July 19th, 2008 at 10:17pm
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The 7.2-megapixel DSC-W80, like the DSC-W90 and the DSC-W200, offers an optically stabilized 35mm-105mm (35mm equivalent) 3x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom lens. And, like the W90 and the W200, it is equipped with an optical viewfinder, a 115,000-pixel 2.5-inch LCD screen and Sony’s Bionz image processing engine, which the company claims improves speed, image quality and battery life. As with the other W-series models, the W80’s flash is fairly anemic. It has a working range of 0.2 - 3.3 m at wide-angle and 0.4 - 1.8 m at telephoto (both at Auto ISO). In CNET Labs’ tests , the W80 shot much faster than its little brother’s, lagging only 1.2 seconds between pictures. In burst mode, the camera captured 19 full-size photos in just 7.1 seconds for a fantastic 2.7 frames per second (FPS), far better than the W35 and W55’s 4-shot bursts of 1.4 fps.
The model I’m reviewing today is the Cyber-shot DSC-W80, a mid-range 7.2-megapixel pocket compact featuring a 3x zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD monitor plus optical viewfinder, and image stabilization. The Cyber-shot DSC-W80 is available in four stylish colors including silver, black, white and pink. W80 is pretty small and it comes with OPTICAL image stabilization. The size is smaller than canon SD850.
The DSC-W80 has a newer interface and look compared to other W series cameras from Sony (it comes in attractive colors of the sleek metal body as well). The photos have sharp details and accurate colors, noticeable noise only from ISO 800 and above. The W80 model will be hit stores in March for about $250 in pink, white, black and silver. Options will include batteries, travel chargers, lenses, filters, sports packs and cases. The Sony W80 does give away detail to hold onto color at higher ISO settings, but most users won’t mind that tradeoff, particularly if you only p .
The W80 features a multi-point (9 AF area, center AF, and spot AF) closest subject priority contrast detection auto focus system. AF is very quick and dependably accurate, even in difficult lighting. The W80 is expected to hit in April for around €280/$368. As to the rest . The DSC-W80HDPR kit bundles a DSC-W80 camera and Sony’s DPP-FPHD1 printer package for complete integration into your home theater system. This package consists of the VMC-MHC1 high-definition component cable, a Cyber-shot cradle, a remote commander, and a digital photo printer with high-definition component output.
By Dave Jackson
July 18th, 2008 at 07:14pm
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It sports a 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization, high definition output and face detection abilities. It will retail at $300 when it is available in September. The zoom toggle’s soft-touch feel allows for fine adjustments, and the zoom is not stepped – allowing for apparently limitless settings between 1x and 10x. An on-screen read out displays the magnification level. Dominating the front of the camera is a Carl Zeiss-branded Vario-Tessar 10x optical 38-380mm equivalent f/3.5-4.4 zoom lens, which feeds light to an 8.1-megapixel CCD sensor. Around back you’ll find a 2.5-inch, 115,000-pixel LCD.
Combine this with a step-less 10x zoom lens covering an equivalent 38mm to 380mm and multi-mode image stabilization and you’ve got the makings of a winner for an amateur sports/nature photographer. A promised battery life of around 330 shots is equally enticing; we’ll see whether the H3 lives up to this hype, but Sony’s Stamina battery technology has proven true to the advertising copy in the past. Whereas most compacts have a paltry 3x zoom - boosted by an often unusable digital zoom - superzooms typically offer around 10x-18x optical zooms. But do they fill a gap or merely offer too many compromises? Sony puts 10x optical zoom in the palm of your hand. With compact body design, 8.1-megapixel resolution, and a top-quality Carl Zeiss lens, the Cyber-shot DSC-H3 packs more photo opportunities in a small size.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H3 is yet another take on the emerging compact ultra-zoom theme, sporting a 10x optical zoom in a large pocket camera package. Amid some other more prominent entries into this field, the Sony seems to have been often lost in the mix. The 8.1-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H3 features an optically stabilized f/3.5-4.4, 38mm-380mm (35mm equivalent) 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom lens and 115,000-pixel, 2.5-inch LCD screen. In addition to the lens, the camera’s design, resolution, and price put it into close competition with Canon’s PowerShot SX100 IS . To begin, the new camera features a powerful Carl Zeiss ? 10x optical zoom lens, which makes it ideal for capturing every expression when shooting little stars from the audience. It also includes a long-range flash that lights up subjects farther from the camera.
It offers a generally good, stabilized 10x zoom lens, snappy shot-to-shot performance, a good flash unit, and nice color reproduction. But in evaluating cameras, I always come back to the idea of how refined a particular unit feels. But as is typical of the 10x pocket camera, there’s neither an optical viewfinder, nor an EVF on the H3.
By Dave Jackson
