May 9, 2005 - While making well known the release of their new 5.0 megapixel DiMAGE X60, Konica Minolta quietly made a second release today in the form of the 5-megapixel DiMAGE E500. The camera boasts a 2-inch LCD screen, 12 MB of internal memory, and a 3x optical zoom lens. The E500 appeared on the Konica Minolta U.S. web site today; pricing and availability information is currently unknown.
Konica Minolta bills the DiMAGE E500 as a “very affordable, very uncomplicated 5 megapixel camera.” The E500 measures 3.6 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches with an empty weight of 4.6 ounces and accepts two AA batteries, as well as SD memory cards. The two-inch color LCD of the E500 has an approximate resolution of 130,000 pixels. Start-up time, from the second the camera is switched on to when the image is displayed, is three seconds. Shutter release time lag is stated as .05 seconds and autofocus takes approximately 1.5 seconds, according to Konica Minolta.
The DiMAGE E500 movie mode captures video clips at a resolution of 320 x 240 at 20 frames per second. Shooting modes include Program, Portrait, Landscape, Sports and Night. The E500 has a focal length of 5.4-116.2 mm, equivalent to 32-96mm in 35mm format. The lens can focus subjects from 1.6 ft to infinity.
The E500 features resolutions of 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 1280 x 960 and 640 x 480 and a white balance repertoire of automatic, daylight, cloudy, sunset, tungsten or fluorescent. The camera has an extremely limited sensitivity range of ISO 50-200, with an ISO 100 rating and Auto setting offered as well. The shutter speeds range from 1-1/2000th of a second.
