Dimage X50 - a compact winner (Konica Minolta Dimage X50)

Name: rappinhood

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Product:	Konica Minolta Dimage X50
Date:	04/07/05 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Compact, lightweight, low shutter lag

Disadvantages: Only 2.8x optical zoom

The KonicaMinolta Dimage X50 felt deliciously small after my chunky old Nikon 775. Not much bigger than a pack of cards, and not much heavier, this ultra-compact five megapixel camera is already a winner in my book.

Setup was easy. I didn’t need the manual to get time, date and other settings fixed and to view and delete my first few test shots. Playback and menu controls are to the right of the viewfinder on the back and it’s obvious what most buttons do. And if, like me, you’ve got an SD card reader, you’ll never need to use the included USB cable to view your photos on your PC.

The X50 turns on via a slider at the front, which means it’s difficult to switch it on accidentally. A cute (or annoying) little tune plays and it’s ready to rock. The two-inch display screen is perhaps not as sharp as on some cameras, but its size makes it easy to see your picture. Novices will appreciate the little brackets on screen that frame the centre of your shot (pros: you can turn this off via a button on the back).

Like most cameras, the Dimage X50 has automatic flash and red-eye reduction. It also has three shooting modes – simple, video (with sound and output in PAL or NTSC) and automatic digital subject selection: this chooses from cloudy, sports, landscape or sunset. You can also record audio notes with photos.

The internal zoom takes some getting used to – when you press the zoom control buttons on the top right, you hear a sound but unless you look at the viewfinder you won’t realise that you’ve zoomed in or out. The 2.8x optical zoom is where the X50’s compact size requires some sacrifice – it’s a bit on the low side, in my opinion, but adequate in view of the other features you’re getting.

When doing the research before buying this camera, I learned a new term, ‘shutter lag’ – that’s the time the camera takes to be ready between shots or after the screen powers down. It’s not something you think about much, except when you miss a vital shot. With this camera, there’s virtually none. It was ready to go again almost instantly after shooting and immediately after powering up.

I’ve been using it for just over a week and it’s coped well with pictures taken indoors and out, in daylight and at night, in motion and still. Sure, the professional snapper is bound to find something to complain about, but for the average point and shoot user like me, the Dimage X50 is more than adequate.

Summary: Great point and shoot for novice users

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