Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Sep 02, 2004 - By James Murray
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 is billed as a point-and-shoot camera by Sony. Its basic menu structure is easy to navigate, with plenty of manual control options to allow the user to comfortably move between automatic and manual control settings without concern. Its sleek rounded design complements the 1.5-inch LCD screen and 5.1 MP CCD. It is capable of capturing still images in several formats, along with video/audio clips. It is equipped with a 3x optical zoom, direct print options, image presets, and burst mode shooting possibilities. This seems to be a strong candidate in its US $329.95 price range.
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Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
With its long slender body, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 differs from the traditionally designed digital cameras modeled on point-and-shoot film cameras of previous generations. It has polished silver features, with slick grips that actually helped during shooting. The left side is a hemisphere that is contoured around the lens barrel on the left side. This is an aesthetically distinct but aggravating detail, since my left hand never truly had a comfortable place to rest during shooting. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 has a similar shape to its sibling model, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P100, but with a much wider body. If you like the general design, but want something larger to hold on to, then the DSC-P93 is probably more your style. However, it’s not going to be as easy to slip into your pocket.

 

Size / Portability (8.0)
With two AA batteries and its long body, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 can fit into a user’s hand. However, due to the width of its bod, most people will find that long-term carrying can be a hassle without a case. Similar to the size and shape of a small electric razor, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 isn’t a digital camera that can easily be thrown into one’s pocket and forgotten about. With an approximate volume of 13.5 in³,(4.6 x 2.1 x 1.4 in), and an overall weight of 8.3 oz. (including batteries) you might want to invest in a small carrying case to transport this little darling.

 

Handling Ability (6.0)
The handling on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 is comparable to other cameras within this price range, with many of the same buttons situated in the same general vicinity. The left side is problematic, with its rounded edge making gripping complicated. However, the clever scallops on the front and back alleviate grip fatigue in the right hand during shooting, allowing for a steadier and cleaner shot. I also found the wider body easier to grip than many other digital cameras, which have bodies too thin to give adequate leverage.

 

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (6.0)
The overall button positioning on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 is clever and well laid-out, with plenty of space between each function. This is primarily due to small button size, but each button is raised enough so as not to cause any problems. That said, I would greatly appreciate either color differentiation between symbols on the Mode dial, or an LED beneath the dial so that specific Modes can be clearly lit in low or no light situations where my eyes could not see specific settings without looking at the LCD. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 doesn’t suffer from poorly situated buttons causing accidental depression, but the small size of the zoom buttons made it so that I occasionally pressed the wrong feature during deployment.

 

Menu (7.5)
The Menu for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 can only be accessed when the camera is set to specific modes, and is inaccessible entirely when set to Automatic mode. The Menu allows for manual controls, and image specifications to be manipulated and changed prior to or during shooting. The DSC-P93 has the standard Sony menu system that pops up from the bottom, permitting the user to view the image while changing settings. In Manual mode users can adjust focus, metering, white balance, ISO, picture quality, record/drive mode, picture effect, saturation, contrast, and sharpness.

Ease of Use (7.5)
Overall, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P93 is a simple camera to use without an overwhelming number of add-ons secreted in some bizarre submenu. It has a straightforward manual control settings menu, although it would be nice to have more controls externally on the camera besides the dual feature four-way controller. Portability is a factor as its bulk and odd dimensions make it a camera suited more for occasions where carrying isn’t essential.

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