The DiMAGE X1 is very trim, measuring a mere 19.5 millimeters thick, thanks to a non- protruding, 3x optical zoom lens. This all-glass lens is constructed of 12 elements, 2 aspherical, in 10 groups and provides for an equivalent focal range of 37 to 111mm. The maximum aperture is F3.5 to F3.8. The lens is covered by an automatic protective cover when the camera is powered off.

The auto focus system is a contrast type with a Normal range of approx. 0.1 m (3.9 in.) Wide angle / 0.4 m (15.7 in.) Telephoto to infinity. The Super Macro closeup range is from 0.05 m (2.0 in.) to infinity. There are Spot and Wide (5-point) AF modes with focus lock available.

The built-in flash has modes for: Auto, Auto + Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash and Slow Synchro. The flash effective range is unspecified by the manufacturer.

The X1 lacks an optical viewfinder, the large 2.5-inch color TFT LCD monitor is used as the live viewfinder with 100% frame coverage.

Controls on the back:

On the top are the zoom lens controls. They function as the Index and Zoom buttons in playback mode.

The 4-way selector is used for selecting images in review mode and accessing the menu system. The center button accepts selections. The top-left button puts the camera in record or playback mode. The top-right button controls the amount of data shown on the LCD. The MENU (bottom-left) button calls up and dismisses the menu screens The bottom-right button changes the Flash mode and in playback is used to Delete images.

Controls on top: The shutter release, power button and mode selector switch for record mode; still, scene or movie/audio.

The X1 is equipped with a SD/MMC card slot and is supplied with a 32MB SD card. It's compatible with any SD card up to 2GB. The NP-1 battery is also located in this compartment.

The 32MB SD card can hold approx. 9 Fine 8-megapixel images, 13 in Standard quality and 27 in Economy. In movie mode it can capture up to 29 seconds of VGA quality action or 70 seconds in the lower QVGA resolution. You can definitely see the need for a much larger SD card, we recommend at least a 1GB size card.

Power is supplied by a proprietary NP-1 Li-ion 3.7v 820mAh rechargeable battery. It will provide enough power to capture up to 200 shots per charge and is recharged whenever the camera is placed in the included cradle.

The included cradle provides a "home" for your X1 camera. The battery is automatically charged whenever the camera is in the cradle. You can view an automatic slideshow on a TV if it's connected with the A/V cable.

On the side of the cradle is the combination USB (12 mbps max.) and Audio-Video port for connection to a TV for playback, it's selectable for NTSC or PAL standard. The USB port is for downloading data to your computer - a PictBridge compatible printer can also be connected for direct-printing.