Manual Control Options
When the camera is set to Program Mode within the onscreen Menu, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 offers the user the ability to search through sets of options. There are sets of options within the Focus setting (in numeric increments,) White Balance modes, ISO ratings, Picture Quality options, and Picture Effects. There is no pure manual control of focus, exposure, or white balance offered on this model. Manually inclined users will have to upgrade to the Cyber-shot P93, P100, or P150 if true manual control is desired.

 

Focus
Auto (5.5)
There are two automatic focus settings available on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41, providing both Multipoint and Center AF methods for the user to select between. With Multipoint auto focus, the camera calculates the distance from five areas within the frame. The five segments the image is broken into are: Top, bottom, left, right, and center, allowing for overall focus. This is best used when the user desires the entire shot to be in focus (or as much as the shot's depth of field will allow). The other setting available to the user is the Center AF which focuses the center of the frame entirely. This is commonly used when a single object is the desired subject of the shot. When the Center AF mode is selected, the user can place the subject in the center of the composition and capture the image knowing the subject will be in proper focus.

It should be said that in practice, the automatic focusing on the Sony Cyber-shot P41 is quite disappointing. It is difficult to attain any substantial depth from the camera and when objects are near to the lens, it is almost impossible to attain appropriate focus.

 

Manual (2.5)
The focus settings available to the user of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 are Auto, Multi AF, Spot AF, and the following manual listings: 0.5m, 1.0m, 3.0m, 7.0m, and infinity. These settings allow the user to shoot at a specified distance and set focus points. Although Sony considers this a "manual" setting, it is really more of an opportunity to select from a series of preset options. The user cannot directly focus the camera beyond these specifications and parameters and the user should be aware of this when selecting "manual focus."

Metering (7.0)
With metering, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 has two settings available; Multi-pattern metering and a Spot metering setting which is engaged by depressing the right arrow when the camera is not within the onscreen LCD menu. The Multi-pattern setting splinters the image into a series of zones, which are individually rated for lighting, and an overall exposure is attained from the collection of sections. The Spot Metering mode will initiate a crosshair in the middle of the LCD screen for situations when the subject is strongly backlit, or there is a large contrast between foreground and background. Spot metering should be used to expose for a specific object within the frame, where as the Multi-metering Mode should be used when an even overall exposure is desired.

Exposure (7.0)
When shooting in situations where a subject is backlit, or in other high contrast situations, the user may find it necessary to make adjustments to the Exposure settings. These are accessed through the onscreen LCD menu, when the camera is not in Auto mode. The range available is from +2 to -2 EV, with settings at every 1/3 EV step. When the setting moves further towards -2, the image will get darker, conversely, the further towards +2 the lighter the overall image. The EV setting is engaged via the up and down arrows on the four-way controller.

 

 

White Balance (3.5)
The White Balance settings for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, and Incandescent presets. There is no manual White Balance available to the user of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 which is a strong drawback of many point-and-shoot cameras. When shooting under difficult lighting or conflicting light sources, it is often helpful for the user to have the option to set the white balance manually as it may be difficult to attain accurate color representation through the preset options. Since the Cyber-shot DSC-P41 is a point-and-shoot camera, many of its users will prefer the automatic white balance setting in which the camera will automatically adapt to the light source. In most instances, this will be sufficient; however, in situations where automatic white balance is not precise enough, there are really no options left for the user.

ISO (6.0)
In the onscreen menu, when in program mode, the user can select the desired ISO setting for the lighting and environment. The following speeds are offered: ISO 100, 200, 400, and Auto mode. This is somewhat of a limited range, even for a point-and-shoot camera. While most comparable models will offer an ISO 50 or 80 speed to help decrease the noise present in well lit images, 100 is the lowest setting on the P41. As most are aware of, higher ISO settings apply to lower lighting. When a user is shooting in a darker scene, it may be useful to increase the ISO rating and gain illumination in the shot; the obvious drawback is increased noise. With the Cyber-shot DSC-P41, the user will have a standard ISO range to select from or the user can opt for automatically controlled ISO settings in which the camera handles the setting completely.

 

 

Shutter Speed (0.0)
The shutter speeds for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 are automatically selected by the camera and range from 2 to 1/1000 seconds. This provides enough flexibility for the user to shoot in lower light situations; however, a tripod will be necessary for shots with longer shutter duration.

Aperture (0.0)
The Aperture settings on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P41 are entirely controlled by the camera and are balanced with the automatic Shutter Speed settings to achieve a proper exposure. The aperture range available to the user is f/2.8-f/5.6. This is a limited minimum aperture rating and will limit the user's ability to attain significant depth of field.

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