Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1

Value (7.5)
This camera is meant to impress. Its sleek design makes it a perfect camera for vacations, late nights, and clubs. Its credit-card-sized body will easily fit into the back pocket of your jeans. It has a great 5.1 MP CCD, a large 2.5-inch LCD, simple controls, and the Carl Zeiss lens, making this Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1 the perfect camera for the point-and-shooter looking for a bit more in both the design and appearance departments. If you've got a bit over US $400 to spend, this camera is worth the investment.

Comparisons
Kyocera/Yashica Finecam S5R - This camera by Kyocera retails for around US $449, and is comparable to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1. It features a 5.0 MP CCD, a 3x optical zoom, and a slightly larger 3.7x digital zoom. (Just remember that digital zoom will compromise the integrity of your image, making digital zoom specs generally useless.) It has a much smaller 1.6-inch LCD and a viewfinder. Manual controls for Exposure, ISO, shutter, and aperture settings rating between f/2.8-f/4.8 are present. The actual camera body is slightly larger, sizing in at 3.6 x 2.2 x 1.3 inches, for a total cubic volume of 10.296 cubic inches.

Konica DiMage Z2 - The Konica, on the other hand, is built less like the Kyocera and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1, and is intended to appear more like a manual digital camera body. Thick and handsome, this camera has a presence in its size, making it less portable and compact. Like the Kyocera, it retails for approximately US $449, with a 1/2.5-inch 4.2 MP CCD, a 10x optical zoom (much larger than the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1), and multiple video format modes and frame-per-second ratings available for the consumer to set. This camera has way more manual control options, with settings available in almost all modes of shooting, along with image size and movie format options. This camera comes through as a distinct choice for the gadget and manual control enthusiast, but is less likely to suit the point-and-shooter uninterested in manual control. This camera has both a small 1.5-inch LCD and an electronic viewfinder available to the user. The camera is larger than the others with dimensions of 3.1 x 4.3 x 3.2 inches, for a total cubic volume of 42.66 cubic inches.

Canon PowerShot S500 - The Canon PowerShot S500, with its 5.3 MP CCD, 3x optical zoom, 1.5-inch LCD, and electronic viewfinder, is fairly comparable to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1, although the LCD is distinctly smaller for this camera that retails at approximately the same price. It has fewer controls available, leaving this camera a bit short in both the point-and-shoot and manual realms. Its dimensions of 2.5 x 3.5 x 1.1 inches give it a cubic volume of 9.63 inches, making it a larger camera than the Sony, as well.

Canon PowerShot S60 - At US $524.95, Canon’s PowerShot S60 is the most expensive camera in the comparisons section, and about $25 dollars more than the Sony. It, like the other Canon PowerShot, has a slightly larger CCD at 1/1.8 inches, 5.3 MP, and has both multiple video format settings and a 3.6x optical zoom. This camera does have more manual options than the PowerShot S500, as well as a larger LCD and real image viewfinder. However, none of these cameras manage to match the 2.5-inch LCD size of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1, or its compact sleek and slender design for optimum transportability. The S60 ends up with sizable dimensions of 2.2 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches, for a total cubic volume of 14.85 inches cubed.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters-- The perfect camera for the point-and-shooter who wants to pair a really sleek and slim design that is aesthetically appealing with easy controls, a large LCD, and simple buttons that function quickly.

Budget Consumers-- The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1 isn’t exactly a cheap camera, with a general retail price of around US $499.95. It does look great, but there are cheaper cameras that are a bit bulkier with more options out there. They don’t feel so good in your back pocket, though.

Gadget Freaks-- For the gadget freak that needs one of everything, and would like a camera perfect for impressing friends, capable of still/video potential, and manual controls, I would have to say that this camera is tempting. When using this camera I began to consider things I could sell in order to buy it. Even with its high price, its design, looks, and size make it desirable.

Manual Control Freaks-- Manual control is available on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1. However, this aspect of the camera isn’t its selling point or major purpose. If a lot of manual control is wanted, a camera with more external buttons and features might be desirable.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists-- The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1 is not really meant for the pro or serious enthusiast, unless a well-designed and sleek digital camera for point-and-shoot affairs is necessary. Although, as a travel accessory, this portable camera will live up to the highest of expectations.