It’s not every day that a new bridge camera from a storied brand is released, especially not one that promises a 40x optical zoom lens, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a sub-$500 price tag to boot. The addition of manual controls makes this camera one that captured our attention, but is this the right camera for you?
The Big Picture: The Minolta MN40Z is Not a Pro Camera, and it Doesn’t Need to be
The Minolta MN40Z is what I’d call a budget bridge camera—a piece of gear that seems destined for a warehouse retailer where you can buy groceries and a last-minute camera as you prepare for a road trip or vacation. It definitely ticks off a lot of boxes in a spec sheet—a 20-megapixel sensor, a very long zoom range, and even wireless connectivity to easily transfer photos from the camera to your phone, all for a very low price. But there are lots of caveats to get here. For starters, the sensor is a tiny 1/1.56-inch sensor, which puts it on par with some flagship smartphones, and if you are interested in the Minolta MN40Z, be prepared to invest in a large pack of AA batteries when you pick it up. While this camera isn’t intended for a pro or even a high-level enthusiast, it does do a great job of making photography accessible for more casual photographers who really want to take a break from their phones.
We’re giving the Minolta M40Z three out of five stars. Want to try it for yourself? You can check out the camera via our Amazon link.
- Pro: Ease-of-use, it’s designed to be a point-and-shoot affair where the operator doesn’t need to know anything beyond which button to press.
- Pro: The MN40Z has great ergonomics, plenty to grab hold of, and it’s very comfortable, even for long periods.
- Pro: The included filters can be fun to use, especially if you don’t intend to edit the resulting photos in a photo editor.
- Con: Autofocus is slow in anything less than ideal lighting.
- Con: The zoom mechanism is slow and requires an idea of the focal range you want to be at before composing your shot.
- Con: The fixed rear screen is hard to see in daylight, and the lack of an option to rotate or tilt can leave you guessing your composition.
When we got our review unit in, I instantly knew that this was not a camera that would be used for anything remotely serious. I wasn’t going to look for models to make portraits, nor was I going to go out at night to try to get moody street scenes. From the second I held this camera, I knew this was something that you took with you to the family cookout, the park with friends, or on that road trip. In other words, this camera is not for the professional photographer, and it isn’t trying to be. And I think that’s what makes this camera work, it’s not pretentious or trying to do more than what it says – good images with a huge zoom range and low barrier to entry. In that sense, the Minolta MN40Z succeeds in giving the photo curious a budget option to begin exploring photography as a hobby.
Experience
When you unbox the camera, you don’t have to be a photographer to understand how to operate it at its most basic level. Once you install the included four AA batteries and the SD Card, you slide the power switch and select your shooting mode via the top jog dial. Even the options available to you right away are straightforward—Manual, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Program Mode, Auto Mode, Video/Movie Mode, Scene Mode, and even a Custom Mode.
In terms of ergonomics, I was pleasantly surprised by the thought around the placement of the controls and even the rubberized grip and thumb rest. The camera has some heft to it (nearly 18 ounces with the batteries installed), but it just helps balance things out, especially at longer focal lengths. It’s not the most premium of feeling cameras, there are plenty of plastic bits, like the buttons, which feel a little stiff at times, but overall it’s far better built than I expected.
Now, there are quite a few places where I found the MN40Z to miss the mark. First, let’s talk about autofocusing, it’s glacial, especially the further along the zoom range. One of the things that I would love for a bridge camera to be able to do is make for a decent birding camera (or even a backup camera). While the Minolta MN40Z does have a scene mode specifically for pets (animal subject detection), in my testing, I found that it couldn’t lock in on birds fast enough to be reliable. In fact, the AF on the camera seemed to struggle in anything less than ideal lighting conditions.
Another point of frustration with the MN40Z was the slow zoom motor. While I didn’t necessarily expect a lightning-quick transition between 24mm to 960mm, the slow zoom speeds combined with the slow autofocus speed meant that if you didn’t already have the focal range dialed in ahead of time, you’re going to miss your shot.
My last big point of contention with this camera is the odd handling of the camera’s maximum resolution output. While the documentation, badging, and even the product description state that this is a 20-megapixel camera, you don’t always have access to all 20 megapixels. During my testing period, I found that you can only access the full sensor readout in Manual, Aperture Priority, and most Scene Modes. We’ve reached out to Minolta for confirmation if this is intended behavior or a weird bug with our unit (there has been no confirmation as of this writing).
At the end of the day, this camera isn’t perfect, but it does something that I think more and more people are looking for – an option that allows them to capture the moments of their lives without the distraction of a phone. In that sense, the MN40Z can help you stay present but give you the option to share when you’re ready.
Minolta MN40Z Image Quality
At the end of the day, how a camera feels in your hand pales in comparison to the images that it can produce. Besides, an ergonomic potato is still a potato. Thankfully, the MN40Z delivers solid images that are more than acceptable for sharing on social media or even displaying on a television or monitor. Minolta’s use of image filters to give the final images a little bit of character offers creative flexibility to even the most novice photographer. While some people might lament the reliance on image filters, let’s not forget that, at the end of the day, that’s what a lot of presets and “film simulations” are. For the intended audience of this camera, filters are just fine – my favorite was something called “French Style,” which warms up the tones.
Below are some additional image samples; all photographs are unedited JPEGs taken with the Minolta MN40Z with our watermark added in Lightroom.
Tech Specs via Minolta’s Website
- Lens: 40x Optical Zoom • 24mm-960mm; F3.0-6.8
- Shutter: Mechanical & Electronic • Optical Stabilization
- Zoom: 40x Optical
- Pixels (Photo): 20.0 Mega Pixels (JPEG)
- Auto Focus: TTL; Single • Continuous • Tracking
- LCD Monitor: 460k 3.0 in. LCD
- Shooting Modes: Auto • P/S/A/Mr • Wi-Fi • SCN (Scene) • Movie
- Special Features: Wifi with App Integration
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