DiMAGE G500 Digital Camera
Manufacturer: Konica Minolta Part number: 2731-131
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- This sleek, pocketable point-and-shoot is ideal for those who want to capture highly detailed images while traveling light.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
DiMAGE G500 Digital Camera price range: $499.00
- Reviewed by: Eamon Hickey
- Reviewed on: 01/15/2004
- Released on: 09/15/2003
The good: Very slim and portable; excellent image quality; manual exposure; selectable CCD sensitivity.
The bad: Small four-way controller; little wide-angle capability; no custom white balance.
The bottom line: This sleek, pocketable point-and-shoot is ideal for those who want to capture highly detailed images while traveling light.
When Konica and Minolta married last fall, the Konica KD-510Z became the Konica Minolta Dimage G500. Under either alias, this camera is a modest upgrade to the original Konica KD-500Z, a 5-megapixel, 3X-zoom snapshooter that earned high marks for both portability and image quality.
The G500 retains the KD-500Z's sturdy, metal body; moderate eight-ounce weight (with batteries and media); and slim design. But the company slightly restyled the camera, encasing it in a new finish of dull silver and toning down the green LED that flashed to unwittingly comic effect on the original. As with the KD-500Z, you activate nearly all the features from within the menu system; it's streamlined and relatively logical, but its four-way navigation pad is still much too small.
Like its predecessor, the G500 is designed for basic snapshooting, but Konica Minolta has added some useful exposure options. A manual exposure mode now supplements programmed autoexposure, you can set ISO sensitivity from 50 to 400, and the longest exposure time has improved from the previous 1 second to 15 seconds. The camera also supplies a three-step preset manual focus.
Other major specifications remain essentially unchanged. The 3X zoom lens, with its 39mm-to-117mm range (the 35mm-film equivalent), still lacks decent wide-angle capability. You save stills as JPEG images to SD/MMC or Memory Stick media, choosing from two compression levels and four resolutions. In movie mode, the G500 will record 320x240-pixel MJPEG video with sound in clips as long as 30 seconds.
Overall, the G500 produces sharp, bright, and pleasing images.
The G500 slightly outperforms comparable point-and-shoots, though it's not as responsive as we'd like. Konica Minolta claims that the camera starts up in 1.3 seconds, but the fastest we could get from power-up to our first photo was 2.7 seconds, which is still reasonable. Autofocus speed is about average; shutter delay and shot-to-shot time rate as adequate, typically running 0.9 and 3 seconds, respectively. The lens zooms quickly if a little noisily, and it's fairly easy to control. On a single charge, the lithium-ion rechargeable battery delivered a decent 470 pictures, which is about what we expect from an 820mAh cell.
We did notice a bit of moiré in some areas, such as in this grosgrain ribbon.
Despite its point-and-shoot feature set, the G500 takes impressive photos that will look good at print sizes of 8x10 and even a bit larger. Sharpness and detail are excellent, noise at ISO 50 and ISO 100 is low, colors are vivid, there are few processing artifacts, and skin tones seem natural. The lack of manual white balance shows--shots snapped under our tungsten test lights came out very yellow on automatic and a little pink when we used the preset. The camera's one significant image-quality problem is a marked tendency to blow out highlights at the default contrast and exposure levels.
Just like its predecessor, the Dimage G500 delivers a good combination of style and functionality. And if you shop around, you can find the camera at a bargain price.
User reviews
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Poor in-door camera
Pros: Small, solid feel to it, good quality pictures on a sunny day
Cons: MAJOR red-eye problem, some are even "white eyes" not correctible with photoshop. At least half of indoor pictures in medium light settings are out of focus. Takes a long time to focus in medium-low light settings, by the time it does my 3-year-old is g
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Glad to be rid of it.
Pros: A small camera that is very easy to use.
Cons: Like many of the other reviews have stated roughly half of the pictures I took were out of focus. This is particularly bad because I bought this camera for my honeymoon. I have since sold it for a $100 less than what I bought it for and I just consider
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent Picture quality, very compact!!!
Pros: This a very good camera for the price you pay and the features you get. My last camera which was stolen was a canon S-50 and between the two you could pretty much flip a coin. Excellent Quality photos at 5 mp, fast start-up, two different storage medias (
Cons: No hand strap, and does tend to pick up fingerprints easily. Larger zoom would be nice but that's one of the trade-off's when looking to go compact.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The best I've owned yet
by wds21921 on February 29, 2008
Pros: Simple to use, immediately excellent results!
Cons: No white balance but not really needed
Summary: After just getting rid of a horrible Olympus camera (which I'll never buy again) and an old Fuji DX-10 (loved it) I replaced both with this used Dimage G500 ...
Summary: After just getting rid of a horrible Olympus camera (which I'll never buy again) and an old Fuji DX-10 (loved it) I replaced both with this used Dimage G500 Konica/Minolta. For the results, the ease of use and the money, you can't beat this model. It's got the normal basic features, a flash that only reaches out about 8 feet in total darkness, and some nice bonus features that make this camera a must have.
The best feature? The battery that never seems to die lol (serious). It's got a Li type battery that I've used for over a year now and have yet to have to re-charge it. I've also got a back-up battery but never used it. After having had to use the alkaline throw away batteries in my Fuji and then rechargable alkalines in my Olympus, the LI type battery was a breath of fresh air and long, long, long lasting power.
The photos are clear and crisp but the features do take a little getting used to.
For the money you'd be crazy to pass up this camera. It's comfortable, easy to use and delivers consistently good quality photos. The macro feature is so-so, which I think they could have done better with but other than that I have to give this one a 9 out of 10 on every category! -
Fussy Point and Shot
by sbwlw2 on July 23, 2007
Pros: Nice quality when they turn out
Cons: Too difficult to get good pictures
Summary: We bought a minolta because our SLR was a minolta and we loved that camera. The Dimage G500 is just too difficult to use and get good pictures. I find ...
Summary: We bought a minolta because our SLR was a minolta and we loved that camera. The Dimage G500 is just too difficult to use and get good pictures. I find myself constantly changing the settings in order to get a picture with the correct lighting. It also has a difficult time focusing. The pictures that I do get right are very nice. I bought a point-and-click because I wanted an automatic camera. If I wanted to fuss with all the settings, I would have choosen a camera designed for that.
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Because it's worth it
by oneill87 on May 16, 2006
Pros: Quality casing, great battery life and fairly reliable
Cons: Video time & quality low.
Summary: This camera is a great one for digital camera first-time buyers. Easy to use and sleek enough to get to know the ropes. It has a nice solid case which ...
Summary: This camera is a great one for digital camera first-time buyers. Easy to use and sleek enough to get to know the ropes. It has a nice solid case which will withstand a few bumps ( tried and tested - whoops! ). Have no complications with it since purchased either. I used this camera to capture a photo shoot and my co-worker was using a professional pricey Canon camera in a shoot at the same time ( just to test). We found that while he was spending lightyears trying to get lighting and focus right, I was clicking away with the G500. At the end of the shoot, my pictures seemed more professional and less ammendments to be done. Final summary - lovely wee camera, with professional prints!
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Great camera, love it!
by MrsW on April 4, 2006
Pros: Compact; excellent image quality
Cons: Short video clips; somewhat heavy
Summary: I did a lot of research before I bought it about 1.5 years ago: I was looking for something small, 5 megapixel - not to have an outdated camera ...
Summary: I did a lot of research before I bought it about 1.5 years ago: I was looking for something small, 5 megapixel - not to have an outdated camera in a couple of months and video fitures. Absolutely love it. Same as everyone who sees it. The image quality is great (MUCH better than in a lot of other - more expensive - cameras). I took this camera with me to a few places with different climats and it worked wonderfully. For the price it's selling for now it's a great buy!
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Disappointing
by DLWallis on January 20, 2006
Pros: Handy size and weight
Cons: Poor picture quality, Poor controls. JPEG ONLY.
Summary: Inaccurate colors (especially in the blue-purple range). Slow CCD causes pictures to be darker than in LCD, and shutter to be open too long, resulting in excessive motion blur. Flash ...
Summary: Inaccurate colors (especially in the blue-purple range). Slow CCD causes pictures to be darker than in LCD, and shutter to be open too long, resulting in excessive motion blur. Flash does not help these problems.
Too many options require menu system. No mode dial as on Canon Powershots. -
Great travel camera
by gregvail on December 19, 2005
Pros: Fits in Pocket, Metal Construction, good pics
Cons: Digital Camera response times
Summary: This was my first digital camera. I am a camera novice in general. Worked great. Sturdy construction. Fits in my Front blue jean pocket. Takes great pictures. Only complaint is ...
Summary: This was my first digital camera. I am a camera novice in general. Worked great. Sturdy construction. Fits in my Front blue jean pocket. Takes great pictures. Only complaint is the time it takes to take a picture or lack of burst mode as it's called for taking rapid shots in succession. This is common in digital cameras. Also has a proprietary USB cable. Great deal for the money.
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Two years later, still satisfied
by tomcrisp on September 2, 2005
Pros: Strong metal case / excellent lens / true color / relatively intuitive / good battery life / lens cover / picture viewing available in picture-taking mode
Cons: the plastic tripd fitting may one day snap ... not yet! / NO PRINTED MANUAL / smallish lcd in comparison to some
Summary: I've been using my G500 since shortly after it was introduced, and I've been extremely satisfied.
The biggest flaw in this package is the lack of a printed ...Summary: I've been using my G500 since shortly after it was introduced, and I've been extremely satisfied.
The biggest flaw in this package is the lack of a printed manual. The cd-rom version is fine, but there should be an out-of-the-box guide. The lack of that one thing is probably responsible for more bad feelings about this camera than anything.
Folks need to get the fact that snapshots of moving objects in the dark will be out of focus. Yes, the g500 is lacking focus-assist, but expectations need to be reasonable. If you want pictures,you need light. Just turning on a lamp or two makes all the difference, you don't need floodlights. Beyond that, using a tripod for non-moving subjects in very low light I have had great results.
Adjustability is useful on this camera: two things I use all the time are the flash options and the lighting source options. My default mode is no flash - if I want it as fill or automatic, I switch to that. Easily done. And light source is also quickly adjusted, from bright sun, to normal outdoor, to incandescent, to fluorescent. That function improves a lot of pictures ...
A note: while I was shopping I got a lot of help from a couple of websites with tremendous info on digital cameras (urls below). After, i used the same sites for user forums to get great tips on improving my results. These cameras are not 1940s brownies! They're little computers, and like all the peripherals we buy, there's a learning curve. To get something out of them, a user has to devote a little time to the manual and to practice. That brings us full circle: A MANUAL. A little more tree-ware (well-written and planned) would produce many more satisfied customers, but the computer world just doesn't seem to get that ...
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/default.htm
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Konica Minolta
- Part number: 2731-131
- Description: Dressed in an elegant metal case, the DiMAGE G500 is a stylish and versatile companion, packing high-quality 5 megapixel images and powerful imaging controls in a compact body. Measuring only 3.7 x 2.2 x 1.2 inches, the G500 can be easily slipped into a pocket, purse, or fanny pack. And weighing a mere 7 ounces, this camera will not be a burden. Despite its small size, the DiMAGE G500 is packed with image-making features. Exposures can be set manually. Color saturation, contrast, and sharpness can be controlled to create the picture you want. And a maximum 9X zoom ratio provides powerful photographic potential.
General
- Product Type Digital camera
- Point-and-shoot highlights Having video capture capability makes this camera ideal for social functions or vacation shots.
- Width 3.7 in
- Depth 1.2 in
- Height 2.2 in
- Weight 0.4 lbs
- Body Material Metal
Main Features
- Resolution 5 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 5,360,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 5,000,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/1.76 in
- Light Sensitivity ISO 50, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400
- Analog Video Format NTSC, PAL
- Digital Zoom 3 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Macro, Landscape, Night portrait
- Special Effects Sepia, Saturation, Black & White, Contrast compensation
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Exposure Range EV 3-15.5
- Exposure Compensation ±1.5 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- White Balance Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten light
- Digital Video Format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Continuous Shooting Speed 15 frames per second
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 320 x 240 - 30 sec - Max clip duration, AVI - 320 x 240 - 60 sec - With 16MB card
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 16 MB Flash - SD Memory Card (soldered memory - 2 MB )
- Supported Flash Memory Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage Fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 6 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 11 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 12 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 18 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 20 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 35 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 70 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 640 x 480 : 140 - With 16MB card
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 1.6 ft - 11.5 ft
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 8 mm - 24 mm - F/2.8-4.9
- Focal Length 8 mm - 24 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 39 - 117 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 6-50cm
- Lens Aperture F/2.8-4.9
- Optical Zoom 3 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 6 group(s) / 7 element(s)
- Features Aspherical lens
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 3 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features DPOF support, Audio recording, Auto power save, Digital noise reduction, Display brightness control
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type Optical - Real-image zoom
- Viewfinder Frames Autofocus frame
- LED Information Flash ready, Autofocus ready
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 1.5 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 117,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x DC power input
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card, 1 x Memory Stick
Software
- Software Drivers & Utilities
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Included Accessories Hand strap
- Cables Included 1 x USB cable
Power
- Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 122 °F
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Konica Minolta
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Konica Minolta products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.konica.com/
- Address:
725 Darlington Ave.
Mahweh, NJ 07430 - Phone: 800-285-6422
- Email: support@konica.com
- Fax: 201-574-4010
