Konica Minolta DiMage X20

Konica Minolta's X20 is quite an eye catcher for a digital camera ! Even as you switch on the compact digicam - an electronic fanfare is accompanied by flashing lights on the front and back of the unit - all this glitz is a reminder of Saturday Night Fever. What a welcome from this little gem ! But does this andio visual feast add up to much ? Will the X20 deliver ? Or will it be left alone - to sit out yet another dance ? Build Well for a start its a mighty handsome cam made from tough plastic - of identical quality found on Nintendo's Advance Gameboy SP - so it will take some knocks. Some reviewers have described the build material as metal - and it has that similar feel to it. There is no optical viewfinder (but those can be rather limited on small cameras) but it has a respectable 1.6 lcd screen. What's it got ? The camera boasts a 3 x non extending optical zoom which works very smoothly and a movie mode which also captures sound as well. Although not at camcorder quality , you are only restricted by the amount of memory on your SD or MM card. Your oscar winning performances can be viewed on the lcd and the soundtrack can just be audible from the inbuilt cam speaker.Audio can also be attached to stills as well - a marvellous addition at this price range. Handling There are only a handful of buttons on the X20 for the main options, although the left/right menu controllers can be programmed to manipulate exposure,white balance or flash modes. Start up is mighty quick at over one second and the focus is equally as fast in good lighting conditions. However, the focus (which is activated by pressing down the shutter halfway) slows considerably in low light conditions - approximately 3 to 4 seconds at most. Images This 2 megapixel camera can produce sharp images with fairly reasonable colour reproduction - considering its compact size !! It prefers good light environments - and produces slighty underexposed and washed out pics in average to low artificial light. The flash is effective at about 4 - 6 feet but images tend to acquire a slight bluish tint. Perhaps a trade-off for its tiny dimensions !! The X20 has an automatic macro mode and can produce amazingly sharp pictures up to 10 cm, and may be a wee bit closer ! Power and Memory You will need to purchase extra SD or MM cards for this unit as it only comes with a 8 mb SD card. Its powered by AA batteries - and I suggest rechargeables are essential with a fast charger. AA alkalines can be used as an emergency. Funny bits ! Plenty of quirky options including : superimposing one picture onto another, a favourites folder and setting aside chosen pics for compression and emailing. A self portrait mode is helped by a small mirror on the front of the camera. Overall, I am impressed with this cheerful flashy digicam which has loads of features we have hardly touch on here. Compared to my more able and expensive Olympus camera is doesn't quite match in terms of results - the X20 isn't a graceful performer in low light conditions despite the disco effects on the front. Comparing it with the more expensive 3mp DiMage Xt, I believe it stands up very well for the price. The X20 will be a great partner for beginners, those looking for a second 'take anywhere' pocketable camera - and maybe nostalgic folk, wanting to dance the night away !!!

3 x non extending optical zoom. Great auto macro mode. 1.6 lcd screen. Movie and audio options. Uses AA rechargeables. Decent pictures.

No optical viewfinder (no great loss). No protector on lcd screen. Less impressive pics in low light.

Olympus D40 zoom, Fuji MX 1700. Minolta Konica Xt

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I just felt I'd post this as I haven't seen any other reviews available for the X20. I have had the camera only a short time, and I don't use it for anything extraordinary, so it performs flawlessly for what I purchased it for...taking simple pictures. The 2.0 MP rating isn't very much, but it'll get the job done as long as you don't expect miracles. If you're looking for a "basic" camera, capable of taking everyday pictures even on the go, this is definately worth a look, if not a buy. I'm generally a 35mm man, but I needed a digicam, and I've not been disappointed at all with the X20.

Very easy to use. Compact and handy to keep with you. Stylish (yes, sometimes style is good). "standard format" memory cards. VERY reasonable price. Convenient methods of memory transfer (several options!).

Basic MegaPixel rating. I don't really have a problem with it, but 2.0 MP isn't the best on the market. Otherwise this camera has no weakness I can think of for the purpose I use it. If I needed/wanted a camera with pro-quality pictures, I'd shop elsewhere, but like I said, it does what it's designed to do, and what I want it to do, so no weaknesses really.

Creative VideoBlaster Webcam Go Plus (only other digital camera, which I was totally disappointed with)

Haven't needed any on this product, but Minolta does OK service when I've needed it for other products.