Unbelievably small and sexy (Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T7)

Member Name: bobsta

Product:	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T7
Date:	20/11/05 (417 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small, compact - ideal digital camera for the technophobe

Disadvantages: Battery life and cost of memory cards

After having a Canon A95 which I carried around with me in Australia earlier this year, I passed the camera to my sister so she could capture pictures and movies of her children. And she certainly has used it extensively. However, that left me with a problem that I was to encounter later in the year - a trip to the States.

I know I'm not a good photographer so I decided on getting something that just worked but at the same time took decent photos and movies.

I was going to plump for the Fuji F-10 but it seemed bulky despite the rave reviews.

I settled on a Sony DSC T7. After having read the reviews, I knew I had made the right choice. So, I'll keep this brief.

Firstly, this camera is available in one of two finishes - silver and black. Mine came in black and it looks fantastic.

The camera is just a little bigger than a deck of card but only half a centimetre thick - that is truly thin. You can easily slip it into your shirt pocket or, for ladies in their purses. It weighs 120 grams comparable to a mobile phone.

There is no optical viewfinder to squint through. You have to use the glorious 2.5" LCD display on the back of the camera. The display gives you as much or little information as you require. The number of shots left, battery life, light balance etc. All in all, for me, some of these functions I would never use.

Fortunately, the camera defaults to auto mode. You can take some pretty spectacular pictures. Word of warning though. If you take pictures of people indoors or at night, remember to have the red eye reduction facility on. People look demonic with red eyes!

The auto-focus is very quick. Powering up time is amazingly quick as well. I was able to catch some fantastic shots before other people's cameras had powered up.

There are various program modes which change the settings of the camera - for example, there's a beach mode, portrait mode etc. For the more technically minded, you can alter ISO settings, aperture etc.

Movie mode - the camera takes some pretty good movies. However, don't expect DVD quality. It's pixelated and the sound is tinny.

The package also comes with a USB/Video adaptor so you can display your photos and movies onto a television set.

So, bad points?

Battery life suffers when using movie mode or taking lots of pictures. Remember to buy a spare battery (Sony ones are £40 but you can pick up equivalents for half the price).

When you capture movies, even a 1GB card can only hold 12 minutes of footage. You have to remember to use Memory Stick Duo cards only. The Duo Pro ones are recommended for movies. These cards aren't cheap but look around on the net and you can pick up a 1GB card for £50. The camera comes supplied with a 32MB card but you can only fit 10 photos on it so invest in a larger card.

This camera attracts a lot of attention whenever I produce it. Onlookers can't believe it's a camera until they see the results for themselves.

All in all, this is a superb little camera for holidays, days/nights out etc. Do not expect it to perform like an SLR!

Summary: Recommended without hesitation

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