Building on the success of the highly popular two-megapixel Minolta DiMAGE X, the DiMAGE Xi is equipped with a 3.3 megapixel CCD (3.2 million effective pixels) as well as a host of new functions and enhancements such as improved image quality, the world's fastest start-up time (1.2 seconds), and a seamless zoom range of 12x (combining both optical and digital zoom).

The DiMAGE Xi like the DiMAGE X, is only 3/4 of an inch thick and exploys a unique and revolutionary folded 3x optical zoom lens. Making a camera this thin would be impossible with conventional lens technology so Minolta designed a "folded" zoom lens that moves vertically within the camera body. That means that when the lens goes from wide angle to telephoto it remains inside the camera body. The 3x optical zoom lens is equivalent to a 37mm - 111mm on a 35mm camera, and can be further extended with the the new 4x digital zoom feature.

In addition to the increased image resolution, the DiMAGE Xi has several other enhancements when compared to its sibling the DiMAGE X, including user-selectable ISO settings, optional date imprinting, spot autofocus (AF), an improved anti-reflection LCD and automatic e-mail file copy creation.

Images captured with the high-quality lens of the DiMAGE Xi are enhanced by Minolta's CxProcess image processing technology, which helps control sharpness, color reproduction, tonal gradation and noise. This same technology is used in Minolta's top-of-the-line DiMAGE 7Hi SLR-type digital camera.

You can also records motion video at 15fps in 320 x 240 resolution with audio up to a maximum of 35 seconds. 15-second audio notes can be attached to still images or you can record up to 90 seconds of audio without an image. The camera is powered by a small but powerful lithium battery pack and is recharged with the included compact rapid charger. Images, movies and sound clips are stored on tiny Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia Cards (MMC), a 16MB SD card is included.

DiMAGE Xi Major Features:

• Incredibly compact and lightweight camera
• Rugged and durable aluminum body with a stainless steel front panel
• Unique "folded" 3x f/2.8 optical zoom lens
• 3-megapixel imager for images up to 2048 x 1536 pixels
• Still images stored in JPEG compressed or uncompressed TIFF format
• Motion video 320 x 240 with audio at 15fps up to 35 seconds
• 15-second audio notes can be attached to images
• 90-second audio-only files can be recorded
• Low reflective 1.5-inch TFT color LCD monitor
• Minolta's CxProcess image processing provides clear and natural images
• 12-bit A/D conversion provides a finer tonal gradation
• White balance options: automatic, daylight, tungsten, cloudy and fluorescent
• Built in flash with Auto, Red-eye reduction, Night portrait and Fill modes
• Audio/Video output, NTSC or PAL selectable
• Removable flash memory cards (SD or MMC type)
• Epson PRINT Image Matching II compliant
• Lithium rechargeable battery and charger included
• USB 1.1 Mass Storage Compliant device

Physical Views

The DiMAGE Xi compared in size to an ordinary credit card