I bought this little beauty after shopping around for far too long, and finally persuading the wife.
Although I also own a digital camcorder that takes still images, they are only 640x480, so a better digital camera was required for the imminent arrival of a new family member.
Within literally minutes the camera was on and I was taking pictures. No need to read the manual, as the menu is better than most cameras I have used (from manufacturers like Fuji and Samsung). Navigation around the menus is made very easy, mainly thanks to the lack of buttons on the camera. Less is definately more on the X20!
Startup time is excellent, although the cute jingle that plays when you turn the camera on and off will probably get annoying after about 2 minutes. The lens cover slides down from its protective position and pictures can be taking in about 2 seconds.
There is no optical viewfinder, but that doesn't feel like a problem. Most digital camera owners I know never use it anyway! The 1.6 inch screen is good, and the brightness can be altered if necessary.
Video mode is easy to activate, just a small slide switch on top of the camera. Playback is similarly easy to perform. Movies are stored in .mov format, which is not ideal as it can make conversion to other formats a bit tricky. Video can be captured at 2 resolutions - 320x240 or 160x120. Sound is also captured. As I said, I already own a digital camcorder, so this isn't going to replace that, but its nice to have the option in such a small package. One other thing to note is that the only limit to the size of the movies is the size of your memory card, which is unusual.
The flash can be a little over-powering under low-light conditions. I still need to experiment with the flash-modes a bit more. Turning the flash off causes the X20 to process the picture before storing it, which can produce some nice realistic colours. Only problem is the shutter is open for quite a long time, which can introduce blurring.
The included memory card is too small. This is a fairly common problem, especially with 2+ megapixel cameras, but you should budget for at least a 64Mb card - I got a 128Mb SD card for just £30, and that holds about 120 pictures at maximum resolution (or just over 5 minutes of video at 320x240).
Battery life is also a concern, but I haven't seen a digital camera where it isn't. At least you can use AA rechargables, which is a very flexible option.
Pictures look great when printed at 6x4. Would also print well at 7x5. Not tried them at 10x8, but I think they would look alright.
Camera is able to display pictures to a TV, using supplied cable. USB cable is also supplied (but I prefer using a card reader to save battery life).
Overall, this camera is a bargain at less than £100.
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Advantages: Lightweight, Stills, Video with sound, Webcam, Email function and flashing lights on the front! Disadvantages: No case and only 8mb sd card included
daniello 27.04.2004 (27.04.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Minolta DiMAGE X20
Advantages: 3 x optical zoom. Good images. Robust plastic build. Audio and movie options. Runs on useful rechargeable AA batteries. Disadvantages: No optical viewfinder (no great loss !). Needs a protector on lcd screen. Comes with only 8mb SD card.
Bigdavel 28.02.2004 (28.02.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Minolta DiMAGE X20
Advantages: Light, very handy - always carry in my handbag for any occasion! Disadvantages: Digital zoom on video not as clear as you might think on playback
Jerushjo 15.07.2005 (15.07.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Minolta DiMAGE X20
Advantages: Lightweight, Stills, Video with sound, Webcam, Email function and flashing lights on the front! Disadvantages: No case and only 8mb sd card included
daniello 27.04.2004 (27.04.2004)
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Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Minolta DiMAGE X20
Advantages: 3 x optical zoom. Good images. Robust plastic build. Audio and movie options. Runs on useful rechargeable AA batteries. Disadvantages: No optical viewfinder (no great loss !). Needs a protector on lcd screen. Comes with only 8mb SD card.
Bigdavel 28.02.2004 (28.02.2004)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Minolta DiMAGE X20
Mar 4th, 2004
very helpful by (100%):
