Guys,

I am an ex-Z3 user living in Tokyo, Japan.
I myself picked up this gizmo about two weeks ago, but encounted several fatal defects. Other Japanese users are also reporting same kind of phenomena, which I think have been reported occasionally also in this forum. I am writing this report to share these problems and information with you guys.

Defects found by Japanese users are;

1) Horizontal line-shape noizes in the shadow/background area. Often appears in ISO50 sensitivity mode (including AUTO mode).

2) System Error/shutdown. Mainly happens in continuous releases mode. System abruptly shuts down, showing "Thermometer Alarm".

3) Abrupt system freeze. None of buttons works, have to remove batteries in order to restart. Often happens in "shutter chance continuous release mode" and "manual focus mode".

4) Delay of internal clock. no systematic conditions. 2-3min upto 1.5hours in 1day!! Some users say heavy system load will cause this delay.

5) LCD display freezes in AF mode. Happens in situations like shot of "A bird in the Sky". Freeze in 1sec or more.

Other problems/defects have also been found by other users, which will be described later in this thread.

Some users, including me, have contacted to Konica-Minolta User Support Center (Japanese), and received astonishing answers. I will also report on these responses from the maker, later in this thread.

Details are following. Stay Tuned.