September 23, 2005 – DXG USA announced the release of a new 5.1 megapixel digital camera, the DXG-503, yesterday. The camera comes with a Kyocera 3x optical zoom lens, a 2-inch LCD screen with 130,000 pixels, and 32MB of internal memory. These features come with a relatively low suggested retail price of $149-169. The DXG-503 is shipping immediately.
The Kyocera 3x optical zoom lens is the camera’s strongest selling point. With maximum apertures of f/2.8-f/4.7, this 3x zoom lens lets in a good deal of light for the price. The lens can focus as close as 8 inches in its macro mode. The DXG-503 is what DXG calls “standard-sized” at 4 x 2.7 x 1.6 inches; its body looks similar to the Kodak EasyShare C-series cameras with its traditional look and slight right-hand grip. It weighs just under 6 ounces when the SD/MMC card and two AA batteries are not in it.
The DXG-503 is mainly an automatic camera, with a simplified interface and many automated settings. Users can manually select an ISO sensitivity from 100-400 or choose one of the five white balance presets. The DXG-503 can record video clips of 320 x 240 pixels at a rate of 20 frames per second – and can do it with sound. This new model can print directly to printers without a computer. DXG USA hopes its feature set and low price will attract a crowd this year.
“Retailers are very excited about the DXG-503 for this holiday season,” said Jeff Hansen, Director of Marketing for DXG USA. “With energy prices affecting the discretionary income of many shoppers, retailers see the price of the DXG-503 as a significant advantage for attracting sales this holiday season. We also feel it is a great opportunity to demonstrate to consumers DXG’s ability to compete head-on with many of the more recognized brands priced significantly higher.”
