Viewfinder
The P200 does have a real image optical viewfinder, but it is quite small. The field coverage is unknown, but it cannot be 100 percent because it is above and to the left of the lens, giving it a slightly altered perspective. It’s safer to use the LCD screen unless low on battery power, when it is nice to have the viewfinder as an option.
LCD Screen
The 2-inch TFT color LCD screen does have a 100 percent field of view, making it more reliable than the viewfinder. The 2-inch screen takes up the entire left side of the camera’s back; a nice feature for failing eyes. The resolution is decent at 130,000 pixels, but not amazing. The screen projects views, menus, information, and histogram displays. It is easy to see all of this because of the P200’s Auto Bright Monitoring that adjusts the brightness of the screen according to the current lighting situation.
Flash
A built-in ovular flash provides the P200 with enough light to take decent shots in less than perfect lighting. The flash covers an area in front of the camera from 20 cm to 3.5 meters, which is an average distance for a compact camera’s flash. The following options are available by pushing the top of the four-way dial: Auto, On, Off, Slow Synchro, and Red-Eye Reduction.
Zoom Lens
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200 has a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens attached to its front. The lens extends out from the camera in two segments to reach from 7.9-23.7 mm. In 35 mm format, this is equivalent to a 38-114 mm lens. There is an additional 6x digital zoom to supplement the optical zoom. The lens has an aperture range from f/2.8-f/10 from its widest to most telephoto setting. Carl Zeiss lenses have maintained a good name and strong reputation in the imaging world and continue to be utilized by the Sony Cyber="-shot" line for both image quality and marketing benefits.
