Konica
made several ultra compacts in different lines. The non-zoom optics are
all moderate wide angles of 35mm focal length. Only the Big Mini F
opens up to F2.8. As it is also the smallest of the Konicas, it's the
most expensive. The A4 is much cheaper, so it's a good alternative. For
the zoom cameras there is the excellent Lexio 70. It goes from 28 to
70mm and it has
impressing data at the wide end: F3.4. This page shows the Lexio 115.
It a very similar body as the Lexio 70, but covers 38 to 115mm. When it was
first released in 2002, many compacts were already digital. It is one of the last new cameras before the merger of Konica and Minolta in 2003. Its main features are:
38-115mm F4.5-12.5 Konica
lens, 7 elements in 6 groups, autofocus with focus lock, min. focus
0,6m
Electronic shutter, 1.5-1/300
Size 111x61.5x38.5, Weight 200 gr. without battery
25-3200
ISO, automatic DX coding, self-timer, automatic film advance, exposure
correction +1.5EV
Camera
front closed.
Camera front open. Sliding the cover switches the camera on/off. The lens
only moves out a little to wide position.
Lens
moved out to tele position.
Camera
back. On top: Viewer and eye correction wheel. Mode button, 2nd setting
button, mid roll rewind. Wide/Tele button. Film window and camera
opening button.
View from above. Shutter
release. LCD
screen (flash off).
Camera sets auto flash
as default, but remembers the last custom setting. So one push on the
mode button brings your setting back (flash off in my case). Flash
guide number ~20 (!) (m/ISO 100).
Bottom. Tripod socket. The camera takes a CR2 battery
Back open. The film
leader is safely engaged when you close the back.
This
camera is easy to use, silde the cover open and it's ready.
Autofocus is responsive and works well. Putting a film is easy as well,
you drop the film, tear the film leader
up to the mark and that's it. The
camera winds it automatically. It has some manual settings if needed,
the menu is very easy to access on a big clear LCD screen. Even the
annoying feature of auto
flash setting at start, which is the case with most ultra compacts, has
a better solution: the camera remembers
your last custom setting. So one push on the
mode button brings your setting back (flash off in my case). In
comparison to the other ultra compacts, the camera has an impressingly
powerful flash. The adjustable viewer seems better to me than most of
the others.
It's
a very good point and shoot camera
with a moderate wide angle zoom lens, good picture quality, nice high quality
finish in a very small and light pocketable body. A nice find.
