Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 Digital Camera Review

Noise

The Sony T900 scored lower than the comparison cameras in terms of image noise. Noise is a speckling that occurs in photographs, and becomes increasingly noticeable at higher ISOs. We look at how noisy the images are in both bright (3000 lux) and low light (60 lux). We photograph an X-Rite ColorChecker chart at every available standard ISO setting, and use Imatest to track how the noise changes across the entire spread. More on how we test noise.

As expected, noise levels were lower under the bright 3000 lux illumination, except at ISO 3200. The drop in noise at ISO 1600 is undoubtedly due to some form of noise reduction software kicking in, though it's overwhelmed at ISO 3200.

Compared to other cameras, the noise levels on the Sony T900 were very high up to ISO 800, but more competitive after that. The only camera that had lower noise across the entire gamut of ISOs was the Canon SD970. The Fuji F200EXR was tested in its 12-megapixel mode. It also has a low noise mode, but this reduces the resolution, and our testing regiment calls for always using the highest resolution available.

ISO

The Sony T900 has a very wide range of ISOs, from ISO 80 to 3200, all at full resolution, even though the noise levels are a little high. However, above ISO 800, you can't use burst mode or bracketing with the camera.

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.