this, the camera would be a great buy, but less tech savvy persons should be cautious. After the 6 month return period the flash stopped working. Service requests to Minolta have been ignored. Lowered the rating to 1-star. Takes decent images in daylight, but not worth the money.

This camera is wonderful! The color, quality and ease of use are just wonderful for the price. A nice gift for someone or for yourself.

I've used digital cameras for almost as long as there have been such things (the Sony Mavica was not my first). I also have a Canon T6i DSLR as my main camera as well as an iPhone and a few other older point and shoot digitals. This doesn't make me an expert, so take this review with that in mind. My intent is to update this review after I have more experience with the camera. The Minolta MN35Z is what they call a "bridge camera," something between a simple point and shoot, and a DSLR. It has a 35X zoom lens that cannot be switched out. I found the camera to be very comfortable to hold in my right hand. Controls, except the on/off button, are easily reached. I bought this camera for travel. My DSLR is large and heavy and my phone offers the choice between wide angle and super wide angle. This is a compromise. One feature I really like about the Minolta is that it has internal memory. You can take a few pictures without putting in the internal memory card. The elephant in the room, common to most if not all bridge cameras, is a lack of an optical viewfinder. That makes it extremely hard to read outdoors. When composing a shot, you have no option on where to place the camera, and limited options on where to put your eye. So rather than "point and shoot," you have "point and hope" that what you wanted is in the shot. The viewfinder on this camera cannot be swung out or tilted, further limiting your holding options. I thought the resolution on the viewfinder was low, certainly not like what you would see on a phone screen. It also has no touch controls. The camera has lots of features, but many of them are not available in many situations. For example, HDR (high dynamic range). It's a great feature for dealing with scenes that mix bright and shadowy content. The problem is that HDR is a scene mode, not an optional setting. When using HDR, the camera can't be set for intelligent scene, portrait, landscape, aperture value priority, shutter priority, manual and the 18 other scenic modes. Another example is that the 35X zoom cannot be used in several shooting modes. It can be quite frustrating when you try to make a setting that doesn't seem to work, only to find that it doesn't exist in the current mode. The camera has automatic flash, but unlike other cameras, you have to manually extend the flash before it becomes automatic, and I have yet to find a mode where the Auto flash setting is actually allowed. In every case I have tried, the Auto option is ghosted and all you get is "always on" or "off." One small omission could be a big deal to some people -- the camera has no external microphone connection. This makes the camera sort of useless for making a presentation. There is also no video out jack. This camera is not particularly useful for making VLOGs. Many cameras sense how the camera is held and flag the photos for auto-rotation. This one doesn't. You'll have to rotate all your photos manually if needed. Note that only JPG output is supported -- no camera raw files. While you can manually set the lens opening (aperture), there are only TWO options, f 3,.0 and 5.5. The manual reminds me of a manual for a cheap Chinese radio, obviously not written by a fluent English speaker. It also leaves you guessing sometimes. Hint: This camera uses a specialty battery. One of the first things one usually does with a new camera is to buy a spare battery. For some reason, may of the spares available for this one don't fit without being filed down first. When purchasing a battery, look for "MN35Z" specifically, rather than just the battery model number. I found the autofocus unreliable shooting some subjects, like a leafy bush. It also seems to lack dynamic range, making some parts of a scene totally blown out. The camera has a 2X digital zoom, but it's only available on the lowest resolution setting, and if you want digital zoom, get some software to do it in post processing. On this camera, the feature is absolutely useless. With all that negativity, I close by offering the best photo I've gotten so far with this camera.

What a fancy Camera; right on point & "Flashy", too!

Just love this camera. Beautiful and more advanced than your average digital camera. I love the zoom lens w lens cover and the neck strap. Comes complete ready to go right out of the box with battery and memory card. Total USB friendly for downloading and several modes to film etc. Get one, you won’t regret it.

Excelente cámara, funciona al 100%!

L’appareil est facile d’utilisation, le zoom est magnifique, l’objectif est de grande qualité. cependant l’appareil a de la difficulté à bien focusser lorsqu’on zoom au maximum. Il est dommage qu’il soit impossible de faire le focus nous meme. Mais dans l’ensemble c’est un excellent appareil.

Very good zooming and good pictures quality I'm very pleased and satisfied for the money 💰

Great camera. Battery could last longer.

La buena manufactura y las cualidades de la cámara, pero la buscaba un poco más compacta para los viajes.