Conclusion - Pros
- Good image quality, outstanding dynamic range, excellent metering
- Great colours, only slightly lower resolution than its much bigger
Zeiss clad brother the S70
- Good auto white balance (improved from the S70)
- Stylish, pocketable, robust with excellent build quality
- Unsurpassed 3x zoom lens (for the physical size of the camera)
- Automatic lens cover (flat face when powered off)
- Fast zoom
- Improved auto focus (over the S70/F505V)
- Excellent InfoLithium battery pack & in-camera charging
- Camera settings stored between power-ups (even without the battery...)
- No need for additional AC adapter to supply "desktop power"
- Usable internal flash
- USB connectivity
- Unique Animated GIF "Clips"
- Audio with movie recording & Voice recording
Conclusion - Cons
- Slightly slow startup, significantly slow scrolling between images
in playback
- Some Barrel distortion at wide angles
- Nasty chromatic aberrations at full wide angle in extreme circumstances
- Few choices for the shutterbug (though this camera isn't aimed at
them)
- Poor macro abilities (compared to the S70 & F505V)
- Limited low light ability (2 second longest exposure)
- Noisy lens extension / zoom mechanism
- Lack of "in between" JPEG modes (something around 800 KB)
- Small 8MB Memory Stick as supplied storage
- Battery life could be better
Overall conclusion
Here's my rating of the Sony DSC-P1: (3 megapixel ultra compact class)
| Detail |
Rating (out of 10) |
| Construction |
9.5 |
| Features |
6 |
| Image quality |
9 |
| Lens / CCD combination |
8 |
| Ease of use |
8 |
| Value for money |
8 |
Sony really have done the ultra compact digital camera
thing the right way. Hot on the heals of Canon's Digital IXUS (S100 ELPH)
the P1 may not be quite as small but it's equally well put together, has
a bigger 3x zoom lens, a 3 megapixel imager (vs. the Canon's 2 megapixel)
and produces excellently metered, sharp, colourful images with bags of
dynamic range. The P1 has that wow style factor that will make it an instant
hit with your friends, easy enough for your granny to use with an image
quality to challenge much bigger cameras... I liked it, a lot.
Recommended
So which one should I buy? A question I
get asked several times a day, and I wouldn't like to say. In a new addition
to my reviews (after the amount of feedback I normally get) I've added
a link to a specific forum in which you can discuss the review or ask
me specific questions which I've not answered in these pages.
Want to make
sure you don't miss out on any future reviews?
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter!
Enter
the 'Sony Talk' Discussion Forum
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 4, 2003
|
Sep 4, 2003
|
Sep 12, 2000
|
Oct 16, 2000
|
|
Sony
today announced their tiny DSC-P1. Althought not as small as their prototype
"spy camera" it's still small, about the same height as Canon's
Digital IXUS (S100) and a little bit longer, the big deal here is that
the P1 has the same 3 megapixel CCD seen in the S70 & F505V AND
a 3x optical zoom lens with an automatic lens cover (how did they ever
fit it in there??). Other improvements seem to have been made, auto focus
is said to be much faster as is zoom speed, and start up times of just
3 seconds. We have exclusive images of the camera, full specifications
and a press release. |
Samsung's flagship Galaxy S9+ comes with comprehensive photography features like dual optically stabilized rear cameras, smooth 4K video and of course, beauty filters for your selfies. But is it the best smartphone camera for you? Find out how it compares against the likes of Apple's iPhone X and Google's Pixel 2 in our full review.
The Domke F-6, also known as the 'Little Bit Smaller' bag shares a lot of characteristics with the venerable (and a Little Bit Bigger) F-2. Senior Editor Barnaby Britton has been using one for several years.
Peak Design's Capture Clip takes the pain out of carrying your camera – and the latest version is an improvement on an already popular design.
The Rhake pack is weatherproof multi-purpose bag with a dedicated camera insert, lifetime guarantee – and steep price tag.
Panasonic's premium compact DC-ZS200 (TZ200 outside of North America) boasts a 24-360mm equiv. F3.3-6.4 zoom lens, making it the longest reaching 1"-type pocket camera on the market. There are tradeoffs that come with that big lens, however. Find out all the details in our in-depth review.
Whether you're hitting the beach in the Northern Hemisphere or the ski slopes in the Southern, a rugged compact camera makes a great companion. In this buying guide we've taken a look at seven current models and chosen our favorites.
What's the best camera for a parent? The best cameras for shooting kids and family must have fast autofocus, good low-light image quality and great video. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for parents, and recommended the best.
What's the best camera for shooting landscapes? High resolution, weather-sealed bodies and wide dynamic range are all important. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting landscapes, and recommended the best.
What’s the best camera costing over $2000? The best high-end camera costing more than $2000 should have plenty of resolution, exceptional build quality, good 4K video capture and top-notch autofocus for advanced and professional users. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing over $2000 and recommended the best.
Video features have become an important factor to many photographers when choosing a new camera. Read on to find out which cameras we think are best for the videophile.
Comments