Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P50

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Despite coming from the same line of cameras as Sony's highly regarded DSC-P1 and DSC-S75, the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-P50 doesn't live up to the high standards set by its siblings. While not a grave disappointment, this economical digicam package cuts far too many corners on features to be a noteworthy addition to the Sony Cyber Shot line.

Easy Shot
First impressions reveal a camera that is easy to use and whose 2.1-megapixel CCD helps capture clean, crisp pictures. The DSC-P50's 6X digital (3X optical) zoom allows you to take a variety of wide-angle and long-distance shots. And by using the macro feature, you can take close-up pictures with amazing depth and clarity. The camera allows you to choose from a number of different image sizes, modes, and qualities. Also, you can choose an ISO from 100 to 400, allowing you to maximize image quality or to shoot in low-light conditions.

Beyond just taking pictures, downloading them from the camera is easy, using the included USB cable and software. With Windows 2000 or Me, the camera shows up as another disk drive once it's plugged into the computer. You can move pictures from the camera to your computer as you would any other files: you simply drag and drop them.

Digital Disadvantages
Unfortunately, these features are weighed down by a number of drawbacks. The included 4MB Memory Stick is barely adequate, with enough space to hold only three, 1,600x1,200, fine-quality JPEG images and not enough space to hold any uncompressed TIFF images.

Meanwhile, the DSC-P50 drains batteries like water flowing through a sieve, going through a set of two AA batteries in about 40 exposures, even in power-save mode. The power-save mode delays the camera's response, forcing it to take up to 10 seconds to recharge between shots and delaying each shot by as much as a second after you press the shutter button.

One obvious way to save power is to turn off the LCD. But in the case of the DSC-P50, the LCD is essential since it's the only place on the camera where you can get pertinent info about image settings, memory capacity, and battery life.

With a fairly weak flash and a lens that opens to only f -3.8, the DSC-P50 struggles in low-light or overcast conditions, producing images in which the colors are not quite true. CNET Labs' jury tests found that images taken with the DSC-P50 were quite good in ideal conditions, but their exposure suffered a bit under more challenging lighting conditions. The camera has a Twilight mode, which allows you to open the shutter for up to two seconds, but this setting tends to slow the response of the LCD to a crawl and does little to improve the color of the images.

All told, the S$799 DSC-P50 has a lot of things going for it, but it's not quite as good a deal as some of the other cameras in the Sony line or those of some of its competitors, such as the comparably priced and featured Olympus D-510 Zoom.