Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1

Model Design / Appearance (5.5)
The R1 is an unusual-looking camera, rather like a big lens with a camera tacked onto it as an afterthought. There is a somewhat exaggerated feel. Noticeable and important landmarks in addition to the lens, like the viewfinder and the grip, are almost too large for the rest of it. Well, the sensor chip also fits this oversized theme, of course; it’s a relatively large one, tucked away inside.

Unorthodox design can look cutting-edge if it’s good, or lucky, but it runs the risk of looking goofy. As far as the R1 goes, look at our product photos. The cheep plastic veneer also contributes it share to the camera’s overall aesthetic.

Size / Portability (6.0)
The R1 is about the size of a small DSLR, but perhaps deeper than some, at 5.5 x 3.875 x 6.25 inches. At 2 lbs. 4.9 oz, it demands a shoulder strap and probably a camera bag. It would be a waste to shoot one-handed with it – the lens is a great grip for the left hand, and the user is much more likely to get sharp shots that way.

Handling Ability (6.5)
It's tricky to evaluate the handling of a camera as unorthodox as the R1 – how much of our unease with the controls would disappear if it were our primary camera? Well, some of it. As we say, the camera offers good gripping surfaces for both hands and a large, comfortable viewfinder. However, the camera does feel somewhat top-heavy and feeble for a $1000 camera design. Like many over-performing point-and-shoot designs, the R1’s cost is justified by the internals, with sacrifices clearly made on the external shell. Although, the camera’s weight does help to steady the shot and compensate for the lack of optical stabilization.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.0)
I could get used to an ISO button on the right side of the handgrip, near the shutter release, but I really don't want to. It doesn't make sense: camera settings like ISO, white balance and exposure mode ought to be clustered, for those times when the user wants to change them together. I definitely don't think I could get used to a playback button that's nearly hidden in the shadow of the eyecup, or the flash ready light that the user must turn the camera to see. The placements just seem illogical.

Though the joystick in the secondary control dial works well, the dial itself, and the primary dial, are balky and feel cheap. The buttons have pros and cons: they don't rattle or wobble, but they have a relatively short travel. With the shutter release, that's a problem; we took some shots accidentally when we wanted to hold the release down halfway.

Menu (6.5)
The R1's menus are superimposed on the live viewfinder, and appear as a scrollable row of icons along the lower margin of the screen, over a live view of the scene. The joystick scrolls through them, and it can be used to make selections. The icons for the shooting menu come up in shooting mode, and the play menu icons show up in playback mode. The Set-up menu appears as an icon in both shooting and playback modes. 

The text is large and readable and set in a pleasant, rounded sanserif font, with selected items highlighted in yellow.   

 

Setup
AF mode	Choose Single, Monitor or Continuous
Digital Zoom	Smart or Precision
Power Save	Set delay before the camera shuts itself off
Date/Time	Set to imprint date and time on images
AF Illumination	Control AF light
Auto Review	Set to see images immediately after they're shot
Expanded focus	Increases autofocus zone in some cases
Flash Sync	Set front or rear-curtain flash sync
Flash	Set for internal or external flash
Popup flash	Set to allow flash to pop up automatically
Flicker reduction	Set to reduce flicker in viewfinder around flickering light sources
Grid line	Show grids on viewfinder for composition
CF card tool	Format CompactFlash cards, create folders on them, select folders
Memory Stick Tool	Format memory sticks, create folders on them, select folders
LCD Backlight	Set brightness of LCD
EVF Backlight	Set brightness of viewfinder
Beep	Set camera to beep when controls are activated, just for the shutter, or not at all
Zebra	Set to show zebra pattern on blown-out sections of the view
Language	Choose the menu language
File numbering	Choose how image files are numbered
USB mode	Set for mass storage, printing or PTP file transfer
Video Out	Set video format
Clock Set	Set time and date

 

Playback
Folder	Choose image folder to review
Protect	Select images to protect from deletion
DPOF	Create a digital print order
Print	Print via PictBridge
Slide	Create a slide show
Resize	Shrink an image
Rotate	Rotate images

Ease of Use (5.75)
The excellent viewfinder and lens controls, and the large shutter release, are points in favor of the R1's ease of use. Several controls are poorly placed, and the quality of the dials lags behind the quality of the imaging system. The menus are sensible and easy to access, and the range of control they offer is wide, without being fussy. We were relieved to note that the "Beep" menu item offered only to turn the sound on or off, not choices to replace it with meows or fog horns.

Sony provides a clear, well written, well designed and accurate manual. We wish all the information in the separate "getting started" document were included in the manual – it's not much, but we don't think the manual should refer the reader to anything else for basic information.