Sony CyberShot DCS-P32

by Crom

Sony’s little cybershot is indeed handy. Fast, light and sleek looking it appeals to the esthetic and the technical. I picked up this bad boy in order to have a camera for my travels into the US, and it’s been good to me. The layout of the back panel is standard to all digital cameras I think, but this one is a little murky. If you’ve never used a digi-cam before, and aren’t familiar with the various symbols that represent functions, you’re going to have to spend some time on the user manual. Not very intuitive, and at times illogical, the interface tends to be misleading. Two occasions I actually deleted pictures I was trying to keep, but that could be my own stupidity.

The P32 has no physical zoom, only digital, which at times can be an inconvenience, especially when you’re trying to get a good shot at something specific. Instead the camera has a “Smart” effect, in which is determines the object or area you’re trying to focus on and puts most of its attention on that area. It’s clearer and you can digitally zoom in. The digital zoom of the camera itself is weak, but it takes very high definition pictures, and any editing software can get you what you’re looking for.

The camera runs on Double A’s, and comes with a set of rechargeable batteries and the charger, this may seem a downside, but interchangeable batteries can lengthen a day of photo taking, instead of one Li-Ion going dead on you, and you spend 3 hours charging it. The Sony naturally uses the memory stick, of Sony fame. Sony’s version of these costs roughly 30% more then Lexar, their other manufacturer, but the difference is non-existent. I purchased a 64 meg Lexar for 80 bucks, as compared to the 64 meg Sony for $130. There’s no quality difference, and I recommend getting one, since the 16 meg stick that comes standard, can only take about 15 high quality pics, pretty much useless to anyone trying to get a good size shoot done. Standard USB interface for the camera, and a driver disk isn’t even required for XP users.

The usual perk of cameras now, this one can do Full motion video with sound, but the quality isn’t as hot as an actual motion camera. But if you’re looking for a few minutes of video in order to showcase your new jumping off the house technique, and don’t want enough space left to show the ambulance ride, then you’re in like Flynn.s

  • Sony CyberShot DCS-P32
  • by Crom
  • Published on May 1st, 2003
Rating:
7/10
Specs:
3.2Megapixel CCD Compact Digital Camera
More Info:
sony.com (http://www.sony.com)

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