Konica Minolta Dimage X

Review Date
June 2, 2003

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
4.33 of 5, 6 votes

Reviewed by
Simon , Casual , from UK

Price Paid
$0.00 at dive show, birmingha

Summary
This is my first digital camera and I am very pleased with the results. On land it is very convenient- its small size might inspire you to take a camera when you might not ordinarily. I bought this camera however for scuba diving.

The minolta marine case for the dimage x will allow you to take the camera underwater, rated up to 30m deep. Excellent for scuba divers wishing to get some great results without the large bulky equipment often associated with underwater photography. The case is extremely small and will easily fit into a bcd pocket.

Excellent results for the price and size

I was so impressed I put some of the better underwater images on the web:

http://freespace.virgin.net/s.free/egypthome.html

Strengths
Due to the small size you can take it anywhere without any effort

Weaknesses
The shutter delay was the biggest problem especially when trying to capture fast moving fish.
The default settings can not be altered and so every time the camera is switched on it reverts to auto flash. Auto flash does not work very well underwater.

Review Date
May 16, 2003

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by
Wolfeye , Professional , from Cedar Rapids, IA

Price Paid
$250.00 at eBay

Summary
I purchased this camera to have a pocketable take-along picture for quick snapshots.

It's an average digital camera (picture output, features, battery life) except for its size. The small size means you'll be more likely to have it along. I found the menus a bit non-intuitive. They take a bit of time to get used to.

The biggest drawback to this camera is its horrible perfomance in low light. Minolta chose to set the camera's ASA equivalency to 100 in an attempt to reduce graininess and picture noise. Not only do the pictures come out bad, you usually can't even see anything on the LCD screen. Of course, the camera will warn you when it's set a slow shutter speed - but with ASA 100 eqivalency, it's going to have slow shuter speeds in any low light situation. Flash doesn't help here. It seems to be out of synch with the camera.

Oh and be careful about your finger covering the lens! It'll happen with this camera.

Maybe I got a defective one.

Strengths
Size

Weaknesses
Horrid low light performance

Review Date
April 8, 2003

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Reviewed by
chrisspear , Casual , from Stow

Price Paid
$414.00 at on-line

Summary
This review is for the Dimage Xi which is 3 megapixels, not the X which is only 2.
I took this camera to Bali and really enjoyed it. It is small enough to
fit in my bike jersey, so it went everywhere. With a 256mb card it
took over 150 pictures and 2 short videos on a single charge.
A friend who is seriously into digital photography praised the
vivid colors epecially the blue sky. As for night shots, I took 20
pictures in the dark of my kids. Listen for the laughter, point, and
shoot blind as there were no lights. Nearly every shot came out
great.

I would buy this again, and recommend it to anyone wanting
the utmost in portability. Not to mention the "Wow!" factor

Strengths
Small, portable, takes great pictures with long battery life

Weaknesses
New users put their thumb over the lens!
A little pricey - you pay for the size.

Review Date
April 2, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Reviewed by
Fred Ricci , Intermediate , from Toronto, ON, Canada

Price Paid
$260.00

Summary
Love this cam.. Portability is the key for me.. how often do you think 'dang, I wish I brought my camera!'.. it's so small you'll bring it with you everywhere. The pic quality is quite good for a 2MP camera. Very easy to use.

Strengths
Has the most features of any of the 'mini' models, for the best price. The Sony is smaller, but doesn't give you ANY options. The metal construction feels sturdy. All in all, a great little cam if you don't need 5MP like the stores tell you you do.

Weaknesses
only 2MP. but if you don't need any more, like me, this won't be a problem. the Xi is out now for 3MP, but I honestly couldn't rationalize the extra 200 bucks for that 1 8x10 or 16x20 I may wish to print at some point in this camera's lifetime.

Similar Products Used
Elph Models

Customer Service
n/a yet..

Review Date
March 23, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Reviewed by
Steve , Casual

Price Paid
$0.00

Summary
A wonderfully compact camera. The features on the camera are pretty good and will satisfy most casual photographers. Good for on the fly picture taking, though if you zoom in too close to an object it doesn't focus very well.

Strengths
Compact, lots of features, easy to use.

Weaknesses
Secure digital memory cards are a bit more expensive, and movies are in MOV format. I perfer avi files.