Konica Minolta Dimage X1 – It’ll put you off Photography for life

The year was 2005 and Konica Minolta had released their X Series stylish Digital compact. I was using a Dynax 5D, 7D and I also had a KM A200 which was fantastic (and according to the DPReview forums it still is much loved along with the A2) I remember Konica Minolta’s marketing hype quite well. It is a beautful camera – all brushed metal with a mirrored rear panel where you’ll find the simple control dial and LCD screen. Marvel of industrial design and minimalism with a size smaller than any iPhone and smaller than an iPod Classic. True pocket sized with a look and feel which makes you want it.

Konica Minolta described it thus:

“Setting out to create “the highest-level digital camera in terms of image quality, functions, design, and size,” Konica Minolta developed the DiMAGE X1. As a fusion of Konica Minolta’s best imaging technologies and the DiMAGE X series’ sleek digital camera design, the new X1 offers you exquisitely beautiful images and greater freedom to express yourself.

“A camera of true expressive power, the DiMAGE X1 employs an 8-megapixel, 1/1.8-type CCD – the highest resolution currently available in compact digital cameras. To take full advantage of this incredible resolution, the X1 integrates a newly designed optical system as well as CxProcess™ III, Konica Minolta’s top image processing technology that renders images as natural-looking as they appear to your eye.

“To accommodate the high resolution while keeping the body as slim as possible, the DiMAGE X1’s employs a newly designed “non-protruding” 3X optical zoom lens and delivers a lens focal length of 7.7 to 23.1 mm (equivalent to 37 to 111 mm in 35 mm format) and an aperture range from F3.5 to F3.8. “

Everything looks super cool and I remember the price was quite expensive. This was aimed at the casual snapshooter for family or holiday snaps and you’d have expected it to perform well with those specs and that cool look. Anyway I never did get it as at the time I was too busy playing with DSLR’s and had no need for a pocket camera – though I couldn’t help but want one just for the sake of it.

The Dimage X1 reviews weren’t favourable and all stated the camera was sluggish with poor IQ and one had to use a combination of ISO 50 with the inbuilt Anti Shake stabilization to get satisfactory results.

Fast forward to December 2023 and I had written about the fantastic Casio Exilim EX-ZR800 from 2013 – a rapidly fast compact which was a pleasure to use and which has excellent IQ January came and I began to see Junkuary articles on 35mmc of old Digicams. My appetite had been whet after reading Hamish’s Pentax Q articles and had a sudden desire to get hold of the Dimage X1 – I saw a few on eBay – some expensive, others as part of house clearances with no charger or anything but one popped up with battery charger and case (but not the flashy dock) for £20 so I bought it.

I remembered the negative reviews but dismissed them – after all it’ll be a challenge to use, I could take some candid street shots and some nice scenic photographs of Mistley and the Stour Estuary where I live. I had many plans – I’d take it to London’s West End too and create some nice photos! I had enough confidence in my ability and patience to be able to use the light and subjects to use the camera within it’s limits.

The Dimage X1 arrived and I was so so pleased, taking it out of the parcel it looked and felt marvellous. I lovingly charged up the battery, installed a 2GB SD Card (It won’t be able to take capacities larger than 2GB in my experience) and then took it into the living room to take some test shots of the cat and into the garden.

It felt as I had expected it to be – small, no grip, with care needed to frame and press the shutter – as it was so small and cold! All metal it made already cold numb fingers number! Controls are straight forward – the switch at the top slides from what is essentiall Program to Scene to Movie.
The menu is also simple – with options for:

• Drive Mode
• Image Size
• Quality
• White Balance
• Sensitivity (ISO)
• Metering Mode (Spot or Matrix)
• Exposure compensation

Plus ability to store settings assign control dial etc. Not much there but the basics and enough.
I set to ISO 100, Auto WB, Flash Off.

But thats when I started to notice the fact that the Metering was pants. I simply couldn’t avoid parts of the subject blowing out. Also the AF was so slow. It was more than sluggish – it was laughably slow. You half press and wait and wait and eventually it’ll go ‘bleep’ and you’ll lock on. Even in bright front lighting. So forget about moving objects of any sort – which rules out taking pictures of any kids or animals.

Then most of the images were soft – out of focus. So I upped the ISO to 200. Hahaha!!!! Even the LCD showed considerable noise. Damn I thought – this is bad! I took some shots and uploaded them onto Light Room 5. The images at ISO 100 were ugly, noisy and just awful. I couldn’t ever remember any of my old Digicams being this bad. I pulled out a Harddrive with images from 2000-2006 and viewed photos taken with my 2002 Fuji FInepix 3.1MP and a 6MP Kodak Easyshare from 2005. These photos (especially the Kodak) had pleasing colour, detail and little noise. They were great! This on the other hand had ugly artefacts, noise and poor colour and white balance temperature.

I was dismayed, then I read some old Dimage X1 reviews again and these reinforced my findings. I had to shoot ISO 50 to get anywhere with this. So ISO 50 it was and I tried some more tests.

The results were poor – blown highlights and no ability to control anything with the metering. I then switched to Spot and tried that – that was better! I was able to pinpoint and then hold exposure (half press). Satisfied I awaited the next opportunity. Though I did often go back to handle it – as it’s so nice.

A week later an opportunity arose as it was a fine day with lovely winter blue sky and sun. I walked up to the Estuary and decided to take some photos of swans (which Mistley is famous for) and the boats. Perfectly simple elegant and easy to photograph subjects. This was another fail – I took a couple of dozen shots and even tried some portraits of my missus. Nada! Zilch! No luck. The bright light was too much for this and couldn’t photograph a single swan or boat – the contrast between swan and grass and boat sea and sky was too much. Photographing using this consisted of trying hard to get the balance right using the spot meter – and then with a lock of exposure and focus with what I thought looked right on the LCD – I pressed and fired the shutter – but the results I then got on the LCD were awful – I simply was unable to do anything with this.

I didn’t give up! I had to master the Spot meter and technique. I evcentually I managed to get a couple of exposures of a green bench (which you can see here) and one of some seagulls and swans ( which was poorly composed so not included) but that’s it. back to the ‘Lab’ and I managed to tweak a handful which were half decent but everything from colour to look were awful.

The next opportunity was when a mate came over to see me from Wales for a few days. We went on a few walks and I always had this with me – apart from 3 or 4 half decent shots of a path with some trees (included here) I got a couple of snaps of my mate and that’s it!

But again I persevered – I knew I was really mastering this and sooner rather than later I’ll find the perfect opportunity to bring out the best from this camera. After another couple weeks I still hadn’t much luck and anything I tried was poor. But yesterday we took an excursion from the Supermarket to Walton-on-the-Naze which isn’t far. It was a nice sunny winter afternoon with lovely light.

Reaching Walton I eagerly and with much anticipation put the camera through it’s paces. by now I had worked out how to get the spot meter to get as much balance out of the exposure as I could without blowing things and I managed to shoot some interesting compositions – but the camera picked up absolutely nothing of the wonderful golden light – none of the colours – nothing. Every photo was bland, with either over exposed sky or under exposed foreground, lacking nay detail or anything which may be appealing.

I must admit I got to a point where I realized this camera was truly CRAP and beyond redemption – it was so bad that it was excruciating even trying to photograph with it. It became so awful that I hated it! I almost ended up pulling the iPhone out and using that (I eventually did and then realized why those are bad for different reasons). We ended the evening at the Pier and in the Arcade machines and 2p Machines where I reluctantly tried to take some snaps – knowing that when I got home my plans of taking this anywhere else had been cancelled and this would be stored away forever or given away. Not worth keeping as some long term investment as there’s no box and no dock.
Anyway This is a brief story of my experience with the Konica Minolta Dimage X1 – Possibly the worst camera I have ever used. It has absolutely nothing going for it in the photo department – nothing! No character, no nice colour – nothing.

I have no idea what Konica Minolta were thinking – their description of this can’t be further from the truth – I feel sorry for anyone who coughed up to buy this. Useless at anything over ISO 50 – extremely slow, sluggish, blown highlights – even mild ones!

The only way you’ll get good results with this would be if you’re creative and can use the noise and the look – or can convert to B&W (which I tried and failed – see attached) This may well have been made to use with the flash at all times for close up snapshots of family and friends – or static objects in very tame even day front lighting. Any slight increase in contrast kills it immediately. Even in working on the photos afterwards in Light Room I managed to save a few (which I’ve included in this article).
I worked very very hard to get the handful I managed and that was after a lot of practise. Viewing some now, yes, satisfied with them – but the only thing saving them is the interesting subject matter.

So the reviews from the time were all correct, and my confidence in my ability was sorely dashed. The Konica Minolta Dimage X1: beautiful body, shame about the face.

If anyone wants this little beauty for Free then send Hamish a message – and I’ll post.

All Images – ISO 50, Spot Meter. Auto White Balance, edited on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.

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