DiMAGE
X From Minolta 1-10-02
Minolta introduced a brand new digital camera this week that
should be a hit with iPod users and espionage types alike.
At 3.3" x 2.8" x .8" the
DiMAGE X is amazingly compact and would easily fit in your
shirt or jacket pocket. The DiMAGE X is also ultra light weighing
in at 4.8 oz without battery or media. In fact, Minolta claims
that this is the smallest and lightest digital camera in its
class, a claim we tend to believe.
By way of contrast, Canon's
S100 Digital Elph camera measures 3.4" x 2.2 x 1.1"
weighs 6.7 oz without battery or media, and sports a 2x optical
zoom. The Elph does edge out the DiMAGE X in terms of effective
pixels, 2.02 to DiMAGE X's 1.96.
Minolta managed to fit a 3x optical zoom (6X digital) into
the camera by designing the lens to zoom vertically within
the camera. At 2 megapixels, the DiMAGE X is not targeted
to the pro market, but for everyday use it is fine. We looked
at a few sample printouts on Epson Photo paper that looked
pretty sharp. We were also very impressed with the intuitive
on screen navigation system for adjusting the camera's settings.
Like the iPod's navigation system, only a few minutes of use
are needed for mastery. Below we highlight some of the camera's
specs. The DiMAGE X is compatible with OS 8.6-9.2.1 as well
as OS X 10.1.
Effective Pixels
1.96 million
Dimensions
3.3" x 2.8" x .8"
Weight
4.8 oz.
Memory
8MB SD (Secure Digital) memory card.
Shutter Speed
1/1000 to 2 seconds
Focal Length
5.5mm to 17.1mm (equivalent to 37mm to 111mm
in 35mm film)
Screen
1.5" LCD
Interface
USB 1.1
Power
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Amenities
35 second movie recording @ 15FPS (mono
audio), 90 seconds audio recording, 15 seconds of audio
caption attached to photos, 1.8 second startup time, NTSC
& PAL video out.
Company: Minolta
Product: DiMAGE
X
MSRP: $399
Available : February 2002
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DiMAGE
X From Minolta 1-10-02