Product Reviews (15)
this camera is outstanding. it's...
Strengths: very compact. fits easiliy in my pocket. runs on AA batteries. zooms in far. automatically adjusts to light.
Weakness: small LCD screen.
this camera is outstanding. it's my first digital camera, and i really like its compact size. for only $144.00, it was by far the best camera out there for the money. the camera has the ability to adjust to the light in whatever room you're in, so any lighting scenario is not a problem for this camera. the pictures are very sharp. it even has the ability to record video and audio. as long as you have a decent sized memory card, you can record for a while. but the video recording is quite a drain on the AA batteries. overall, i could not have asked for anything more out of this camera. it's an outstanding product and it fits so easily in my pocket i can take it anywhere with me. i'm really happy with my purchase. i would absolutely recommend it!
By alamanna03 - May 18, 2004
This is a very small and...
Strengths: For a 2.1 MP camera it gives remarkable clear pictures. It is very small (reason I purchased it) and fits easily in a pocket.
Weakness: Cannot erase entire memory card from the camera. Have to connect to a computer and erase from there. You can erase one picture at a time directly from the camera.
This is a very small and convenient to use camera that will satisfy anyone looking for a handy camera to take quick pictures. It's size, coupled with a 3X optical zoom, is its best features.
I have 2 other digital camera and this one is priarily when I need the convenience of putting it in my pocket.
By SILVERMANS - Apr 7, 2004
This is a great choice for someone...
Strengths: Very compact, lightweight, 3X optical zoom, reasonable price
Weakness: Only 2 megapixel, short battery life
This is a great choice for someone who wants a very compact, reasonably priced, simple, point and shoot camera. This has to be the smallest camera available with 3X optical zoom for less than $200. The optical zoom is unique because it is housed entirely inside the camera body. The only real disadvantage of this camera is that it is only 2 megapixel, which is fine for 5 X 7 or 6 X 9 prints, but not so good for larger prints. Picture quality is very good for a point a shoot type camera. This camera can also take short video clips with sound.
If you buy this camera remember to buy a larger memory card, because the 8 Meg card supplied will only hold about 15 pictures. If you plan on using the video feature for longer clips, you will need the largest card that you can afford. Also buy a lot of spare AA batteries or rechargeables. Typical of all digital cameras, it uses up batteries quickly.
By tja57 - Jan 1, 2004
I bought this camera to have a...
Strengths: Super Quick Startup; ready just seconds after you turn it on. Different color presets to take pictures: color, black & white, sepia to be the most popular; blue, red, green) Compact and light to carry
Weakness: Night shots are not that great.
I bought this camera to have a small, quick start-up camera to take with me everywhere. I love every aspect of this camera, if you are looking for a great point and shoot for little money. I only have one major complaint: Even with the "night shot" mode on, the night pics are not that great. I take pictures mostly at night, in clubs/bars of live bands playing, with a lot of movement, and the shutter lag does not do me justice. The pictures come out blurry and red.
I have one other small quarrel with this camera, and it is the 2MP factor. Although I knew this was a small MP size before I bought it. I had to choose the 2MP because of money constraints. But now, I am looking to purchase a different small/fast start up camera to replace this one. I want a larger MP camera that can take better night/fast shots.
Other than that, this Minolta Dimage X20 is a great first camera with super fast start up. I highly recommend it.
By krystalm - Aug 14, 2004
This is very close to my ideal...
Strengths: Price, small size, non-proprietary battery & memory card, good flash range (for a subcompact), very fast startup, very fast shot-to-shot, good redeye (for a subcompact), good LCD, excellent macro
Weakness: No AF illuminator, no manual focus or at LEAST some focus presets, can't focus on some low-light subjects at tele end. Center button awkward. Stupid menu system. Doesn't show zoom position. Soft pix.
This is very close to my ideal "carry" digicam. CHeap, fast, small, AA batts, SD/MMC.
Card slot is not behind a door so it's very easy to swap cards in and out.
USB connector is not covered by a stupid rubber plug like on other cams. It's got a very neat sliding cover.
Macro capabilities are excellent. First, you don't have to turn it on, it's auto-macro like the Cybershot U. Second, you can get about an inch away and still focus at FULL TELE!!! Oh did I mention that the flash throttles down VERY well unlike most other digicams...
Excellent battery life, I've got NiMH 2100, keeps going and going. Batt gauge is iffy though, it's no infolithium, that's because of NiMH's very flat discharge slope, it's really hard to determine state-of-charge from the batt voltage...
Another great thing is that the flash seems to be charged all the time. You can turn it on and do a flash shot immediately. On other cams you have to wait while it blinks and charges the flash.
THe LCD turns up the gain in low-light so you can see what's going on, the FPS drops of course.
You can lock ISO from 64 to 400, great feature missing on other cams of this class.
4 second shutter allows decent night shots. "Dark frame" noise reduction kicks in at slow shutters.
Now on to the bad...
The biggest flaw is the lack of some focus presets. I'm sure it's simple enough to implement. They should've taken out the gimmicky features and put this in instead. I'm not even asking for manual focus...
If it has some focus presets then the lack of AF assist lamp would've been more forgiveable...
Don't get me wrong though the low-light AF performance is still pretty good. There are just some rare occasions with low-light low-contrast subjects wherein the AF can't lock at all...
Center button gets pressed up or down instead, kinda like the T68's joystick...
Only one function can be assigned to both left right and left arrow keys. Would've been great if a function for each button.
Menu system is not efficient. It's aimed at idiot users.
Pictures come out a bit soft, but that's because of the lens system. If you want best pix possible get a big-a$$ cam that you can't fit in your pocket.
How does it fare against the competition?
Pentax Optio series have weak and expensive proprietary batts. Slower lens at tele. Weaker flash.
Same with Casio Z series.
Same with Sony T1, proprietary MS Duo to boot! Weaker flash. Slower lens at wide. Oh and it's expensive...
Minolta Dimage X20 comes out the winner!
By NokiaSux - Apr 7, 2004
I placed a pair of 1800 MaH NiMH...
Strengths: Uses AA batteries, very portable, great pictures (up to 8x10), 3X Optical Zoom with no protrusions
Weakness: Included 8MB SD Flash memory is too small for more than a dozen pictures, no optical view finder
I placed a pair of 1800 MaH NiMH batteries in the X20 the day it arrived as I have never had good luck with alkalines that these cameras ship with. Now after two weeks of use and taking about 60 pictures and a half dozen movie clips the batteries are still going strong.
The camera comes up as soon as the power is turned on and the Optical Zoom is easy to use. The autofocus requires you to pause momentarily before snapping the picture but so far the results have all been clearly focused. Video clip size is only limited by the size of the SD flash memory and is in MOV format. I would have preferred AVI but the results have been excellent with MOV. Audio clips on the pictures require getting used to and requires you to repress the shutter button to end the voice prior to its 15 second max time.
All-in-all it is a great point and shoot camera that produces great pictures.
By bhander - Jan 16, 2004
This camera is super for a "point...
Strengths: Compact, beautiful, and durable body design. 3X optical zoom. Excellent picture quality. Very easy to operate. Reasonable price for such a slim camera.
Weakness: It's kind of easy to cover the lens by my finger when taking pictures since the lens is not extending.
This camera is super for a "point and shoot" model. It absolutely has a head-turning design. The LCD viewer is very clear although kind of small. The picture quality is excellent under all kinds of shooting environments. I couldn't believe my eyes when I printed out those beautiful pictures from my photo printer. It's very easy to learn how to use and set up this camera. A big plus is that the price of this camera is so reasonable. Overall it's a camera with great value and I highly recommend it!
By spinlee - Nov 6, 2003
If one is not a camara expert, 2...
Strengths: It is very compact,light and fashionable.
Weakness: 3X optical zoom is not enough.
If one is not a camara expert, 2 megapixel is enough. But I think, it is better to improve 3X optical zoom to 5X or more. The shape is wonderful and it is very convenient to use AA batteries.
By ivygaogao - Jun 2, 2004
This camera is amazingly good for...
Strengths: Tiny, Movie clip w/sound
Weakness: VERY VERY Slow auto focus and recycle time
This camera is amazingly good for taking portraits and scenery under bright daylight and well lit rooms for such a tiny camera, but the object must be able to hold still for a LONG time, because the auto focus is very very slow.
Another problem is that I can't turn the flash light off in a not so well lit area, it'll say the hand is shaking severly and ends up with a blurry picture. The same for the night mode, it doesn't work on my camera.
One more tiny problem, the flashlight is too strong indoor which makes everything looks too bright and thus distort the color scheme.
My take is: You get what you paid for ... X20 is a toy
By isAuthentic - Mar 26, 2004
Haven't had it too long, but I am...
Strengths: Small, optical zoom, video+audio limited only by card size, uses standard AA batteries, fast operation.
Weakness: None for my applications.
Haven't had it too long, but I am enjoying it. Didn't need a huge 5 MP cam as I am using this to take small pictures and video of family events and such. Simple and nice pic quality.
By jonathanleebrown - Dec 13, 2003
I always carry with me beloved...
Strengths: Value, Uses standard AA batteries, Relatively small and light for 2MP/3x zoom camera, Quite fast, Decent feature set for such a cheap point-n-shoot, Excellent macro
Weakness: Not so pocketable as may seem, Consistently underxposing, Detail resolution is low for 2MP, Image softness, Long recycle and focusing times, Erratic behaviour when battery is half discharged
I always carry with me beloved Sony DSC-U10, it's so small that you really forget you have it in a pocket and it's fast for candid photos. Countless times I was able to capture scenes that I otherwise wouldn't with my other "serious" prosumer cameras.
But 1.3MP and lack of zoom and basic features became limiting. So instead of upgrading to DSC-U30 I, regreatably, decided to try Dimage X20 since it's cheap and seemed to be not that much larger and heavier. Don't get me wrong, X20 is a decent camera for the price but for my intended usage ("slip in the pocket, fire fast") it proved dissapointing.
First it's not so pocketable, at least compared to small cell phone sized Sony U-series. But main problem isn't so much as added size and weight (though quite noticeable) but a lot of small and big protrusions on the camera body. Biggest offenders are elevated LCD screen and nasty protruding metal clips on boith sides for hooking the hand/neck straps. This protrusions actually increase width (already not for jeans front pockets) and make it hard to take out the camera in a hurry.
Picture quality overal is OK. Macro perfromance is excellent. But X20 tends to underxpose, especially indoors and in bright sun light. As a aresult I keep it all the time on positive exposure compensation which blows highlights.
Other feature, besides small size, important for the "candid" pocket camera is speed. Compared to Sony X20 seemes like a laggard.
By albau - Dec 17, 2003
it is a good choose to buy this...
Strengths: it is a grate price for this small camera.its functions are easy to use
Weakness: you have to buy a lot of batteries. i used the original battery only for ten to fifteen minutes alought i just turned it on and didnt do anything
it is a good choose to buy this camera. you take it to anywhere you want to go becasue it has a very slim body.
i am sure this camera is a very good gift for people in this coming holiday
By zong541 - Dec 17, 2003
This camera is a nice, simple...
Strengths: This camera is easy to use, small, and takes nice, clear pictures. It has some decent functions and it can record short videos. It's very straightforward and looks nice too - very functional.
Weakness: It eats batteries like no other! In a single day of vacationing/picture taking I think I had to change the batteries at least twice... Make sure you have lots of rechargeable batteries on hand!
This camera is a nice, simple camera that takes decent pictures with good color, quality and clarity. It's easy to use and would be great for a novice, but it does have some more functions for someone that wants to fiddle with more functions, settings, etc. I haven't had a lot of luck with this camera shooting at night/in darker settings, but I'm not sure if that's the camera or my own lack of experience. It has a nice, simple design and tucks away easily in any purse or bag. The pictures also load up with ease onto the computer and you can fiddle around with them more with the included software. It truly does eat up batteries though (standard AA's), but I've heard a lot of cameras these days do. I don't really have any other complaints - I've had it for almost a year and haven't had any trouble with it. It's a good camera, but probably not really impressive to photography buffs out there, however.
By rachelcho - May 3, 2005
konica minolta dimage x20 digital camera
Konica Minolta Dimage X20 Digital Camera receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 2.25 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #254 standard digital camera of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features,...
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By TopTenREVIEWS.com - Jul 16, 2008
Minolta DiMAGE X20
The latest Minolta "X"-series camera is the new DiMAGE X20, a subcompact 2-megapixel unit with Minolta's signature "folded optics" 3x internal zoom lens. Very cheap for a subcompact model, with a street price close to $200, the X20 makes a great "second" camera for folks on the go.
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By Imaging Resource - Sep 26, 2003