Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
The DiMAGE X60’s styling focuses on simplicity and the camera is free from any unnecessary adornment. The body has a flat finish to its aluminum casing that is pleasant to handle and look at. The body’s aluminum construction lends a feeling of durability to the camera and doesn’t contribute to excessive bulk of heft. The sliding lens cover protects the glass when not in use and omits the need for dirt collecting components typical of telescoping lenses. The DiMAGE X60’s design seems like it will appeal to style seekers with its sleek and compact form and will be easily transportable within a pocket or palm.

Size / Portability (7.5)
The DiMAGE X60 has a compact rectangular aluminum body with rounded edges and resembles many of Pentax’s Optio offerings. The slim, tempered X60 frame measures just 0.9 inches deep and fits nicely into a pocket, without hindering movement. The raised strip on the front of the camera has rounded edges that pose no concern for snagging on cloth or garments. The 3.3 x 2.2 x 0.9-inch camera weighs 4.1 ounces without battery or memory card, and will be easily transportable.

There is raised eyelet on the left side of the DiMAGE X60 and an included hand strap, providing an alternative mode of transport for those who don’t want to weight down their pockets or occupy their hands. The camera’s balanced feel and lack of heft or bulk will make for minimal discomfort when dangling from the user’s wrist. The camera’s compact size and portability is perhaps its strongest selling point.

Handling Ability (6.5)
The design of the DiMAGE X60 incorporates several nice ergonomic touches that aid in handling and make the camera easier to use. The raised bumps on the back of the camera provide a nice rest for the user’s thumb as does the depression in the zoom toggle. While the raised Konica Minolta logo serves as a convenient grip during operation, the elevated plane enables users to open or close the lens cover open with a single hand. The DiMAGE X60’s balanced form allows it to rest nicely in the user’s palm and be repositioned easily. Although there are no rubber planes or patches applied to the X60’s exterior, the matte finished coating around the body can be easily gripped due to the strategic array of protrusions and controls.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.5)
With the large 2.5-inch screen dominating the back, Konica Minolta had to maximize the limited space allotted to controls to make the diminutive X60 manageable to use. Fortunately, this was done fairly effectively, utilizing horizontal controls and negative space well to optimize this camera for one-handed operation. The navigation buttons have a raised bump in the middle of each one that distinguishes the controls and facilitates their use by touch alone. The navigational controls are evenly spaced around the central “ok” button, although even with proper spacing, the tiny buttons will be difficult for some large-handed users.

The DiMAGE X60’s mode switch is located on the top of the camera and clicks nicely into place when switching from still shooting to preset shooting or video/audio capture. The clicks of the switch are firm yet yield enough for easy one-handed operation. All of the buttons on the DiMAGE X60 are clearly labeled with words or icons that illustrate their purpose, and they are and color coded to boot (black for shooting and green for playback).

Menu (6.0)
The DiMAGE X60’s menus are accessed via the menu button to the right of the LCD screen. The menus appear as an overlay superimposed over the live view. This is always a nice inclusion, helping users perceive setting alterations prior to rendering the selection. When cycling though the various options, the camera highlights the choices in four different colors, depending on the mode the camera is in: green for playback, magenta for still and preset shooting, brown for movie/audio capture, and blue for camera setup options. The color coding adds an intuitive graphic quality to the menu that helps to organize and clarify options. The menus are conveniently broken down into submenus so that each subcategory’s choices are all visible at once, and each choice is labeled with a full title.

The menu options differ depending upon whether the camera is in one of the shooting modes or playback. When in still image shooting, the menu button yields the choice of three submenus (1, 2 and 3) across the top of the screen, with their respective menu options listed below. While the options are easily understood, the numerical labeling is utterly ambiguous. Submenu 1 holds controls over image size, quality, white balance, and the Key function, where you choose what menu option comes up after pressing the shortcut key, i.e. the right navigation arrow. Submenu 2 holds Sensitivity (ISO), Metering mode, Exposure Compensation, and Auto reset. Submenu 3 contains Color mode, Voice memo, Date imprint, Digital zoom, and Instant playback.

When in one of the preset shooting modes, the menu button offers the same submenus and choices as it does in the still image mode, but control over certain features are grayed out depending upon which shooting mode the user is in.

When in the Movie/Audio capture mode the menu button brings up two submenus. Submenu 1 contains RecordingMode, Frame rate, and Movie mode. Submenu 2 contains White balance, Exposure compensation, and Color mode.

The Setup menu is also divided into three subsets, but offers the same options regardless of which shooting mode the camera is in. Submenu 1 contains LCDbrightness, Format, Language, File # memory, and Folder name. Submenu 2 holds Audio signals, Focus signal, Shutter FX, Volume, and Power save. Submenu 3 houses Reset default, Date/Time set, Video output, and Transfer mode.

Users must use the menu button to control all of the features on the DiMAGE X60 aside from shooting mode, entering playback, and display of overlaid image information. The space between the buttons and the raised bumps on them makes navigating the menus fairly simple and easy to do, even one-handed. The menus are consistently arranged and have the same layout and feel. Navigation of the menus is accomplished with the navigation buttons and selecting and confirming options is done with the central, round “OK” button.

Ease of Use (8.0)
As a fully automatic camera, the DiMAGE X60 is intuitive and easy-to-use. With limited manual controls other than exposure compensation, white balance, and ISO, the interface should be easy for any level user to manage. The buttons are well positioned and clearly labeled, with few choices to minimize confusion. Menu selections are easily made and confirming them is done in a consistent manner, helping to minimize the camera’s learning curve. The manual that accompanies the DiMAGE X60 is well written and contains numerous pictures and diagrams to explain the camera’s features. When certain buttons are required to initiate a specific function, the manual will provide a diagram of the buttons and darken those that need to be depressed, offering a handy means of explanation to those that require assistance. This is fortunate for less-photographically knowledgeable users, as the camera does not provide an in-camera help menu.

Transferring images to the computer is relatively easy as the camera mounts on the desktop like a USB flash drive, allowing users to simply drag and drop images to where they please on their computer. Recharging the battery, though, is not as simple of an affair and requires users to remove the battery from the camera and use the supplier’s charger, unless they purchase the optional AC adapter.

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