I've been looking for something to replace/augment my giant three-year-old Sony, which I love but is just too big and heavy to cart all over Europe and around town. Plus the shutter lag drives me nuts. I needed something that was shirt-pocket small, fast, but with enough features to be useful for more than the most basic snapshots. Specifically, I wanted a bit of optical zoom. When I travel, I find I'm using the zoom constantly to frame up the shots a little better. Frankly, I don't care about resolution; 2 megapixels is plenty for me, and that's what I'll use my Xt for most of the time.
I compared all of the leading contenders (as of July 2003) -various Canon ELPHs, Casio Exilim, Pentax Optio S, and even the new "lipstick" Sony DSC-U30. Everybody loves to rag on Memory Sticks, but if you already have a Sony camera and a Sony laptop and a good supply of big Sticks, they're a plus, not a minus; going with SD or CF was going to cost me a lot extra. But the Sony dropped out early because of the lack of zoom. The others, well, people like to pretend that making a decision like this is science, but it's not. I read everything I could and took a stab at it. Frankly, from what I've seen I would have rated the others just as high because they are all AMAZING. But I chose the Minolta. And I love it.
In short: Optio too slow, ELPH too heavy, Casio has no TV-out (and was out of stock in my local shop, or I might very well have bought it instead).
One thing I noted to my great relief with all of these, and which is usually stated nowhere on any of the manufacturer's pages even, is that they all have battery chargers that are small and 110-240 volt, which means you can charge batteries in Europe without a bulky converter -just the right-size plug adapter, which you can get anywhere for almost nothing. So the problem with the battery isn't a problem at all -buy a second battery and keep them both charged up overnight and you can snap all day with any of these cameras in any country in the world (unless you're camping or something).
What sold me on the Xt was the folded prism lens. Less mechanicals is always good with miniature things, and less fragile things poking out of the front is good too. The Minolta's not as small as the Optio (which is the clear frontrunner in the micro-coolness stakes -that phrase "fits in an Altoids tin" is very tempting. But the Minolta STAYS small even when you're shooting, and because it doesn't have to run a motor so much, it takes faster pictures. Which was probably my #2 criteria after size.
I haven't had any trouble at all with the small controls; they're extremely well-designed and you can figure out 90% of what it does just by fiddling with it -I read the manual but I don't have to carry it with me! If anything, and this is a general complaint with all cameras in this range (and others), there's TOO MANY features, most of which can be found in PhotoShop later. "Digital zoom" is a con and could be left out, and who really uses the "sepia" setting? But the stuff I DO want is all there, within reason (no f stops, but ISO and Exposure Level controls). I do like the many presets in the Casio, but realistically I know I'll never use them. I'm pretty adept in PhotoShop/PaintShopPro. Note that I have horrible eyesight, thick specs, and big stubby fingers and have no trouble. You might want to trim those nails, though; fortunately I don't have any.
Picture quality is excellent. I believe it's a little better than the contenders. The flash is very good, better than I expected; in fact it's a little TOO good if you're at the close end of the scale; I'm going to try the "square of white paper" trick on it. Is it the best camera on earth? No. But it's better than the other sub-micros.
The coolness factor isn't as high as the Pentax, but then how could it be? But it's faster-shooting. And, really, if the Pentax is a "10" for coolness, the Minolta is a 9.6. It doesn't fit in a tin, but it's smaller than you can believe, and the engineering is just as amazing (just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not amazing -quite the opposite, I'd say). And, of course, I have a friend with an Optio (and another with an ELPH), so you'll understand I had to have a different one!
One unanswered question: is it "DIMM udjge" (like "image") or "dim AJZH" (like "DiMaggio")? Another one: why does Amazon "recommend" batteries that don't work in this camera?
Bottom line: it does everything my big camera does and more, and when I put it in my shirt pocket it doesn't even sag. Comes on fast, shoots fast, enough for no-look street candids. Easy to use. Flat-out amazing. What else are you looking for?
pros:
3MP resolution, 3x optical zoom.
smaller size than the Xi (this camera's predecessor) with dimensions of 3.4 x 2.6 x 0.8 in, weighing in at 4.2oz.
colors are vivid and natural-looking.
automatic white balance performs well.
has spot metering.
AF locks rapidly and decisively in good light.
short shutter lag in good light.
fast startup.
fast shot-to-shot speeds.
ability to record in movie mode until memory card is full.
supports TIFF mode.
cons:
above average noise at ISO 400.
frequent underexposures.
some purple fringing.
corners are soft.
some vignetting.
above average barrel distortion.
some redeye occurrence.
no manual controls.
RAW format not supported.
no AF illuminator this would really help shutter lag when using this camera in low light.
so-so battery life.
16MB SD card provided is inadequate so add $$ to your budget to buy more memory.
uses proprietary batteries so again, more $$ for a spare.
the Xt is a great looking ultracompact camera but the quality of the images you take could be better. as already mentioned, there's more competition for the dimage X-series these days. i would recommend the optio s or casio ex-z3 over the dimage Xt. for even better image quality (in a slightly bigger package), also consider canon's sd100.
i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.
Buy Remanufactured Minolta Dimage Xt 3.2 MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom Now
If your looking for a tiny digital for the average "point and shoot" person (and let's face it....if your a pro...stick to film and a 35mm) then the XT is your camera. Here's the breakdown:Pros:
Size.....believe what you hear....this camera fits in your shirt pocket, pants, small purse (for you ladies) without weighing or pulling on your pockets. I carried it in my dress shirt and slacks at New Years and it didn't seem bulky or noticeable to me or my girlfriend !! The buttons are all useable by both men and women....its tiny without feeling ridiculous or too delicate....its got a durable feel to it....very solid without being heavy !!
Battery....I was worried about the battery lasting throughout the night but it never let me down.....all night we snapped pix and of course had to look and show them to everyone on the viewer and it never conked out !!!
Tons of features with easy to navigate menus....the ability to take movies and patch them into the tv is a really cool feature !!
Cons:
The 16MB memory is a joke....do yourself a favor and buy a 256 sd card right away !!! This will allow you to approximately 6 rolls of pix (comparably speaking)...instead of 5 or 6 pix !!
You will have to practice with it to become proficient....but assuming you took my advice on the memory upgrade...this won't be a problem....its your new toy so play with it !! Practice, practice, practice and you will get good pix. Snap pictures in all types of lighting.....it doesn't take long. I practiced at home before going out on New Years and even after several drinks (or maybe because of them...haha) I was able to take tons of great nighttime pix !!
Lastly...you'll have to train your subjects to hold their poses a little longer at night...due to the redeye reduction "spraying" effect. Tell them to hold until the second flash !!
Tips:
1.Practice (can't stress this enough)
2.Use the redeye nighttime setting for all night pix....inside or out !! IT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE !!
3.The auto flash mode is great for all other pix
4.Set the camera to the FINE setting (just below TIFF)
5.Use the highest resolution for all pix
6.Save the pix you want to cd or take the memory card to a professional film developer...you could develop your shots at home but the beauty of digital is that you see all the shots you have as you take them. BE SELECTIVE !!! I've found that with old film type cameras...not every shot was a keeper....even with digital....not every shot you take is worth putting on paper...so be selective then for mere pennys on the dollar you can have a pro develop your more memorable shots !! Don't waste your money on software...put it into the memory uprade!!
7. Hold the shutter button down until you hear the "click" !! Many folks used to 35mm cameras (namely my girlfriend) seem to want to press the button down half way or press it and let up before the "click"....this seems to cause the pix to blur more often !!
ENJOY !!!
Read Best Reviews of Remanufactured Minolta Dimage Xt 3.2 MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom Here
First, the bad news:1) The plastic tab on the handstrap of the XT can stratch the LCD DON'T use the strap if you are going to keep the camera in a confined space, such as a pocket the strap will drift over the LCD and the damage will be done. This is clearly a design defect. If you must use a strap, make your own, one without the power to abrade the LCD.
2) The optical viewfinder shows far less than what the camera sees I understand about 35% of the image is not visible in the optical viewfinder. This problem, however, is much easier to deal with than a scratched LCD.
3) Shutter lag all digicams shutters seem to suffer slow response time. This makes it tough to photograph people or pets on the move the continuous shooting option on the Xt helps, so does pre-focusing.
That said, this camera has just about perfect, at least for my purposes: on-the-go nature and travel photography. There are just enough controls for unusual conditions exposure compensation, choice of ISO, white balance, etc but not so many that they get in the way of simply making a quick or well thought out photograph.
True, manual control of f/stops and shutter speeds and focus is lacking but there are other cameras out there with this option. Again, exposure compensation, continuous shooting mode, and pre-focusing help.
In particular, I like the east of operation what controls there are can easily be accessed via the few menus, and the dial and/or various buttons that adorn the camera. Recourse to the manual printed or on-line was, for me, not necessary.
My primary purpose for the camera is to use it on bike rides but it's also a great camera for hiking, as well as for travel where you don't want to be burdened with a lot of photo gear (and I have way too much photo gear). For use at social gatherings in large, dark rooms, this might not be the camera of choice, because the on-camera flash is not very powerful but it does work, particularly if people are fairly close to the camera, rather than across the room.
This camera cries out for one accessory an extra battery. And perhaps two extra batteries. Maybe I like to take A LOT of pictures because I'm a part time professional, but if film is no longer an issue and I can shoot all the pictures I want (subject to the amount of memory I have), why should I be limited by a lack of battery power? And trust me, if you make a lot of photographs, you will run out of battery power! (My extra battery fits in my bike's little patch kit.)
I've found that there are generic batteries that will work in the camera ...
By the same token, I spent a little more money on storage I have 256 and a 128 memory cards and, with a 3 megapixel camera, this is more than enough for a at least a few day's of normal photography. (I usually bring a laptop with me, whether or not I have a camera, so I can always download pics from my memory cards to make room for more pictures).
To sum up: except for the plastic tab on the strap that can scratch the screen, and a viewfinder that shows less than what the camera sees, and the shutter lag (which occurs with all digicams) I'm completely satisfied with the camera.
Oh, one more thing cameras this small are still a novelty it makes for a great conversation piece/ice breaker when I pull it out of my pocket.
...
Want Remanufactured Minolta Dimage Xt 3.2 MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom Discount?
So small! (its smaller than most cellphones).3.2 megapixels is just great clear picture; moreover, minolta has some cool technology that helps to correct the picture if needed.
Strong enough flash but in the dark, sometimes, pictures are grainy needed to change the ISO setting by hand a couple of times. 128 mb sd card definitely recommended. (can take fine quality pictures at a low compression rate = better picture quality!).
Love the cool feature of being able to record your own sounds. The LCD is super clear, so when viewing pictures (esp. when showing it to others just after having taken a picture) its really good. The compactness, I cannot emphasize enough. Its smaller than a nokia 3595, and lighter too (with battery). I'm scared that I'll forget it sometimes, & not realize if I have it or not!
The internal zoom rocks!!!! and that causes the startup time to be so fast! I barely turn it on, & its on unlike most other digital cameras.
Good, clear pictures. Easy to use for both video, & pictures. What else do you want?
Might not be as good as cannon s400, but almosst as good definitely in the same league. You cannot make out the difference 99 times of 100.
Oh yes, I've used this as webcam to videoconference too, & it works flawlessly. muchh clearer than most webcams out there! (of course, this should not be your sole critereon when buying this camera ;))
A con --
A couple of times, it gives a picture a blue'ish tinge with some pictures, but never anything that I cant fix in ACD Foto Canvas (good software free download go get it, if you have ANY digital camera).
I love this camera, and I still have to read through most of the manual!
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