Minolta z20 vs Fuji Finepix 5500 (5100)

[slarti]

G'day All,

I'm new to the forum - going overseas later in the year, and I'm looking at buying a digicam to take with me. I've done quite a bit or perusing on the net, and I think I've narrowed down my choice to the two mentioned above - the Konica Minolta Dimage Z20, or the Fuji Finepix 5500 (5100 in the US). The main difference between the two is the Minolta has an extra megapixel, while the Fuji has a 10x zoom as opposed to the 8x on the Konica. I haven't been able to find a decent independent review of the Minolta, so I thought I might be able to pick the brains of a few of a few more knowledgable souls than myself.

My main concerns are quality, and durability - I'm going to India, amongst other places, and I need something that will cope ok being lugged around in my backpack, in somewhat extreme temperatures.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

Cheers.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Here is a side by side comparison http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com...minolta_dimagez20,fuji_finepixs5100z&show=all

Looking at those two cameras, they are both "SLR-like" point & shoot style cameras. They do have more zoom than a typical p&s digicam but they are still quite big. If you are going to be traveling, I would look into a more compact camera. Something that could comfortably fit into a pocket. You would sacrifice zoom and probably lens quality for size but it's something to think about.

Personally I would say, save up for a digital SLR camera rather than a digital point & shoot camera. (Canon Rebel, Nikon D70, Pentax *ist Ds) You will get 10 times the camera for only twice the price.

 

[slarti]

Thanks for that. Unfortunately a DSLR is out of my budget at the moment, and I'm reluctant to go with anything just for the sake of its size - I'm far more interested in image quality, so if that mean I have to carry a camera around my neck, or in my backpack, it doesn't bother me too much. I thought about getting film SLR, but I quite like what I've seen of both the cameras I mentioned. Just not sure which one to go for.