How could such a sweet, svelte shooter be at the center of a firestorm of hate? So goes the story with the Minolta MND20 camera ($99).
If you believe the bulk of the user comments (rating 3.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon with comments like: BIG MISTAKE, mediocre, terrible quality, etc.) regarding the Minolta MND20 2KHD 44MP camera, you’d swear that it’s a worthless piece of junk (PoJ).
But, it’s 44MP. How could that be a PoJ camera? Well, the short answer is that it isn’t; it just takes a sympathetic touch to coax those 44 megapixels outta its petite, metal-like body.
The mini-sized Minolta MND20 is very easy to carry. And how many 44MP cameras do you know that can be carried in a sock on a bike?
One delightful fringe benefit from all of this online hatred for this little camera has been the dramatic reduction in pricing. Although it’s earmarked with a $99 suggested retail price, it could be regularly purchased for $30 – $35. That is, until attitudes about this camera’s quality started to improve.
Lest you think this Minolta camera is valueless, compare it to the current digital darling–the Camp Snap camera (see: campsnapphoto.com). Priced at $65, this LCD-less, 8MP barebones snap-shooter is popular among parents arming young campers with a rugged memory maker.
Now back to this 44MP dynamo, following a modest groundswell of favorable reviews, the Minolta MND20 has seen a recent dramatic increase in price to approximately $50 – $99. Yes, it’s still the same 44MP camera as shown below, but this higher price is a lot tougher to swallow.
The camera’s faceplate says it all
Once you’ve conjured the megapixel magic from this camera, it’s time to grab your gumption and ask the most common camera comparison question: “How does it compare to an Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max?”
That’s easy enough, let’s grab both cameras and shoot them side-by-side. In order to level this playing field, however, let’s examine all of the features that have been crammed inside this 4- x 2.25- x .75-inch kinda metal-like Minolta. Oh, but, even before we spec this puppy, the elephant in the room, must be addressed.
This is not a Minolta camera heralding from the famed 35mm past of SR-Ts and Maxxums, rather this is a reincarnation, of sorts, from New York City-based Elite Brands by way of JMM Lee Properties, LLC (see: minoltadigital.com) and made in China. So, branded a Minolta, the chromosomal structure of this MND20 is definitely missing a few strands of DNA from its noteworthy pedigree.
Nonetheless, this camera offers a pretty impressive spec sheet. Beginning with the respectable 44 megapixel image size that is supported by a fixed focus 7.36mm f/3.2 lens equipped with anti-shake stabilization that is coupled to a teensy 2.9-inch IPS LCD screen which rounds out the marquee features of this camera.
Remarkably, there is a 32GB no-name SD card included in the box–thank you. Plus, you can opt for five different color versions: black, blue, magenta, red, and silver. And that’s about it for the virtues of this camera. The remainder of the technical features are a mixed bag of “what were they thinking” or “is it a bug or a feature?”
Case in point, the included battery comes sans charger and is charged in camera. Not an issue, but oddly enough the charging time seems ridiculously speedy. And sure enough, as soon as you turn on the camera and snap your first photograph, the on-screen battery level indicator turns an amber color. According to the user manual, however, an “actual” low battery indication will flash a “Low Battery” message on the LCD then promptly shutdown the camera. Hey, thanks for the warning.
Likewise, setting the ISO to a fixed “100” sensitivity will only stay active for one photograph. Therefore, you must return to the camera’s menu system prior to every photograph and select your preferred ISO setting. Ironically, other settings for image quality, image sharpness, color effect, anti-shake, etc. remain intact between photographs, as well as each setting being retained when the camera is powered off.
One curious bug that’s gotta be a feature is the random introduction of large grey rectangles on some photographs, as illustrated below. Following no rhyme or reason, a saved JPEG that looks perfectly fine on the camera LCD will, occasionally, display these photo-destroying rectangles after importing the image into your PC. This “feature” is particularly irksome when an important photograph has been irretrievably ruined. Obviously, wedding photographers should avoid this camera like the plague.
UGH! Why Minolta, why? An unusually large group of Marsh Periwinkle snails obscured by a curious MND20 “feature.”
Lastly, this camera lacks a flash. Oh yes, sure, that looks like a genuine flash on the camera’s front, but it’s really just a very anemic LED light that you illuminate for “assistive light.” Your choices for this blaze of glory are a “constant on” or “off” which are selectively activated via the dedicated “light bulb” button on the rear panel selector wheel (i.e., a selector wheel that doesn’t rotate).
Now that the MND20 specs and “features” have been acknowledged, it’s time to begin the iPhone shoot out. In order to make this test fair for the poor iPhone, remember to use these Minolta MND20 operational procedures:
Set the Image Quality to Super Fine.
Set the Image Sharpness to Normal.
Always use a fixed ISO 100 setting. Yes, implementing this setting for every photograph is a drudgery, but it will upgrade your image quality.
Ensure that Anti-shake is On.
Oh, and above all else, make sure that the Image Size is set to 44MP.
The rules of this challenge are simple: here are five photographs that were either taken with an iPhone 15 Pro Max or a Minolta MND20. Make your guess with each image and compare your guesses with the answers at the end of this article.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Answers
Minolta MND20
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Minolta MND20
Minolta MND20
Minolta MND20
