11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Good little camera
Date of Review: Dec 24, 2007
The Bottom Line: Good, solid, dependable, easy to use camera for the money.
I'm pleased overall with my purchase of this little camera. I'm not a pro by any means; I bought it to take pictures at family get togethers, on trips, etc., and I haven't been disappointed by the camera's performance. I got it on sale at Circuit City, which makes it a sweeter deal if you're like me and are on a budget.
What I like: It has a built in "SteadyShot" feature that reduces blurry images related to the slight movement of your hands. It also reduces the dreaded red eye.
The unit is compact and very light, but feels good and solid in my hand at the same time. It's obviously not a cheap piece of crap. It also has a Zeiss lens, which is good, and it has a built in lens cover, so you don't have to keep up with (and if you're like me, ultimately lose) a lens cap. The menus are pretty easy to navigate and understand. The LCD screen is surprisingly large for this little camera, and the color is really good. The camera has a "Macro" setting for getting clear shots close up. There's even a handy-dandy place at the bottom to attach a tri-pod, which is great for using the self timer for those shots you want to be in, too.
One thing that surprised me was that you can incorporate sound into the movies and slide shows.
You get the basics in the box: camera, rechargable battery, application software, connection cable, wrist strap, handbook.
The battery life is really good; I can get around 300 shots on one charge.
What I DON'T like: The internal memory sucks. There is 31MB of internal memory, or enough for about 10 shots without a memory stick. So you're pretty much committed to buying a memory stick right off the bat if you plan on using the camera soon after use, because there's not one in the box. So plan on adding to the cost of the camera overall from the start.
The unit comes with a handbook in the box, but if you want any kind of help from the handbook, you have to install the Cyber-Shot handbook from the enclosed disc, which is NOT handy if you need the book while out. The handbook on the disc is much more detailed.
The battery life is great, but it takes it around 6 hours or so to charge. So if you are at an event where you want to use the camera a good deal, you probably will want to buy an extra battery and maybe even a battery charger if you're going to be out where power may not be readily available.
Overall, this is a good little camera. If you're buying it to become the Michaelangelo of your neighborhood, you may be disappointed, but if you're buying it to have a solid, dependable camera to take pictures at graduations or on the family vacation, I think you'll be well pleased.
