I just purchased this as a replacement from my Sony P-100 5 mega pixel camera. WOW! This camera is definitely a sleek improvement from past models. Aside from the 7.2 megapixel count, this camera excels in almost every conceivable area relevant to compacts.First off, this camera starts up in less than a second or so--truly fast compared to other similarly priced cameras. This feature is essential when attempting to capture that oh so special kodak...er...sony moment in a blink.
Secondly, the camera is beautiful. Sony got it right this time when designing a sturdy, compact and lightweight technological masterpiece. True, it's not as small as its even lighter cousin--the T-33, or the Pentax Optio S5n and Casio Exlim models, but it passes the pants pocket test with flying colors. Additionally, when compared to the T-33, this camera uses the regular memory stick size and not the smaller duo like the T-33. Sooooo, if you already own a sony, this is a natural upgrade.
Some other excellent features on the P-200 are the manual overides. You can adjust the shutter speed and aperature which, for a camera in this class, is a true rarity.
I also am enjoying the extremely high quality video mode; although not the most important selling point, having the ability to take camcorder like videos with sound for unlimited amounts of time (unlike 30 second segments from many other cams) is handy.
Another amazing feature is the battery life. I remember my first sony digital camera--the DSC-P50 2.1 mega pixel. It's battery life was dismal. My P-72 was slightly improved, but still suffered from chronic battery munchies. The P-200 fully charged can take pictures for over 200 minutes! If you're on the display modes, it can last almost double that--another breathtaking accomplishment. The info lithium works well in calculating the remaining battery life--a major complaint from owners of other cameras like Canon that lack this feature. Lastly, it is a proprietary battery, so purchasing an additional one is recommended.
Needless to say, the 2" lcd is gorgeous, just like the past sony cameras I've had. It's extremely hi-res and I have no difficulty seeing it in sunlight. The lcd's navigation is similar to earlier sony cams with a few new additions. Sony finally placed a protective screen over the actual lcd to prevent damage...took them long enough, but it's much appreciated.
Overall, I'm tremendously pleased with the picture quality from this puppy. I envision this camera lasting well into early-mid 2006 when Sony will release yet another improvement. Until then, I highly recommend this for most anybody who appreciates quality and functionality incorporated into a lightweight package.
I think Sony did a great job on this camera. It is perfect for those who are tech savvy but really appreciates technology when it is used to make something better without making it cumbersome to use.
The Sony DSC-P200 is first and foremost a point and shoot camera designed to capture every-day life images and the occasional video. To best serve that purpose, it is compact, easy to use, and have an exceptionally quick turn-on time. It's not the smallest camera, but it is compact enough to fit inside small pockets, and substantial enough to be easy to hold. Sony cameras, like most Sony brand products, have excellent user interfaces that are logically laid out and easy to comprehend. I figured out out to use my P200 without reading the manual. I will probably refer to it to see exactly what the scene modes are but that's about it. The large 2 inch LCD on the P200 also makes it much more user friendly than smaller 1.5 or 1.8 inch displays. The turn on time for this camera is one of the best, probably somewhere around a second between pressing the power button to being able to snap a picture. My old Olympus C50 took 3-4 seconds and it was a real bother.
Ease-of-use points aside, this is a 7.2 Megapixel camera and it packs a picture-quality punch that is surpassed only by high end cameras such as the SLR variety. Untill full reviews come out on one of the well known digital camera review sites, I think it is adequate to use reviews for the P150 as a guage. Those reviews have all been very positive on the P150 and the P200 is at least as good as the P150 in terms of picture quality.
Some words about blurrness...
I've heard/read about Sony digital cameras taking blurry pictures and all expert opinion attribute the blurrness to two things: image processor, shaky hand/mount.
There are only a few Sony digital cameras that suffer from blurry pictures caused by an image processor that is too agressive in performing noise reduction. The DSC-W1 is probably the best and most recent example. However, the DSC-P150 does not have this problem, and neither does the P200 according to what I've seen and the pictures I've taken. I tried a DSC-W1 for 2 weeks before returning it so I know first hand what the image processor induced blurryness looks like.
The second cause of blurryness is a classic case of shaky hands. The newer generation of Sony Cameras seem to be programed to prefer a longer shutter open time rather than increase ISO or turn on the flash. It tries to make the most out of available ambient light before making use of adjustments that compromise picture quality. What this results in are shutter speeds as slow as 1/30th of a second before the camera will start using the flash in full auto mode. This combined with 7.2MP of resolution will result in blurry pictures if the hand holding the camera isn't absolutely still. In trying to maximize the picture quality of the camera, Sony has traded off some real-world usability. Whenever I use my P200 to take a picture and see that the shutter speed is 1/40 or slower, I will make a mental note to brace myself when taking the picture, or at least use both hands.
All things considered, it's hard to imagine a more perfect combination of everyday usability and performance. The P200 is perfectly at home snapping birth-day party pictures for 4x6 prints, or mounted on a tripod to get that perfect shot for a 8x10 blow-up.
Buy Sony Cybershot DSCP200/R 7.2MP Digital Camera 3x Optical Zoom (Red) Now
The DSC-P200 is an amazing piece of technology that demonstrates how far digital photography has come. With a 7.2 MP resolution, 3X zoom, lithium ion battery and a 2" LCD screen squeezed into a tiny package, this camera is truly amazing. The output is no less impressive with quality superior to that of any other camera I have seen.One of the advantages of a camera this small is its ability to be carried in your clothing without relying on an external carrying case. While this is a great attribute that allows you to bring it to parties for impromptu photos, its apparent fragility is a cause for concern. It would be nice if Sony provided a glove-like camera case or entirely different, ruggedized housing. Of course, many third-party camera cases are available along with what Sony offers, but even the smallest of these will be too large to fit in a shirt or inside sport coat pocket.
In addition to its diminutive size, the camera's portability is also fostered by the lithium ion battery which lasts for nearly two hours. Moreover, with a larger memory chip, you will have everything necessary for a day or more worth of shooting. At the full seven megapixel resolution, photos average about three (3) megabytes each. This means you can store only about ten photos on the included 32 MB Memory Stick, making memory a necessary upgrade. By comparison, my 512 MB Memory Stick allows me to take over 150 maximum resolution 7.2 MP photos. Fortunately, it can be purchased for approximately $55 at Amazon.
Even though I am not a professional photographer or artist, I can definitely appreciate the picture quality. I had the opportunity to directly compare the Sony DSC-P200's quality to that of a Minolta 5 MP camera taking the exact same photo at the same distance. The pictures of a friend and me were taken by a waiter in an upscale restaurant with relatively low lighting. At first glance, they appeared to be of comparable quality. After closer inspection, however, it was clear that the Sony image was superior. In one striking example, the shades of my burgundy shirt were more accurate with less pixilation.
For the amateur photographer, be aware there are many features to be deciphered. As a former engineer and gadget enthusiast, I consider myself a quick study. Yet, I had to spend a couple of hours reading the manual and still have some learning to do. So, don't buy this camera on the way to your daughter's wedding and expect to use it (besides, the battery will be dead anyway).
Many casual photographers may question the need for seven megapixels as this exceeds the resolution of even the largest monitors. For example, a high-end WUXGA (1900 x 1200) wide format monitor only has 2.3 megapixels. However, the camera's superior resolution provides a hidden benefit. Even if you don't want to create large format photos or posters, it does allow for a convenient "off-line" zooming. So if you are at sporting event or show, you can take photos of scenes even too far with 3X magnification. When editing the images on your computer, you can crop the part of the photo desired to effectively zoom into the image you wish to save or share with you friends.
As a Sony Vaio owner, I have the added benefit of being able to slip the Memory Stick directly into my laptop without having to worry about cables or additional drivers. It would be even nicer, though, if Sony provided some sort of wireless connectivity, such as Bluetooth or WiFi. I can see why Sony would skip this feature as current wireless technology would not be sufficient for transfer of several high-resolution photos.
The video capability is a nice frill even though it would not be a key reason for purchasing this camera. I was quite surprised that it produced quality video AND sound recordings. The latter was far crisper than I ever expected. With two gigabyte chips available in 2005, you could record full motion video for nearly 80 minutes. This sounds great, but the camera doesn't record moving scenes very well. Presumably, this is due to internal bandwidth limitations. On this note, it would be nice to provide HDTV video recording, even at a lower frame rate. This would be quite a stretch due to bandwidth limitations/data write speed as HDTV cameras, geared for the professional market, are very expensive.
In summary, the Sony DSC-P200 is an incredible piece of technology that provides tremendous picture quality in a small package. I can't imagine wanting more out of a camera other than a ruggedized housing or high resolution HDTV video, which is quite unrealistic given its size and cost. Given the camera's intended purpose, Sony has done an amazing job. For still photos, the DSC-P200 should be good for a decade or so.
Pros
7.2 MP
Incredible picture quality
Lithium Ion battery
Compact
Cons
No glove-like case
A bit complicated for recreational photographers
Delicate (potentially)
32 MB of standard memory
No Bluetooth
Read Best Reviews of Sony Cybershot DSCP200/R 7.2MP Digital Camera 3x Optical Zoom (Red) Here
I resisted "going digital" for a long time. When I finally took the plunge and compared cameras, the Sony DSC-P200 was the standout. Consider this:The P200 has a metal case -not plastic.
The lens is a Carl Zeiss -the same German optical firm that makes lenses for Hasselblad and Leica.
The P200 is made in Japan by the same Sony subsidiary that makes the professional digital Betacams used in Hollywood.
The design of this camera deserves an award the placement of the buttons, shifting of the lens to the extreme left side the result is a camera that "feels right" -never do I touch the wrong button, or have to search around for the right function.
The photos? I shot Macro, fluorescent, incandescent, cloudy, and bright sunshine -exposures were excellent and the 7.2 Megapixel Super HAD sensor produced images that did not pixelate until I had enlarged them to 200X!
I bought the Sony DSC-P200 (and I recommend getting a 512MB memory stick -you can get 130 images at the highest quality setting) and the two of us have been inseparable.
Want Sony Cybershot DSCP200/R 7.2MP Digital Camera 3x Optical Zoom (Red) Discount?
We spent a long time researching the purchase of a new digital camera. My Nikon Coolpix 880 was great when I bought it in 2000, but it's been dropped a few times, and it was a bit heavy/big. I wanted a camera that took great pictures, was light weight and small enough that I could comfortably carry it in my pants pocket.The Sony Cybershot 7.2 has everything I wanted. It's small, easy to carry in a small purse or pocket, and it takes amazing photographs. The image quality is excellent. I do a lot of scrapbooking and crop a lot of pictures before I print them, so it was important to me to have 7.2 megapixels for enlargement.
The camera is easy to hold I have fairly small hands, and it doesn't feel awkward or big.
As far as construction goes, the Sony Cybershot 7.2 is user friendly. The battery, memory card and charging outlet are behind the same "door". The buttons are aligned so that, for a right-handed person, it's possible to hold the camera and manipulate the image (ie. zoom, change menu options, etc.) with one hand but do use the wrist strap! The LCD resolution is very good, definitely better than my old Nikon, and I was thrilled to find that the pictures look even sharper on the computer! One major problem with my Nikon was that the on/off button could easily be triggered by putting it in the case, so the camera would stay on and eat the battery up. On my new camera, the on/off button is slightly recessed, so it won't turn on accidentally, and the battery life is exceptional 300+ minutes. The turn on speed and the time between shots is very quick about a second. The zoom is excellent as well and gives me a lot of detail.
I didn't buy this camera for the video, but I played around with it to see what it was like, and would seriously consider leaving my other video camera at home now! The microphone is located where you would put your thumb if you held the camera with two hands (unless you were paying attention) and sound quality isn't exceptional, but it definitely works well. If you wanted to narrate, I'd suggest speaking close to the camera.
Drawbacks: Personally, I need to hold the camera with two hands to keep it steady. This is not a big problem at all, but I thought I'd mention it unless I'm trying to catch something on the fly, I don't have a problem keeping the camera steady.
In scene mode, when you bring up the menu, your setting choices (snow, candlelight, portrait, etc.) are represented only by icons, and I find it difficult to remember what each is.
Neither of these problems are (in my opinion) significant, but I thought I'd bring them up in case they are for you. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.
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