In summary
Although it has the same sensor as the DSC-P150 reviewed in this issue, Sony’s new DSC-V3 Cyber-shot is quite a different beast. Designed to attract serious photographers it features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 4x optical zoom and a reasonably fast aperture at both wide and tele positions. It also sports a pop-up flash plus a hot shoe for accessory flash units and dual CompactFlash and Memory Stick slots. . . [more]
Full review
Although it has the same sensor as the DSC-P150 reviewed in this issue, Sony’s new DSC-V3 Cyber-shot is quite a different beast. Designed to attract serious photographers it features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 4x optical zoom and a reasonably fast aperture at both wide and tele positions. It also sports a pop-up flash plus a hot shoe for accessory flash units and dual CompactFlash and Memory Stick slots. All the controls photographers need are provided, including JPEG, TIFF and RAW capture (plus simultaneous RAW+JPEG and TIFF+JPEG recording). Users can select full auto, P, A, S and M shooting modes and access seven scene settings. VGA movie clips can be captured at 30 fps – but only to a Memory Stick Pro card. A large 2.5-inch LCD screen and electronic viewfinder are provided, with a live histogram display available.
The test camera produced images that were sharp and colour accurate, although the auto white balance had problems with both incandescent and fluorescent lighting. These were solved with the presets and ‘one-touch’ white balance settings. Capture lag averaged 0.6 seconds with single focus AF, reducing to 0.2 seconds with monitoring and continuous AF. With pre-focusing, no shutter lag was recorded.
Strengths
- Very well built and easy to use
- Adjustable flash output
- Night Framing and Night Shot modes support low light photography
- Accepts conversion lenses and accessory flash units
Weaknesses
- Can’t transfer images between CF and Memory Stick cards
- Only two JPEG compression options
- No Bulb setting [BG05]
Specifications
Image sensor: 7.18 x 5.32mm Super HAD CCD with 7,410,000 photosites (7.2 megapixels effective)
Lens: 7-28mm f2.8-4.0 Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom (34-136mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 4x optical, up to 8x digital
Lens multiplier factor: 4.9x
Dimensions (wxhxd): 119.8 x 72 x 63 mm
Weight: 360 grams (without battery and card)
Retailers
CamBuy
www.cambuy.com.au
Digital cameras, lenses and accessories with 100% genuine Australian manufacturer’s warranties.
Ph: (02) 9029 2219
Camera House
www.camerahouse.com.au
Ph: 133 686
The largest speciality photographic retail chain in Australia.
Camera Pro
www.camerapro.net.au
CameraPro Pty Ltd
Suite 607, 180 Queen St, Brisbane 4000
Tel: 07 3333 2900
Australian owned and run company based in Brisbane.
Camerasdirect
www.camerasdirect.com.au
Retailer of digital camera equipment and more.
Secure online shopping and delivery across Australia.
Ph: 1300 727 056
Camerastore.com.au
Camerastore.com.au
Ph: 1800 155 067
Camera-Warehouse
www.camera-warehouse.com.au
Comprehensive range of digital cameras and accessories online (www.camera-warehouse.com.au) and an online print service (www.royalexpress.com.au).
Digital Camera Warehouse
www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
174 Canterbury Road 367 High Street
Canterbury Northcote
NSW 2193 VIC 3070
Ph: 1300 365 220
Electronics Warehouse
www.electronicswarehouse.com.au
1300 801 885
Australian retailer of Vapex rechargeable batteries offering factory direct prices and fast, free shipping Australia wide.
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Photographic Equipment & Supplies – Retail & Repairs. Click here for list of stores.
Ted’s Cameras
1800 186 895
Big range of cameras and photographic products with stores in most states and online.
Rating