"Picky Details" for the Minolta Dimage X digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a proprietary Imaging
Resource test system. Here are the numbers I collected for the Minolta Dimage
X:
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| Power On -> First shot |
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Very fast for a camera with a zoom lens.
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| Shutdown |
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Can be pocketed immediately (no lens to retract), this is the time to finish saving a large/fine file to the memory card. Very fast.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured. Pretty fast.
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| Record to play |
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Time to display a large/fine file after capture. First time with file already saved, second time counting from immediately after capture. Very fast.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is for wide angle zoom setting, second is for telephoto. Wide angle time is slightly slower than average, tele time is quite slow. |
| Shutter lag, prefocus |
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. Very fast.
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| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
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First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Very fast. (8 MB memory card supplied limited test to 7 large/fine, 117 small/basic files. No change in speed, apparently no buffer used, just very fast electronics.) |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution |
(2.2/2.6 fps) |
First time is for large/fine, second for small/basic files. Numbers beneath are corresponding frames per second. Very fast. No sign of buffer limitations, but test card was only 8 MB. |
Overall, the Dimage X is a very fast camera, helped greatly in its startup and shutdown times by not having a telescoping lens to extend or retract. Its shot to shot times are a good bit faster than average, apparently without the need for a buffer memory. The only fly in the ointment is the rather slow shutter lag times, particularly with the len set to its telephoto position.
Power
The Dimage X uses a tiny custom LiIon cell for its power source, with the
shorter run times this generally implies. It's helped quite a bit though, by
the fact that it consumes almost no power when the LCD screen is turned off.
- You can confidently leave the camera powered on all day without the slightest
worry about draining your batteries. (As long as you leave the LCD off!) As
always, I *strongly* recommend buying a spare battery though. The table below
shows the Dimage X's power consumption in various modes, and approximate run
times for each, based the 750 mAh rated life of its 3.7v LiIon battery pack:
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(@4.7 volts on the external power terminal) |
(w/provided LiIon battery pack) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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Overall, not too bad for an ultra compact camera. he best news is the incredibly long battery life if you just stay off the LCD.
Storage Capacity
The Dimage X stores its photos on SD (Secure Digital) memory cards, and
an 8 MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying
at least another 16MB card, preferably a 32 MB one, to give yourself extra space
for extended outings. - Heck, these days memory cards are so cheap, there's
no reason not to get a 64 MB card, which could store 46 images at maximum size
and quality!) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included
8 MB card at each size/quality setting.
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Resolution/Quality 8 MB Memory Card |
Fine |
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| Full Resolution 1600x1200 | Images (Avg size) |
1 5.7 MB |
6 1.3 MB |
13 615 KB |
320 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
1:1 | 5:1 | 10:1 |
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| XGA Resolution 1024x768 | Images (Avg size) |
3.7 MB |
800 KB |
400 KB |
205 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Images (Avg size) |
920 KB |
205 KB |
118 KB |
68 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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