Small Enough to Take Everywhere It's pretty obvious that solid technique, reliable equipment and a healthy dose of creativity are all key ingredients for successful photography. Another important, and often overlooked component, is what one might call opportunity. In that regard, one notable photographer once claimed that there are no great photographers; just great situations. While that may be overstating the case, the advantages of being at the right place at the right time—with a camera in hand— can't be overemphasized.
Put another way, how many times have you found yourself wishing you had a camera available to capture a candid street scene, a beautiful sunset, or a child at play? We've all experienced this empty-handed feeling because, frankly, it's often inconvenient to carry a camera and all the related trappings when we're not "out shooting." That's why many pros own a pocket-sized point-and-shoot camera in addition to their full arsenal of "serious gear."
Compact and Lightweight
Minolta Corporation has recently taken camera miniaturization to a new level with the introduction of a unique digital camera that's so compact you can take it with you everywhere and avoid the missed-opportunity blues. Measuring just 3.3x2.8x0.8 inches, the 4.8-ounce Minolta DiMAGE X camera is small enough to hide beneath a floppy disk (and barely as thick as 6 floppies stacked atop one another). Yet, despite its diminutive size, the DiMAGE X boasts an impressive list of features, including 2-megapixel resolution, a sharp 3X optical zoom lens, precise automatic focusing, a sophisticated autoexposure system, movie and audio recording capability, a 1.5-inch color LCD monitor, and more. All this is encased in a stylish stainless steel and aluminum body that's both rugged and attractive.
Unusual Lens Design
Minolta's optical designers had to use an unusual lens formula to create a 3X zoom (equivalent to 37-111mm in the 35mm format) that would fit within a camera this thin. Their solution was to position the lens vertically inside the body, and utilize a high-quality prism to fold the optical path within the camera. The result is an outstanding f/2.8-f/3.6 wide-to-telephoto zoom that incorporates 9 elements in 8 groups, with 3 aspheric elements and no protruding lens lens barrel. An additional benefit of this efficient optical design is the camera's almost silent operation; an unusually small, quiet motor is all that's needed to zoom the lens.
For added versatility, the DiMAGE X features 2X digital zoom capability for a total zoom range of 6X. With a minimum focusing distance of only 9.8 inches, the camera is great for close-up photography.
Also contributing to the camera's compact dimensions are its use of postage stamp-sized Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards, and its proprietary wafer-thin rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack.
Unlike some digital cameras that seem to take forever to "boot up," the DiMAGE X is ready to go just 1.8 seconds from the moment you switch it on, thanks to an advanced RISC CPU and the non-extending lens design. In fact, the DiMAGE X boasts the fastest startup time of any digital camera we've tested.
Resolution and Quality Settings
The high-powered RISC CPU also contributes to the camera's impressive image processing capabilities. The 2.1-megapixel CCD provides a maximum effective resolution of 1600x1200 at one of four quality settings: Superfine (which produces uncompressed TIFF files), or Fine, Standard and Economy modes (which produce JPEG files in varying degrees of compression). You can also capture images as JPEG files at 1280x960 or 640x480 pixels. Since the highest resolution setting in the Superfine mode results in 5.5MB files, we used a 64MB SD card in place of the 8MB card that ships with the camera.
As with most digital cameras, you'll want to purchase additional higher-capacity cards. The 8MB card supplied with the DiMAGE X will only hold one image shot in the Superfine mode, six taken in the Fine mode and 13 shots in the Economy mode. It's also a good idea to purchase one or two extra batteries for cameras that use a proprietary power source that is not readily available while traveling. We were impressed with the staying power of the tiny NP-200 lithium-ion battery that powers the DiMAGE X, which Minolta says will enable you to record approximately 120 images per charge, depending upon your shooting style and the camera settings you've chosen. The battery provides enough power for about two hours of continuous playback time.
