Minolta Dimage Xi 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
by Konica Minolta

List Price: $499.99
Our Price: $65.00
You Save: $434.99 (87%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details

• 3.2 megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 8 x 10 prints and medium-quality prints up to 11 x 14
• 3x optical plus 4x digital (12x total) zoom lens with autofocus
• Included 16 MB Secure Digital (SD) card
• Connects with Macs and PCs via USB port
• Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery included

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
• Serif PhotoPlus X3
• Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]
• Aperture 3
• Pixelmator [Old Version]

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Minolta Dimage Xi 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Customer Review: Great value. I am very pleased!
Summary: 5 Stars

0) You will definitely need a spare battery! Buy only the SD (Secure Digital) type cards because they are faster than the so-called "Multimedia" cards.

1) This camera is so tiny that I found a fabric Tamrac case for it about the size of a fat wallet that also held my spare battery and disks. I was able to wear on my belt and had it with me nearly all the time, which has been great on trips because I could snap a photo any time.

2) There is not enough flash to reach beyond six feet or so, and no hot shoe to connect a bigger flash. If the notion of a hot shoe seems ridiculous for such a tiny camera, I assure you that it would not be inconsistent with the high level of features this camera provides. The different flash modes allow one to command whether the flash goes off or not, or one can leave it up to the computer. But one cannot choose *how much power* to use for the flash.

3) The lens is in a corner of the camera and it takes a long time (mark my words) before one learns to keep fingers and nose out of the way. It is also a problem when asking strangers to snap a photo of you, because they usually touch the lens and smudge it. (There isn't always a satisfactory place to set the camera down to make a self-portrait with the timer.) Once I was trying to explain to someone who didn't speak English to not touch the lens, and she thought I was saying to press the lens to take a picture and that's what she did! 8-[]

4) The viewfinder is nice when there's too much sunlight to see the display on the back of the camera. The view changes as one zooms in and out, as on an SLR camera, but be aware that the actual image includes a slightly more than one sees through the viewfinder. That's better than the opposite, so at least it errs toward caution. What you see on the LCD display is what you get.

5) It comes with a USB cable to connect to a computer, and another to connect to the TV so you can view images there.

6) You needn't take any software with you to e-mail photos while on a trip! The camera just shows up as a removable disk on Windows 2000, Me, or XP. If the Internet cafe you pick has only Windows 98 (now rare), you must get a driver from somewhere. Most cafes will be more willing to let you connect to one of their computers if you can convey that you are not going to install any software. The Image Viewer Utility software that comes with the camera is for rotating images and touching them up (lightening, hue, color correction, etc.) and I thought it was reasonably easy to use. It's handy for both viewing and touching up a lot of photos fast, and has very few annoyances.

7) I found the controls easy to learn, the manual good, and I am very happy with the quality of the photographs. My friends have been impressed; two comments I've gotten were that they look like National Geographic photos (blush, blush) and "Did you take that with your little camera?!" --but note that I've studied photography since I was a teenager.

8) It takes seven (7) clicks to delete a photo! That's a lot if you're throwing out several photos.

9) It makes movies with sound that one can watch on a computer, or on TV with the TV cable.

Description of Minolta Dimage Xi 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

By incorporating a clever internal zoom lens, developing a slim new rechargeable battery, and using diminutive SD memory cards, Minolta's Dimage Xi is truly pocket-sized. The Dimage Xi features a 3.2-megapixel CCD sensor--an improvement over the 2-megapixel Dimage X--and a 3x optical zoom. Besides increased resolution, the Dimage Xi has several other enhancements, including selectable ISO settings, optional date imprinting, spot autofocus (AF), an improved antireflection LCD, and automatic e-mail file copy creation.

Optics and Resolution
The Dimage Xi has a 3-megapixel sensor with a maximum resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, enough detail for photos from 4 by 6 inches to 11 by 14 inches. It also features a 3x optical zoom (equivalent to a 37-111mm on a 35mm camera) and a 4x digital zoom for a total 12x zoom.

This lens employs five aspheric elements (including two double-sided) to ensure sharp, contrast-rich images at all focal lengths. In spite of its compact dimensions, the optical zoom has a fast, maximum aperture of f2.8-f3.6 (wide to telephoto), which allows images to be captured in low light with little noise.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on stamp-size Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCard memory cards. The Dimage Xi comes with a 16 MB SD card. Images can be transferred to your Mac or PC via USB, and the included audio-visual cable lets you view images and film clips on your home TV.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the Dimage Xi captures 320 x 240 pixel video (with audio) for up to 35 seconds at 15 frames per second. The QuickTime Motion JPEG format offers a limited resolution, which is great for capturing a short movie that can be e-mailed to friends and family.

More Features
The Dimage Xi's most unusual feature is its internal zoom lens. While most digital cameras are built like their film counterparts--with a telescoping zoom lens protruding from the front--the lens assembly in the Dimage Xi is arranged vertically inside the camera, with the sensor at the very bottom, like a periscope in a submarine. This layout allows for a slim camera with a full 3x optical zoom. In addition, startup times are faster, since you don't have to wait for the lens to extend before shooting.

Other features include:

• Audio caption recording of up to 15 seconds
• 1.5-inch TFT LCD screen
• Flash modes: auto, red-eye reduction, night portrait

Power, Size, and Contents
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery NP-200 (included). It measures 3.3 by 2.8 by 0.8 inches and weighs 4.6 ounces. This package includes the Dimage Xi digital camera, battery and battery charger, USB and AV cables, hand strap, and Dimage software and viewer CD-ROM and USB drivers for Windows and Mac.

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