Konica Minolta Dimage X1

I read some poor reviews of this camera but I decided to get one anyway since KM has a $50 rebate going on now. I use a KM 8MP A2 and like it, especially the image stabilization. I played around with the X1 a bit and thought it was OK (it came with the updated program already installed). The shutter lag/focusing time seemed OK too--fixed by the updated program. Slow shutter had been a complaint in most posts about this camera--that is now fixed. I just finished taking identical photos with the A2 and X1 and have to say that after pixel to pixel comparison, the X1's performance (resolution) is 99% the same as the A2. I am very pleased! I have the A2 set up with custom functions, vivid color, and hard sharpening. The X1 is just as it is outside the box. I did not feel like resetting the cameras to match for a really perfect comparison, I just wanted a side by side to see if the X1 is as bad as some of the reviews would have one believe. Rest assured, it is NOT ... it is a GREATcamera in the ways that are most important--picture quality. I also noticed that in a couple photos the image stabilization seemed to work better on the X1--remarkable!

REBATE!!! Great image stabilization, high resolution, small size, build quality (it's heavy!), easy operation.

Must use cradle to download photos (or use a separate card reader). This isn't too much of a weakness, but I prefer to just connect the camera with a cable since I move between computers and a cable is easier to carry than a cradle. Silver finish camera shows fingerprints badly (again, not much of a weakness and certainly not a functional one).

Konica Minolta A2 (By the way, when is KM going to update/upgrade the D7 to higher pixels??? They always seem to be way behind the power curve).

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