Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 Review

The DiMAGE X50 employs Konica Minolta's proprietary non-protruding folded 2.8x optical zoom lens. It has a focal length coverage of 37mm - 105mm in 35mm format and is constructed of all glass with 11 elements in 9 groups. The lens is protected by the sliding lens cover, which also toggles the power on and off.

Auto focus is handled by a 5-point contrast detection AF system with available spot and wide focus areas, the focus range is approx. 3.9 in. (0.1m) to infinity in normal mode, and Super Macro mode covers 2.4 in. (0.06m) to infinity (from the lens.)

The built in flash offers Auto, Fill-flash, Red-eye reduction and Forced Off modes, it recycles in approximately 6 seconds.

To save precious battery power you can use the optical real-image zoom viewfinder, that covers approx. 80% to 85% of the captured image. There is no dioptric adjustment. The LED to the left indicates focus, flash, and image processing status.

Controls on the back are minimal. Along the top right is the zoom lens control, which acts as the image magnify function in playback mode. Below that is the "Display" button, which toggles the LCD monitor in record mode and in playback it serves as the index option and controls the amount of overlay information displayed. The MENU button calls up and dismisses the onscreen menu system. The 4- way controller is used to navigate the menu system and to select images in playback. Pressing "Up" toggles the flash in record mode and serves as the delete button in playback. Pressing "Down" controls the drive mode and acts as the image rotate option in playback. The Play button enters playback mode.

On top is the Shutter release and the sliding mode switch, which allows you to choose from Still (Auto) record, Scene mode(s), and Movie/Audio mode.

On the right side is the USB 1.1 data port, which also handles the Audio/Video output. Below that is the DC IN jack for an optional AC power supply.

The DiMAGE X50 is equipped with a SD card slot and is compatible with any size Secure Digital or MultiMedia Card. The camera ships with a 16MB SD card.

Power is supplied by a proprietary 3.7v 660 mAh NP-700 Lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Although small, Minolta claims a battery life of approx. 150 shots and 170 min. of continuous playback. Also included is the BC-800 Lithium-ion battery charger, which can charge a fully depleted battery in about 90 minutes.