Auto Mode (7.5)
The DiMAGE Z6 offers an Auto setting, which takes care of aperture, shutter speed, focus, white balance, ISO, and image parameters. The user is left to choose the drive mode, image size, quality, anti-shake setting, and DSP mode, which can enable the camera to invoke its choice of scene modes. The Z6 has six scene modes, which are also highly automated, and the user can choose among them as well.
Movie Mode (4.0)
The movie mode on the DiMAGE Z6 is not up to the level of its still-camera performance. Movies can only be recorded in 320 x 240-pixel format, roughly half a quarter of the resolution of typical video. There's a choice of either 15 or 30 frames per second – 30 fps is a standard frame rate needed to capture fluid motion. The Z6 also offers a night mode for movie-making, allowing the user to increase the sensitivity of the camera in low light, though the manual warns, and experience confirms, that quality goes down in night mode. The zoom works while the Z6 is shooting video (a nice touch), as does autofocus and exposure, but the microphone picks up noise from the zooming mechanism as the lens zooms. The mode is competitive among point-and-shoot digital cameras, but still well behind the industry leaders.
Drive / Burst Mode (6.0)
Konica Minolta reports a 1.8 frames per second continuous recording rate for the DiMAGE Z6. In our tests it was close to that. The camera reaches its best speed when autofocus is set to single shot – in that case, both exposure and focus are locked at their initial settings. When focus is set to continuous, focus and exposure are evaluated between shots, which slows down the camera and thus the frame rate.
The Z6 also offers progressive capture mode, a flavor of burst shooting that shoots continuously at 1.8 fps, and saves the last 10 frames shot. It's available in any file size or quality level, but only if the memory card in the camera can hold 10 frames at the selected size and quality.
Playback Mode (7.5)
The DiMAGE Z6 has provisions to play back images for evaluation, as well as to present them to other viewers. There are two ways to play back images: flipping the mode switch under the LCD to the green arrow, and pressing the QV (Quick View) button under the four-way controller. Either way, pressing the i+ button cycles through three views: full-frame, with shooting information, full-frame with no text, and a six-image thumbnail view. Oddly, a fourth view, including a histogram, is not available via the i+ button. Pressing the top of the four-way controller brings it up. Individual images can be enlarged to inspect details, but the magnification is not very powerful. The highest magnification available is 4.4x, which can be used on the highest-resolution images the Z6 makes.
It's possible to copy image files from one SD card to another with the Z6, using a hefty 52 MB of internal memory. The same mode can also make reduced-resolution copies for emailing.
It's possible to trim movie clips in playback mode, and to capture individual frames as still images.
Custom Image Presets (4.0)
The DiMAGE Z6 has five “Digital Subject Programs,” which are collections of settings optimized for types of photography.
Portrait – This mode is intended to produce soft backgrounds and flattering skin tones. It adjusts exposure to keep the aperture open, so depth of field will be limited.
Sports Action – Places a priority on fast shutter speeds to stop action, and sets autofocus to continuous to speed up the camera's response. The camera is too slow to be a convenient action camera, however.
Landscape – Intended for bright outdoor scenery, according to Konica Minolta. It closes down the aperture to increase depth of field.
Sunset - Bumps up warm twilight colors, Konica Minolta says. Otherwise, it seems like Landscape.
Night Portrait - Allows long exposures with flash, a good combination for photographing a person in front of a dark landscape. Konica Minolta recommends using a tripod.
