Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Oct 14, 2005 - By Emily Raymond
At the beginning of the year, Sony announced that it would release its new models with bigger LCD screens, more resolution, and at least some internal memory. The company’s promises are materialized in the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5, which offers all of those features in a sleek and skinny camera body. The T5 follows other Sony T-series digital cameras with its 0.8-inch thick body size and non-extending Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens. The Sony T5 has 5.1 megapixels on a 1/2.5-inch Super HAD CCD and offers six image sizes, including a 16:9-formatted aspect ratio to fit the wide screens of high-definition televisions. This Cyber-shot has a nicely sized 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels, which is roughly twice the resolution of its competition. 32 MB of internal memory is included, completing Sony’s triple-point promise. The T5 was announced in July and released in September 2005 at an initial retail price of $349.99.
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Likes
- Slim and sleek metal body
- Long lasting battery
- 2.5-inch, 230K pixel anti-glare LCD looks amazing
- Easy to use    
Dislikes
- Weak specular flash creates unflattering shadows
- Flash not on lens axis
- Lens is slow and poorly placed
- Limited aperture and shutter speed options in low light (even when controlled by camera)
- Tiny buttons
- In-camera metering and exposure communication is not optimal – often resulting in blurry or furry pictures  


Conclusion
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5 makes good on Sony’s promise to release digital cameras with big LCDs, mega resolution, and internal memory. The T5’s 2.5-inch LCD screen includes 230,000 pixels, which is almost twice what the competition is offering on their screens. The T5 has 5.1 megapixels of shooting power and 32 MB of internal memory in which to save those shots. This model is designed primarily to point and shoot – and slide into a pocket when it’s not doing that. The 3x optical zoom lens does not extend from the body, which makes packing the T5 away easy and comfortable. This snapshot-oriented digital camera comes with automated features, ten scene modes, and a movie mode to please the majority of users. Its sleek body is offered in four different colors, making the stylish T5 a viable alternative for the fashion-conscious crowd.

The Sony T5 has a few physical problems, such as the lens cover that can easily shut the camera off and the tiny buttons that make exposure controls – the ones that are available – tedious to set. The T5 has some internal problems as well. The movie mode is hardly usable in low light and the camera’s flash produces sharp, hard-edged shadows and frequent red-eye. Perhaps the biggest drawback to this camera is its slow shutter. Images are simply not as crisp as they should be. In optimal lighting, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5 will produce good photos. But if you’re looking for great images, keep looking. The T5 has a sexy body, but lacks the brains to be a really stellar digital camera.

Overall Impressions Page 11 of 12 Specs / Ratings
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