Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2

Connectivity
Software
Sony supplies their Picture Motion Browser software with the N2, which does an adequate, if unspectacular job of uploading and organizing photos on a PC. As usual with bundled applications, you’d probably be better off invesing a bit extra in something like Photoshop Elements. No Mac software is supplied.

Jacks, ports, plugs
A basic combination USB and A/V connector cable is supplied with the N2. The $80 Cyber-shot Station dock is also supported, and this provides a much easier way to connect the camera to a TV for viewing, as it includes a remote control. So you can moe between photos from the couch.

Direct Print Options
The usual suspects are here: DPOF and PictbRidge are both supported, so you can flag images for later printing in a DPOF compatible printer, as well as connecting directly to a PictBridge printer via USB without the need for a PC.

Battery
Although the large screen must suck down some serious power, the small NP-BG1 Lithium-ion battery holds a lot of charge: Sony claims a battery life of 300 shots. We’ll refrain from commenting on that until we get to do out own testing, but Lithium-ion batteries do hold a lot of charge, so it may not be far off the mark.

Memory
As well as supporting Memorystick Pro Duo card capacities up to 4GB, the N2 includes 256MB of memory. Images can be copied between the Mermorystick and the internal memory, so this is a nice backup to have if you are in a shooting frenzy and run out of room. This memory can also be used to store music to play back while looking at photos: a nice touch if you want to show off your family snapshots with a suitable soundtrack. May I suggest the theme from the godfather? That way, you can make the viewers an offer they can’t refuse…

Other Features
Underwater Housing – Sony offers a $199.99 underwater housing (the MPK-NA) that allows you to take the N2 skinny dipping to a depth of 40 meters. However, you can’t use the touch screen features of the camera with this case. You can, however, change modes and zoom in and out, so you should be able to snap shots of the passing fishies.