Minolta MN4K40NV 4K Ultra HD Night Vision Camcorder

So far, I have only tested it for my intended purposes as its intended field use is still a few weeks away. However, based on how it has performed in these tests, I am pleased well enough with this camera. The night vision works very well with its own IR LEDs (maybe even to the point that I won’t need the external IR light I bought for it), the clarity both in normal and IR modes is much better than I have seen with other 4K-capable cameras, and its weight is quite reasonable for how it will be used.

The drawbacks that I have experienced so far start with the 3-position mode dial at the top-center of the rear. I’ve found that the dial is very easily bumped out of position. I intend to use this camera primarily (if not exclusively) for video since I have a full-spectrum camera for stills, so I intend for the mode to be set for video unless I specifically want to make some settings changes. However, there have been times that I have started to use the camera, hit the Record button at the mid-right of the rear and found nothing to happen. The first time, I thought maybe I had not pressed the button hard enough, so I tried again to no avail. Checking the camera, I found that the mode had been bumped to still camera mode. Once that was resolved, I was able to shoot video as expected. If this had happened only once or twice, I wouldn’t view it as a problem. Since it happens time and time and time again, though, I see it as a design flaw that I will probably remedy by using a piece of tape to keep the mode switch where I put it.

Second, EliteBrands (the owner/licenser of the Minolta brand name in the US) states that this camera has an external microphone jack but fails to mention that it is a mini-USB connector (which also is the recharging port and the port through which one can attach the camera for data transfer to a computer) for which one needs a 1/8-inch to mini-USB adapter, something that does not come with the camera. Since all the microphones I found use standard 1/8-inch plugs, that makes this very inconvenient. I will say, though, that when I contacted EliteBrands about this, they offered to send me an adapter and did so without delay: I received a pair of adapters by mail just two or three days later at no charge. I still think it would be wiser for them to separate the microphone from the mini-USB port, though, so that folks are able to use this camera similar to the multitude of others in the same market niche with which this unit is competing.

Third, and this may be only an issue of “incompatibility” between the camera and me but I find that my hand does not easily reach the controls. Either my fingers are too long or the camera controls are expecting hands that are smaller than mine. Whatever the case, I have a hard time, for example, hitting the record button without having to dip the camera to point toward the floor so that my thumb can find the proper button. When I want to pause the recording (rather than end the current video and start a new one), my index finger will hit the zoom switch on the way to the camera button and that can change the shot if I have set something other than standard full wide-angle view. (Back to the first issue of the mode switch, just as I was picking up the camera to look at my hand position when describing this issue, the switch slid over to camera mode again!)

Fourth, the camera’s microphone (as well as the external microphone) pick up a lot of noise from the camera while it is being held. I am sure that it would be just fine with a tripod but that is not the way this camera will frequently be used by consumers and definitely not by me when I am using it for what my crew and I plan. So, I would think that EliteBrands would want to consider an option that cuts down on the camera-handling noise by using noise-cancelling features that are very inexpensive to include and implement these days.

Overall, for a budget-conscious camera, it is a good choice but, as mentioned, there are just a few things about which the prospective buyer should be aware.