Reviews

A stylish, high-resolution digicam that is pocketable and has dual image stabilisation systems.The DSC-T30 Cyber-shot is the eighth and highest-resolution model in Sony’s slimline digicam range but shares many features with earlier models. Equipped with a 7.2-megapixel Super HAD CCD imager, 3x optical zoom lens and 3.0-inch LCD, it’s small enough to slip in a shirt pocket. Sony has added two new features to ensure users obtain sharp pictures with this tiny camera: Super SteadyShot image stabilisation and a new High Sensitivity Mode that selects ISO 1000 to reduce camera shake. Both are a step up from the Steady Shot mode on the earlier T9 model.

Sony’s pocket-sized Cyber-shot DSC-T3 is slimmer and lighter than the T1 model it replaces but has the same 5-megapixel sensor and Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens. The large 2.5-inch LCD panel features a new ‘Clear Photo’ technology that reduces the impact of reflected light and provides a better view in bright conditions. No viewfinder is provided. The lens sits in the top corner and zooming movements are internal, so it’s easy to intrude a finger into the field of view. A tiny built-in flash is positioned beside the lens above the AF illuminator.

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.

Sanyo’s compact VPC-C1 camera is designed more for video capture than stills photography and its styling reflects this bias. There’s no viewfinder and the movable LCD screen doubles as an on/off switch. Switching the camera on activates a voice prompt that tells you what mode has been selected. The control suite is limited and the buttons are rather crowded, but the menu system is straightforward.

Available in grey, wine red or slate blue Samsung’s Digimax U-CA5 sports a 5-megapixel CCD and Samsung-branded 3x optical zoom lens. Although designed for point-and-shoot photographers, like the V700 model it has lots of user-adjustable controls, including some innovative effects settings. However, its idiosyncratic menu system makes some of them hard to reach.

Shots from the test camera were slightly contrasty but colour accurate and sharp. Flash coverage was modest and the white balance performed best with the custom setting. Low light shots had a scattering of stuck pixels at all ISO settings. Capture lag averaged 0.25 seconds, extending to 0.6 seconds with subjects that were difficult to focus.

The smallest and lightest of the Optio ‘S’ series cameras Pentax has made thus far, the Optio S5z fits easily in a shirt pocket and its smart, brushed aluminium alloy body has a ‘quality’ look. A large 2.5-inch LCD monitor covers most of the rear panel, leaving no space for a viewfinder and five tiny rubber buttons provide a secure finger grip. The 3x optical zoom lens slides into the camera body leaving the front panel flat but pops out within a second or two when the camera is switched on.

Key controls on Pentax’s Optio S40 are accessed via the top-mounted mode dial, which has a central on/off switch and settings for full auto (‘Easy Mode’, which is identified by a green smiley face icon), program AE, Picture Mode (which accesses the scene settings), night-scene, landscape and portrait modes, movie capture, and voice clip recording. In the Easy Mode setting users have push-button access to a Help screen, which describes the functions controlled by each button. This works in both capture and playback modes.