Minolta Freedom Explorer EX Panorama 28-75 Zoom Date 35mm Camera

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I chose to buy this camera because it was rated number 1 in Consumer Reports magazine. Besides being one of the few that was rated as actually taking good photos (which is the most important thing!), it also got a high rating for being small, light, simple to use, for containing many features, and for being well priced.

I agree with this in general and recommend it. I tested all the features and they seemed to work well. I even compared photos from this camera with those taken at the same time with my other two cameras (including an SLR). My conclusion is that the Minolta Freedom Zoom Explorer does take nice clear pictures with good colours that I am pleased with. However, a potential buyer should be aware of certain things:

1) The viewfinder itself is quite small and dim, and the objects within the viewfinder are also very small. The viewfinder is the biggest problem with the camera and an annoying one. You have to squint and struggle to get your objects into the frame even if you are not an eyeglass wearer. Dark settings will make the situation worse.

2) Some, but not all, of my 28mm wide-angle photos have a dimness or darkness near the sides.

3) When you turn the camera on, it goes to the 28mm wide-angle setting by default. This is annoying since you will rarely use this setting for photos. Instead it should go to a more common middle setting like 50mm (since that represents what you see with your naked eye).

4) There is no way to know what zoom setting you are at. Ideally, as you zoom in and out you should see the numbers (mm) displayed in the viewfinder or at least on the main LCD display. The camera does not do this, and the objects in the viewfinder are too small and dim to even help guide you. So you are basically guessing with every shot.

5) When taking shots with no flash, especially self-timer shots, you'll have a hard time knowing when the shutter has closed. You can hardly hear it when you are not right next to the camera or if you are in a loud environment. A light should stay on for the length of time that the shutter is open. Otherwise you or your subjects might stop posing before the camera is done taking the picture, which produces a blurred image.

6) The remote works, but not as smoothly as I would have liked. Sometimes I have to push the button 2 or 3 times to get the camera to shoot. I did test the battery and it is good.

7) It is difficult to use this camera with gloves on because the buttons are quite small.

8) A couple more features like the BULB feature (to keep the shutter open for as long as you want) and the feature that overlaps frames (for cool effects) would have been good to have. Some point and shoot cameras have these features.

But besides all this, all the features that the camera has work well on mine like Macro (for close-ups), Panoramic, Night, Landscape, even the Red Eye Reduction seemed to do its job despite all the flashing being so annoying.

It is also a very easy to understand and use camera, and I like the yellow Date numbers on my photos instead of red ones that most cameras produce.

Overall, I am very pleased with this small, light, fun camera in general, and still recommend it despite the faults written above.

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I was drawn to this camera because of the special macro setting with a minimum distance from objects at 1.1 feet. It is specified as having a "smallest field of 6 inches" - but at 1.1 feet, the smallest frame is about 17" wide. Out of focus close-up images happen about 40% of the time - either because I was closer than 1.1 feet or the autofocus may be inaccurate at that distance.

All these P&S cameras start out in 28mm wide angle mode - which naturally distorts the image (at the edges especially and indoors as noted in other reviews). There is no way to find the "standard" 50mm setting to minimize the distortion, except to guess w/ the zoom.

These finer points should not discurage most users of this very sturdy camera. However, the zoom control is cramped (if you use your left eye to focus), and it does take some time to find the image in the viewfinder, especially with a dark image in view.

The camera endured 2 years of torture in the bottom of my bookbag. Maybe I'll actually use the free softcase in the bookbag to provide more padding. It's light enough to carry around all the time for those moments when you say "I wish I had a camera right now". Good flash control. You must use the "landscape" setting if there is an object in the forground - or you get an image focused on the back of someone's head.

I purchased the Freedom Zoom Explorer about a year and a half ago after my 6-year old Olympus Stylus Zoom bit the dust. I've really enjoyed the camera--it takes great pictures most of the time. There is a problem with the flash rebound--it takes several seconds for the flash to recharge which is not good when trying to capture continuous flash shots of your kid's squad in cheerleading competitions. You can take the pictures, but most of them will not have the flash activated. I am now camera shopping to replace the Explorer. I started to use it the other day, but when I took it out of the case (which was also in the video cam case), the LCD on the top of the camera was black and mottled. It still took pictures, but I have no idea what setting it was on or how many shots were left on the film. At least I was able to rewind the film. After taking it to a local camera shop, they determined that it could be sent off to the factory and repaired.... They couldn't tell me what had happened or how it had happened, and I certainly don't have a clue since it's been safely stored since it was last used. This has been a good camera, but I was hoping to keep it longer than eighteen months. I don't think I'll be purchasing another.

I got this camera 6 months ago after reading that it was a rated one of the best in Consumer Reports, and I have been extrememly happy about it. The pictures are extremely clear and just exceptional. The only thing to watch out for is that the lens is wide angle when unzoomed. That means you get more of the field of view in, which is great on some shots, such as in big buildings. However, shots of scenery that have not been zoomed may have dark corners as the lens creats a fish eye effect. Its not bad, and the wider angle is great for many occasions. If it happens just know its not a defect, just something to watch for.

I've never seen anything like it. My photos looked like they were taken with a filter that darkened the right and/or left sides of the image. Same problem indoors or outdoors, with flash and wide angle. Also not happy with the sharpness of the focus.