Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 (silver)
Cameras Buying Guide
-
October 4, 2008 11:12
3.5/5
I was looking for a compact camera with internal optics (i.e. no lens that comes out of the body) since my wife's 5 year old cousin dropped my 3 year old Casio right on the optics, and that was the end of that camera. For what I wanted it for, it fits the bill perfectly. I feel confident that I can hand this to a kid and they won't be able to break it. However, there are a few drawbacks that make me de-rate it. The first, which I should have known, is that the connector is proprietary and it requires the software to get the photos off the memory built into the camera. That stinks if you are traveling, you have to take YOUR laptop. I take my camera every where I go with my kids, and when at relatives houses, I like to take pictures, and then just leave them there. In the past, I would just pop out my SD card and either use a standard usb cable, and have the camera show up as removable storage, or pull out the SD card and plug that directly into a reader in a computer, or a usb adapter that I carry in my camera bag. Realizing this, I will probably go get a 4 gb MS duo card plus usb adapter now, which kind of defeats the purpose of having the internal memory. That was -1 star in my book, but pretty par for the course for Sony. The other big nit was that to charge the battery, you have to remove it from the camera and plug it into a battery charger. I was able to keep my old camera plugged into it's usb cable and it could charge off the computer. That is -1/2 a star. -
September 29, 2008 07:03
4.0/5
I was looking for a camera to replace my Sony N2, which I have been very happy with, but was looking to find something smaller. I've been eyeing the T-Series cameras since the first one but have always found things I didn't like. They've always been bulkier than I was looking for. This one really impressed me by its small size and simplicity. Feels really durable too. Display is by far the best I've seen in Sony ultra-compacts and I've had many of them - probably at least 7 now. Menu system still needs work. I really wish it was more like the PS3, but I guess it might not work so well with a touch screen. I'm impressed by the auto ISO low light capabilities without flash. In some low light conditions I choose the ISO setting, rather than auto and flash enabled and get a better, warmer picture than trying to have the flash light up the scene. I've installed many, many Cybershot photo software packages in the past and have uninstalled just about every one. The one that comes with the T700 is very nice. It is very similar to the photo program that comes with Vista. It does a great job of importing current picture folders, and offloading pictures from the camera. Its method of picture organization is very good. I really like how the software analyzes all pictures for certain faces, and when you click on a certain face it will find many other pictures with the same face. It even found a baby picture of my fiance! This feature is a bit limited in that the people need to be looking straight at the camera for it to be most effective--iit does miss some pictures because of this. Camera is lightweight an easy to carry in a pocket. It does a pretty good job of capturing video in a dark setting as well; though, it plays it back in only a 3" window. Not sure if this can be changed or not, I haven't found the menu item for that yet. For the money charged for this camera I'd like to have seen Sony throw in a docking cradle. It does come with an insert that fits into the CSS-HD2 cradle, but you have to shell out between $50-$75 to pick one up. I'd still prefer to not to have to buy Memory sticks and SD cards separately, but what are you gonna do-Sony isn't going to be letting go of that cash cow anytime soon. All in all this was finally the T-series camera I've been waiting for and I'm very happy with it. -
November 2, 2008 11:36
Mediocre
1.0/5
I have no idea what CNET has been smoking. I bought the Sony camera off their review and realized that they are either biased or incompetent. Anyone looking for great looking pictures as opposed to a great looking toy needs to look else where.
For professional unbiased reviews try DPREVIEW.COM .
The problem with most pocket cameras is that their sensors are small and hence do not obsorb enough light. When high pixel rate is added that makes it worse. The best inexpensive pocket camera ever made was the Fuji f31df. That was because the sensor size per pixel was the largest of pocket cameras.
There are some companies trying to bring back quality pocket cameras. Sigma DP-1 and the new DP-2 are attemt at that. They provide large sensor and quality optics. THey do cost over $700 though. Olympus is working on a quality pocket but it has not been released. -
December 25, 2008 04:58
4.0/5
Point of the matter is, its a great point and shoot "tiny" camera, ideal for taking with you wherever you go. Be aware however, it becomes increasingly difficult to take a great shot in low lighting scenarios, which with a lens that small, doesn't take that much lack of lighting. If you are searching for picture perfect shots, then don't look here, save your money for a larger camera or a DSLR. If you want the coolest small camera on the market, that takes fast shots and works well in most scenarios, then this is your camera. -
October 1, 2008 08:53
4.0/5
This is only my second digital camera, my first being a Canon 3.2 MP I bought quite a while back. When shopping for this camera, I looked at the H50, W300, and W170. Seems that Sony has eeked ahead a bit over Canon, so I focused my search on Sony. This camera has it all, except for HD video recording, which I determined was not that important for me in a point-and-shoot and consider it a trade-off. I love how I get the 4x optical zoom without a protruding lens and the usefulness of the internal playback software is amazing. -
January 4, 2009 07:29
5.0/5
This is the best camera I've EVER owned. The pics come out great. You hv a lil stylus pen to edit pics on the touch screen. Rechargable battery lasts fairly long. The finish of the camera is superior. Also there is no exterior zoom which is a plus in my book. The movie mode is on par as well, being that it's main purpose is a camera first. The price was $350 for me at BestBuy but due to the fact that it has 4gb already built in did it for me. This is an easy 5 star camera!!! -
January 2, 2009 02:17
Excellent
2.0/5
I tried to like this camera, I really did...but for 300+ dollars I expect to be satisfied with almost every aspect of a camera.
I read reviews of this camera extensively before I purchased this camera, and while they are almost all universally positive, I found that unfortunately for me, the negative ones were correct.
I particularly like the design and functions of this camera, it?s aesthetically pleasing and sleek, however the image quality completely overwhelms this aspect. There is one word to describe the quality: spotty. This camera DOES possess the ability to take a great picture, however I expect consistency good photos, and this camera has delivered mediocre results: There is almost always redeye, frequent washout of the subjects from the flash and artifacts from dust, etc. in the air. Battery life is shorter than it should be because of the large touch screen. I would recommend a second battery.
Also, there aren't dedicated buttons, so you have to navigate the touch screen and menus to change settings which I found to be inconvenient. For these reasons, I'm returning it and spending less money. -
December 23, 2008 02:00
Mediocre
1.0/5
Got the camera at Best Buy, took it home, opened it and found a green spot in the LCD display, like was being pressed. Took it back two hours later to the store, exchange it for a new one. Next day took it to a day trip to NYC, battery didn't last 50 pictures in 3MP quality. Thought it was the battery still warming up... A week later, took it to another day trip, less than 50 pictures, not even time for review the pictures. Definitively quality problems. I'm taking it back to the store for a full refund and going back to Canon. I used to have a SD750, totally bulletproof. Probably getting a 880 or 990. Not worth the $400 -
December 22, 2008 10:16
Terrible
0.5/5
I use a NIkon D4 for serious stuff, a Leica M8 for fun and carried a Lieca C-Lux3 in my pocket until I lost it. This was to replace the Lieca and after looking at my first batch of images I am going to throw this away and buy another Lieca today from B+H. -
December 17, 2008 05:23
4.5/5
