In summary
Similar in functionality to the P150 model, Sony’s DSC-P200 features a high-resolution 7.2 megapixel CCD and 3x optical zoom lens but a larger, 2-inch LCD monitor. A small, somewhat tight, optical viewfinder is also provided. Available in silver, red or black, its body is slightly smaller and lighter than the P150, making it more pocketable. Ease of use will make the P200 equally appealing to both rank beginners and more experienced users. . . [more]
Full review
Quality rating (out of 10) Build: 8.5Ease of use: 8.5Image quality: 8.0Value for money: 8.0
Similar in functionality to the P150 model, Sony’s DSC-P200 features a high-resolution 7.2 megapixel CCD, 3x optical zoom lens and a larger, 2-inch LCD monitor. A small, somewhat tight, optical viewfinder is also provided. Available in silver, red or black, its body is slightly smaller and lighter than the P150, making it more pocketable. Ease of use will make the P200 equally appealing to both rank beginners and more experienced users.
Unlike previous P-series cameras it has settings for Spot AF, centre-weighted metering and a manual white balance control that can be used for flash exposures. Five shooting modes are accessed via the mode dial: auto, program, manual, scene and movie, along with a playback setting. Nine preset Scene modes are now provided: twilight, twilight portrait, candle, soft snap, landscape, high speed shutter, beach, snow, and fireworks. Movie options are also good: you can record VGA quality video at 16.6 or 30fps (the latter only on Memory Stick Pro); or email-quality (160 x 120 pixels) clips at 8.3fps. Clip length is limited by available memory. The microphone has been moved to the top body panel, just beside the finger grip. An AF illuminator aids focusing in dim lighting and shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds give the P200 impressive low light capabilities.
The test camera produced similar results to the W7 model, which is also reviewed in this issue. Images were generally sharp and colours were accurate, although overall saturation was noticeably higher in the P200. In low light shots, although image colour and focus were excellent, subtle subject detail was lost due to noise-reduction processing at high ISO settings. The P200 produced slightly softer images than the similarly-affected W7 due to higher processing levels.
The P200 proved very responsive, with a capture lag averaging 0.3 seconds and shutter lag with pre-focusing of less than 0.1 second. The burst mode recorded shots at .12 second intervals, with burst lengths limited by the resolution setting and available memory. The multi-burst mode recorded 16 shots within 0.5 second as a single file. [24]
Specifications
Image sensor: 7.18 x 5.32 mm CCD with 7.41 million photosites (7.2 megapixels effective)
Lens: Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 7.9-23.7mm zoom f2.8-5.2 (38-114mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 3x optical, up to 2x digital
Dimensions (wxhxd): 104.5 x 51.5 x 27.9 mm
Weight: 180 grams (including battery, card and wrist strap)
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (EXIF 2.2), Movies – MPEG VX (VGA, 16 or 30 fps, unlimited clip length)
Shutter speed range: 30-1/1000 second
Focus system/range: TTL AF; range 50 cm to infinity, macro to 6 cm
Exposure metering/control: Centre-weighted, Multi-Segment, Spot metering
White balance: Auto, daylight, cloudy, fluorescent, incandescent, flash, one-push.
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, On, Off, Slow, Red-eye reduction; range 0.2-3.5 m
ISO range: Auto, 100, 200, 400
Sequence shooting: 5 shots at 0.9 fps
Storage Media: 32 MB Memory Stick; holds 9 high-resolution images or up to 491 VGA shots
Viewfinder: Optical
LCD monitor: 5.1 cm LCD with 134,000 pixels
Power supply: NP-FR1 InfoLithium battery
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