Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
There is no doubt that the DSC-P100 is designed for the sleek-and-trendy market. Almost every physical feature makes it fun to carry around. The body is thin and long, which makes it easy to wrap your fingers around the entire camera and grip it well. The smooth, shimmery surface adds to its sexy appeal, although it worries me a little that it could easily slide out of your hand if you weren’t paying close attention. It’s definitely a party camera that looks good in anyone’s jeans pocket and comes in red and blue as well as the standard silver. You can tell Sony is being image conscious with this camera since they are producing it in multiple colors. Although the DSC-P100 scores well in the appearance department, the very features that make it fun sometimes get in the way of the actual picture-taking.

Size / Portability (8.0 )
In terms of portability, the DSC-P100 ranks among the best. The camera measures in at 4.5” x 2.1" x 1” (108 x 52 x 26 mm) and weighs 5.4 oz., making it slightly heavier, but not much bigger, than the average cell phone. The thin-body design can slide into any briefcase, purse, pocket, or palm, making it ideal for someone who would like to have a camera along at any point in the day without having to plan for it. The Sony DSC-T1 is but, however the DSC-P100 is quite small for its price range. There’s nothing worse than deciding you didn’t want to bother lugging around your camera or camera case and then coming across a scene you’d like to photograph. This camera has those kinds of situations in mind and it makes it easy for you to take it anywhere. Another camera in this class that is comparable in size and weight is the Sony DSC-W1 which is slightly taller and wider and weights a little over 6 oz. Other cameras such as the Nikon Coolpix 5700 and Olympus C60 don’t even compare to the portability of the Sony DSC-P100, since they both weigh over 8 oz.

Handling Ability (7.0)
Transporting this camera is easy and fun, but when it’s time to take pictures, some people might have a harder time than others. The control buttons are all very tiny and would be difficult for people with large fingers to use easily. The buttons' small size is also likely to pose a problem for people with poor eyesight; not only are the buttons small, but the button labels are even smaller!

The body is designed in a way that makes all the buttons accessible by your right index finger and thumb. The left half of the back of the camera is filled by the LCD screen and the lens on the front, leaving all the buttons crammed in on the right half. I found it pretty difficult to maneuver this camera with one hand because of its narrow body. With small cameras such as these, users rely heavily on their fingertips to maintain the grip. When a critical digit is occupied by buttons, the grip becomes unsteady. If you have both hands free, the left hand actually fits very comfortably on the rounded edge of the left side of the camera. There is no danger of accidentally hitting buttons, but there is an increased danger of getting a finger in front of the lens. That’s always a problem with small cameras.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size ( 6.0 )
On the whole, the buttons on the DSC-P100 are pretty small and a little crammed together. The shutter button is nicely sized, but is a little too close to the left edge of the camera and contributes to unstable one-handed shots. Although the buttons are small, the only ones that really gave me a hard time were the four-way control buttons and the circle button in the center. I had to use my fingernails for those, and if you’re a nail-biter or you have large fingers, you might have a hard time. The mode dial is also very small, but it has a ribbed edge that makes it easy to turn.

The great thing about these small buttons and dials is that they don’t protrude and won’t get accidentally pressed or knocked out of place easily. This can be a problem with larger cameras with multiple dials and buttons.

The one function that I would have liked to see as an external button is the record mode (normal/burst/multiburst). I would think that record mode would be a better function for quick access than, say, the self-timer mode which has its own exterior button. When the record mode is hidden in the menu you have to decide what mode you want to record in well in advance. You head might be buried in a menu when a key moment passes you by and you will have missed your chance for some awesome burst shots.

Menu (8.0)
I like the way Sony approaches their menus in terms of navigation through the different settings. The icons for the different settings are shown at the bottom of the screen and, when highlighted, the different options pop up. I like that you can change many of the settings while still in recording mode and the fact that they don’t take up the entire screen. This way you can actually see on the LCD screen how each option changes the look of the image.  

The menu options change with each different recording mode. In program (P) and manual (M) mode, you have the option of changing the exposure, focus, metering, white balance, ISO, picture quality, recording mode, picture effect, saturation, contrast, and sharpness. In movie mode, you can change the exposure, focus, metering, white balance, and picture effects. Autofocus mode only gives the option of choosing your record mode from among normal, burst, or multiburst mode.

In playback mode, you have the option to designate a folder for your images, put a protection on certain images, select direct print options, print, create a slide show, resize images, and rotate or divide (only for movies). The scene mode (SCN) menu gives you all the options that you have in manual and program, plus the option to choose between nine different scenes: twilight, twilight portrait, landscape, soft snap, snow, beach, high-speed shutter, fireworks, and candle.

Ease of Use (7.5)
The Sony DSC-P100 is a relatively easy digital camera to operate without any difficulties. In my observations I have seen people of all ages (old technophobes and young hipsters) use the camera. This is a good sign for consumers thinking about purchasing one, and a great sign for Sony. Its small buttons and viewfinder might pose a problem for some people, but for most people it is great for everyday use.

The Sony DSC-P100’s control features are easy enough to use if you don’t know anything about photography, but it also gives you the option to explore and play around if you choose. The uncluttered mode dial and unique menu system are organized in a way that makes navigation a little easier and less confusing. The sticking point for many users is whether or not they can pick up the digital camera and take decent images without messing with any of the settings. If that is the case for you, don't worry; this digital camera can accomplish that.