It is very easy to use for newbies like myself

I'm one of those photographers who while on a budget still likes to have toys to play with. This camera is one of those many toys I've purchased over the years. It was never intended to be a daily shooter for me just something I took out on occasion to take some pictures with for fun. Like, for instance, the train yard not far from my house is a fave place to go take pics. The tracks that lead to them and yard itself provide some fantastic opportunities. Lots of great shots. It actually does perform quite well and I was pleased at the quality of the resulting pictures.

But there is one major drawback and that's the processing time between shots. And if you're the type of person who wants to take that next shot immediately this is not your camera. I used it in sport mode the time at the yards so I'd get get between 3 and 5 shots per click of the shutter. And the downtime between shots is anywhere between 5 to 20 seconds. So you get this spot on shot of a bird sitting on the caboose and then want to get a shot of the bird closer up you'll be waiting for a few moments. Which will likely mean the opportunity is gone by the time the camera is ready again. This makes it nearly impossible to use in a setting such as sports where you have to be ready at all times.

That aside the pictures you get are pretty great. The zoom is fantastic (especially with a tripod) and will get you close to places that you normally can't get too. I'd say it's definitely worth the money. I'm very pleased with the purchase overall. But definitely upgrade the included memory card.

I think I am going to be able to take some amazing photography with this Minolta Camera. Lots to still learn about all the "bells and whistles." However, a mistake in the description claimed that it will accept 49" lens filters. I ordered three; however, the lens is actually bigger, so they don't fit. I wish the specifications were correct!

As you can see the ring in front fell off. I bought it in May. Since it was past the return date & on warranty Amazon told me to contact Minolta. After 3 emails, 4 different numbers I called & left messages, I finally got a hold of a person that told me Minolta cameras dept. were sold off and the people who bought it make crappy cameras but use the Minolta name. Amazon made it right with us.

It's a great point and shoot camera. Zoom is crystal clear also and have an added 4X digital zoom to the 67 optical zoom. The manual focus is very stiff taking the subject out of view when wrestling with the focus. There is no adjustment for the manual focus's drag. Auto focus can't figure out focusing on clouds.