Rating: 
Summary: Great compact camera 3MP + 3X Optical Zoom
Review: After doing a lot research, I decided to buy this little Minolta wonder while on a trip to Japan a month ago.
Sure there are cheaper 3MP cameras in the market, but none of them combines the design, quality, functions and capabilities of the Dimage Xi in such a small package. There also some 4MP cameras that are cheaper or in the same price range of the Xi, but they are bulkier, besides for the common user as myself 3MP image quality is more than enough.
It has the fastest startup in its class (1.2 Seconds); and the menus as well as the instruction manuals are simple and friendly.
The Dimage Xi has a lot of functions only available on bigger cameras like: 3X Optical Zoom + 4X Digital Zoom, Different ISO settings, Focus lock, Single photo, Continuous capture, Movie and Audio recording, Different flash modes, Exposure compensation, White balance and several combinations of image quality and sizes.
The mini battery charges in about two hours and so far has given me a full day of shots
while using the LCD and without the need of recharge.
Its "periscope type" optical zoom is really unique and the image quality is amazing.
Finally I may add that this camera is a great eye catcher, everybody seems to like it!
The only complain I have is the almost useless PC software that comes with the camera.
After a month of heavy use I will DEFINITELY RECOMMEND this camera.
Rating: 
Summary: Camera's great/software stinks
Review: After using a klunky old Kodak 2.0 for the last 2 years, I am awed by the DimageXi...I mastered its use quickly. It feels solid, performs great and I'm already trying some of the more arcane features...
The software is either unusable on Macs or the manual that describes its use is unreadable. Otherwise, the camera would get five stars. I'm online now to research what I need to make editting and storage easy. for the moment the best i can do is load the Jpegs into an Appleworks document and print from there.One last thing, watch out for the left thumb that keeps creeping into the bottom of the photo.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice camera, but keep it away from sand and dirt
Review: As another reviewer already noted, this camera is easily damaged by sand. Its much touted "internal folded zoom lens" has a number of small plastic gears that are exposed internally in its aluminum case. The case is not well sealed, so sand can get in there easily. And a few grains is all that takes to hose it. I took mine on my last vacation, and although I never actually took it to beach, a few sand specks in my pocket made their way into the camera. Took it apart and used compressed air to try to clean it, but no luck. What is the point of a miniature camera that must be stored in a hermetic case or bag?
Rating:
Summary: So reliable.. works even after a wash cycle !!!
Review: Believe it or not.. I left the camera in the pocket of my shorts (it is soooo compact), and sent it through the complete wash cycle int he washer. To my complete amazement, the camera (including the battery and memory card) worked perfectly (after I let it dry for a day).
Rating:
Summary: Poorly Implimented
Review: Cute size, but totally inconvienient. Anemic battery life. Poor button placement, difficult to aim when using viewfinder. 16M card does not fit into standard adaptors and doesn't hold many pictures. Menus are tedious for frequent functions. Got it as a gift and would not purchase again.
Rating:
Summary: IN THE SUBCOMPACT/SLEEK CATEGORY, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST
Review: Dimage Xi has a lot more going for it than the sleek looks. It may look like one of those compact point-and-click thingies, which it of course is, but this is not something pros would easily scoff at, its advanced manual controls are fabulous. WHATS GOOD: (1) Very, very easy to use, no unscrewing lens covers etc. Buttons are super-simple and intuitive to use without a manual
(2) A [good looking] autofocus system, surprises even in dim lighting. When you depress the shutter-release button halfway in auto-recording mode, the camera's "Area AF" technology evaluates the scene that you're shooting and locks the focus on your subject, even if it's off-center
(3) Extensive manual functions for control [people]
(4) Fast performance, clicks instantly unlike even some of the bigger cams
(5) Needless to mention, sleek, pocket-sized design
(6) Apart from the manual white balance (also found in other cameras in this class) there's a WB Custom Recall feature that saves and recalls your last manual setting
(7) Captures video clips with sound. Built-in microphone and speaker allow you to capture and play back video clips of up to about 35 seconds in length
(8) Can make copies of your pictures in-camera
(9) Good battery life out of the CR-3V photo-lithium cells CAVEATS: (1) No rechargeable battery included although your mileage may vary
(2) Ships with only a 16MB memory card (easily fixed)
(3) LCD somewhat smaller than other competitors, e.g., Nikon 2500 or Canon's S40
(4) Doesn't support external flash or lens converters (a mildly major pain in my book but may not matter to everyone)
(5) Automatic white balance may sometimes produce a bluish cast especially in bright light
(6) Can use SD card or MMC card, but MMC card is noticeably slower
(7) Somewhat high price? SUMMARY: I am generally a Canon fan for prosumer cameras, but Canon's small offerings are not all that neat. Canon S... (replace ... with model number) have a better LCD screen, slightly faster photo review scrolling, and slightly nicer overall build quality. BUT, Dimage has half the startup time, 3x optical zoom versus Canon's, capability for saving in TIFF formats (high quality images), a minimum focal length much closer than Canon's, and all internalized moving parts. If you want a sleek, small, yet very functional camera Minolta is one of my top recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: Great value. I am very pleased!
Review: I am confident I made the best choice but I nearly lost six weeks' work on a trip --700 photos-- when a 128 MB Sandisk SD disk crashed. (I was ultimately, inexplicably able to recover the photos when I got home after failed attempts abroad.) The troublesome disk was the same brand and model as the 8 MB disk that comes with the camera, only larger capacity. After that I found places to periodically save photos on CD for backup; Internet cafes with this capability are increasingly common, and it's cheap to do. The disk was at fault, not the camera. As the manual says (and which I failed to do), format the disk with the camera before use. 0) You will definitely need a spare battery! Buy only the SD (Secure Digital) type cards because they are faster than the so-called "Multimedia" cards. 1) This camera is so tiny that I found a fabric Tamrac case for it about the size of a fat wallet that also held my spare battery and disks. I was able to wear on my belt and had it with me nearly all the time, which has been great on trips because I could snap a photo any time. 2) There is not enough flash to reach beyond six feet or so, and no hot shoe to connect a bigger flash. If the notion of a hot shoe seems ridiculous for such a tiny camera, I assure you that it would not be inconsistent with the high level of features this camera provides. The different flash modes allow one to command whether the flash goes off or not, or one can leave it up to the computer. But one cannot choose *how much power* to use for the flash. 3) The lens is in a corner of the camera and it takes a long time (mark my words) before one learns to keep fingers and nose out of the way. It is also a problem when asking strangers to snap a photo of you, because they usually touch the lens and smudge it. (There isn't always a satisfactory place to set the camera down to make a self-portrait with the timer.) Once I was trying to explain to someone who didn't speak English to not touch the lens, and she thought I was saying to press the lens to take a picture and that's what she did! 8-[] 4) The viewfinder is nice when there's too much sunlight to see the display on the back of the camera. The view changes as one zooms in and out, as on an SLR camera, but be aware that the actual image includes a slightly more than one sees through the viewfinder. That's better than the opposite, so at least it errs toward caution. What you see on the LCD display is what you get. 5) It comes with a USB cable to connect to a computer, and another to connect to the TV so you can view images there. 6) You needn't take any software with you to e-mail photos while on a trip! The camera just shows up as a removable disk on Windows 2000, Me, or XP. If the Internet cafe you pick has only Windows 98 (now rare), you must get a driver from somewhere. Most cafes will be more willing to let you connect to one of their computers if you can convey that you are not going to install any software. The Image Viewer Utility software that comes with the camera is for rotating images and touching them up (lightening, hue, color correction, etc.) and I thought it was reasonably easy to use. It's handy for both viewing and touching up a lot of photos fast, and has very few annoyances. 7) I found the controls easy to learn, the manual good, and I am very happy with the quality of the photographs. My friends have been impressed; two comments I've gotten were that they look like National Geographic photos (blush, blush) and "Did you take that with your little camera?!" --but note that I've studied photography since I was a teenager. 8) It takes seven (7) clicks to delete a photo! That's a lot if you're throwing out several photos. 9) It makes movies with sound that one can watch on a computer, or on TV with the TV cable.
Rating:
Summary: I love this camera.
Review: I am new to digital cameras and was worried about it. I was wrong. I have worn this little camera on my belt in the supplied and convienent case all over the USA from sea level to 12,000 feet of altitude taking all kinds of pictures and videos. It is easy, light, small, and the battery lasted me a looooong time before popping in the spare. I have recommended it to buyers that ended up as happy as me. I am glad I bought the 64mg chip. The accompaning PC software is worthless but so what. You don't need it and the camera is great.
Rating:
Summary: Very Pleased
Review: I am very pleased with this camera. I have had another very good digital for about four years but it is large and somewhat heavy. The size and weight of the Dimage make it easy to use. I just pop it into my purse or pocket. Make sure when doing so, to have it in a case because the silver shutter release button on top can catch on something and can come off. This happened to me. The quality of the pictures is excellet. I do my own printing and find it difficult to see a quality difference in the pictures between this and a regular camera. Take time to read the manual because this camera has a lot of features that can be used to adjust for different picture taking conditions. I am pleased that it has an EV adjustment. I take pictures by water and snow and this is critical to good results.I bought a 128MB card because I tend to shoot in fine or superfine and 2048 X 1536. The red eye reduction mode works well.
The Dimage software is good. I also use Adobe when I want to do things Dimage cannot. I use Dimage to view other thumbnail pictures on my harddrive. One negative is that it is easy to get your thumb in front of the lense. The battery is supposed to take 120 pictures with 50% flash, standard image quality, no playback or not voice memo. I have not gotten this but then I shoot superfine and do some playback. Watch the very tiny battery symbol. It can be easy to miss and your battery can go out.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Camera
Review: I bought the camera a few days ago, I am not new to digital photography,but this little camera, its in a class by itself, diminutive, powerful, it can produce prints that any lab anywhere cannot equal, fast handling, focusing is about the best I,ve seen on any digital camera, it does it with no light assist.
Even the battery does well, recharges quickly.
I print on an Epson 825, which can print at 5750, thats great, but the camera cant do that, yet, the print quality it just magnificent, its small, its quick, even the flash seems to be more powerful than other digitals twice its size, menus are very easy to navigate, instruction manual is excellent
It really is difficult to fault this little digital camera that fits in your pocket and works so well,lots of applause to Minolta, great job, if your want to buy a digital camera, look at this one, I love the thing.
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