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February 06, 2008
[REVIEW—SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-T200]
Price: $650
A gadget that almost works!
The low-down: The T200 is a compact camera with an 8 megapixel sensor and a 5x Zeiss zoom -- 35–175mm film equivalent. The optics are folded within the body and do not protrud. The only external controls are power switch (power is also turned on and off with the sliding lens cover), image review and zoom button. All other controls are reached through the touch screen. The screen is 8.8cm with a 16:9 aspect ratio. TV high definition mode can be set in-camera and the unit connected to an HD TV for image playback. There is image stabilisation, face recognition and Smile Shutter! You depress the shutter button but nothing happens until the subject says “Cheese!” Images are stored in internal memory or on Sony’s Memory Stick. Construction is rugged and there is a choice of colours – black, silver and red.
Like: The touch screen control function is logical. All camera settings – there are not that many – are easily accessible. Used with care picture quality is acceptable, if a bit hit and miss. No doubt the intended customer is a person who will leave the mode set to Auto and the flash to on and will be happy with the resultant party shots.
Dislike: The price seems a little high. Perhaps this is a consequence of the included gimmicks, such as face recognition and Smile Shutter, or perhaps the touch screen. Auto white balance in Program mode is poor and left to its own devices it will select high ISO speeds producing noisy pictures with loss of detail. ISO speeds go up to 3200, which is ridiculous and the images look like pointillist paintings.
Verdict: The Sony T200 is a perplexing camera. Those who buy it as a fashion accessory with the latest in gimmickry will probably love it. For less money you can buy the Sony DSCW80 (RRP $350) which is a better camera. Mind you, it looks like a camera, so it won’t impress anyone at a party. It’s as boring as bat’s manure – but it works extremely well. It doesn’t recognise a smile when it sees one – can you live with that?
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Posted by terry at February 6, 2008 09:57 PM
Worth Checking Out
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