The Bottom Line: If you want a thin camera the P100 is the most usable. But make no mistake--it comes at the price of foregoing a full-featured camera like the S50.
green-z's Full Review: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P100 Digital Camera
I’ve been a Canon fan since my first digital camera, a PowerShot S20, back in 2000. That 3 megapixel (MP) camera was a real gem of technology way back then. But new models advance and in early 2003 I upgraded to a slick 5 MP Powershot S50. It has every bell and whistle one could hope for: an easy point and shoot mode, several specialty program modes like sports/fast action, as well as three manual modes. It also saves pictures as either a compressed JPEG or an uncompressed RAW picture, giving the user greater control over the quality of the picture. And of course the pictures from the S50 are stunning.
It sounds too good to be true, and in a way it is. For me the S50s one problem in this age of ultra compact cameras is that it's too bulky and heavy. It got to the point that I hated to take the S50 with me, and instead opted to take along my 2MP ultra ultra tiny Panasonic SVAS10. (My review of that model is here on epinions).
I felt like I was back peddling going from a 3MP camera to a 5MP camera and then to a 2MP camera. So, I started my hunt for a small 4 to 5MP camera in earnest. Problem was, the market was nearly bare. The Pentax Optio S4 had terrible shutter lag, the Canon S500 was small, but too thick to stick in pants pockets, The Fujis were not all that well regarded, and the Canon SD10 and Sony T1 lacked optical viewfinders, and the former lacked an optical zoom. I was stuck.
Then one day while perusing the cameras a one of the big box stores I came across the Sony DSC-P100. I was in like at first sight. It was as long as the S50, but a bit thinner so that I could fit it in my pocket. It was also a little lighter so that I didn't really realize it was in my pocket (though I still notice at times). Most importantly it was 5.1MP! It has a Zeiss lens so I knew it had to take reasonable good pictures. After giving it some thought I dove in. (I bought it with my American Express card so that I could take advantage of their Best Value Guarantee program and saved $90. See the AMEX web page for details if you are not familiar with this perk).
What You Get and What you Need
The DSC-P100 sells at most retail stores for $399. (I paid $309 after I price matched with AMEX). For that you get the camera, a useless 32MB Memory Stick, a long life rechargeable lithium battery and an annoying cable that allows you to charge the battery inside the camera. Personally, I don't like the idea of having to charge the battery in the camera. I feel uneasy about keeping a $400 camera lying around on a counter where it could get accidentally knocked around, especially in a crampt hotel room. That is why I invested in the travel charger, something my Canon S50 came with standard. The one thing I hate about Sony is that they are cheap when it comes to supplying accessories.
Realistically, you will also have to buy a 512MB Memory Stick Pro (Amazon sells them for $125, shipped). You might also want to look into buying a travel charger for the reason cited above (PC Universe has them for $42, shipped), and a spare battery (Range from $20, shipped for a generic on eBay to $48 for a genuine Sony. Note that the life of the generics is half of the Sony).
Ergonomics and Controls
The P100 has a clean uncluttered look, and the controls are fairly easy to understand without pulling out the manual, but it suffers ergonomically. The top of the camera sports a power button and shutter button. Simple enough, but the placement of these buttons is rather poor. The power button is on a slope and your fingers can easily wander down on it rather than the shutter button causing you to turn off the camera instead of taking that once in a lifetime picture. It takes some getting used to.
The over all shape of the camera is also a bit awkward to hold. The left side of the camera is rounded off and the lens is on the extreme edge. As you might imagine there isn't much room for your hand, and it's easy for fingers to get in the way if you are not alert. If you have big hands/fingers you'll want to hold the P100 before buying. Of course you could try to one hand it, but your thumb will end up pressing against the lens zoom button, potentially messing up the picture. The P100 allows you to frame your picture either with the LCD panel or the optical viewfinder. Overall I'd say the general design of the P-100 was not well thought out and contributes greatly from preventing it from being an all-star model.
The controls on the backside are, fortunately, better thought out than the camera’s shape and button placement. There is a thumbwheel that one uses to set the mode: auto, manual, movie, card reader, and camera set up. Below the thumbwheel is a five-button directional menu control similar to what you'd find on a modern TV remote. These buttons also double as the macro, flash on/off, and self-timer buttons. Below this controller are menu and delete buttons. The right side of the camera has a slot for the A/C adapter, battery and a standard size memory stick (the Pro version is required if you want to use the video mode, and also has a faster recovery time). The bottom of the camera has a standard tripod hole and input for the computer cable (non standard USB 1.1/2.0).
Picture Quality
The most important feature of a camera, of course, is picture quality. All the gimmicks in the world cannot make up for a camera that takes mediocre pictures, but a camera that takes great pictures makes up for a lack of gimmicks. Well, the P100 is on the top end, which is why I didn't return it (I really don't like the ergonomics as discussed). Of course, when I talk about picture quality I’m being very subjective as I'm hardly a pro. I'm picky, but not so that I could notice a hair of distortion here or there as pro review pick up on.
Indoor shots are crisp and only the slightest amount of noise or graininess is detected. However, I must mention that the flash is a bit anemic. It has a range of around 6-8ft, no more. Also, I noticed that some colors can come out a bit oversaturated, especially reds.
Outdoor shots are well detailed as well, and in comparison tests with my S50, the 3x optical zoom lens on the P100 was much more effective, which surprised me, given its smaller size. (I do not use the digital zoom, and, in fact, the first thing I did was turn it off. Digital zoom is a complete gimmick and it will ruin your pictures). Even in shady areas pictures of foliage was so lifelike I thought I could reach out and touch it. And the macro mode is simply amazing. It picks up every detail of an object. However, I wonder how many times people actually use the macro mode. But if its something you are into you've got a great one here. As any good camera, the P100 sports both spot and multi metering.
The P100 also has a movie mode. I didn’t test the movie version because I've never bothered with that feature much. The output is small, and useful only for computer use. For the best quality you’ll need a Memory Stick Pro, so make sure you buy that version and not the regular Memory Stick. Even if you don't use this feature you'll want to get the pro version. They are not too much more than the regular version.
What’s Missing from the P100?
Shopping around for digital cameras is a confusing task with so many features its hard to keep up with what camera has what. I think I mentioned most of the features the P100 has so, here is a short list of some of the features it’s missing. If you are just a point and shooter you may not even miss them:
1) No mixed auto/manual modes allowing the user to set either the shutter or aperture with the camera controlling the other settings
2) No preset scene modes like sports
3) No uncompressed RAW capture
Conclustion:
The P100 is a great camera, but certainly not one that will have the masses raving. If you want a thin camera to carry around, from my research at least, this one is the most usable. But make no mistake--the P100 comes at the price of foregoing a full-featured camera like the S50.
My philosophy is that a full featured camera that stays in the drawer because its too big isn’t very good. It is this contention that led me to switch to the P100 despite all the great things packed in the S50, and its outstanding picture quality.
Given the quick advance of technology I’m hoping a P100 type camera with S50 features will come around soon, but until then at least I now have a good camera that I can keep in my pants and not at home. The P100 is a good compromise between quality and size, but it is a compromise. If you are looking for the same, and can accept that you’ll need to spend another $125-225 additionally on extras like a larger card, spare battery, and travel charger, then the P100 is for you.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 309 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
The pocket-sized Cybershot DSC-P100 is the smallest of all the new Sony cameras in the 2004 lineup, weighing 158 grams without the battery, media or s...More at eBay
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