Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S600

Front
The S600 won’t be known for its looks. While textured in a silver tone with a polished silver finger grip and polished silver highlights around the lens rim, the camera front is quite flat. The finger grip sits on the left side with the Sony logo above it. To its right is the oval-shaped built-in flash. To the right of that feature is the AF illuminator. In the bottom left corner of the camera is the Cyber-shot logo. The right half of the body is occupied by the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, which is branded and labeled with its aperture and focal length specs: "2.8-5.1/ 5.1-15.3." The lens has a two-panel cover that snaps shut over the glass to protect it. In the top right corner of the S600 is a rectangular optical viewfinder that cuts into the lens’ outer rim. Overall, the front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S600 is very plain looking.

Back
Interestingly, the Sony S600 was designed to be held with both hands, despite its compact size. The LCD screen is just off-center to the left and has the Sony logo at the bottom. Featured in the bottom left corner of the LCD is a thumb divot. In the top left corner, northwest of the LCD screen, are the optical viewfinder and its two accompanying LED lights. Above the right side of the monitor is the mode switch that moves from the playback mode to the still and movie recording modes. To the right of this feature are two zoom control buttons: the ‘W’ wide button is on the left and the ‘T’ telephoto button is on the right. Below those buttons are magnifying glass icons; the ‘W’ magnifying glass icon has a ‘-’ within it and the ‘T’ icon has a ‘+’ within it. Also below the ‘W’ button is a checkerboard icon to indicate the index frame mode in the playback section.

Below the zoom controls is another smile-shaped divot for the right thumb to rest in. When the thumb isn’t busy zooming, it can slide below to access the multi-selector and its three surrounding buttons. The multi-selector is made of a central selection button surrounded by the navigational control ring. The ring has icons at each cardinal direction to indicate what feature it accesses in recording mode. The top of the multi-selector changes flash modes, the right side controls the metering mode, the bottom activates the self-timer, and the left side acts as a ‘back’ function. To the northwest of the multi-selector is the Menu button. To the southwest is the display button that turns the LCD on and off, as well as add information to the picture on the screen. The button to the southeast of the multi-selector doubles as a delete button in playback and an image size option in the recording mode. Below the multi-selector is another divot that extends to the bottom; this makes it easier for users to pry open the memory card compartment below.

Left Side
The left side is almost featureless. A dark gray panel extends downward from the top, as does the niche within it. In the center of this panel are the words "3x Optical Zoom." In the bottom right corner of this side is a rubber panel that covers the USB cable.

Right Side
The right side has a large door that has a dent in its center and the word "Open" above a tiny gray button. When this button is pressed and the door is slid downward, users can access the battery compartment. Many digital cameras place this feature on the bottom. Having it on the side may actually prove useful, since it allows users to change batteries while the camera is still attached to a tripod. The right side also has a wrist strap eyelet.

Top
The center of the S600’s top has a plastic panel much darker gray than the rest of the light silver-colored digital camera. The left side has a smooth niche for the left fingers to comfortably rest in. The model number is in this niche, as well as the words "MPEG Movie VX." Almost centered on the top is the built-in microphone. To its right is the power button, which is designated with a green ring around it. To the right of the power button is the smoothly polished shutter release button; it sits in a slightly raised donut, which helps the finger grip the surface and stay put.

Bottom
The left side of the bottom has a small door that reveals the slot for the MemoryStick Duo or Duo Pro card. At the far right edge is the tripod socket. Just left of the socket is the built-in speaker.