Housed in an elegant metal case and weighing just 7 ounces, the compact Minolta Dimage G500 can be easily slipped into a pocket or fanny pack while on vacation. It blends powerful automated features with a host of manual controls (such as color saturation, contrast, and sharpness) and offers a 5-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, compatibility with SD cards and Memory Sticks, and a movie mode with sound.
Optics and Resolution
The Dimage G500's precision electro-optical system is built around a 5.36-megapixel interline primary-color CCD with 5 million effective pixels for beautifully crisp, high-resolution images. It captures up to 2592 x 1944 pixel images for up to 13 x 17-inch enlargements (at 150 dpi). It also offers 2048 x 1536 (3 MP), 1600 x 1200 (2 MP), and 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution modes.
With its high-quality 3x aspheric optical zoom lens, the Dimage G500 has a focal range of 8–24mm (equivalent to a 39–117mm zoom on a 35mm camera). It also has a smooth 3x digital zoom for a 9x total zoom. The maximum aperture of f/2.8–4.9 allows the camera to be used in less than ideal lighting conditions without flash.
Movie and Audio Modes
The Dimage G500 captures up to 30 seconds of video with sound at a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The camera can also record audio on its own, either as an audio-only file (up to 30 seconds) or as an image caption.
More Features
With a fast 1.3-second startup time, you can capture the action at a moment's notice. Plus, the ergonomic control layout makes settings quick and simple; the three most used controls are conveniently placed on the top of the camera body for quick, one-touch access.
The e-mail copy function creates a 640 x 480 or 160 x 120 JPEG copy of an image on the memory card so that it can be easily transferred over the Internet.
The Dimage G500's versatile flash modes let you shoot in a variety of lighting situations with confidence. In automatic mode, the flash fires whenever it's needed. If the main subject is backlit, you can select fill-flash for additional subject illumination.
Other features include:
- 1.5-inch LCD with optical real-image viewfinder
- Image adjustment control settings include saturation, contrast, sharpness, and color balance as well as ISO-equivalent sensitivity and flash compensation
- Manual exposure mode allows you to adjust the lens aperture and shutter speed (from 1/1,000 to 15 seconds ) independently
- Macro mod can get as close as 2.4 inches in both telephoto and wide angle shooting
The Dimage G500 features a dual card slot system for expanded image storage; Memory Sticks and Secure Digital (SD) memory cards can be used alone or in combination. A 16 MB SD card is included with the Dimage G500, and it can store approximately 11 images shot in Normal, 5-megapixel mode. Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB 1.1, which means the camera can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.
Power and Size
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NP-500). It measures 3.7 by 2.2 by 1.2 inches and weighs 7.1 ounces excluding the batteries or 8.3 ounces when loaded with the battery.
What's In The Box
This package contains the Dimage G500 digital camera, 16 MB SD memory card, lithium-ion battery (NP-500), battery charger (BC-500), USB cable (USB-800), hand strap (HS-DG130), Dimage Viewer CD-ROM, instruction manual CD-ROM, and quick-start guide.
Product 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.