Minolta DiMAGE X

Minolta is a recognised name in the film photography arena, and with the launch of its prosumer five-megapixel DiMAGE 7 (see Reviews, issue 85, p172) the digital market took notice too. However, the DiMAGE X, the latest addition to the DiMAGE range, couldn't be more different, thanks to incredibly small dimensions and a unique vertical lens arrangement.

Initially, the most striking aspect of the DiMAGE X is its size, or lack of it. It's one of a very small number of cameras that will fit comfortably into a jacket or shirt pocket without being obtrusive. Plus, with a weight of just 135g without the battery, you'll hardly notice it. Simply put, if you do a lot of travelling or need to keep a camera on you constantly, the DiMAGE X is ideal.

Just as praiseworthy, though, is that Minolta has achieved this size without sacrificing on quality. The tough metal shell helps to give the DiMAGE X a feel of true luxury.

Based on a 2.11-megapixel CCD, the DiMAGE X borrows heavily on technology seen in its bigger family members; namely, the prosumer DiMAGE 5 and 7. Images are enhanced by the same CxProcess, which takes care of exposure and colour reproduction. This feature was impressive in the DiMAGE 5 and 7 and its inclusion here is very welcome.

So what about the fundamentals such as optical quality? Those of you who appreciate lens technology will enjoy the DiMAGE X's non-extending 3x optical zoom lens - superb for such a small camera. This covers 5.7-17.1mm in focal length, which equates to a 37-111mm lens on a 35mm film camera. In addition, the lens features an aperture range of f/2.8-f/3.6.

The lens itself is an amazing piece of design. Minolta's planar lens system uses a high-quality prism that's placed behind the first lens element, directing the light at 90 degrees into the camera body where the other elements are stacked vertically. This innovative approach essentially conceals the lens inside the body and makes it possible to have an optical zoom in such a small chassis, all without extending it. This helps keep things practical, as from a handling perspective the lens can get in the way on very small cameras.

Also interesting is the CCD aspect ratio of 4:3, which captures a slightly squarer image compared to a 35mm frame, which has a 3:2 aspect ratio. In fact, the only disappointment concerning the lens was its closest focus of 25cm, which isn't as good as some. All-in-all, though, this is a superb piece of engineering, and the designers deserve credit for their efforts.

Exposure possibilities are also good for such a small camera, thanks to a wide shutter speed range from 2-1/1,000th second. This isn't a prosumer or advanced camera, though, so only multipattern metering with programmed exposure is available; still, this should be sufficient in most cases.

The DiMAGE X records images in the now de facto JPEG format, with fine, standard and economy compression. The camera can also take pictures in a variety of resolutions from 640 x 480 pixels up to the maximum of 1,600 x 1,200, which should stretch to A4 print-outs without too much trouble.

Other recording features include a nine-frame buffer with a maximum of 2.5fps (frames per second) shooting. There's also a TIFF mode labelled 'super fine', providing the highest quality image, but also the largest file size.

Given the small dimensions, SD was the only viable option for storage, and Minolta supplies an 8Mb card in the box. Also in the box is DiMAGE Image Utility, which is an excellent software package with some more professionally geared features. Image Utility is actually similar to the software supplied with Minolta's film scanners and helps get the most from the camera. The package also contains a hand strap, USB connecting lead, software CD, lithium ion NP-200 battery and charger, all adding value.