Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900

Resolution (12.23)

Our resolution test involves three separate sections: distortion, sharpness and chromatic aberration. We determine these results by shooting our test chart from several distances, then analyzing the resulting photos at several spots across the image area using Imatest software. While the Sony did well in terms of sharpness, it had significant distortion and chromatic aberration, which pulled down its overall score in this area. More on how we test resolution.

Distortion (4.23)

The T900 had noteworthy troubles with distortion. Zoomed out all the way, it showed over 2.5% of barreling distortion, and at maximum zoom it was almost 2%, but this time pincushion. The middle focal length was better, but still very high (1.3%, again pincushion). At either extreme focal length the negative effects of distortion will be very noticeable in your images, particularly if there are straight lines included in the photo. The distortion result for the Sony is significantly worse than any of the other cameras we tested.

Sharpness (18.92)

The sharpness provided by the built-in lens was extremely variable. It had a tendency to be very sharp at the center, much softer as you head outwards, and then sharpen up again towards the edges. It was at its least sharp at the telephoto end, and it’s most sharp at mid-zoom. While there are some very sharp areas, this is partly achieved through digitally over-sharpening the captured image. Over-sharpening is a software based process by which the camera tries to make the image look clearer. As a side effect, it can produce edges that look almost like they’re outlined, as well as additional compression artifacts.

Chromatic Aberration (7.52)

One of the side effects of the tiny lens on the Sony T900 is significant chromatic aberration. This is color fringing that occurs around objects in the photograph. The T900 had major issues mid-way between the middle and edge of the lens. Overall, the chromatic aberration was the worst at the shortest focal length, 6.2mm.

Quality & Size Options (7.00)

The Sony T900’s range of available sizes is quite expansive, and suitable for most situations, whether to create prints, upload to the web or email. However, there are no picture quality choices, so you’re stuck with the one compression algorithm that the T900 uses. The camera cannot shoot in RAW.

Image Stabilization (15.10)

The Sony T900 uses an image stabilization system called SteadyShot, which we found to work very well. We test by shooting at a shutter speed you would likely encounter in a dimly lit room, where you would really need stabilization to work well. We shoot under approximately 100 lux illumination, with a shutter speed as close to 1/30th of a second as we can get. More on how we test image stabilization.

Stabilization Comparisons
Sony DSC-T900	Canon SD970 IS	Casio EX-FC100	Fujifilm F200EXR
Stabilization Off
Stabilization On

The SteadyShot system worked very well under our setup, and was one of the most effective stabilization systems we’ve seen in a point-and-shoot. It improved the shot dramatically, which you can see from the 100% crops above.