S304

ultramagnus · 6th April 2002

Hi is this camera good stuff? price still $680 or has it gone down? why so few people own this camera?

ninelives · 6th April 2002

because this is a point-and-shoot camera?

reflecx · 6th April 2002

The S304 is not a P&S, it has manual controls. I think it is not popular because Minolta doesn't have marketing budget to fight the other brands. Just look at the number of adverts Fuji has put out for the F601, Panasonic for the Lumix series, and Sony for the P31 and P71. Previously, Olympus had many ads for their digital cameras too.

etman · 6th April 2002

Quote:

Originally posted by ultramagnus
Hi is this camera good stuff? price still $680 or has it gone down? why so few people own this camera?

This camera is certainly value for money and packed with quality features. Very cheap for a 3.3M camera. 4x optical zoom. It has a manual mode which allows you to set the ISO sensitivity, auto/manual focus, exposure (EV), white balance, etc. It can even record video with sound. I had a lot of fun with that! The camera body is very solid(heavy). Has a video out port for displaying pictures on a TV. Supports CF type I cards.

Flare · 7th April 2002

Talking about marketing... some camera has nice artist to model for their camera... ayumi hamasaki etc... why not Minolta hire bluestrike?

ultramagnus · 7th April 2002

Quote:

Originally posted by etman

This camera is certainly value for money and packed with quality features. Very cheap for a 3.3M camera. 4x optical zoom. It has a manual mode which allows you to set the ISO sensitivity, auto/manual focus, exposure (EV), white balance, etc. It can even record video with sound. I had a lot of fun with that! The camera body is very solid(heavy). Has a video out port for displaying pictures on a TV. Supports CF type I cards.

thx for the feedback. guess minolta sure needs to beef up its image as it does not appear to be a 'cool' dc to me. also, hope that they can come up with a better version to correct its current flaws like no shutter priority, weird tripod mount position, etc.

Flare · 8th April 2002

And if you like more information... Try dpreview's minolta talk forum... Look at the photoassignments... I think a couple of people there are using 304... and achieving great results.

14th May 2002

I'm thinking of getting the S304, but I've heard several comments about its poor battery life. Surprisingly, it hasn't been mentioned here. Anyone who owns the S304 care to comment? Thanks.

6th April 2002	#1
ultramagnus New Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Rivervale Posts: 46	S304 Hi is this camera good stuff? price still $680 or has it gone down? why so few people own this camera?

6th April 2002	#2
ninelives Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: BB Posts: 2,622	because this is a point-and-shoot camera?

6th April 2002	#3
reflecx Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Bishan Posts: 762	The S304 is not a P&S, it has manual controls. I think it is not popular because Minolta doesn't have marketing budget to fight the other brands. Just look at the number of adverts Fuji has put out for the F601, Panasonic for the Lumix series, and Sony for the P31 and P71. Previously, Olympus had many ads for their digital cameras too.

7th April 2002	#5
Flare Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Bukit Batok West Avenue 2 Posts: 1,739	Talking about marketing... some camera has nice artist to model for their camera... ayumi hamasaki etc... why not Minolta hire bluestrike?

8th April 2002	#7
Flare Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Bukit Batok West Avenue 2 Posts: 1,739	And if you like more information... Try dpreview's minolta talk forum... Look at the photoassignments... I think a couple of people there are using 304... and achieving great results.

14th May 2002	#8
vade Guests Posts: n/a	I'm thinking of getting the S304, but I've heard several comments about its poor battery life. Surprisingly, it hasn't been mentioned here. Anyone who owns the S304 care to comment? Thanks.