Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1

Exceptional Image Quality Resolution Color in SMALL package

Pros: SONY has done the Impossible - Great Image Quality & Size
Cons: Hard to find accessories - because its a new product

Recommended: Yes
Has Owned Product: 4 Week(s)

Comments:
Opinion
Testing this SONY DSC-T1 during February 2004, has been a pleasure, carrying it in my pocket all day, every day. The size and weight is ideal for ultimate portability. Using this 5M pixel camera at 3M pixel resolution, using the smart zoom feature, or 5 MP mode produces excellent results. The T1 also allows in-camera croping of images, and in-camera image resizing for e-mail purposes. The high quality movie mode is comparable to high quality digital-video tape camcorders, 30 frames per second at 640x480 pixel size image, with the exception of typical camcorder better optical zoom capability. The camera also allows one to view and edit-out portions of the video. The image quality is stunning, and color quality and saturation is also spectacular. HQ (fine) video where 3 minutes fills 256MB card, however, the video is movie quality with very smooth moving objects, in great color definition. Quite a bonus for a digital still image camera. SONY has definitely placed a great deal of engineering muscle into this device. I have produced a number of 8x10 photos and am stunned at the color and image detail. The trick in any photography activity is knowing how to take good pictures and finding correct lighting, etc. Taking care of business, when framing the image, and setting the camera features, will produce truly great results. The camera that one can take everywhere is the best camera to have, is the remark I deliver to my students, and this device does not disappoint. Spend a few minutes, try 60 minutes, reviewing the 100 page instruction book, buy several high speed 256MB memory cards, and have a great time capturing images every place you go throughout the day. As to a Camera Rating, it has earned a solid A+. FYI, I also shoot action sports events for FAU, NCAA Atlantic Sun Conference, and others using Canon's best digital equipment. Therefor, when I do not desire to carry large Digital 35mm size equipment, SONY's T1 is an ideal companion.

Regarding SONY's DSC-T1's low-light operation in the still-image and movie modes, this camera as many that have a maximum aperture of f3.5 coupled with maximum ISO level of 400, will experience image blur if care is not taken at exposure. In using this camera extensively in many lighting situations, one would have to sacrifice low light sensitivity in exchange for extreme portability. In movie mode and still photography, in dim lighting, extreme care must be taken at exposure to prevent image blur. When in very-low-light environments where the design limits of the imager peak at 400 ISO, image noise may become unacceptable, when compared to larger SLR cameras like Canon's EOS-10D which performs quite well at ISO 800 at long exposures. The trade-off is size and weight of the equipment.

For flash photography, the T1 operates quite well for small group shots where camera-to-subject distances are within 4-6 feet, which is within its design limits. The tiny built-in flash will not be able to create enough (flash) light for large groups with low-available-light conditions, where the camera is 3 or more meters, or 10 or more feet from the subject. As to red-eye reduction, the mechanism is for the camera to emit short flash-bursts prior to the actual image capture, in effort to close the iris's of the subject when the main flash and exposure occurs. All human conditions do not operate so regularly, where perhaps the subject's iris' did not close sufficiently to prevent the main-flash's reflection from the subject's retina. We have not experienced an unusual level of red-eye problems, however, occasionally it can occur, particularly if the subject's iris does not react to the pre-flash light.

Problems
One issue to be careful about is the placement of the right most button which activates the close-up feature. One's thumb may accidentally press this right-arrow button when holding the camera, when close-ups are not intended. So look on the LCD panel often at the lower left corner to see the Flower symbol. If shown, you're in close-up mode. Simply press the right-arrow button again to turn-off close-up mode.

My only complaint is SONY's insistence on using obscure, proprietary, expensive, memory cards. In this case the Memory Stick Duo Pro. SONY may have been better served had it chosen an industry standard SD card which is now available in 1 GB sizes. However, SONY says that with the DSC-T1 set in high quality FINE video mode, SONY's card is necessary because of its theoretical 20 MB per second transfer speed; presently that speed is unavailable by other SD card manufacturers. And after you see what this high quality FINE mode looks like, you too will be a SONY believer. As one may notice, even with a few complaints, I'm quite enthusiastic with the results.

James L Wilson, Professor, Principles.of.Digital.Photography.and.Post.Image.Processing Florida.Atlantic.University Boca.Raton.Campus Operating.Entity.BocaDigital.LLC. Quality.Digital.Imaging Post.Office.Box.520 Boca.Raton.Florida.USA.33429 Internet.E.Mail.Address For.Faculty.and.Students.mail.please.use: FAU@bellsouth.net