Expert Camera Reviews

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 is an update to the existing DSC-T30 model. The ultra-slim and stylish Cyber-shot DSC-T50 is equipped with a 7-megapixel Sony CCD image sensor, a 3x optical zoom lens, a large 3.0 inch Touch panel LCD display, VX Fine movie mode, and 56MB of internal memory. This camera is available in three different colors, red, black and silver. The camera is provided with elective options of either a 4 GB Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick PRO Duo media cards which allows play back of not less than 1100 high-resolution images in slide show mode.

Strengths of the camera:
A large LCD monitor usable in full sun and in surprisingly dim lighting too
A very good flash range for a compact camera
Excellent lens which provides sharp images
Excellent image stabilization for photos even in dim lighting
Excellent photo quality for 13×19 inch prints

Weaknesses:
Strong blues in images are oversaturated
Shots at High-ISO are very noisy
White balance performance under household incandescent lighting not good enough
Continuous shooting mode is slow
Touch screen interface requires more touches for many settings

Specifications:
Megapixels – 7.2
Weight (oz.) – 5.9
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 3.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – 4 ft to 11.2 ft
Image stabilizer –Yes, optical
Battery type –lithium ion
Special features –Touch Screen User Interface, In-Camera slide show, white balance adjustments with six modes, Movie mode with MPEG VX option, DPOF and PictBridge compatible

Summary:
The Sony T50 looks like another winner. Apart from the touch screen awkwardness, the T50 looks like a great small digital camera, with a huge, beautiful LCD screen and great anti-shake technology built in. The slightly larger body also gives it better battery life and a very better flash range than other cameras in this category. The camera is great for indoor photography.

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The Canon PowerShot SD430 happens to be Canon’s first PowerShot with built-in Wi-Fi technology, which allows you to send photos to your Windows PC without touching a USB cable. The SD430 has a 35mm to 105mm lens with a relatively slow f/2.8 to f/4.9 maximum aperture, a 2 inch LCD screen, optical viewfinder and limited manual control, snappy shooting performance, but with impressive remote control capabilities. Using Canon’s RemoteCapture utility for Windows XP SP2 a PowerShot SD430 user can remotely control zoom, ISO speed, macro mode, white balance, color mode, metering mode, focus point, image size and compression level , autofocus type and flash mode

Positive features of the PowerShot SD430 are:

• Built-in wireless control, image transfer and printing
• With the ‘My Colors” features one can customize the photos while shooting
• Shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/2000 second
• Voice memos can be attached to still images
• Continuous shooting at 2 frames per second till memory permits
• Unlimited length of movie mode at 640×480 with sound

Negative features of the PowerShot SD430 are:

• The zoom and focus mechanisms are a little noisy
• WiFi transfers works only to Windows systems
• Shutter response at telephoto focal lengths is a little slow
• Inaccurate optical viewfinder
• Only white balance and EV compensation options in Manual mode
• Low battery life

Specifications:
Megapixels – 5.0
Weight (oz.) – 4.5
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 2.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – 1.6 to 12 ft
Image stabilizer - No
Battery type – Rechargeable Lithium battery
Special features – Print/Share button for direct printing, 16 MB SD Memory, Customizable “My Camera” settings, Continuous shooting mode, Connect to Television

Summary:
The SD430 is attractively styled, but considering its poor battery life and noisy operation, and priced at $500, the SD430 is a bit on the expensive side for a 5-megapixel camera with wireless features. It’s $100 more than the Nikon P2, which also includes wireless.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 is an upgrade of the existing DSC-N1 model. The Sony N2 derives its higher ten megapixel resolution from a 1/1.7″ CCD imager coupled with the same Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom lens, which offers a 3x optical zoom range equivalent to 38-114mm on a 35mm camera. Also included in the Sony N2 is a slideshow mode with a range of transitions including zooms, fades, pans, and wipes, all selected automatically by the camera. The feature that sets the DSC N2 apart from all other digital cameras is its big 3 inch LCD screen

Some positive features of the Sony N2 are:

• Fast response with a good shutter lag time and very good shot-to-shot speed
• Good color accuracy and contrast adjustments
• ISO sensitivity up to 1600
• Very good low-light shooting capabilities
• Very fast Multi-burst mode
• Image noise at ISO 200 and below is pretty good
• The touch screen LCD is wide, efficient and simple to navigate
• Stylus to keep fingers off the LCD screen

Drawbacks of the Sony N2 are:

• Slow continuous shooting speeds
• High chromatic aberration lens distortion which is noticeable at the edges in some images
• Image noise high at ISO 400 and up; at 800 and 1,000 images are almost unusable
• Auto white balance is unsuitable with household incandescent lighting

Specifications:
Megapixels – 10.0
Weight (oz.) – 6.5
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 3.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – Built-in
Image stabilizer - No
Battery type – Custom Lithium Ion
Special features – Email mode, In-camera editing and cleaning tools, Movie recording with sound, DPOF and PictBridge compatible, White balance adjustment with 6 options

Summary:
Though the higher ISO settings do produce a bit of noise while capturing images, the Sony N2 is still quite capable of capturing useable images under very bright or dark conditions. Not to forget that the touch control features allows you to alter images with the in-camera paint tools and pinpoint focus exactly where you want it as you shoot. The DSC-N2 offers a lot in its small package and we certainly feel it’s a deserving case to recommend.