Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T200 (Red)
Cameras Buying Guide
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December 2, 2007 11:31
Spectacular
2.5/5
I have had many cameras over the years, this one is by far the most cool one I have ever owned. Saying that, the DSC-T200 does not live up to my expectations at all.
The touch screen is a great feature, but when you have to go through 3 different menus to change one setting, it kinda gets a little difficult.
I quickly found out that the touch screen will get dirty very quick, because you will forget that it came with a stylus.
The video quality; however, is...ok. It could be a little better but they might as well have made it a video camera if that was the case. It gets the job done in that aspect, just do not expect to make any movies worthy of any awards with it.
The software that imports the pictures is great software that is very easy to use; however, when you look at your 8MP photos that you have taken, you might notice that many are blurry, and some just look pixilated. Even with a tripod and a good ISO setting it happens.
At first I figured that maybe it was just me, I took it to 3 different camera stores, and to one of my friends who is a photography major, and they all told me that it is the quality of the camera, not me or my settings. -
October 6, 2007 10:12
5.0/5
yummy red---niiiiiceeee!
I started on the T100 and liked the performance so i upgraded to this one as soon as it was available. Man! im glad i did! nice touch screen/control set up, huge screen, and the new smile detection rocks!! (& it really works!) pictures both indoors and outdoors are crystal clear and sharp. i was amazed of the quality of my very very low light shots too! (you just have to tweak the ISO setting a bit though on low light shots but once you adjust it to liking you'll always get a good shot).
I specially liked the widescreen (still/video) Full HD 1080i output on my HDTV, its just awesome!
Its just a personal preference, but as for me, im tired of other manufacturers boring generic designs and colors. yes its expensive but its worth it. This camera is an eye candy & @ the same time stuffed with lots of cool functions you cant even find on other units. so unless you dont wanna stand out in the crowd stay away from this camera. =) -
September 18, 2007 09:56
5.0/5
Wow, what a great camera! Before I purchased, I had read some reviews that claimed poor low-light shots with this camera. I decided to go for it anyway, and when I received the sony t200, the first thing I did was take some low light shots. All I can say is wow! The flash works amazingly; very powerful. You can even use the ISO setting to take low light shots without the flash, and those pictures came out nice too! I upgraded from my Kodak V550, and I can definitely justify spending the money on my new sony! One thing that would have been nice to see in the box is the usb cradle that allows you to charge the camera while uploading pictures to the computer, but instead you can buy the optional dock for $69.99! A bit of a rip off, seeing as you already paid top dollar for the camera. One really cool thing about this camera is the smile shutter- it really works! Just choose the smile scene, press the shutter button, and wait until that perfect smile! The camera takes the picture! Very cool. Overall I have to say I love this camera, and recommend it fully to anyone who is thinking about buying it! -
December 22, 2008 12:25
5.0/5
I would buy again. This is an upgrade from the T1 which I thought was cool but the pic quality was so so when my objects were moving. The T200 works much better and the screen is amazing. Love the compact size, good quality pics, optical zoom with video, etc. I was going to choose the canon sd870 but this is much more compact, more stylish but most important for me is that I could zoom during video recording...not just digital zoom, but optical zoom. Videos come out great both underwater and not underwater. My pictures are pretty good too but again, i'm not a pro and I don't have an expert eye.
Although most of my friends are against Sony for some reason and tried to make me buy that canon, I'm happy with my decision.
I love the touch screen and I find it easy to use...I wish I could zoom in on a region like I do on an iphone. But I like how I can use my nails to tap thing on the T200 whereas on a iphone you have to use the fleshy part of your finger.
Updated on Dec 22, 2008Forgot to mention that I have been using this camera for about a year...I bought it through sony.com for $299 after a coupon from another site. I was able to get it engraved too. Prices went way up after that for some reason. -
December 8, 2008 03:09
4.0/5
I would recommend this camera, but be careful if you are fumble fingered, its hard to hold on to. -
January 5, 2008 08:36
Spectacular
2.5/5
My father, a member of the older crowd, bought the camera at Costco under the influence of an unknowledgable but convincing salesman. Since Costco was out of the black ones, my dad got it for $300, which isn't a bad price. I hadn't look at any of the reviews, since I didn't know he was even in the market for a new camera. Thus, my first impressions of the camera were unblemished by any bias. The T100 had excellent photo quality, so there were some raised expectations. After reading my review, you'll understand why I returned something I got at such a great deal.
Interface:
Strange, but efficient and requires the same amount of effort and involvment as a non-touchscreen camera. Spectators like to watch you use it. The screen was very responsive and the simplicity of the menus would allow anyone to pick it up and use it.
Start-up and shot-to-shot times:
Only using it for the Holidays, I never ran into an instance where the camera start-up kept me from missing a family moment. Shooting times were quick and not noticeably slow or fast. I never noticed any image stabilization problems, even at ISO 100.
IMAGE QUALITY:
Abysmal. Though it is true that ISO 1600 & 3200 yield remarkably clear images compared to other point-and-shoots at 1600/3200, the overall image quality is terrible. Noise appeared in EVERY PHOTO, even though the exposure compensation and ISO were correctly set for the lighting. In high-contrast images, such as though around the Christmas Tree, there was dark fringing and a fish-eye effect for lines near the picture edges. Red-eye was rarely corrected. To the untrained eye, the colors seemed lively. But upon closer comparison (my skin to what I saw on the screen), the colors are too vibrant. This is probably done to make the colors seem more attractive, but is a pain if you're going to edit them later.
Features: The feature set is deep, from VGA recording to slideshow mode. Don't listen to the other reviewer. This camera DOES NOT output 1080i. Its RCA cords only output 480i. I must really commend the slideshow mode, which really excells beyond any other camera. Zoom is nice and IS helps when you're at 5X. The flash is extremely bright and even. Focus is fast and accurate, which is helped by the advanced face detection software. Smile shutter is sort of useful, but you'll get false-positives if you have a lot of people in the picture. Auto-rotate isn't that useful.
Memory:
I hate Pro Stick Duos. WHY!!! I already have a 4GB 120X, why would I want another memory card that only works on products from one brand? The tiny little Zoom nub is inconvenient, but not unusable. The sliding lens cover is satisfying to open and close.
Size:
Thin for its large screen and internal lens, but a bit too wide compared to other cameras.
Screen:
The 16:9 screen is totally useless unless you should at 1920:1080 images (not video), which is about 2 MP. Otherwise, letter-boxing occurs on both sides during all the practical/native resolutions. Also, the screen resolution is coarse. It's big and very bright with good contrast and saturation.
Don't buy this camera unless you can get it for under $200. It is a huge disappointment considering the excellent image quality of its predecessor. Consider the Canon SD750 (replaced the T200) at $200 or the SD870 IS if you're willing to spend a little more and have a shaky hand, which both have excellent image quality though slow sensors. I also recommend the T100, but I hate the sony's memory sticks. -
December 26, 2007 07:40
Mediocre
1.0/5
I've used a DSC T-1 for nearly four years, and Nikon, Minolta, and Canon for four, three and two respectively. I was enamored with the T-1 even for serious pictures. Naturally when the T-1 finally gave in I went for the latest Sony mini, the DSC T-200. I didn't read the reports because of the good experience I've had with the T-1. What a disappointment! The pictures are grainy, noisy and with poor definition. Period, full stop. That is what picture taking is about. At first I couldn't believe it so I placed the pictures next to old ones from the T-1, the Nikon, Minolta and Canon. Not even close. Then I read other reports. Almost half of the new users report the same problem. And as if it isn't expensive enough, you still have to spend extra for basic attachments like a stand to charge the battery while in the camera! Oh why, tell why Sony did you throw out the window such a good reputation, and with an otherwise well designed product? As soon as the Xmas return rush slows down I'll be taking mine back. That is very disappointing because I had come to rely heavily on the DSC's macro amplification mode; indeed, that is one reason I bought this new model. -
December 13, 2007 07:12
4.5/5
Sony hit a homerun in my opinion with this camera, I was looking for a new Sony and once I saw the features and the HDNA compatibility, I was sold. I absolutely love this camera!!!
($359.00 @ Costco) -
November 24, 2007 10:09
3.5/5
Seems ole Sony threw everything one up on all the rest of competitors Digicams that seem desirable in a digital camera together and shook it up on this one, but it forgot a few fine points that it MUST fix on this camera, for it has great potential. Quick on the draw with boot-up, between shots, flash, etc. but it presents some issues in it's low light capabilities and one should not have to tweek it everytime there is a transition, that is what an Auto ISO mode or any Auto Mode should do just that, but it just cannot provide on this important factor. But outdoors, great multiple-point focus, crisp and honest color saturation on outdoors in modest, normal to bright light subjects. Lot of fun stuff to play with, IF and WHEN you find all the menu items buried in cryptic mode access, READ THE MANUAL ON THE CD, where it is buried as well, quite lengthy, but you will need to know when you try to turn on, let's say...the Smile Shutter, how lame! It supposedly will only snap the pic if it senses the white's of the toothy smile of all subjects' in a face shot, give me a break, doesn't seem to kick in like it should, no loss.
Also, very important here is the fact that the battery seems to have some dismal longevity issues, being it runs dead in 5-10 shots, I THOUGHT! I inquired and e-mailed to I was blue in the fingers, as well as literally shouting at 800 Sony Support in Mumbai only to a deaf ears, as the response manual page turns, nobody really cares what customers concerns are at Sony it seems, they said repeatedly just buy a new battery, at the customer's expense, they would not consider REPLACING the DEFECTIVE BATTERY, but I found out why.
The secret is, use a card reader not the USB hookup, for some reason, I am sure a firmware release would fix this, but this drains the so called "Stamina" Battery they tout that is SUPPOSED to be able to shoot up to 250 shots on a charge, but is a joke at best unless you take out the Memory Stick and USE A Card Reader, DO THIS if you own this camera and have this problem. This could be only isolated with these Particular RED DSC-T200-R Series of camera's from Costco, but I had to disclose this out to y'all if there are other's out there suffering as I did.
Movies are very nice in good light, inside is again, quite grainy, one cannot understand this for this camera's specs touts up to 3200ISO for pics, movies I suspect are a default 200-400 ISO, but inside, modest light subject in a movies will not playback there so called HD Ouput claims...but I hate to say, this is not EVEN close, it may work, but not very well, even in it's specific Low Light Mode. But outside is another story. I do not know how companies as big as Sony gets out blatantly advertising such high specs and cannot even provide, only in IDEAL Settings will this camera perform as promised INSIDE only, outside normal light situations are it's credance.
Good Luck, I am keeping this I suppose, but it should only be considered if you are not a purist, just a heads up, wanted to put out a average users words...Updated
My new opinion is...This camera has a questionable future...as I must state the fact that due to my recent rare opportunity to acid-test this camera on my much appreciate European Holiday for Christmas, most of my indoor shots are completely ruined, due to this camera's inability to focus under low-light situations. One must use a tripod, and manually use a high ISO setting POSSIBLY to get anything under modest light indoors with this camera, period. Unless you use some sort of setting that is specifically for every low-light situation, I have to say, from experience, this camera fails in the aspect of indoor photography, even though I had took several of each subject, for the most part, no quality focusing on the subjects. I resorted to even changing the focusing on single point, multi, center, etc. and it failed.
For the most part, there is a serious bug in this DSC-T200, even after my returning the intial purchase and travelling to Europe to test this camera, it fails on low-light subjects indoor and out. Even upon manually setting a lower or higher ISO, and physically isolating the camera, it still has troubles...all I can say is BUYER BEWARE this is going back!
