Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

The P-series of Sony digital cameras turns five this year. To celebrate, they’re putting out an upgrade to last year’s Cyber-shot P150. The new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200 boasts 7.2 megapixels in a compact point-and-shoot form. The digital camera sticks with the classic P-series frame: a rectangle with a rounded left side. The P200 will be available in Europe and the United States in February 2005 for $399. The price is a welcome downgrade from the P150’s retail price of $499. The two cameras are strikingly similar. They have the same 7.2 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens and the same menus and options. The only difference is that the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200 has a larger 2-inch LCD and a wide groove along the top to provide a left finger grip and added shooting support.
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Resolution
The P200 has 7.2 megapixels on a 1/1.8-inch Super HAD CCD with a Sony Real Imaging Processor. The amount of megapixels is well beyond sufficient for any point-and-shooter using this digital camera. 7.2 megapixels can produce prints larger than 20 x 30 inches without looking pixilated. The camera has other resolution settings, so as long as it’s kept at a decent or full resolution, images should never look pixilated or distorted — unless the user is trying to produce a billboard.

Picture Quality / Size Options
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200 has a nice wide range of image quality settings. With 7.2 megapixels, this model has plenty of room for its options: 3072 x 2304, 3072 x 2048, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1280 x 960, and 640 x 480.

Picture Effects Mode
There are two color modes on the P200: Black & White and Sepia. There are also three effects that can be found on the main menu: Sharpness, Saturation, and Contrast. These settings can be controlled with a sliding bar and the four-way dial and offer the user a bit more control then most equitable cameras.

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