Let me just say that I'm fairly pissed off at camera maker Konica-Minolta right now. (Note, most of the links to KM in my rant use tons of Flash stuff. And the best part is that the link for "Non-Flash site" is actually contained *in* the Flash application, so if you use a browser without Flash (or you have Flash turned off) you'll never actaully be able to get to the non-flash version of the page. Genius. Anyway...)

In mid March, I placed an order for their new soon-to-be-released DiMAGE Z2. This was the new/upgraded version of the DiMAGE Z1 (oddly enough). It had lots of the features I wanted (manual white balance, 10x optical zoom, 4mp, a host of manual settings and modes). Great! Sold. I waited until mid April before it was finally released and delivered. Since then, I've taken something close to 3000 shots with it and have been generally pleased. However, reciently I've been feeling held back by it's limitations and have decided that I really want (need?) a DSLR. Like most people in the world right now, I'm leaning towards either the Canon 300D (aka: Digital Rebel) (to which I will apply the "Russian firmware hack" making the camera much more like it's big brother, the Canon 10D) or the Nikon D70. Both entry level DSLRs well suited to my amature/wanna-be pro skill set.

My master plan was to save up some cash, then sell off my Z2 on Ebay to finance the purchase of my new DSLR. Much to my horror, I read this story on slashdot.org yesterday. Basically, what it boils down to is that Konica-Minolta have gone to a product lifecycle of less than 6 months. Furthermore, they've announced the release of the NEW AND IMPROVED DiMAGE Z3! Totally obsoleting my petty Z2 before I have a chance to carry out my master plan for camera upgrade! Damn them. Damn them straight to hell! To add insult to injury, the rumors are that the Z3 (4mp, 12x zoom, built in antishake technology!) will be priced at the same cost as my Z2 (4mp, 10x zoom, no antishake) was a few months ago.

So the question now before me is do I dump off my Z2 on Ebay now...before the new models hit the market, and go camera-less until I can save up the $$ for a new DSLR? Or, do I continue to use my Z2 until I have enough saved to sell it and immediately replace it with a DSLR? Knowing that it's value will be much more diminished by the Z3 on the market at that time. Damnit.

The ultimate irony to all this is that if I hit the lottery tomorrow, the DLSR I'd most like to have it the yet-to-be-released Konica-Minolta Dynax 7 Digital. It's got built in antishake in the camera instead of the lenses. So you don't have to pay for the technology in every lens you buy (like you do with both Canon and Nikon). Aweseom advancement. Too bad KM left a bad taste in my mouth with their current product lifecycle plans.