Digital Camera Reviews

Product Name: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P150/P100

Ultra-High Resolution, Full-featured Compact with movie.

Manufacturer: Sony
Price: P150 A$999.00, P100 A$799.00 as at Nov 2004
Release Date: July 2004.

Ideal For: Those already comfortable and familiar with the Cyber-shot range looking for extra resolution

Pros:

  • Noise clean-up for dark images
  • Extensive accessory range
  • Mod styling
  • Great battery life

Cons:

  • Not for fat fingers
  • Only 3x zoom
  • Premium price
  • Underpowered flash

Features:

Ease of Use:

Overall: 1/2

Verdict:

A sexy camera for sure, but you pay a premium for the 7.2 megapixel resolution which may be overkill in many cases. Consider the otherwise identical 5.1 megapixel P100 and save $200.

Notes:

.Personally I find these ultra-compact Cyber-shots ‘slippery’ and hard to handle. It seems I’m always putting my grubby fat fingers on the bits that need cleaning. But as far as features and clever built-ins go, it reads like a piece of prime real estate, right down to noise clean-up for dark and long exposure shots. To look at, it’s hard to see the best part of a grand in something the size of a cigarette pack.

Incompatibility with my clumsy mitts aside, the unassuming minimal design suits Sony’s with-it marketing to a ‘T’. The feature selection process is a bit unusual with the rear wheel replicated on the large 1.8” rear LCD as you turn, but you could get used to it.

Despite its acknowledged pedigree, the brand-name Carl Zeiss lens is only 3x zoom, but coupled to the 7.2 megapixel Super HAD CCD, you can afford to crop quite a bit. Distortion and chromatic aberrations can be ignored in most cases.

Sony has its own version of ‘scene mode’ where you can choose pre-configured set-ups for a variety of otherwise difficult shooting situations eg candlelight, fireworks and twilight. Any camera with this feature is at a definite advantage

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