Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T200 (Silver)
Cameras Buying Guide
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October 15, 2007 11:09
5.0/5
Please, please DO NOT take the advise of consumers who use the "User Opinion" to comment on the performance of this camera and gave it poor review -they are WRONG. Some of the comments I read initially scared me but after searching the internet for expert reviews and seeing so many positive reviews from these experts, I thought I would see for myself. I am happy to report those users are WRONG and the CNet editors & the experts are CORRECT in their review. The obvious problem is a lot of these users are not knowledgeable on how to operate the camera in the various situations, they are pretty much pointing and shooting. You have to adjust any and all camera when your lighting situation changes in order to get the best possible picture. This is a big investment for me and I love taking pictures, hence I had to be convince that the Sony T200 could perform in any situation, so after purchasing the camera I needed to be certain that this was truly the camera for me. I took the camera home and took pictures in the most extreme conditions and in every situation this camera performed ABOVE expectation. I took pictures in a very dark room with all the lights out, it was so dark that I had to wait for my eyes to adjust and I could not move. I did a variety of things -I did multiple shots using 1 object; zooming at a distance; I took close up shots; I used just the flash; I used the "low light scene" option; as well as the "low light scene without flash; I later took pictures in low lit rooms, and needless to say the camera performed superbly!! I continued my experiment by taking pictures in intense bright situations indoor and outdoor by using the camera's adjustments, again it adjusted and took perfect pictures under those situation. Note, very little adjustment is needed in well lit situation, you can pretty much point and shoot. There are many options you can use to get the perfect shot with this camera, you just need to spend a little time reading your manual and learning how to properly use this & any camera. I would be remiss if I did not mention the clarity of the pictures, I zoomed it from a distance to take pictures of my kids pictures that was placed in a small frame and I could see all their perfect little faces perfectly. I also used the Macro feature to take extreme close up pictures, I was able to read every word printed in the book -no blurring and very close. Finally I would like to add, the camera is very sleek in it's design, the touch screen options is a fun attractive feature, and I can't say enough about the 3.5" BIG screen -you wont miss a thing. I am very happy with the purchase of my T200 and I plan on keep this camera for many years to come. I really hope my comments help someone who might be confuse about buying this camera and others who have the camera and have not been using it properly -I LOVE IT! -
October 3, 2007 01:35
4.5/5
can't complain, get the screw on leather case with stylus to prevent using greasy fingers on easily smudged touchscreen -
June 1, 2008 02:13
Excellent
2.0/5
If I would have been able to try it before buying it, I would have not have gotten this camera. The pictures do not turn out well, the ISO doesnt help and there are too few settings with Flash. What happened to having just an automatic flash??? THere is no option to turn the flash "on" -
May 3, 2008 08:06
4.0/5
I think the camera is great, especially for a beginner like myself, I don't know about other cameras, but (real) battery life is not perfect.
The camera has many great features but I wish it had auto-rotate function like in the Canon.
I've had it for a week till now, the image quality is so admirable and pure.
I believe CNET review is a little bit negative. -
April 11, 2008 09:57
4.5/5
I've had digital cameras since the state of the art was 640x480 resolution, and my prior one was a 3MP Olympus. I like compact cameras, but a small camera comes with small buttons and minuscule icons explaining their function. Overall, I was looking for a different user interface, that would be easier to use. The touch-screen display of this camera is great. The virtual buttons are large and an explanation of their function accompanies them. It's a bit different but easy to use.
The photo quality is quite good too. Not as good a full-size camera or an SLR, but excellent for the size.
Overall I'm quite satisfied - it was just what I was looking for. -
March 27, 2008 03:12
3.0/5
I bought this camera a few months ago and at first I really liked it. I always do my research online and this sounded amazing, there's a touch screen after all! Boy how wrong I was. Sure, the touch screen in fun, but I'm always having to watch where I place my fingers while taking a picture. It's very easy to press wrong buttons with this camera.
The image quality un-zoomed in okay, but once you get that zoom going, FORGET IT. Quality is absolutely cringe-worthy. I'm no camera expert, just someone who loves electronics. I owned a Canon before purchasing this and loved it. I used it for years. Canon to Sony seemed kind of a down grade for me.
Also, I don't care for the battery that came with this camera. It's very time consuming and does not keep a charge. If you charge it fully, it won't take you long to get to empty. This camera is also a bit expensive. I paid $400 for it and was expecting more than I got.
Now, this camera isn't all bad. There are many fun features and it does bring a crowd when you mention the touch screen. Also, since the buttons can disappear when you take a picture, you get the whole picture on you screen clearly with no interference.
Over all, it's not a bad camera, it just doesn't live up to the description. If you're considering to buy this camera, really do your research and test it at a local electronics store. Others may look less stylish, but they could pack a whole lot more punch. -
November 12, 2007 10:15
5.0/5
This thing is great. It is very fast to start, just flip the cover down in front and take a picture -- literally a second later. The screen in back is huge. Easy touch screen. It has features you never even realize (try its audio/visual slideshow jacked into a tv).
If you want pics taken at dusk, tap AUTO and then select DUSK. Pics with high reflective light? Click the SNOW. This does take some playing with! But it is fast to try and you can cycle through them all snapping a photo each time.
The controls are easy to use with my Men's medium-large hands.
Love it. -
February 12, 2008 01:08
Mediocre
1.0/5
This is a major disappointment. I got this camera three days ago and I am already getting rid of it. This is the worst camera I have ever owned.
This camera cannot be used by anyone with fingers. Try as you may, it simply cannot be held. Because of the awkward position of the lens, at the top right corner, right where your index finger will be positioned to shoot. It is rather easy to learn to position your index finger on the edge, to keep it away from the lens, but if you have more than one finger in your hand then some other finger is bound to interfere with the lens. I found it happened about 20 percent of the time, making as many pictures useless. I tried to grab the camera from the screen side, in an attempt to keep my fingers away from the lens. Unfortunately this immediately triggers the touch screen. Even if you touch within a 1 mm of the inside of the touch screen, it is triggered --- some annoying pop up message sounds. I thought it was nice that the 200 model had a larger screen than the 100 model, but that is actually the worst thing about it: it leaves no space whatsoever for fingers to grasp the camera. I also tried to hold the camera strictly from the edge, but this makes it very difficult to get a firm grasp, and all the pictures came out blurred. As a consequence, this camera cannot be used for snapshots. I also found that the screen is impossible to view in bright daylight, such as the places I usually travel to. The only way to produce decent pictures is to use a tripod. The flash was rather good.
I was unable to produce good pictures with this camera because I could not get a firm grasp of it, because of its awful design. The over-sensitive sprawled-all-over touch-screen was another nightmare.
If you want to take blurred pictures of your fingers you may enjoy this camera.
