My first digital camera
Written: Feb 11 '04 (Updated Feb 12 '04)
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Pros: Great quality pictures
640X480 movie mode w/ sound
NiMH batteries and charger included
Cons: Sometimes AF is slow.
Redeye reduction pre-strobe sometimes causes subjects to blink
The Bottom Line: An excellent quality, easy to use digital camera.
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| fugufish's Full Review: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P72 Digital Camera |
This is my first foray into digital photography and I am very pleased with the Sony DSC-P72. I did consider comparable Nikon and Canon models but I have a Sony digital TV with a Memory Stick reader, and that was the deciding factor. My wife really enjoys snapping pictures and then popping the Memory Stick into the TV for quick viewing.
The camera is very easy to use and comes with a well written, descriptive manual. My son loves to experiment and is always turning on various features so I have to keep the manual handy to undo whatever he has done.
I have not used the included Sony software as I prefer Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0. If you have a PC with Windows XP all you have to do is plug in the included USB cable and a wizard will pop up asking what you want to do with your pictures. Very simple. I have heard that the camera supports USB 2.0 but was unable to find that listed in the specs.
The camera takes great pictures. I have had about 50 4x6" and 1 8x10" printed up so far. They all came out great but we have had some bad (blurry)shots. You have to wait for the auto focus to finish before you snap the shot or it will come out blurry. In low light this AF process can take up to 10 seconds or so. Also, the AF illuminator is a very bright red LED and your subjects won't like it blaring in their faces. Also, I have found that using the camera's red eye reduction setting causes subjects to blink because it pre-strobes before the actual flash.
I have used the movie mode a bit. The camera allows you to record continuously up to the capacity of your Memory Stick. As mentioned in other reviews, the zoom does not work in movie mode and you need a lot of ambient light. Movies are saved in MPEG format which you can easily download to your PC. In 640X480 resolution the movies look quite good. There is also a lower resolution for email purposes.
The camera comes with a 16MB Memory Stick while is only good for about 12 pictures at the highest resolution. I purchased a 128MB stick which can hold about 82.
On a set of fully charged NiMH batteries the camera lasts a long time. I'm only on my 3rd recharge in 1 month and have taken hundreds of pictures and a few movies.
The camera comes with 2 2100mAh NimH batteries and a stand-alone charger. It takes 6 hrs. to fully charge the batteries so you'll definitely want a second set.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 239
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
fugufish
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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