Color (4.4)
Because you probably want things like your kid’s hair to be the same color in your pictures as it is in real life, we tested the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X60’s color reproduction. We used this point-and-shoot to take several exposures of the GretagMacbeth color chart, an industry standard for referencing color. We uploaded the pictures into Imatest Imaging Software and let the computer program analyze the X60’s colors as compared to the ideal colors from the chart. Below is a chart from that analysis; the inner rectangle is the ideal color, the outer square is the color output by the Konica Minolta X60, and the inner square is the color-corrected version that software programs produce from the camera’s images.

This next chart shows where on the spectrum the camera’s colors fall and where the ideal colors fall in comparison. Ideally, these would all be perfectly stacked on each other, though this is never the case. The circles represent the color output by the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X60 and the squares represent the ideal color of the original chart.

As you can see, hardly any of the colors are spot on. The reds and purples are quite exaggerated and the greens and yellows didn’t fare too well either. With a mean color error of 13.5, the X60 earned a disappointing 4.44 overall color score. This digital camera did only over-saturate by 6.4 percent, which is noteworthy. However, great saturation levels don’t do much for discoloration.

Still Life Scene
Below is a shot of our timeless still life scene captured with the Konica Minolta X60.

Click on the above image to view the full resolution file (CAUTION: linked file is very large!)

Resolution / Sharpness (3.9)
Using the same Imatest software, we measure resolution by taking a set of exposures of an industry standard resolution chart at various settings and uploading them into a program that counts the pixels used. Many times, the resultant pixel count differs from the manufacturer’s count. This is because of varying degrees of in-camera compression and sharpening. We report the resolution score as a percentage of the advertised pixel count, with anything above 70 percent receiving a “good” designation. Above 80 percent receives “very good” accolades and above 90 percent is considered “excellent.”

Click on the chart to view full res. image

This Konica Minolta X60 received an honorable “very good” designation with its 80 percent count. This DiMAGE recorded 3.9 megapixels, which is quite decent for a compact digital camera. This camera should be able to produce quality enlargements, provided that the images are not cropped any tighter in postproduction editing. Imatest did report 15.5 percent oversharpening within the camera. Most compact digital cameras do this, so this is nothing to fret about.

Noise – Auto ISO (4.22)
The Konica Minolta X60 has both automatic and manual ISO adjustments. We tested the camera’s performance when it selected the ISO itself and got fairly positive results. When we took exposures in good lighting, the X60 selected a 100 sensitivity rating. This was an accurate reading and rating, though there was still some noise. The DiMAGE X60 received an overall auto ISO noise score of 4.22, which is decent for a point-and-shoot. Keep in mind that the automatic ISO range on this model is relatively stunted though; it only reaches from 50-160.

Noise – Manual ISO (4.88)
The Konica Minolta DiMAGE X60 performed a little better when the ISO was manually adjusted. Below is a chart showing the noise level on the vertical axis and the ISO ratings on the horizontal axis. These results were put in a regression analysis to get the overall manual ISO score of 4.88.

There is a steady climb in the noise levels from 50 to 200. Then when the camera is adjusted to ISO 400, there is a huge jump in noise. Expect clean images from the Konica Minolta X60 until the ISO 400 rating is used.

Low Light (3.0)
The X60 automatically adjusts the shutter speed to go as slow as 4 seconds and the aperture as large as f/3.3 in low light. Using a tripod to keep the camera steady, we took exposures of the color chart at decreasing light levels of 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux. Two table lamps is equivalent to the light emitted at 60 lux. 30 lux is what you’ll get from a single 40-watt light bulb. A softly lit night light emits about 15 lux; 5 lux is close to total darkness. We took all of these stills using the Night Portrait scene mode to ensure the longest exposure possible.

Low Light Tests
60 Lux	30 Lux
15 Lux	5 Lux

The decreasing light levels didn’t affect the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X60’s color very much, but impeded the camera’s ability to focus and allowed increasing levels of noise to enter the picture. All of the images are blurry and extremely noisy. Pictures taken in low light with this digital camera will be disappointingly unusable.

Speed / Timing
Start-up to First Shot (7.78)
Because the X60 returns to its default settings when first turned on, and because we always test this section indoors, the flash discharges on this first shot. But this first shot won’t take until 3.42 seconds have elapsed. This is on the slower side of compact digital cameras’ start-up times. The speed is around 1.62 seconds when the flash is disengaged.

Shot to Shot (8.18)
The burst mode is a little slower than most compact cameras with a shot to shot time of 0.715 seconds. The X60 shoots at this speed for four pictures, then rests for 4.47 seconds before taking its next set of four images.

Shutter to Shot (7.66)
This Konica Minolta DiMAGE has substantial shutter lag, with 0.67 seconds going by between the time the shutter release button is pressed and the moment the picture is recorded.

Intro	Page 2 of 12		Physical Tour
Konica Minolta DiMAGE X60 Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Testing / Performance	Physical Tour	Components
Design / Layout	Modes	Control Options	Image Parameters
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