Konica Minolta X60 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Reviews.

My third Minolta, September 22, 2005
Reviewer: G. Ware Cornell Jr.

I have owned the mighty Dimage 7 for almost four years. I expect to own it another ten. I feel about it much the same way my father felt about his Hasselblad. It is a quality instrument that may get old but always rewards you when you use it properly.

The Dimage 7 is big though and as I have previously opined there are times you want to throw a camera in your pocket rather than lug a camera bag. This little 5MP point and shoot is just that...little. How little? Smaller than a Blackberry, certainly.

I bought this to replace a Minolta Dimage F300, another 5MP point and shoot. The pictures favorably compare to the F300's, but it is no match for the Dimage 7. This is mainly because the latter has a great lens that lets amateurs sparkle if they bother to compose shots with any degree of thought.

But this camera like the larger F300 before it gives quality results whose inherent limitations can be edited with Photoshop to simulate a better camera. So having a point and shoot with you can let you take a picture when that unexpected opportunity presents itself.

OK limitations...once again the controls are electronic so they are not as flexible or intuitive as on the bigger camera. For instance on the Dimage 7 if you want to use the flash you flip it up. If you don't you leave it down. Here you have to reset the controls to suppress the flash.

Secondly, there is no viewfinder. But the LCD is 2.5 inches and the camera is tiny. You probably wouldn't use a viewfinder if you had one.

Third the battery. Its rechargeable. But there is only one. I ordered three more so I can always have charged spares, a strategy I use with the big camera. The F300 used rechargeable AAs but it had a relatively cheap long lasting lithium battery that that made it possible to ignore battery issues when you took it out of the house. On the plus side for the new toy is that just one NP700 battery operates the camera so having a spare or two with you is not a big deal.

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Compared to the X50 it's smaller, sleeker, better, & cheaper!, September 27, 2005
Reviewer: Navid
I had the Konica Minolta X50 (see my review on it), which ended up being defective after about 9 months of normal, delicate use. The battery cover wouldn't stay shut anymore, so back to Costco it went.

After researching the "ultra-compact" cameras in the 5.0mp and above class, I found that the minor improvements of the x60, coupled with the larger LCD display and lower price made it the most appealing digital "ultra" compact in the entire category. I mean I put it up against Sony's DSC T-1/T-7/and T-3, Kodak's new EasyShare V-50, Casio's Exilim Z750 and EX-S500, Fuji's FinePix Z1, Olympus, and Pentax Optio.

It came out the winner. I'll give it 1 year of use and revisit my review to give another update.

In the meantime, if compact is what you're looking for, this camera will meet those objectives plus take excellent snap shots in well lit close range situations.

The only thing that remains to be a weak point, is the poor flash range and the poor resolution of pictures in low-light situations. If you're taking night photos, you need to be within the 6 feet and in an area where you're picking up some light, otherwise your subject shot will come out blurry, out of focus, or over exposed.
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Fragile LCD...Terrible customer service, March 15, 2006
Reviewer: Scott Fraser "ntscott2"

I did a fair amount of research before purchasing the Dimage x60. As far as form factor, I like it. The picture quality is good.

On my very first day of use the LCD fractured internally. It never left my hand or protective case. I took 15 pictures before it no longer worked.

When I contacted Konica Minolta customer service by phone, the seemed helpful. I really wanted to get it fixed by Christmas so on Dec 1st, to expedite the warranty repair I paid $39 for UPS Next Day Air. I called 2 weeks later to check status of the repair. They couldnt find it. The holidays came and went with no camera. To make a long story short, they never contacted me so I expected to receive it any day. In February, still no camera. I called again and they told me that I damaged the LCD. If I wanted it fixed that I would have to pay $147. I emphatically disagreed and they asked if I wanted to talk with a manager...YES I DO! I just kept going from voicemail to voicemail.

Never again will I give a company $1 that doesnt stand behind their product. I've had a Sony DSC for 5 years with NO PROBLEMS at all. I guess I'll just stick with what I know. It was an expensive lesson.
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great camera, February 23, 2006
Reviewer: J. Richardson

I love this camera. I have never owned another digital camera so I don't have anything to compare to. It is so easy to use & takes beautiful images. It is nice because it is the size of a credit card but you can see what your picture looks like perfectly on the 2 inch display.
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The best camera for size and cost., October 25, 2005
Reviewer: David Impson "D. Impson"

I only paid $230 from Amazon directly and know that it was the best deal ever. I love it. The zoom quality is great, large screen, fast start-up time, immediate shutter release, and time between photos is awesome. I like this camera better then the new $600 Kodak. This camera looks great and perfomrs great also.

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