Model Design / Appearance
There’s no going around it: for under $200, consumers won’t find a stylish digital camera. In the war of form vs. function, form has definitely been sacrificed on the S600. The unattractive Cyber-shot has ergonomic features like thumb divots and finger grips to be thoroughly functional, but over all it is stocky with very thick frame. While the Sony S600 is compact enough to stuff into some purses, it’s not slim enough for a pocket or a clutch. Its plastic housing looks very traditional and, honestly, quite boring. It is a light silver color that is slightly textured. The body doesn’t look very durable, so don’t drop it. All in all, this Sony looks like what it is—a bargain.
Size / Portability
The S600 has chunky measurements of 3.9 x 2 x 1.4 inches. The digital camera is lighter than it looks at first glance, due in part to its plastic frame. The Cyber-shot S600 weighs 4.7 ounces unloaded and 6.4 ounces with the AA batteries and MemoryStick card inserted. This thick model can be carried by a wrist strap that attaches to the tiny eyelet on the right side, or it can be carried with one or two hands. The size and placement of the buttons are indicative of one-hand portability, but the ergonomic features are there for two-handed operation.
Handling Ability
Despite its hefty measurements, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S600 doesn’t have a thick right-hand grip. Instead, Sony included a polished vertical finger grip on its front and thumb divots on the back. The right thumb can sit on the zoom control buttons or just below in the smile-shaped divot. The right index finger sits comfortably on the shutter release button, which is polished and sits in a comfy donut. The left thumb has its own circular bowl in the bottom left corner of the back; while the other left fingers sit atop or on the front of the S600 for support. The S600 has a multi-selector for navigating through menus. The circular multi-selector has a selection button in its center. The control is easy to use and intuitive as well. The Sony S600 handles like a point-and-shoot – just as it should.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
This camera has room for plenty of buttons, but Sony opted to keep things simple. In traditional fashion, all of the control buttons are located to the right of the LCD screen so that they are accessible by right thumb. The buttons are not crowded, and are all properly labeled and spaced.
There are two separate buttons for controlling the zoom. While this may look and feel a bit strange initially – probably because most models have a single toggle – it is easy to adjust to this system. The multi-selector, on the other hang, is much more traditional. It has a ring around a central selection button. On each side of the ring is a different icon representing the feature it accesses in recording mode. The top changes flash modes, while the right selects an AF mode. The bottom activates the self-timer and the left side acts as a ‘back’ function, but only in the menus. Despite the ring being made from a single panel, navigation is not complicated on this model. Scrolling quickly through menus is possible without accidentally scrolling the wrong way. The most important button, the shutter release button, is located atop the camera and surrounded by a donut to keep the finger from sliding off. The surface is polished and comfortable. Overall, the buttons allow comfortable and easy access to the S600’s functions.
Menu
The Cyber-shot S600 has menus similar to all other Sony models. A gray bar with all of the S600’s options appears across the bottom of the live screen. When users scroll through the icons on the horizontal bar, the text title of the selection appears and its subsection appears above it. The icons and menus are done in an easily readable font on a gray background. When an item is selected, it becomes surrounded by a yellow box and marked with a yellow checkmark. Navigation through the menus is done with the multi-selector and the central selection button. There is a live view behind the menus that activates when the ISO, color modes, scene modes, and white balance modes are scrolled through.
When the camera is in recording mode, the following options are available: Camera (this is where users choose the shooting or scene mode), Exposure Compensation, Focus, White Balance, ISO, Picture Quality, Recording Mode (this is where burst modes are selected), Flash Level, Picture Effects, Saturation, Contrast, Sharpness and Setup. These are the options available with the Program shooting mode because it has the most options.
In the Auto mode, the menu shortens to allow burst mode shooting and access to the setup menu. The setup menu has four tabs in it: Camera, Card, Setup 1 and Setup 2. The Camera tab allows access to AF Mode, Digital Zoom, Red-eye Reduction, AF Illuminator and Auto Review. The Card tab has only a Format option. The Setup 1 tab groups Beep, Language and Initialize options together. Setup 2 includes File Number, USB Connect and Clock Set options. The setup menu is done all in text, so strange icons won’t be found here.
The Playback menu consists of the following options: Folder, Protect, DPOF, Print, Slide, Resize, Rotate, Divide, and Setup. The movie mode menu has these options: Exposure Compensation, Focus, White Balance, Picture Effects, and Setup. This is more than what most compact models offer in their movie modes. Overall, the menus are intuitive and easy to use, especially if the user is familiar with the Sony menu system setup.
Ease of Use
The Sony S600 is designed for beginners in just about every way. It is simple to take pictures in the auto mode, which automates everything and even allows access to the burst mode in case action shots are about to be taken. The menu system is easy to figure out and navigate; the live views are handy for beginners who don’t know the lighting differences between fluorescent and incandescent. There are no fancy features like histograms and help guides, but beginners will get along just fine without those. The handling is easy with the attention to ergonomics on the body. All in all, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S600 is easy to use.
