| Product: |
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P72 |
| Date: |
03.12.04 (508 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: MPEG video capture with audio, memory stick, zoom
Disadvantages: bulky, additional mem sticks = expensive
It was the year my father was to go on one of his journeys to the motherland, I wished I could also go, I really wanted to see the relatives I hadn't seen for years, I wanted to see the Acropolis, and most of all I wanted to see the world famous Greek Isles. All my dreams of a summer in Greece will go unforfilled, well until I graduate (so my parents would say). So what was my solution? I hurried to the bank, withdrew the little money I had in my account (I am a student after all) and instructed my father to purchase a digital camera from Athens or Singapore. I had my doubts on what he would come home with but he surprised me.
Two months later upon arrival in Australia he presents to me the Sony CyberShot DSC P72. I was stunned (I thought he would've bought some crappy little thing, ok so I was wrong). I know that Sony is a great electronics company, but what are their digital still cameras like, I asked myself. I promptly developed the photos my father had taken and I was stunned at the quality that this machine churns out.
Here is my review:
The thing that attracts me to the Sony P72 (Sony Cybershot DSC P72) is its price tag (I'm sure my father also), you know that saying "you get what you pay for"? well whoever first said that hadn't seen the likes of the Sony P72, you get what you pay for and then some. Only $550AU, about 230 GBP (however you can get it cheaper if you look around) or $330EU.
The digital still pictures on this machine are of great quality, for the camera has 3.2 effective megapixels and 3x optical zoom (however you can zoom in to about 4.5x but this compromises the quality of the images you take).
One feature that I really enjoy is the 5x Precision Digital Zoom and Crop. What the what? you may ask. Well, you take a photo, the camera saves it onto your memory stick and then you can go into the 'Playback' mode, retrieve the photo and using the zoom in and out button you can zoom in a further 5x and then crop (just like cut) that picture enabling you to keep in only what you want in your photos. This is great if you've taken a photo and want to remove a persons hand that might be on the edge of the photo, its like a simplistic photoshop on your camera.
Of course all this wouldn't be possible without the 1.6 inche LCD screen. This acts as a viewfinder, pretty much it shows you what your photos will look like. Its a small screen, but it does its job well. The more you are willing to pay and the more you go up in the CyberShot range this screen will increase in size.
So many people may ask how do you get your pictures developed if there is not film in the camera. Well the Sony P72 supports Sony Memory sticks, which are tiny floppy disk like things that store digital media. You take this to your photo developer and presto, your photos will be 'magically' trasferred to photo paper. The memory stick that comes standard with the camera is somewhat small, only 16mb, this doesnt store much in terms of still photos and only about a minute of mpeg movie (I'll soon get to that too). However the beauty of memory stick is that you can buy larger capacity memory sticks and use them instead, so if you get a 256mb one expect about 3500 shots, while if your in a buying mood and get the 1gig Memory Stick Pro expect about 14000, these can be very expensive. While you absolutely need a memory stick to take photos, taking them to a developer isn't your only option. In the box you'll find a USB cable for connecting the Sony P72 to your PC. This also comes with some easy to use software that helps you manage and edit your photos and videos. Furthermore a set of AV wires are included, this allows you to connect the camera up to the TV or VCR and view slideshows and MPEG videos on a big screen, absolutely fantastic feature when the relatives come over and want to see the undeveloped snapshots you've taken while overseas.
Well I've been ranting on about a little thing called 'MPEG videos', and your probably asking what these are?. Well simply they are compressed video files that you can create with the camera in "Video Mode" and then view as a movie later on programs like Microsoft's Media Player. The Sony P72 also has a built-in microphone so you wont have to create silent movies lol, and a speaker so that you can hear the movie's audio on the camera's 'PlayBack Mode'.
Sony is nice enough to supply rechargable Ni-HM batteries, their charger and cables! So you get the whole package. Ive found this really useful as I've never bought batteries again, when I'm not using the Sony P72 I take out the batteries and use them in my Microsoft Wireless Mouse. The only issue is that the batteries need a lot of charging. Approximate Battery Life on the batteries is about 320 shots or 160mins of use (LCD on).
The camera is a little bulky, its dimentions are as follows, (WxHxD): 119.5x57.7x32.6mm and weighs about 190grams. The most important thing is that it fits comfortably in your hands and looks really stylish.
Someone once said "If you're photographing in color you show the color of their clothes - if you use black and white, you will show the color of their soul". So when you get bored of taking normal photos you can use effects to make your photos unique. The Sony P72 has Solarisation, Black & White, Sepia(olden day style brown and white, my favourite!!!) and Negative Art.
The user interface is remarkably easy to get use to and use. Making the transition from film to digital cameras all the easier. Plus I like the welcome sound it makes when you turn the power on, call me crazy.
I'll include a list of all the modes the camera has for selection:
-Scene Selection: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach
-Modes: Normal, Burst, E-mail, Voice Memo, MPEG Movie VX, Clipmotion
-Flash Mode: Auto, Anti-Red Eye Auto, Forced-Flash, No Flash, Slow Synchro
Its important to get use to these and learn how to use them so you can make the best out of your photos and video capture. The instruction booklet provided by Sony is really good.
So there you have it, the Sony CyberShot DSC P72, a stylish and powerful digital camera thats easy on the eye and even easier on the pocket.
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