Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100

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The Sony T100 doesn’t have an optical viewfinder. It instead uses the preview from its 3-inch Clear Photo LCD screen. The preview is enormous, but it’s a little jumpy – like it’s not quite a 30 fps feed. The display information can be changed on the LCD screen by pushing the top of the multi-selector. File information can be viewed or hidden, a histogram can be added, and there is a gain up and down mode for the LCD screen for better viewing in broad daylight or for saving power. Learn more about the LCD screen’s capabilities in the next section.

 

The 3-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus screen takes up almost the entire back of the camera. There is less than a half inch of space on the right side where the control buttons are crammed. The screen looks great with its 230,000 pixels. The T100’s screen is the same one found on the SLR-like H9, except the H9’s screen is hinged on a monitor so it can fold out. The large screen on the diminutive T100 can be viewed from almost any angle, whether you look at it from the sides, the top, or bottom. The only problem with the T100’s LCD screen is its tendency to build up grease, which reflects light and exaggerates smudges. Still, the final verdict on the LCD screen is good because of its high resolution and big size.

 

 

 

Sony flaunts the T100’s ability to take great pictures without the flash because it has optical image stabilization and high ISO sensitivity; these features combine to make what Sony called its Double Anti-Blur Solution. This isn’t a mode on the camera, just a title from Sony’s press release.

 

When users choose to use the built-in flash, they can turn it on with the right side of the multi-selector. It cycles through auto, on, off, and slow sync options. Red-eye reduction can be turned on and off in the recording menu.

 

The built-in flash is located to the upper left of the lens. The specs indicate it can reach 0.1-3.7m when the lens is zoomed out, and the ISO is automatically set. Using the ISO 3200 setting and when fully zoomed in, the flash is effective from 0.1-7.7m. The coverage of the flash is questionable. There seemed to be a hot spot just off-center to the left in the images, probably due to the flash’s physical positioning.

 

The flash didn’t overpower subjects in the convention center. There is a flash level option in the recording menu that allows users to select from +, Normal, and – settings. The flash isn’t the T100’s most impressive component, but it’s certainly better than the average ultra-slim digital camera’s flash.

 

Like other Cyber-shot digital cameras, the T100 has Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded glass. The 5x optical zoom lens is longer than the average ultra-slim model’s lens. It is constructed from 12 elements in 10 groups with three aspherical elements. Measuring 5.8-29mm, an equivalent 35-175mm, the telephoto end of the zoom range is aided by Sony’s Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization. This system keeps videos much smoother. It also reduces and sometimes eliminates blur in still images. It can be turned on and off in the recording menu, but it should be kept on unless you’re really in a bind for battery power.

 

The lens moves throughout its 5x range with a control located on the upper right corner of the back of the camera. This rocker-type control is very sensitive, stopping at about 29 focal lengths. Indeed, the Sony T100 focuses quickly when it zooms in and out.

 

The 5x optical zoom lens seems almost perfect except for its placement. It is located in the upper right corner of the front, just where the left fingers wrap around the camera. When I first picked up the T100 and entered the playback mode, I looked at pictures snapped by other people at the convention. About a third of the shots had blurry fingertips in them. Thus, users should be careful where they’re putting their hands on the T100 or the nice lens won’t be able to capture a thing.