Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)THREE YEARS LATER -- A REVIEW
I have now taken 9,800 photos with this camera!
It has been bumped, dropped and exposed to hostile climates for extended periods of times (The camera has spend most of it's life in Arabia with severe temperatures, dust and high humidity.) but no real horror stories like falling down concrete stairs. Still, it works fine.
SOFTWARE: I have totally given up with the bundled software. I tried to use it but it just was a pain. However, both the stills and video are perfectly computable with everything.
FIRMWARE (aka feature): I never ever use the digital zoom feature. There's not point to it, that I can see. It's better just to crop it with your home software.
I really don't use ANY of the firmware features except review and -- rarely -- delete if I am running out of memory. MPEG MOVIE MODE -- very nice! Of course the picture quality is limited but the sound is terrific, making it a rewarding viewing experience. It is a wonderful tool for putting short clips on the web for the grandparents. With my hosting service (Photobucket), I can just upload the native file.
START UP TIME: This cameras is still faster in the start-up time than some newer cameras (especially when the batteries are fresh.) I love that.
HARDWARE:
THAT DANG RUBBER FLAP! That little rubber flap still annoys me. IT NEVER STAYS ON! Sometimes I scotch tape it but mostly it just bothers me. I almost never use those connectors and have considered cutting it off and covering it with duct tape -- except that now-and-again I use the AV out.
I really like the flash features -- I use nearly all the modes fairly often -- accept red eye reduction. I love how easy it is to switch between flash modes. No all cameras are that way.
The auto-timer is also very easy to use.
Auto focus almost never is wrong. It probably helps that there is no telephoto.
3.2 PIXELS is almost always enough. It means you can't severely crop your pictures. I now routinely use professional digital printing and have even done 5x7s which look great. 4x6s and web photos are very nice.
COLOR: When I compare professionally printed 4x6s with our old Olympus 35mm point-and-shoot camera, the film still wins (not by a lot) However, for the web, the Sony is much better than scanned prints from the Olympus.
BATTERY life is OK -- but not great. You will probably want to travel with an extra set. However, the fact that these are AAs means you can easily buy a set anywhere in the world, as needed. The supplied NiMH's seem to be getting weak but I still use them.
THE SCREEN -- IT is OK but not nearly as good as modern screens. Mostly, I use the viewfinder for shooting. Except on bright days, the screen is fairly useful but it can be hard to tell if someone's eyes are closed. WHAT I WANT FOR MY NEXT CAMERA:
* I want a real (mechanical) telephoto. I miss that the most.
* I want an optical viewfinder (many of the new cameras don't have them) but also one of those large bright screen. It is great to have either option.
* I want video. I have learned to really like taking video clips for sharing on the web.
* I want a camera that uses standard AAs. This has come in so-handy for long trips since I can leave the charger home and just buy them along the way. But, at home, I use NiMH- - - - -
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
EASE OF USE
Fairly easy for basic functions - taking a picture, reviewing pictures, setting resolution, deleting etc.
Some of the more advanced feature can be buried in menus. Many of the icons and other indicators on the screen are not obvious and one must refer to the manual. On at least one occasion, I found an item on the camera menu that wasn't in the index of the manual.
Despite what I listed above, I'd say this camera qualifies as easy to use.
PICTURE QUALITY look great on my home ink jet printer at 4X6. From a foot away, you can't tell that it isn't a traditional print. (just less vibrant)
AUTOFOCUS seems to work fine. Flash is more than adequate.
LOW LIGHT shooting is pretty good but could be better
COLOR ACCURACY is good but not perfect. I'm not sure if it is my printer or the camera, but traditional photos are distinctly more vibrant.
RESOLUTION. It is advertised as 3.3 megapixels but I saw somewhere in the literature that is "effectively" 3.3 megapixels. By my calculation it is 3.15 but so what? I which they'd say it like it is, anyway.
ZOOM is almost useless since it doesn't work at the highest resolution which is the resolution I use and almost never change. You'll just have to crop after you get the picture on the computer.
SHUTTER DELAY and RESET TIME are tolerable and much better than some of the cameras I played with in the store
I've seen bigger SCREENS on other cameras but it does the job. It is a little dim in daylight forcing you to use the eyepiece. You can easily turn the screen off to save batteries -- a nice feature.
The included BATTERY CHARGER is a nice touch and can be used for your other electronic items. However, it would have been classier for Sony to make the battery charger also work as AC adaptor like it does for video cameras. You can buy an adaptor for extra money, which isn't cool.
BATTERY LIFE if more than enough to fill up the chip. Probably, you'll want to buy an extra pair for backup. Since it uses standard AA, you could also just keep a pair of alkaline or NiMH batteries on hand to use in a pinch.
MEMORY STICK. I wish they would adopt a more common standard like the SD or MMC but other than that, it works just fine. I wish they also would include a bigger chip. You will probably have to go out and buy one. I bought 128MB which hold 91 pictures at full resolution but added...to the price of the camera.
The camera SIZE is like a small 35mm camera and is a little lighter than my Olympus 35mm Stylus.
No CAMERA CASE is included, which is a drag. I found one that fits perfectly ..., so that was easily solved.
The little RUBBER COVER that covers the plugs is not well designed. It falls off all the time and finally I put some scotch tape on it to keep it in place. This would not be a satisfactory solution if you use the USB cable but I use a card reader so I don't open the cover much.
VIDEO feature is fun but the picture quality is terrible. Still, it is fun to play with. You videos will make you look like one of those imbedded Iraqi reporters! The sound is quite good. You can also add voice attachment to still photos a feature that would be better if you could easily switch to it. Also, it frustratingly clips off that last couple second of your message.
The VOICE RECORDER (same as what I mention above) is a feature that is cool but not too useful since it is limited to about 45 seconds. Too bad. The camera could also serve as a cool voice recorder. It will work OK for short notes.
VIDEO OUT is pretty useful for reviewing your pictures if you are not near a computer (like on vacation.)
Included SOFTWARE is barely adequate. I found the ImageMixer software very frustrating until I finally got the learning curve going up. The help screens are not helpful. Still, it's free and works (sort of!) Probably, you'll want to buy another software package. Fortunately both the pictures and MPEG videos are open-formats and easily import into most programs.
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Sony DSCP32 Cybershot 3.2MP Digital CameraThe fun, easy-to-use Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P32 digital camera packs in more pixels and more features than its predecessor. With its 3.2-megapixel resolution, the Cyber-shot DSC-P32 produces stunning images in a diverse range of conditions. It's also one of the first Sony cameras to be compatible with Memory Stick Pro.
Step-up Value Here's a Sony feature that adds value to this digital camera and differentiates it from other models in the Sony lineup.
Optics and Resolution The 3.2-megapixel resolution creates images large enough to print 11-by-17-inch enlargements. The 14-bit DXP system plus Super HAD CCD combine to produce excellent image detail and stunningly smooth contrast and color rendition. The Cyber-shot DSC-P32 offers a 3.2x digital zoom.
Storage and Transfer Images are stored on Memory Sticks, and a 16 MB Memory Stick is included. The Cyber-shot DSC-P32 is also one of the first Sony cameras to be compatible with optional Memory Stick Pro media, which can extends data capacity up to 1 GB.
Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.
Movie Mode You can capture far more than still images with the MPEG Movie VX function. Most digital cameras' movie modes are limited to 30- or 60-second clips, but the Cyber-shot DSC-P32 can keep shooting until you've filled the memory card. When used with Memory Stick Pro media, you can shoot approximately 22 minutes of video.
More Features
1.6-inch LCD monitor and optical viewfinder
The three-area multipoint autofocus can intelligently focus on the subject and avoids mistakenly focusing on the background
A multi-burst mode captures 16 images (320 x 240) as part of a single 1,280 x 960 image and plays them back sequentially in the camera
The Multi-Pattern Measuring feature, independently light-metering 49 points of the frame, establishes a maximum exposure value, even where pronounced highlight and shadow are not centered
Five scene modes: twilight, twilight portrait, landscape, snow, and beach
Built-in flash with red-eye reduction, auto, forced on, forced off, and slow-syncro modes
Power, Size, and Contents The camera is powered by the NH-AA-DA rechargeable NiMH battery (included). It measures 4.0 by 2.3 by 1.3 inches and weighs 7.9 ounces. This package includes the Cyber-shot DSC-P32 digital camera, 16 MB Memory Stick, battery and battery charger (BC-CS2), USB and AV cables, wrist strap, and CD-ROM with imaging software and USB drivers for Windows and Mac.
Click here for more information about Sony DSCP32 Cybershot 3.2MP Digital Camera
