Konica Minolta Dimage X1 Review
The Konica Minolta Dimage X1 is an eight megapixel digital camera. It is an ultra compact model. This is the type of digital camera that will slip into a pocket. The fact that it has as many as eight megapixels makes it a rarity for this type of camera. The standard number of megapixels is five.
This camera is easy to use and the Dimage X1 is likely to appeal to anyone looking for a small, stylish digital camera that is easy to carry around.
Image Quality
Overall I must admit to a degree of disappointment with the Dimage X1. There is nothing that really stands out as terrible or anything like that, but at the same time nothing really grabbed me either.
Out of all the test shots the one I like the most is the outdoor portrait. I like the colour tones of the picture. Even then when compared to other outdoor portraits I cannot put my hand on my heart and say this is one of the best outdoor portraits I have ever taken.
In the outdoor landscape type shots I came across a problem I have never really encountered to this degree before. In the picture of boats the light areas of the shot are clearly over exposed. This means they are far too bright and this leads to a loss of detail in these areas. With a mix of light and dark areas in the scene this does provide a good test for a digital camera, but it does worry me that this camera struggled with the light areas so much.
In terms of colours I like what I see and the third outdoor shot proves this camera is capable of taking a decent photograph. The dedicated test for colour also provides a good result.
Indoors the Dimage X1 is caught out by lowlight. In both the indoor portrait and the picture of bottles taken in lowlight the camera struggles to focus properly. It is possible you will be able to take acceptable pictures indoors, but you will need to make sure the light available to you is as bright as possible. One positive point is that the indoor portrait is free from red eye.
Finishing on a high note, the macro shot is good. It is sharp and clear and compares well with macro shots taken with other digital cameras.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
The Dimage X1 managed to take a single shot in 1.95 seconds. This is a painfully slow time and will give you a problem if you are taking a picture of anything that moves. It took 24.49 seconds to take five consecutive shots. This works out at a rate of one photo more or less every five seconds. Again this is a very slow time. Overall shutter lag is a major cause of concern.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Features
The three times optical zoom lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 37 - 111 mm. It has a maximum aperture of f / 3.5 (wide) and f / 3.8 (tele). There is a 4x digital zoom feature. For close up shots the camera can focus from 5cms away from the subject.
For composing images there is a large 2.5" LCD screen. This is made up of around 118,000 pixels. The brightness of the LCD screen is adjustable. The LCD screen is also used for reviewing images already taken and accessing the menu system.
To help ensure photos are as sharp as possible there is an anti shake mechanism built into the camera. It works by moving the lens unit to compensate for any movement of the camera.
The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 5m. This drops down to around 3.5m when the zoom lens is being used. The flash modes available are: Automatic, Automatic with red-eye reduction, Always on, Always off and Slow sync.
As well as a fully automatic shooting mode there are a number of preset scene modes available to use. These help you to get the best possible picture in a variety of different situations. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene and then the camera does the rest for you. The scenes available are: Portrait, Super Macro, Landscape, Sunset, Night View, Night Portrait and Text.
For when you would like to appear in a shot yourself there is a self timer with a ten second delay available. To add something different to your photos you can shoot in black and white and sepia. Both the sharpness of the shot and the contrast can be adjusted as well.
In addition to being able to add up to fifteen seconds of commentary to a still image there is also an audio mode. This mode lets you make sound only recordings. This lets you record occasions like meetings or speeches.
You can shoot movies with the camera. You can choose between resolutions of 640x480 and 320x240. A movie will be recorded at a speed of 20 frames per second. For shooting movies in lowlight there is a night movie mode. One fairly rare feature is you can zoom in and out while shooting a movie. Movies are captured with sound.
Among the more advanced features are Exposure compensation (+/-2EV in 1/3 increments), metering (Multi-segment and Spot), ISO sensitivity (auto, 50, 100, 200) and shutter speeds between one second and 1/1250 seconds. The white balance settings are Automatic, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent).
There are a number of different drive modes available as well. These let you fire off a number of photos all in one go. The standard continuous mode lets you take three shots in a row. The ultra high speed mode lets you take 15 shots continuously. In ultra high speed mode you can only shoot at a low resolution though. Progressive and multi frame shooting are also available. With progressive capture you press the shutter button down. All the time you keep the button down the Dimage X1 will continue to take pictures. Once you release the shutter button the camera will record the last ten shots to the card. You can then select your favourite.
Konica Minolta supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the Dimage X1 to a computer, television set and a PictBridge compatible printer.
Ease of Use
There are no real problems when it comes to ease of use. This is a pretty straightforward camera. The layout of the control buttons on the back of the camera is clean and simple. Konica Minolta really have taken a minimalist approach here. You will find controls for zoom, flash and shooting mode there. For features such as macro mode and self timer you will need to use the menu. The good news is the menu system is also one of the easier ones to use and you should soon find what you are looking for.
One point to look out for is to be careful how you hold the camera while taking a picture. With the lens tucked right up in the top left hand corner, plus the rounded edges it is surprisingly easy to include a finger in a shot.
Cost
You can pick up a Konica Minolta Dimage X1 for around £250. This compares to around £265 for a Panasonic DMC FX9, £240 for a Casio Exilim EX Z750 and £250 for a Nikon Coolpix S3.
It is very hard to find cameras to compare the Dimage X1 against. This is an eight megapixel ultra compact digital camera. The cameras I have price compared it too are six and seven megapixel models. It is feasible that you will be able to find this camera for less than £250 as there are signs of the price weakening. If the price falls this could be a relatively cheap way of picking up an eight megapixel digital camera.
Style
With dimensions of 95 x 68 x 19.5 mm this really is an ultra slim digital camera. It comes with a cradle. This helps it to stand up and is also used for recharging the battery. In terms of looks this is a very smooth camera with all the edges rounded. To help keep the slim lines of the camera the lens is non protruding. The camera comes in three colours silver, black and wine red. It weighs in at 135g.
Batteries and Memory Cards
A rechargeable lithium ion battery is used to power the camera. Konica Minolta supplies both a battery and charger with the Dimage X1. Spare lithium ion batteries can be expensive so make sure you fully charge the battery before setting out to take any important shots. Konica Minolta estimate you can take around 150 shots before the battery needs to be recharged.
SD cards are used to store images on. A 32mb card is supplied with the card. I was able to take a generous 26 images before the supplied card was full. This compares favourably with many other cameras. Even so I would suggest buying a high capacity card to go with the camera.
Click here to save money on SD cards.
Points I like:
Style
Megapixels for an ultra comapct
Where it is not so hot:
Shutter lag
Average picture quality
Summary
Overall I was unconvinced by the charms of the Konica Minolta Dimage X1. On the plus side I liked the style. If its megapixels you are looking for then this camera certainly has them. Picture quality is no better than average though and the shutter lag is likely to cause you to miss anything that moves.
Konica Minolta Dimage X1 Front View
Konica Minolta Dimage X1 Back View
Konica Minolta Dimage X1 Top View
Sample Menus
