Konica e-mini M More Than Just A Fast Lens Its a webcam! Its an MP3 player! Its a voice recorder! Its a digital camera! Ron Popiel himself couldnt pack more features into such a small space. Konicas latest venture into technical schizophrenia combines all the latest digital rages into one handy, little package. Like many devices using the letter e in the beginning of their names, the e-mini M suffers from a slight case of identity crisis. Such extensive bundling poses many advantages to the buyer. However, the very reasons for purchasing a camera like the e-mini M can become liabilities when buyers become users. But with tons of functionality and a low package cost of roughly $200, its easy to accept a few minor glitches. With that caveat understood, we were happy to put our e-mini M through its paces. Using the same sense of propriety that leads auto critics to test BMW convertibles on swerving mountain roads, our camera was used in ways befitting of its design: we took along every stage of a typical larking weekend spent with friends and family. This consisted of a short road trip, neighborhood picnic, tour of a house and a moonlit outdoor party. Every time the 3.5x3.25 body popped out of my shirt pocket people stopped to marvel at its compact shape. Though some were skeptical of its ability to produce decent pictures, most doubts were laid to rest with a recent e-mail.

Using the trees and Spanish moss to block some of the bright sky, I was able to successfully photograph the shady side of this house. The system automatically meters for white light, like a video camera. Try experimenting with various angles to avoid or hide particularly hot spots in your frame. For this reason, stay away from shooting white backgrounds with the flash, as it will occasionally create a bleaching effect in your image. Sound Side We hoped to play MP3s through our cars stereo (using a standard headphone-to-cassette adapter, not included) during a 2-hour drive, but came to the sudden realization that e-minis internal 2MB flash memory is not even enough room for a 11/2 minute punk rock cover of Stand By Your Man. However, the few short snippets of music that we fit on its memory sounded great. The practical advantages of MP3 players over CDs are space and shock resistance. Unlike CDs you can attach an MP3 player to your waistband, go jogging and never hear a single skip. However, theres not enough standard memory in this machine for a sprint down the driveway. If you purchase this camera with the intention of seriously playing music, then consider buying one of the optional CompactFlash Memory cards to boost its storage. Though this may sound like the typical sales gimmick of charging $150 for floor mats after you bought the car, extended memory also means the system will hold more pictures. Image Side As is, the camera stores about 15 high-resolution or 31 low-resolution imagesroughly equal to one roll of film. This means youll always need a computer nearby to download your files. All images are saved in .jpg format at 640x480 pixels. The only difference between low- and high-resolution images is the level of compression administered before saving. A 16MB CompactFlash card upped our cameras performance to over 350 low-resolution images and almost 15 minutes of 128-bit encoded music files. The camera handled itself perfectly at the neighborhood picnic. Images were crisp, sharp and clear when shot in either direct sunlight or partial shade. The LCD screen is easy to read as it displays all the systems functions. However, Konica would be better mounting this screen and selector button on the cameras back rather than force users to spin it 180Þ to adjust each setting. The only drawback noticed in daytime use is a lack of fill flash mode. While the automatic flash setting is relatively smart, it would be nice to blast the shadow out from under old man Greers baseball cap. Power Side Compared to some other digital point-and-shoots, the e-mini M is gentle on its power supply. Our first set of AAs lasted through 4 stock memory loads and numerous repetitive downloads. This long- evity is partly due to its automatic shutoff after 120 seconds of inactivity. While constantly turning the camera on is annoying at first, the system springs to full usability almost immediately after the power button is pushed and (most importantly) it recalls all the settings in use before shutting down. The camera lets out an amiable blip whenever it has been turned on, turned off or a picture has been taken. Practical Side While touring a house with a real estate agent, we thought it perfect to bring the e-mini M along. Having it along couldnt have been more practical. It allowed my wife and I to later show the house to our family and friends. The fixed focus lens was wide enough for both exterior and interior shots and the flashs balance of natural light was well above par. Just as things were going well, I noticed the camera misread a few frame numbers. After downloading our house shots, 81/2 shots could not be viewed. Chalk it up to fluke occurrence because this problem never resurfaced during our tests. Unfortunately, our camera did not fare too well under nighttime outdoor conditions. The 3/4x1/4 flash came up shortactually it seemed downright anemic from distances greater than five feet. Using the e-mini M in pitch dark requires the photographer to stand closer than normal to the subject. This makes it very difficult to shoot groups of 4 or more people at a time. If at all possible, a secondary light source (patio light, tiki torch, anything) increases your odds of making the shot work. Also hindering this little flash is its poor placement. The lens sits just in front of the shutter release, right where the middle fingers knuckle rests. So even if it does put out enough light, chances are inept digits might block the shot. Added Luxuries If getting an MP3 player and digital camera wrapped into one unit isnt enough luxury for spoiled techies, then listen up. The e-mini M also doubles as a hand held recorder, webcam and martini shaker. Okay, that last one might be a stretch but the recorder/webcam bits are 100 percent legit. Its ability to record ambient sound was quite remarkable when considering the pinhole it uses for a microphone. While its unlikely you will use this feature often, the mic was able to capture a cats purr from almost two feet away. Sound files are stored to memory as .wav files and easily downloaded to the PC through a USB cable. Once hooked to a computer, the e-mini M can be used as a webcam. Since it requires some extensive infrastructure, this was the only feature we failed to test. It should be noted that the camera can operate solely on power provided through a USB cable. This means no length of video conferencing will wear its batteries. The camera also comes with an analog video connection. No, that doesnt mean users can shoot video footage, too. Its simply a connection that allows stored image files to be previewed on a TV screen. This is obviously intended to compensate for the absence of a preview screen. The standard package comes loaded with all the software youll need to make this camera achieve its best. Two CDs, including Photo Suite III for pictures, Microsoft NetMeeting video conferencing and Jukebox Xpress for audio files will have your little, purple pal purring along at peak performance. Facts Functions: Digital camera, MP3 player, PC camera, Audio recorder Image Sensor: 300,000 pixels CMOS image sensor Resolution: 640x480 pixels Image Storage: Fine: 15 pictures; Normal: 31 pictures Compression Method: JPEG Storage Medium: 2MB internal flash memory, CompactFlash Type I Card (not included) Lens: 7.2mm (equivalent to 52mm) Focus: Fixed Focus, 0.5m to infinity Viewfinder: Optical Flash: Built-in autoflash (range 3-10 feet) LCD Display: Black and White LCD panel, for text display only Digital Interface: USB Video Output: NTSC/PAL Power Source: 2 AA alkaline batteries, AC adapter; 5.0V/2.0A (adapter not included) Dimensions: 3.6(H)x3.2(W)x1.4(D) Weight: Approximately 6.0 oz (without batteries and CompactFlash Type I Card) Accessories: Strap, Soft case, TV cable, USB cable, Stereo earbuds, Instruction manual, CD (Bundled software: MGI Photo Suite, SIREN Juke Box, USB driver software) PC Requirements: Windows 98, 2000, ME and USB connection, 32MB RAM, 100MB free hard drive space Contact Konica 725 Darlington Avenue Mahwah, NJ 07430 (800) 285-6422 www.konica.com