Sony Reviews

Excellent picture quality, I am no expert, yet I can easily see the diffence between my pictures and my friends' Canon and Kodak cameras. Size is pretty decent, I carry it everywhere in my pocket ( that's if I don't mind a bulky pocket though ). The night vision makes people go aaaawwww, but is not as practical as it initially sounds. I got a 256Mb pro stick for movies, and I am pretty happy with it. I could use a stronger optical zoom, and certainly a different location for the built-in flash.

Bottomline, I love my camera. It's helping me store my memories in better quality than ever.

the sony dsc-v1 is a top-notch camera that is more portable than its competition. it offers full manual control, 5MP resolution, and 4x optical zoom. i do have a few nits though...

pros:
- 5MP, 4x optical zoom.
- great image quality.
- above average resolution, good tonal balance, good color response.
- full manual control.
- images exhibit very low noise, even at higher ISO.
- image processing parameter control (contrast, saturation and sharpening).
- very fast auto focus!
- quick startup, fast shot-to-shot times (except when shooting TIFF).
- fast write times to memory stick.
- has NightFraming which allows you to focus and compose your scene in total darkness with the aid of the infrared emitter, then shoot a full-color shot using the built-in flash. very cool.
- better than average movie mode.
- compared to the competition (canon g5 and nikon 5400), the dsc-v1 is more compact: dimensions are 4.0"W x 2.6"H x 2.3"D weighing 10.9 oz.
- solid build quality.
- bright, high resolution LCD monitor with anti-reflective coating that works.
- battery charges in-camera, charger doubles as AC adapter.
- hot shoe for external flash (limited to specific sony flashes, though).
- many optional accessory lenses (telephoto, wide angle, filter lenses) available.
- histogram in Live view, Record review and Playback modes
- USB 2.0 means faster downloads.

cons:
- colors a bit washed out.
- noise levels higher than expected
- some purple fringing.
- mild chromatic aberrations visible.
- higher redeye occurrence.
- RAW format not supported.
- saving a TIFF file locks up the camera.
- continuous shooting capability limited to 3 frames.
- minimum ISO setting at 100.
- zoom control is oriented differently so it will take a few tries to get used to it.
- ergonomic issues: tiny menu and resolution keys, very easy to block the flash and optical viewfinder with fingers, left index finger falls right on top of the pop-up flash, suppressing it.
- lots of key functions are buried in menus.
- below average battery performance.
- no separate user settings.
- like most sony products, you pay a premium, pushing up the price.
- expensive memory stick pro cards.
- uses a proprietary battery so add a few bucks to buy a spare (or maybe two given the battery performance).
- the supplied 32MB memory stick is inadequate - again, more $$ for more memory.
- you'll need to remove from tripod to get to the battery or memory stick.

sony has succeeded in delivering a camera that has virtually the same feature set as canon's g5 and nikon's 5400 but in a more compact package. it's not perfect though. RAW format is not supported and writing a TIFF file still takes way too much time. and there are some ergonomic nits that is uncharacteristic of sony. still, this is a great package and worthy of consideration.

i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.

Before you buy DSC-V1, here are some tips about it:
The camera is excellent, considering image quality and features. You can manually set the functions or set the automatic mode (helps beginners but provide features for more advanced photographers - get the manual in Sony Website). The image is better than P92, for V1 has bigger Carl Zeiss lens. P92 is very very easy to use, but V1 has a range of features not available in P92.
1) it requires extra memory stick (which, as you might now is more expensive than compact flash). 256Mb is recommended. 128Mb provides 80 photos full-quality. (any 5.0 Camera, whatever the brand, needs extra memory though.)
2) Spare battery would be useful. The NP-FC11 lasts about 80 minutes and take 2hrs to recharge.
3) Unlike old Sony cameras, you can take pictures faster (whether P32, P92 or V1), but when using V1 with flash, you need to wait few seconds to energy recharge (a bad thing if you need the flash and don't want to miss a thing) - but it's like 3 seconds.
4) A very nice feature is the nightframing and nightshots - it has infrared visor for very dark places.
Comparing to P92, the improvements are amazing. I used them both and found P92 easy to use, but V1 has many useful features, better for those who want to make creative or art photos.

BEWARE, MY CAMERA WAS NOT AS WATERPROOF AS SONY CLAIMED IT TO BE! I bought a DSC-U60 to take on beach vacations 6 months ago. At first, it worked pretty well on our trip to Mexico. I got some good shots of my family in the ocean and pool. However, on our recent trip to Hawaii, condensation started to build up in front of the lens and LCD monitor. Condensation built up in the sealed memory stick/battery compartment too. The water damaged my 128 mb memory stick and the 60 pictures I had taken on it. I contacted sony to have it repaired but the labor warrenty lasts only 90 days. The mimimum estimated labor cost was $139 (for a $249 camera). I chose not to have it repaired and am thinking about buying the new pentax water resistent camera which has 4 megapixal resolution.

as a long time film user, this was my first digital cam. I'm fairly active, and since purchased in Aug 03, have taken it sea and whitewater kayaking, into the break, sailing, sledding, skiing, etc. While the resolution wasn't up to what I was used to with even fast film, I took pictures where I just wouldn't have been able to before. I took care of the o ring, and have experienced none of the problems reported by other reports here.

All was good w/ it until it just died last month. I'm probably going to check out some other alternatives, and am not even going to bother calling sony or the place where I bought it.

Even with that said, the camera's just about paid for itself in the past year.

The U-60 is a gem. I bought it for water sports and to have a small rugged carry-anywhere digicam (I also have an Olympus C-700 for more technical and telephoto shots). I keep it in my pocket and often get those "I wish I had a camera right now" spontaneous shots that I used to miss. It's fast to start, easy to understand, very user friendly, small to carry, and gets decent resolution pics. It goes surfing every time I do. Especially fun and useful is the "burst mode" that takes five shots in a row. It addresses that frustration of "shutter lag" and "shutter timing" that can happen with digital action shots. More info:

PROS:
Small, cheap, rugged, easy to use, good software, good battery life, decent resolution, well waterproofed, cheap batteries, burst mode, battery-saving lowlight LCD mode, card reader unnecessary.

Cons: No viewfinder, tiny LCD, no opt. zoom, burst pics are only 600x400. (although I adjusted to all these shortcomings and didn't miss them!)

For it's intended use, it excels.

This a nice digital camera, it's worth it. The only problem is as well with all the other electronics gadgets, battery life, this itsy bitsy camera eats a lot of them, you will need at least two other sets of rechargable ones. And the red eye option not working very well. I love it

This is a great pocket camera that you can take anywhere and get good pictures.

It's a 2 mega pixal so you can get decent prints up to 8x10, but nothing larger than that.

It has no zoom feature, digital or optical. But typically I don't use that anyway, so I don't find it a problem. I use the "manual" zoom method, in other words I move closer or farther away from the subject!

It turns on very quickly and you can take pictures within one second of hitting the power button.

It offers a built in flash with the option to turn the flash off, on, auto, or auto with red-eye reduction. The base 8Mb card is pretty worthless so spend the money to buy a 128MB or bigger card.

The only real downside to this camera is the battery life. It uses to rechargeable AAA batteries and I've found that I can only take about 60 pictures before I have to recharge. So you may want to buy an extra set of batteries right away so you'll have a fresh set charged and ready when you need them.

Bought it for its portability/size since I take most of the pictures when I ride my motorcycle. I do not take a backpack with me (on local canyon roads), and the camera is small enough to fit in the pocket of my riding suit. Have to be careful and not to open the cover accidentally in the pocket. Ok, here they are:

The positives: 1. size 2. well finished 3. fast start up 4. short intervals between pictures 5. create multiple folders for different occasions 6. controls are easy to use 7. option to turn off/on the "beeps" 8. 2.0 MegaPixels is good enough

The negatives: 1. no zoom (except afterwards) 2. LCD could be bigger (re-arrange the buttons) 3. Infolithium Battery?

Size is the main feature, and very satisfied with its performance and picture quality. Worth my $200.00... =)

This a nice digital camera, it's worth it. The only problem is as well with all the other electronics gadgets, battery life, this itsy bitsy camera eats a lot of them, you will need at least two other sets of rechargable ones. And the red eye option not working very well. I love it

This is a great pocket camera that you can take anywhere and get good pictures.

It's a 2 mega pixal so you can get decent prints up to 8x10, but nothing larger than that.

It has no zoom feature, digital or optical. But typically I don't use that anyway, so I don't find it a problem. I use the "manual" zoom method, in other words I move closer or farther away from the subject!

It turns on very quickly and you can take pictures within one second of hitting the power button.

It offers a built in flash with the option to turn the flash off, on, auto, or auto with red-eye reduction. The base 8Mb card is pretty worthless so spend the money to buy a 128MB or bigger card.

The only real downside to this camera is the battery life. It uses to rechargeable AAA batteries and I've found that I can only take about 60 pictures before I have to recharge. So you may want to buy an extra set of batteries right away so you'll have a fresh set charged and ready when you need them.

Bought it for its portability/size since I take most of the pictures when I ride my motorcycle. I do not take a backpack with me (on local canyon roads), and the camera is small enough to fit in the pocket of my riding suit. Have to be careful and not to open the cover accidentally in the pocket. Ok, here they are:

The positives: 1. size 2. well finished 3. fast start up 4. short intervals between pictures 5. create multiple folders for different occasions 6. controls are easy to use 7. option to turn off/on the "beeps" 8. 2.0 MegaPixels is good enough

The negatives: 1. no zoom (except afterwards) 2. LCD could be bigger (re-arrange the buttons) 3. Infolithium Battery?

Size is the main feature, and very satisfied with its performance and picture quality. Worth my $200.00... =)

This a nice digital camera, it's worth it. The only problem is as well with all the other electronics gadgets, battery life, this itsy bitsy camera eats a lot of them, you will need at least two other sets of rechargable ones. And the red eye option not working very well. I love it

This is a great pocket camera that you can take anywhere and get good pictures.

It's a 2 mega pixal so you can get decent prints up to 8x10, but nothing larger than that.

It has no zoom feature, digital or optical. But typically I don't use that anyway, so I don't find it a problem. I use the "manual" zoom method, in other words I move closer or farther away from the subject!

It turns on very quickly and you can take pictures within one second of hitting the power button.

It offers a built in flash with the option to turn the flash off, on, auto, or auto with red-eye reduction. The base 8Mb card is pretty worthless so spend the money to buy a 128MB or bigger card.

The only real downside to this camera is the battery life. It uses to rechargeable AAA batteries and I've found that I can only take about 60 pictures before I have to recharge. So you may want to buy an extra set of batteries right away so you'll have a fresh set charged and ready when you need them.

Bought it for its portability/size since I take most of the pictures when I ride my motorcycle. I do not take a backpack with me (on local canyon roads), and the camera is small enough to fit in the pocket of my riding suit. Have to be careful and not to open the cover accidentally in the pocket. Ok, here they are:

The positives: 1. size 2. well finished 3. fast start up 4. short intervals between pictures 5. create multiple folders for different occasions 6. controls are easy to use 7. option to turn off/on the "beeps" 8. 2.0 MegaPixels is good enough

The negatives: 1. no zoom (except afterwards) 2. LCD could be bigger (re-arrange the buttons) 3. Infolithium Battery?

Size is the main feature, and very satisfied with its performance and picture quality. Worth my $200.00... =)

After looking into other micro-digital cameras, I thought I would take a chance on the SONY because of it's 2MP and other reviews. I AM NOT DISAPPOINTED.
Positives:
1.The size and weight are impressive and easy to handle.
2.Picture taking clear and simple.
3.5x7 quality is 5 outdoors and 4 indoors.

Negatives:
1.No zoom (which I would sacrifice for weight and size).
2.Flash limited in distance. Excellent quality indoor pictures up to 8'.

Overall:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for size, weight, quality and ease of us.

This camera is amazing. I've only had it for 2 weeks and I love it. I already have a 3.3 megapixel camera with zoom (Sony DSC-P1) so this was more of a "pocket" camera. Just something to throw in my pocket for "everyday events" that I want to capture.

PROS:
1) The size is the biggest - it will fit anywhere.
2) Batteries - It takes two AAA (It came with rechargable ones) but in a bind you can get AAA's anywhere.
3) All the features are there (red-eye reduction, index for taken pics, picture effects, etc....)

CONS:
1) There is no zoom - if this is going to be your "first" digital camera I would consider the somewhat larger but optically more advanced Sony's.
2) 2 Megapixels - This is actually good and bad. 2 Megapixs is at the border of a "good" picture (IMHO). On a monitor, they look fine and they can be cropped slightly; but printing large pics or magging up too much gives a pixelly result. On the other hand, my 64 MB card holds over 120 pictures.

I have had it for about a year. It is my constant companion. We ditched 35mm in favor of this baby. Results are not perfect, but for the size & price, it's wonderful. And don't forget that it uses AAA batteries!

Having said all that, I am hoping to get a DSC P92 before our next family vacation...

I just got this little gem as my new glovebox cam. I've used it indoors and outdoors, with and without flash, and I'm very pleased with the pictures I've gotten thus far. I took an experimental movie clip (no sound) and it also looks fine. The 1 megapixel resolution (you can also select 640 x 480) for photos is perfect for computer use and for prints up to 5" x 7". The camera uses 2 rechargeable AAAs (the charger is included) and the battery life is very good. The included 8 megabyte Memory Stick is too small, but I put a 128 meg (Lexar) card in there and I get almost 400 pics on its full 1 megapixel setting. Settings and menus are simple and the instruction manual is not needed. The size and weight are of course the big pluses here. I gave it only 4 stars though because I felt the price was a bit high for the specs (obviously, the price is the premium for the size) *and* because without an eyepiece viewfinder, one is forced to frame through the tiny LCD on the camera's rear. That is a nearly impossible task in sunlight, making for a significant drawback. Nonetheless, I'm having fun with it and I'm sure you will too!

Once I got this nifty little camera out of the box, I was very excited to begin taking pictures. The great thing about this package is everything you need to get started is included, so you don't need to go off buying batteries or memory stick.

This camera is fairly simple to operate. Everything is explained in the included instruction manual. For its small size, some people may easily misplace or lose it.

There are two image sizes this camera offers: 1280x960 and 640x480. I found the 640x480 to be a lower quality than I expected. Many of the pixels are visible, making a not-so-clear photo. However, the 1280x960 size seems to not have that pixel problem. Another cool thing possible on this camera is making a 15 sec movie (no audio). The LCD screen is only about an inch wide, so it may be difficult to preview your photos clearly.

this isn't a great camera to be printing with. However, if all you want is to send e-mail with them or put them up on a website, then by all means, this camera is well suited for those purposes.

I have a better camera than this one. It's a Sony too, and it has 3X zoom, a bigger LCD screen, sound MPG's, more megapixels, and just generally all the bells and whistles that my 2-year-old miniature Sony doesn't have.
And yet I still take most of my pictures on the DSCU10. Why? Because it's always in my jacket pocket and it's always ready. It's a full-feature camera and it's smaller than a Snickers bar. Better still, the design is brilliantly intuitive. Slide open the cover, press the button. That's it! You can even get your Mom to use it. And while the batteries take a while to charge, it will hold the charge for weeks or even months while you carry it around. And oddly enough, it's much easier to download from than my newer, more expensive Sony. Just plug in the USB, the camera turns itself on and it starts downloading.
Unquestionably it has weaknesses. The postage stamp LCD viewscreen is of questionable utility; it's good enough for framing shots but it's impossible to see any detail, especially in daylight. The picture quality is merely adequate (it would be wise to opt for the higher-rez DSCU20 if possible). The autofocus can be unreliable and the flash is weak.
But it's always there for you when your bigger, better camera is at home on the shelf. Anyone who's serious about photography should have one of these (or the DSCU20) as a second camera.
One final note: I don't know if this is a plus or minus, but this camera seems to impress everyone who sees it. It really looks like some sort of spy camera and on one occasion I was actually accused of being a private detective by a woman who wandered into one of my shots. Even now that it's getting a little long in the tooth, people still want to look at it to see if it's a real camera, and they're still impressed when they see that it is.

First of all, its probably pretty late for this review, given I've had this camera for a while, but, oh well I'm finally getting around to it.

Between work and personal use, this is probably my 6th or 7th digital camera, albeit mostly for casual use. I used everything from Sony & Olympus, to Canon, Nikon, and Leica. I have to say that I love this camera.

First of all, I think that 4 Megapixels is plenty of resolution for most non-pro users. Some people complain that this camera doesn't have as many "manual" features as, for example, comparable Nikon Coolpix cameras (which I also have: great pics too, but, much more difficult to use). Its true it doesn't have every manual setting imaginable. But I believe that 90% of the users will utilize at most 10% of those advanced features regularly. And with this camera, all of the functions are very intuitive and easy to use. Its pretty well thought out.

Besides, a) advanced users know exactly what they are looking for in a camera, and b) good photographers can take nics pics with just about anything. I believe this camera really appeals to those who value simplicity, want a bit of flexibility, and are unwilling to sacrifice quality.

Its got plenty of features, enough manual settings for most, video & voice capability (you can take as long of a mpeg as you have memory, which is uncommon), external flash shoe. Adapters for Telephoto & wide angle are available if you really want it, but, I've found that the 3x optical & additional 2x digital zoom usually suffice. I think the bottom line, though, is that it takes gorgeous pictures with little or no effort. This is a camera that anyone can use, and use well. You can't go wrong with the Zeiss optics, which are exceptional. I've been particularly impressed by the quality of pics under poor/difficult light conditions, which typically wreak havoc on digital cameras. The battery life is better than most. And, the fit & finish of the camera body is comparable, or superior to anything out there.

On the down side. I agree that the memory stick is not the most desirable of media types. I'd love to be able to use a microdrive on this thing. But, memory is [low cost] these days, and I generally carry a couple of sticks when I expect heavy use. Besides, a 128mb mem stick provides plenty of storage under normal use. You might even have room to take a few short mpeg video.

I've owned this camera for a couple of weeks now and I must say I am quite pleased with my purchase. You really can't beat the features/price of this camera. I'm a complete novice and I'm finding this camera very easy to learn to use and take clean pictures.

When I first was trying to decide which model to buy, I was a bit apprehensive concerning Sony's use of proprietary Memory Sticks. Well, I'm happy to say that not only has Lexar began selling their own branded type of Memory Sticks but, SanDisk has just signed a deal to resell Memory Sticks also. That should not only drive the costs down but, it will make it simpler to find them in stock.

I should also mention that the battery life is pretty good on this model and I find the fact that the battery tells you how much life it has left before needing a recharge quite usefull. All in all, I love this camera and am very happy to have jumped into Digital Photography with this model.

(...).

Here's my review. The image quality is excellent. There is very good color balance. I also like the excellent battery life (This is true for Sony products). It's easy to transfer images to the PC using USB. It has a very good lense (Carl Zeiss). The menu is user friendly.

The slight drawback is speed of operation. This may be true for most digital cameras. It's difficult to take good action shots as there is a time lag between shots (when compared to an analog SLR).

Bottom line is...Very good value for your money in the 4 MP range.

I did a lot of research online and read a lot of reviews before I finally decided to buy the Sony DSC-S75 camera. After using the camera for about a month, here are my impressions.
Positives:
1. Excellent pictures. When printed on a good printer with photographic paper is virtually indistinguishable from film.
2. Loads of features. Allows you to customize your shots the way you want. Menus are relatively easy to use.
3. Battery life is excellent, gives you an estimated remaining battery life on the camera.
Negatives:
1. Relatively bulky, there are smaller 3 megapixel cameras out there, but is ergonomically designed and fits well in my hand.
2. 8MB memory stick is practically useless, you need to have at least 64MB.
3. Slow taking pictures. I don't know if this is a problem with all digital cameras, but there is about a 1 to 2 second delay from the time I press the button to when the picture actually takes. Meanwhile, your subject could be moving and ruin the picture. I've tried taking pictures of my 2 year old and I have to take 10 pictures before I get one good one.
Overall, I think this is a very good camera, which takes excellent pictures and could replace my 35mm camera.

The Sony DSC-S75 brings digital photography one step closer to the output one acheives with a 35mm camera.

The unit fits perfectly in ones hand and is ergonomically well designed. It has an in-camera recharable battery that gives you an amazing amount of shooting power over time. The Carl Zeiss lens yields some of the sharpest prints I have ever seen produced by a digital camera. Even 8x10s look gorgeous when shot in the fine mode.

The camera has all the bells and whistles that allow the photographer different degrees of control over the image. Shutter priority, aperture priority, manual overide and digital zoom are but a few. The macro mode allows you to get extremely close to an object with fantastic results.

On the negative side, Sony embarasses itself when it ships this item with only an 8 mb memory stick. You must factor in the price of a 32mb stick into your budget. I loved the camera so much that I splurged on a 128mb stick and now I can shoot until my finger gets sore!

This aside, I highly recommend this beautifully engineered piece of equipment. I am beginning to reconsider my reliance on the 35 mm camera.

Not a Pro, but I can vouch for this camera. Great product from Sony. You'll not be disappointed.