Home > Consumer Reviews > Minolta Dimage X20 2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

I originally bought this camera to replace my fuji digital that broke. I chose it because of its size and quick startup. The camera was great until a recent vacation. The automatic lens cover slipped off of its track. The camera also lost its optical zoom capabilities (probably what led to the lens cover not closing). I am now in the process of sending the camera back for repair under the 1 year warranty. However I would still recommend this camera. It's easy to use and it starts up really fast. The picture quality is great for a 2 MP camera. My only recommendation would be to handle with care. Allow the camera to fully start up or shut down before pressing any other buttons. I believe what led to my problem was that I pressed the power button as the camera was shutting down. Consequently it got stuck in the shut down process and lens didn't retract causing the cover to get stuck. If you allow the camera enough time to complete it processes you should be fine. And what makes this camera a better choice than say the small sony cybershot is that it uses SD memory which can be used in a number of different devices (across a number of brands). Sony's memory stick limits you to sony devices when it comes to sharing memory.

Wow....when my digital camera was stolen, I decided to go with something smaller and easier to carry in my purse all the time so I'm ready for any photo situation. This little camera is almost as good as my previous bigger digital camera as far as picture quality but it has even more features.

I love the simple menu system. I know some don't like it but I'm no photographer....I'm a point-and-shooter. I need the simple menu system to figure things out. If I choose to use the various features, that is. The menu system is simple, very intuitive, and is a no-brainer for someone like me.

The photos are great. I invested in a 1Gb memory card so I have plenty of space for pictures. So I normally use the Fine picture setting at the best picture quality (1600x1200) as I can store almost 1000 pictures at this setting. As a test, I have also taken a few at the Standard setting of which I can get 1800 photos on one memory card. Both print well in up to 8x10 size photos on my Epson printer.

My previous camera did video but did not have sound. I love having the sound feature. I videod my husband giving a speech to a conference last night. I have 10-minutes of video, the picture video quality was just as good as from my video camera and I was presently surprised that we were able to capture his speech even though I was toward the back of the room (about 60 feet away). The speech was very clear and easy to hear.

It's fun playing with some of the other features like putting a picture within another picture, etc. Although I haven't used many of these yet, it's nice to know they are there.

And I love not having a proprietary battery as I have a home battery charger plus a car battery charger so I can always have AA rechargeables ready to go. Or, in a pinch, use regular batteries if needed. This will be nice when going on longer hikes when power isn't available to re-charge.

There are certainly other cameras out there with more mega-pixels but, for the average point-and-shooter like me, I'm convinced this camera should satisfy all your needs.

The only downside that I have found, and this can easily be corrected with photo software on your computer, is that the flash works well inside only on closer shots. Photos taken from a distance, or in a very large room do tend to be a little on the dark side. This is a minor problem, IMHO, and the small size outweighs the lack of a bigger flash.

So, if you're looking for something inexpensive, easy to use, and tiny enough to fit in your pants pocket or carry in your purse without adding a lot of weight or bulk, this is the camera for you!! Enjoy.

I have owned this camera for a few months now, and am essentially satisfied with it. The small form factor means that it goes in my pocket, on my bike, wherever I might want a camera, and I carry it more often than my compact 35mm. The internal lens is great because it has 3x optical zoom but no need for a lens to stick out or move in and out. You can actually take a clear picture right through a screen door by placing the camera directly against the screen (try that with an exposed lens!)

However, there are many aspects of it that could be improved. First, the time to focus is slow, at least a second or two. The camera is quick to "wake up," but actually taking a picture is much slower than a film camera, and therefore I often miss quick action shots. Second, the menu interface is poor. Navigation is hit-or-miss with the small directional buttons, organization is apparently arbitrary, and there is no way to force the camera to stay at ISO 400 speed. You can set that speed, but turn the camera off and you have to press menu, enter, down, enter, up, enter, and menu again to set the speed and return to picture-taking mode. It's a joke. At least the flash mode can be set without entering the horrible menu system.

The final gripe I have is that the pictures look very digital. They're reasonably sharp, especially for a camera with such a tiny lens (unavoidable in this form factor), but the colors seem a little warped, as if the RGB sensors were misaligned. This mainly shows up as a textural aspect, but if you zoom in it becomes obvious. A digital camera can only capture colors that are combinations of red, green, and blue (roughly half of the whole spectrum), so you will never get something that looks as good as film (which covers the whole spectrum). However, the Dimage X20 seems worse at this than most.

One feature I like very much is the TV output. Even if you have no access to a computer, you can display a slide show to a TV using the included cable. Very convenient. Another feature that may not matter to you but is nice to have is macro (close-up) photography. The Dimage X20 can focus on something 3 inches away, compared with 18 inches for most cameras, enabling you to take pictures of small items like insects. This camera can also take video, but only at a fixed focus, and the quality is pretty bad. I don't use the video feature except in bright daylight with a subject that isn't moving much.

Battery life is also good. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries (US$2.50 each at Wal-Mart), and they easily last for 150 pictures or more. Even better, when they run down to 25% you can just recharge them and always have a full battery. I much prefer this to the proprietary batteries that many cameras have. Yes, they last longer (typically they are Lithium) but if you are going to be away from a charger for two weeks the universal availability of AAs cannot be beat. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to lay out $40 each for replacement batteries that can only be used in one camera.

To summarize, I am pleased with my Minolta, even with its limitations. Probably I will get a digital SLR as an alternative to this camera, when I want to be able to easily set exposure time and all that stuff.

When I brought this camera it was great, cool pictures, the size and look of the camera wasn't disappointed at all, but I have now 1 year and 7 months with it and it hasn't been working since a couple of month, first it started with lines on the screen and now it's a black screen and won't take a picture. I brought this camera because a friend of mine had it and I liked it very much, after I purchased it, another person liked it and brought it also, and now has the same situation as me, (started with the lines, and now it just work work).

This camera its cool if you dont plan on having it for long, meaning, that you will upgrade it later, so if you want to have a cool, non expensive camara for about a year and a half, you can buy it.

after lots of research and thinking i decided to buy this little gem, it performs better than i expected (only because some bad reviews i read), picture quality is excellent, ease of use is great, the only "bad" thing about it is the lcd and only outdoors in a bright sunny day, almost can't see what's in the frame(maybe i should increase the brightness?? )...
It feels very solid, not flimsy at all... did i said that the picture quality is excellent? well it is, it put to shame a friend's Sony 5MP monster... and shutter lag hasn't been a problem, my favorite feature is the multi-frame, lots of fun with that one... :-)