Minolta thinks it's hit on reasonable a price/performance combo with its new DiMAGE digital cameras. The company's new single-lens reflex (SLR) Minolta DiMAGE 7 (5.24 megapixel) and DiMAGE 5 (3.34 megapixel) digital cameras feature 7x optical and 2x digital zoom capabilities, high-resolution apochromatic lenses (Minolta GT LENS), Minolta's CxProcess image processing system, a large-scale integration (LSI) chip, and an autofocus control. The DiMAGE 7 is equipped with a 2/3 inch-type CCD for a total of 5.24 million pixels. The DiMAGE 5 has a 1/1.8 inch CCD with a 3.34 million pixel resolution. Both are contained in a magnesium alloy body and have a built-in flash. The DiMAGE 7 should come out in July 2001 with an estimated street price of $1,499. The DiMAGE 5 will follow in August at $999. A picture is worth a million pixels but rarely worth a million bucks.