Having taken close to 2000 shots within the space of a month on the V1, I'm ready to make a review. I previously owned a Sony P31 (my review of which you can find in DPReview's section on the P31), which was a budget model, but after taking 18000 shots on it over about two years, I was prepared to bite the bullet and pay a decent amount of money for a camera which allowed me all manual features. I can't say that I'm disappointed.
Generally speaking, the V1 fits my profile as a photographer perfectly - someone who desires a fair degree of manual control (I won't say this allows as much control as something like the F828, but what it does allow is vastly more than any occasional photographer will ever need), someone who wants to take their camera everywhere (the compact size is critical - more on that in construction), and someone who needs to take several shots quickly (the V1's speed is top notch). With this in mind, I'll get down to the details.
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CONSTRUCTION
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The V1's construction is generally very sturdy. The metal casing is sound, the flap over the A/V, USB and power ports hinges solidly and snaps shut well, providing fantastic protection. Sony's new main control pad (with the five separate buttons) is in my view a great improvement over the previous thumbpad, which while usable was liable to jamming up with dust and becoming difficult to manipulate - no such problems with the V1. I did prefer the horizontal zoom lever used on other Cybershots, but the vertical lever doesn't practically detract from the camera's use in any way. The small jog dial on the back of the camera is easy to operate with the right thumb, and the mode dial on the top of the camera is consistent with Sony's previous construction quality: an ease to change, but sturdy.
I have docked a full mark off the V1 for two factors. I would like to make special note of the fact that I do not think the pop-up flash is a hindrance to the way the camera is used, and is not the reason why I gave 4.0. I have fairly large hands, but I have no problem holding the V1 - I brace the camera firmly from underneath with my left hand (left thumb on the left side of the V1, index and middle finger grasping the opposite side), which frees up my right hand to deal quickly with the wealth of controls on the right side and also hold the grip on the front of the camera.
On the contrary, I took off marks because of the lens, and for the lack of an EVF (electronic viewfinder). The lens exhibits no major problems in normal operation, but is slightly troublesome if it is bumped - it is able to be moved, very slightly, if bumped. Again, this is no major problem, but is certainly quite unsettling when it happens the first few times. I think Sony should make an effort to protect such an important part of the camera as the lens with a sturdier zoom mechanism. Secondly, the lack of an EVF stands out on an enthusiast camera like the V1. While I understand it was left out partly due to size constraints, I believe it would have been a boon for those using the V1, especially in light of the V1's necessarily small battery capacity. Extension of the battery's lifetime would have been far easier had an EVF been provided.
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FEATURES
--------------------------
The V1 is strong on features. I won't go into this very far, because DPReview's official full review deals with the features far better than I ever could. However, I will add that I think the Nightshot feature is tremendously useful, but most for the video function. If I want to take a still shot in the dark, I will use my tripod and take it with my a long exposure, especially seeing as the IR lamp on the V1 only reaches a few metres at most. However, when taking videos, Nightshot is invaluable in amplifying the light where long exposures would usually operate in a still shot. The VX mode Sony provides for videos is also a standout feature - many times I have fooled friends into believing that I had taken these videos on a proper camcorder, when they were really just taken on the V1. Sony still deserves praise for limiting videos only to the size of the media, while most of my friends with digicams are still struggling with 30 second clips, even on higher end cameras. While clearly not the main purpose of the camera, this video is function is a huge bonus.
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IMAGE QUALITY
--------------------------
A few quick notes on the V1's image quality. I've found that with Carl Zeiss lenses, Sony has easily come out on top in terms of noise levels on long exposures. My friends with Canons and Nikons can't compare, and inevitably need vast amounts of postwork in order to bring their noise down to the same level as the V1 is able to maintain. General colour rendition has also been improved in the V1 with respect to previous Cybershot offerings, and the level of sharpness is no less than I'd expect from a 5MP camera. Image quality is top notch on the V1.
--------------------------
EASE OF USE
--------------------------
Ease of use is a bit of a misnomer for a camera like the V1. The only difficulty I've had with friends using the V1 is that "there are too many options". But surely one would only buy the V1 if they had a mind to using more options than are available on simpler cameras. Sony has made the wealth of features amazingly accessible in the V1, and virtually the only people who will have trouble with easily using this camera are those without understanding of what the features (something like aperture priority, for instance) actually are. Anyone who understands these features will have no trouble at all learning to use them on the V1. It took me only an hour or so of use to become adept with the V1's physical controls and menus - I cannot help but score this camera very highly here.
--------------------------
VALUE FOR MONEY
--------------------------
The V1 is in no way a cheap piece of kit. I picked it up for AUD$899, about AUD$400 below retail, which was a steal at the time - but still no small decision to buy. However, with the wealth of features and the image quality on offer, I cannot complain. Overall, this piece of equipment would be worth paying relatively far more for than what Sony is asking. The only issue is that Sony's accessories will cost you an arm and a leg if you want to go for all the official gear - which I highly discourage. Get your Memory Sticks from Sandisk, buy your batteries from equivalent manufacturers like SterlingTek - you'll get much more value for money and the quality of the products is still very high.
Problems:
I've already addressed the issue of the pop-up flash. The other major "problem" with the V1 is battery life - but I think it's foolishness to expect so much from such a compact and light package. Just get some extra batteries - you should have them anyway, otherwise you'll inevitably be caught without batteries in your camera, no matter what camera you use.
Generally speaking, the V1 fits my profile as a photographer perfectly - someone who desires a fair degree of manual control (I won't say this allows as much control as something like the F828, but what it does allow is vastly more than any occasional photographer will ever need), someone who wants to take their camera everywhere (the compact size is critical - more on that in construction), and someone who needs to take several shots quickly (the V1's speed is top notch). With this in mind, I'll get down to the details.
--------------------------
CONSTRUCTION
--------------------------
The V1's construction is generally very sturdy. The metal casing is sound, the flap over the A/V, USB and power ports hinges solidly and snaps shut well, providing fantastic protection. Sony's new main control pad (with the five separate buttons) is in my view a great improvement over the previous thumbpad, which while usable was liable to jamming up with dust and becoming difficult to manipulate - no such problems with the V1. I did prefer the horizontal zoom lever used on other Cybershots, but the vertical lever doesn't practically detract from the camera's use in any way. The small jog dial on the back of the camera is easy to operate with the right thumb, and the mode dial on the top of the camera is consistent with Sony's previous construction quality: an ease to change, but sturdy.
I have docked a full mark off the V1 for two factors. I would like to make special note of the fact that I do not think the pop-up flash is a hindrance to the way the camera is used, and is not the reason why I gave 4.0. I have fairly large hands, but I have no problem holding the V1 - I brace the camera firmly from underneath with my left hand (left thumb on the left side of the V1, index and middle finger grasping the opposite side), which frees up my right hand to deal quickly with the wealth of controls on the right side and also hold the grip on the front of the camera.
On the contrary, I took off marks because of the lens, and for the lack of an EVF (electronic viewfinder). The lens exhibits no major problems in normal operation, but is slightly troublesome if it is bumped - it is able to be moved, very slightly, if bumped. Again, this is no major problem, but is certainly quite unsettling when it happens the first few times. I think Sony should make an effort to protect such an important part of the camera as the lens with a sturdier zoom mechanism. Secondly, the lack of an EVF stands out on an enthusiast camera like the V1. While I understand it was left out partly due to size constraints, I believe it would have been a boon for those using the V1, especially in light of the V1's necessarily small battery capacity. Extension of the battery's lifetime would have been far easier had an EVF been provided.
--------------------------
FEATURES
--------------------------
The V1 is strong on features. I won't go into this very far, because DPReview's official full review deals with the features far better than I ever could. However, I will add that I think the Nightshot feature is tremendously useful, but most for the video function. If I want to take a still shot in the dark, I will use my tripod and take it with my a long exposure, especially seeing as the IR lamp on the V1 only reaches a few metres at most. However, when taking videos, Nightshot is invaluable in amplifying the light where long exposures would usually operate in a still shot. The VX mode Sony provides for videos is also a standout feature - many times I have fooled friends into believing that I had taken these videos on a proper camcorder, when they were really just taken on the V1. Sony still deserves praise for limiting videos only to the size of the media, while most of my friends with digicams are still struggling with 30 second clips, even on higher end cameras. While clearly not the main purpose of the camera, this video is function is a huge bonus.
--------------------------
IMAGE QUALITY
--------------------------
A few quick notes on the V1's image quality. I've found that with Carl Zeiss lenses, Sony has easily come out on top in terms of noise levels on long exposures. My friends with Canons and Nikons can't compare, and inevitably need vast amounts of postwork in order to bring their noise down to the same level as the V1 is able to maintain. General colour rendition has also been improved in the V1 with respect to previous Cybershot offerings, and the level of sharpness is no less than I'd expect from a 5MP camera. Image quality is top notch on the V1.
--------------------------
EASE OF USE
--------------------------
Ease of use is a bit of a misnomer for a camera like the V1. The only difficulty I've had with friends using the V1 is that "there are too many options". But surely one would only buy the V1 if they had a mind to using more options than are available on simpler cameras. Sony has made the wealth of features amazingly accessible in the V1, and virtually the only people who will have trouble with easily using this camera are those without understanding of what the features (something like aperture priority, for instance) actually are. Anyone who understands these features will have no trouble at all learning to use them on the V1. It took me only an hour or so of use to become adept with the V1's physical controls and menus - I cannot help but score this camera very highly here.
--------------------------
VALUE FOR MONEY
--------------------------
The V1 is in no way a cheap piece of kit. I picked it up for AUD$899, about AUD$400 below retail, which was a steal at the time - but still no small decision to buy. However, with the wealth of features and the image quality on offer, I cannot complain. Overall, this piece of equipment would be worth paying relatively far more for than what Sony is asking. The only issue is that Sony's accessories will cost you an arm and a leg if you want to go for all the official gear - which I highly discourage. Get your Memory Sticks from Sandisk, buy your batteries from equivalent manufacturers like SterlingTek - you'll get much more value for money and the quality of the products is still very high.
Problems:
I've already addressed the issue of the pop-up flash. The other major "problem" with the V1 is battery life - but I think it's foolishness to expect so much from such a compact and light package. Just get some extra batteries - you should have them anyway, otherwise you'll inevitably be caught without batteries in your camera, no matter what camera you use.
