I am a big fan of Sony products, and for good reason. I've owned several of their digital cameras, but this one takes the cake!

The DSC-P1 is very similar to the DSC-S70, except it is tiny, measuring 4-7/16 x 2-1/8 x 1-3/4" and weighing 9 oz.w/battery and media! This camera fits in my pocketbook with no problem whatsoever. I call it my James Bond camera. It is beautifully designed in a sleek, silver casing. Don't be concerned, although this camera is very small & compact, it is sturdy and does not feel cheap.

The P1 allows you to take high resolution images up to 3.34 megapixels. It comes equipped with a powerful 3x optical and 6x digital zoom so you can get up close for beautiful shots. Additionally, this tiny miracle allows for high-quality MPEG recording, a Voice Memo mode so that you can narrate your pictures. The pluses are too many to list! It even has a self-diagnosis display which will provide you with an error code. You can then look in the manual to correct it.

The camera comes with an 8mb memory stick. If you have a Sony Vaio laptop that's equipped with the memory stick slot, this is very convenient. You can simply slip the memory stick into the laptop and see your pictures immediately. If you don't, then you can either purchase the serial port adaptor for the stick, or download your picture via USB. The cable and software is provided. I'm not crazy about the software that is provided, I still maintain that Kodak provides the best picture management software, but it's still not bad.

An InfoLithium® rechargeable battery, AccuPower™ meter is provided. It shows you battery power so that you know when you have to recharge. I can't say how long the battery lasts because I haven't run into trouble yet. I hook it up to the recharger periodically, and haven't had a problem.

What don't I like about this camera? The only thing I can say that I am not happy with is the fact that Sony doesn't throw in a camera case. Yes, you got it! If my only complaint is the lack of a case, this is one heck of a camera! Oh, and one other thing. I wish it were less expensive. The MSRP is $799, and since it is new, there's not much of a chance of getting it cheaper!





Recommended: Yes