EXCLUSIVES

Minolta DiMAGE X20 Digital Camera
Words by Scott Dewbre

July 2004

Occasionally, we run into a product that no one wants to put down long enough to write a review of. That would be the case with the DiMAGE X20 ($199.99, Konica Minolta), Minolta's latest tiny digital camera.

With lightning fast startup, smooth optical zoom, and good image quality, the X20 is a camera that will appeal to the shutterbug in everyone, particularly non-photographers. As you'll see, we found a lot to like and precious little to complain about with this cool little snapshooter

Features: Short on pixels, long on zoom
In keeping with the DiMAGE X series design, the X20 is tiny (about the size of a deck of cards), light as a feather (around 5 ounces, battery included), has a startup time shorter than a gnat's eyelash, and features Minolta's innovative folding optical zoom, packing the equivalent of a 37–111mm zoom lens for a 35mm camera inside its sealed plastic frame. The lens focuses so close, just under 4 inches, that the X20 does not need a macro function.

If a digital camera's lens is its eye, then the imaging chip-charge coupled device or CCD-is its brain. The X20's brain is a 2.1 megapixel, 1/3.2-type interline primary-color CCD with 2.0 million effective pixels. While fine for creating high quality postcard-size prints, images sized closer to 8x10 print are a sub-par 150 dpi, which is barely acceptable for newspaper reproduction.

Of course, the imaging chip is only part of the overall package. Focus accuracy, efficient light metering, and consistent shutter speeds all play a role in the quality of a digital camera's output. The X20 uses a five-point autofocus system with a wide-view focus frame, making it easier to focus on an off-center subject, coupled with a 256-segment light metering system and a 1/1000 second shutter control. Visible and audible signals indicate when the camera is in focus.
The X20's other signature feature is its fast startup time, which bears repeating if for no other reason than to report Minolta's claim that the X20's startup time is "the world's fastest among digital cameras with optical zoom lenses."

Controls for the zoom lens and various other functions are arranged for one-handed use, with the zoom control and most other important controls placed within easy reach of your thumb. The power switch is on top of the camera next to the shutter button, which is likely part of the camera's quick-on design.
The X20 sports two features that are unique to this model-no viewfinder and a self-portrait mirror. More about the lack of a viewfinder later, but the self-portrait mirror really gives away the type of photographer that Minolta had in mind when they designed the X20.To use the self-portrait mirror, you hold the camera at arm's length, point it at your face, tilt the camera until you see yourself in the mirror, then press the shutter button. The mirror is necessary due to the off-center placement of the X20's lens; otherwise, you'd take a picture of the top of your head or your right ear.

Images are stored on a Secure Digital (SD) card. The X20 ships with an 8MB SD card, which is sufficient for about 6 or 10 high quality images or about 48 or 60 low quality shots. This is an important consideration for someone giving the X20 as a gift because snapshooters are not as likely to invest in a larger memory card as a more serious photographer might be.

Test: Look Ma, no viewfinder!
While we suppose, in retrospect, that it was bound to happen, nothing could prepare us for the X20's biggest design change-no viewfinder. Our reviewers spent several minutes turning the camera off and on while holding it up to their faces at different angles, looking for hidden switches or doors, eventually giving up in frustration and agreeing that the darn thing must be defective. Then, we read the owner's manual.

Okay, no viewfinder. Our bad.
Eliminating the viewfinder was a bold step, and not one without consequences. No viewfinder means that the camera's color LCD monitor has to run continuously, putting a heavy strain on the camera's batteries. This leads to what we like to call the "$500 paperweight" syndrome: your camera drops dead from monitor overuse even though your memory card is half empty, leaving you with an expensive paperweight until the batteries recharge. To make matters worse, most camera manufacturers tend to use unique battery designs, making it an expensive proposition to carry a backup battery.

As you can imagine, we were delighted to discover that the X20 runs on AA batteries. Minolta was definitely thinking about the snapshooters in the world-when you're in party mode, you don't want to stop the festivities while your camera recharges. With the X20, if the batteries poop out, just drop in a fresh set of AAs and continue partying like it's still 1999.

We were definitely impressed with the X20's startup time. World's fastest or not, the X20 is certainly the fastest camera to go from zero to picture that we've ever seen. Like its predecessor, the DiMAGE X, the X20 goes from fully powered-down to ready-to-snap a-picture by the time you count to three.

When it comes to shooting self-portraits, we're more likely to hand the camera to a friendly stranger or set the camera on a tripod and use its delayed shutter release rather than hold a camera out and mug. So, we were a little awkward at first trying to take a decent picture of something other than our hand (happened twice), someone standing behind us (happened about a dozen times), or the top of someone's head (we lost count of these). Eventually, we figured out that it works pretty well, provided you get your face into the upper-right part of the mirror.

Naturally, the final test of any digital camera is the quality of its pictures. We found ourselves in complete agreement with Minolta-so long as you don't go above postcard size (4x6), the image quality is fantastic. So, if you expect to be able to make 8x10s or poster-size images from this camera, you'll end up rather disappointed.

Bottom line
We really wanted the X20 to have a beefier CCD. But, in the end, we agreed that the 2 megapixel count is about right for those party pics and wish-you-were-here vacation snaps that are the bread-and-butter of the snapshooter market. Frankly, we were amazed that a "serious" camera manufacturer like Minolta would work so hard to design a camera for such non-serious photography.

The best way to sum up our opinion is this: if you want a handy camera for snapshots, or if you want to turn someone on to photography, choose the DiMAGE X20. But, if you want this package with a more formidable megapixel count, have a look at the 3.2 megapixel DiMAGE Xt.

Minolta, if you want to completely win us over, bring out a 5 megapixel model in the DiMAGE X line. Now that would be sweet.

DiMAGE X20 Digital Camera > Konica Minolta > Pros: Tiny, speedy snapshooter that is fun to use and cool to look at; uses standard AA batteries > Cons: Only 2.1 megapixels > Price: $199.99 MSRP > www.minoltausa.com