Manual Control Options
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 is by no means a manual digital camera, but it does contain settings available for adjustment. Accessed through the Menu the following options are featured: White balance, ISO, Exposure, Metering, Shutter speed, and Aperture.

 

 

Focus
Auto (7.0)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93’s Auto focus is immediately engaged when the camera is used initially, and can be changed between Multi AF and Center AF in the Menu. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the accuracy of the AF feature and found the images to be softer than many other point-and-shoot digital cameras on the market. I had to take multiple shots of the same scene to come up with an image I was pleased with.

Manual (0.0)
It is possible to manually set focal ranges for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 by entering the Menu and selecting the Focus subsection in the Menu. The following settings (in addition to Center AF and Multi AF) are available for adjustment: infinity, 7.0m, 3.0m, 1.0m, 0.5m.

 

Metering (6.0)
Metering controls on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 are engaged through the onscreen Menu (in all modes except Auto mode). The two settings available for metering are Spot and Multi; spot allows for the centrally located object to be the primary focus of the light meter reading, and when in Multi Metering mode, the camera takes multiple meter readings from the overall frame.

Exposure (7.0)
To control the EV settings when the camera is in Manual Mode, the user must enter the menu and select the EV settings subsection by using the left or right buttons on the four-way controller. The exposure controls the amount of light the CCD acquires during the capturing of an image. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 has a range of +2.0 EV to -2.0 EV in 1/3 EV incremental settings.

White Balance (4.0)
When the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 is in Manual mode, it is possible to adjust the White balance settings, which allows for adjustments in color conditions to be either captured or overridden by the settings engaged. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 offers Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, and Fluorescent White balance settings, which I found to be limiting and frustrating when shooting. Similar to the problems I had with the AF system, I had to use trial and error to come up with an acceptable white balance. That said, I was never fully satisfied with the result, obtaining images with a slight rosy, brown, or bluish cast. I would have liked to see at least one manual white balance setting and am quite baffled as to why Sony hasn’t caught up with the rest of the point-and-shoot world to include these options.

ISO (6.0)
ISO settings on digital cameras control the amount of light sensitivity, so when shooting fast moving objects or in dark conditions, faster settings should be used. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93’s default setting is Auto ISO, but the following ISO settings are also available in the Menu: 100, 200, 400. This is a pretty standard range for a small digital point-and-shoot camera and will perform best in well lit situations, but may give the user problems when the light gets dim, requiring the use of the built-flash.

Shutter Speed (6.0)
Shutter Speed is controlled by pressing the Enter button in the center of the four-way controller and entering the Set menu located on the bottom of the LCD screen. The shutter speeds have an available range of 1/1000 of a second to 30 seconds. These settings are controlled by pressing the up and down arrow buttons of the four-way control. This is a pretty standard range for point-and-shoots and it gives users the flexibility to take semi-long shots as well as fast sports or actions pictures.

Aperture (7.0)
Aperture on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 is set by pressing the left and right arrows while in the same Menu as Shutter Speed. Two different aperture ranges are available, depending on zoom position. If the zoom is set fully to Wide Angle, the range is f/2.8-f/5.6, and if the zoom is set fully to Telephoto the range is f/5.2-f/10.

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