Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 Digital Camera Review

Auto Mode (7.0)
There isn’t a mode dial on the Sony T100, so users have to enter the Home menu to switch to the auto mode. This isn’t the easiest or most intuitive setup but it’s perhaps the most space-saving option. Once selected, the auto mode’s recording menu shrinks so the manual controls aren’t accessible. The functions on the multi-selector and the home menu are still completely accessible. The recording menu is populated with a few features: image size, face detection, burst, exposure compensation, and red-eye reduction. Pictures from the auto mode looked good when the lighting was good. There were a few blurred shots when subjects moved erratically, but for the most part images looked sharp. In low light, the auto mode looked very noisy and underexposed probably because it limits its shutter speeds to the faster end in comparison to the program auto mode and twilight scene modes. The auto mode is easy to use once there, but finding it is the hard part.

Movie Mode (7.25)
The Sony T100’s movie mode is at the bottom of the list of exposure modes in the home menu. It offers television-quality video compressed to MPEG1 standard, although it doesn’t work smoothly unless the camera is loaded with a Memory Stick Duo Pro card, which is not included with the camera. 640 x 480-pixel video can be shot at 30 fps with the card or 16.6 fps without it. There is also a 320 x 240-pixel size that records a choppy 8.3 fps designed for fast e-mailing.

The 5x optical zoom lens is functional while recording movies, as is the optical image stabilization system. This can be turned on and off in the menu. Sony’s Super SteadyShot stabilization makes a huge difference in the quality of the videos. There is a noticeable difference between when it is turned off and when it is on. Video is much less jumpy when it is activated and makes it possible to record decent video when holding the T100 in a hand (who wants to carry a huge tripod with a tiny camera?).

The monaural audio is functional and it even sounds good. It plays back on the camera and the volume can be adjusted in eight levels. This is much better than the T100’s competitors’ movie modes.

Although the T100 doesn’t provide fancy video features like Casio’s Past Movie mode, which pre-records video before the user presses the record button; the widescreen video mode on Panasonic models; or the high-definition movie mode on the new Canon TX1, it still provides a lot of surpising options for a camera in this class. Below is a rundown of the movie mode menu.

The Sony T100 allows users to control several exposure settings; this is a big step up from most cameras that only allow the video resolution to be changed. Movies can be played back with VCR-like control, but they cannot be edited like on other Cyber-shot digital cameras.

The combination of the quiet 5x optical zoom and the Super SteadyShot image stabilization keeps movies interesting and stable. Video can be recorded at decent resolution and controlled so that colors always look good. Subjects are always focused and everything is properly exposed.

Drive / Burst Mode (6.25)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 has the same burst mode that is on the SLR-like H9. It shoots 2.2 pictures per second. This pace is kept at any resolution and snaps up to 100 shots at a time on a memory card. This is fairly impressive for an ultra-slim digital camera; there are faster models, but they only shoot three or four pictures at a time. The T100’s burst is limited to about 10 shots at a time when recording to the internal memory, but it doesn’t slow down at all. The burst mode can be selected in the recording menus of the Program Auto and Auto modes. The bottom of the multi-selector also activates a self-timer from any mode. It can be set to a 2 or 10-second delay before taking a picture.

Playback Mode (7.5)
The playback mode is accessed by pressing a conveniently located button atop the camera whether the camera is on or off. If the camera is off, the button needs to be pushed down for about a full second. The button makes it easy to switch between reviewing and shooting pictures.

Users can select how much information is displayed on the LCD by pressing the top portion of the multi-selector. Pictures can be viewed individually with or without information and a histogram. Scrolling right and left moves through the images. Perhaps the biggest drawback to the Sony T100’s playback mode is the delay that occurs when scrolling through images. There is a tiny delay between the time the multi-selector is pushed and when the next picture appears, and then there is another delay between when the picture appears and when it actually focuses (it appears blurry at first).

The 3-inch high-resolution LCD screen makes viewing a bit more enjoyable. The screen’s wide viewing angle allows multiple people to view images on the LCD. And videos play back with decent audio and VCR-like control.

There are plenty of editing and viewing options in the playback menu, shown below.


There are an ample amount of effects for still images, but nothing for video. Many other Sony digital cameras can edit video, but the T100 doesn’t have any video editing options. Videos can only be deleted or protected in the playback menu.

The Sony T100’s slide show is quite elaborate with the ability to play four soundtracks as background music. There are four preloaded tracks, but users can customize the music by uploading their own MP3s. Interestingly, the music is uploaded through the Print/Other tab of the Home menu, which isn’t very intuitive at all. It is there that users can add or format soundtracks to the camera’s memory.

The retouching features are new to Cyber-shot digital cameras. The Soft Focus mode allows users to move the point of focus with the multi-selector and then blur all else in the frame. This works well for portraits. The other editing options aren’t quite as useful. Partial Color allows the selection of a spot within a picture and causes the rest of the frame to go black-and-white. The spot is about a sixth of the frame. The fish-eye lens effect works with mixed results and can be set to look wider or narrower. The Cross Filter puts a sparkle into your smile or fix flare on glasses, although this effect looks really fake. Trimming and red-eye correction are also available.

Overall, with its multiple viewing platforms and musical slide shows, the playback mode is everything a point-and-shooter would want.
Custom Image Presets (6.0)
The presence of a mode dial would have made accessing the scene presets a little easier. However, there just isn’t enough space for such a feature. Thus, users have to dig through the Home menu and then navigate the list of exposure modes to the Scene option. Once the Scene option is chosen, a preset can be selected in the top of the recording menu. This doesn’t require the IQ of a genius, but it isn’t as easy of a layout as found on other models.

Beach, Fireworks, High Speed Shutter, High Sensitivity, Landscape, Snow, Soft Snap, Twilight, and Twilight Portrait scene modes can be found in the menu. The scene modes seem to work well with many of them being functional in many situations. For instance, the Soft Snap mode takes great portraits and works for indoor parties and macro shooting too. High Speed Shutter is designed for sports in bright outdoor light such as tennis or golf.

The recording menu is populated with plenty of options depending on the selected mode. Exposure compensation, image size, image stabilization, and occasionally white balance are almost always available. The list of scene modes covers all the basics, and the optional controls are a nice touch too. Finding the scene modes, however, is more difficult than it should be.