Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
The high-end camera that fits in the back of your pocket. Sony's DSC-T1 features a huge 5.1 Megapixel resolution, 3X Optical Zoom, and a 2.5" Hybrid LCD Monitor, all in a package the size of a credit card. The T1 even packs extra features you would normally expect on a camera twice its size, such as a high-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens, Sony's high-speed Real Image Processor, 5 Area Multi-Point Focus. It is even able to capture full screen VGA (640x 480) video at an astounding 30 frames per second. It's twice the camera at half the size. From the Manufacturer
Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
1/2.35" 5.1 Megapixel Effective Super HAD CCD: Super HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCDs provide excellent image quality by allowing more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise. Compact Slim Body: The ultra-compact and thin size of the DSC-T1 makes it the perfect camera to tuck in a pocket or purse for high-quality, high resolution photos almost anywhere. USB Cradle: The included Cyber-shot Station allows for easy connectivity for charging the camera, as well as transferring and viewing images either to the computer or on your television. 3X Optical/2X Digital: 3X Optical Zoom helps you frame your shots for better digital pictures. And Sony's Precision Digital Zoom provides an additional 2X magnification without the jagged edges of other designs, resulting in smoother images. 0 - 4X Smart Zoom Feature (at VGA Resolution): Smart Zoom intelligently uses the full CCD to let you zoom into the portion of interest by cropping the image size--thus avoiding the image degradation of Digital Zooms. Continuous Auto Focus: To maintain accurate focus lock with fast moving subjects, Continuous AF keeps focusing from the time the camera is turned on until the moment of exposure, providing properly focused images even when your subject is moving. Memory Stick Duo Media: Digital. Powerful. Transportable. Memory Stick Duo media is compact, portable and rugged--connects to a variety of hardware and software applications (may require use of supplied MSAC-M2 adapter). 14-Bit DXP A/D Conversion: Sony's 14-bit Digital EXtended Processor captures the range between highlight and shadow with up to 16,384 values, for extended dynamic contrast and detail. Pre-Flash Metering: With a momentary pre-flash, the camera illuminates the subject and sets exposure through the lens for accurate flash metering. Adjustable flash level and red-eye reduction ensure great flash shots. Auto Daylight Synchro Fill Flash: When the Multi-Pattern Measuring system determines the subject is backlit or in shadow, the Daylight Fill Flash automatically fires to provide optimum exposure of both your subject and the background. Multi-Burst Mode: Captures 16 consecutive 320 x 240 frames as part of a single 1280 x 960 image which plays back sequentially in the camera or as a single image on your computer. Selectable 1/7.5, 1/15 or 1/30 second frame intervals provide convenient motion analysis.
Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
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Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
SCRUTINIZE EVERY REVIEW YOU READ, INCLUDING THIS ONE., June 22, 2004 Reviewer: Kai (New York, NY) - See all my reviews I almost always turn to Amazon's product reviews before making a purchase, especially anything $500 and up. And heeding all of the warnings and complaints, I can almost always be certain to make a well-informed buying choice. I'm a tech consultant so I am VERY particular about my electronic gear. I expect a lot out of them. The Sony DSC-T1 is a second camera for me. My primary camera is a Nikon Coolpix 5700 which I love but takes a lot of skill and patience. The T1 was designed to take along to parties, meetings, places where I needed a more discreet and elegant digital camera solution. I still wanted the best picture quality I could get for the size, though. After reading all of the reviews, I was not just discouraged from buying what I thought was a good camera, I was confused by the morass of misinformation. I mean, people are putting facts in their reviews which are simply not true. The whole red-eye issue, purple fringing, the sliding latch and battery loss complaints, the oversize dock that you HAVE to take wherever you go, the noisy or blurry photos, These are not legitimate statements. All cameras can have these problems if not used properly. The bottom line is this, you HAVE TO READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL with digital cameras, folks. Sorry, there's no getting around this. Even though this is the most intutitive camera I've ever owned, you have to know how to use it. It's a powerful piece of electronics that has produced stunning results for me - including a shot I took from a 747 over Alaska though a crappy airlplane window. If you take the time to read the simple manual, you'll get FANTASTIC shots from this camera - almost guaranteed. It performs superbly, handles well, is incredibly durable, amazingly intuitive (make sure you use the handstrap). It's not a professional camera, so don't expect to take Ansel Adams style pictures. If you want to mount it on a tripod, you'll have to get the case which has the stud-hole in it. The camera itself does NOT have a tripod hole. But who really cares? Are you seriously going to mount a 7oz camera on a tripod. Some of the reviewers expect WAY too much out of this camera. Come on folks, do your research before writing such scathing reviews of a camera that simply is, fantastic. You do a disservice to those of us who depend on honest reviews to make purchases. I HIGHLY recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for an all-purpose, elegant digital camera. Get an extra memory card and the direct-connect cord ($20) so you don't have to take the SMALL (not big like everyone says) dock. You will really LOVE this camera. Be confident that this is money well spent.
Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
exactly what I was looking for, March 6, 2004
Reviewer:
Jim Hammond (Bristow, VA USA)
Although I have much experience with cameras, camcorders, and digital images, I have never owned a digital camera before. My main camera has been a Nikon 6006 SLR, so I am pretty picky about quality.
After extensive research, I settled on the DSC-T1. It is exactly what I expected, and almost exactly what I wanted, but allow me to elaborate because it may not be exactly what YOU want.
I was tempted by larger digital cameras (and I will eventually get one of those too). For example, the Panasonic Lumix is few bucks cheaper and has more controls, a BIG lens, great image stabilization, and 12x optical zoom (digital zoom is meaningless). It is even possible to get a medium size 5MP digital camera with 5x optical zoom and better pictures than the dsc-t1 for much less. However, I concluded that I would rather have a good camera with me 24x7 than leave a great camera in the car or at home. I was SO right. I have already captured SO many photos I would have missed. I carry the camera at all times in one of those silk bags that come with Oakley sunglasses.
I considered other small cameras like the Casio Elixim Z4, but it does not have video in US versions. The Canon S400 is very good, but it is slower and thicker with a much smaller LCD, and a newer version is coming out April 30th. No ultra compact that is clearly better than the DSC-T1 is on the horizon.
In addition to ultra compact size, I wanted at least 4MP, at least 3x optical zoom, quality video ability, speed, ease of use, and flexible shooting modes. This camera has 5MP, 3x optical zoom, excellent 640x480 video mode, speed, ease of use, and shooting modes flexible enough to accommodate everything from action to night images.
Video is in MPG files, which can be played back on the free Real Player. It is not possible to zoom while shooting video, but it is possible to zoom before recording begins or when recording has been paused.
I haven't tried the software that comes with it yet. I run Windows XP, and I just place the dsc-t1 in the cradle, turn it on, and it appears as another disk drive in Windows Explorer. I can copy files from it and paste them onto a hard drive. I can then delete the image files from the camera to free up the space on the memory stick just as if I were deleting files from any Windows folder.
Apparently slowness is a problem with all digital cameras except for a few of the most recent ones, and the DSC-T1 seems fast to me. This may be the result of the newer and faster Duo Pro Memory Stick technology. Get the 256MB Duo Pro Memory Stick. The 512MB stick costs three times as much. Don't bother with a spare battery. They are too expensive, and the battery life is OK. You don't want to be frequently opening the delicate little battery/memory doors on digital cameras anyway.
Don't worry about having no optical view finder. They just make cameras bigger. The 2.5 inch LCD is bigger than any other digital camera and is quite sufficient.
Such a small camera is a little tricky to hold SECURELY without getting in the way of the lens, so if you tend to drop things, then you WILL eventually drop this unless you use the wrist strap at all times, which partially defeats the convenience aspect. I still haven't attached the wrist strap because I am extra careful, but someone could still bump into me while shooting. On the other hand, I don't want to overstate this problem because the camera is quite durable/graspable when the lens cover is closed.
Almost every indoor picture with the kids has at least a hint of red eye. I consider about 60% of them to have too much, but I still get more quality shots than I have time to email, so I really can't complain. BTW, 5MP jpeg files are about 2MB each, which makes email a challenge. Less than one out of ten indoor pictures seems grainy. It is actually possible to take decent pictures in total darkness when using the flash because the auto focus works in the dark, which is not true for every camera.
It is possible to use one of the modes that forces the camera to 100 speed to guarantee maximum resolution (0% graininess), but you may have to brace the camera well for the slow shutter speeds that result. In fact I took some good pictures from my front porch at NIGHT by bracing the camera, but this will take more practice. Note that such pictures did not use a flash because a flash is useless beyond a few yards away, and only works WELL up to 6 feet away.
One pleasant surprise was the excellent sound quality. I carried a digital voice recorder 24x7, which would fill up until I had time to manually transpose my notes and delete them forever to free up memory on the recorder again. Before that I used the very expensive little Pearlcorder L400. It was less convenient to transpose from a tape, but at least I could keep the tapes forever. Sound quality on all of them was poor. Whereas, with the DSC-T1, I discovered I could take hours of VIDEO notes in 160x160 mode with perfect sound quality and then just copy these files onto my hard drive to keep forever. This is when I knew I was keeping the DSC-T1.
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