Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T200

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By Edvarcl Heng, CNET Asia
Oct 4, 2007

If there is a camera that can set the hearts of fashionistas racing, the Cyber-shot T200 certainly deserves pole position. While we have seen some lackluster efforts which have tried squeezing onto the starting line with a new lick of paint, the Cyber-shot T200 kicks throttle with an improved chassis over its predecessor, the Cyber-shot T100.

Design

Whatever your tech heart tells you (i.e. going for a higher megapixel count), it's hard to remember its advice when you are gazing upon a well-designed piece of kit--even when that 3-megapixel lemon is sitting next to a high-spec, high-zoom beast of a camera.

The Cyber-shot T200 is an animal along the lines of the former. It's wonderfully sleek. And it's a close replica of the awarding-winning Cyber-shot T100, so it's good to know that the Japanese firm understands the need for not fixing what's not broken.

For more details on the T200's design, click on the image.

The slider cover remains identical. It's a large panel that protects the microphone, lens and flash all at the same time. And it still has that nice, solid snap when you flick it up or down. Compared with some flimsy sliders we've tried, this Sony's got quality.

Yet, while the classics are still there, some have gone missing. The joypad controls on the Cyber-shot T100's back have been replaced by a 3.5-inch LCD. In fact, leftover buttons have migrated to the camera top and, they look and feel… a little cramped.

But turn on the touchscreen and you may feel a little forgiving. It's like watching TV. And the LCD has a large viewing angle, so you can compose pictures even when you are looking at the display from a close to 90-degree angle. Experienced photographers may disdain the LCD in favor of a viewfinder, though, the average consumer would find it easier to frame with the larger screen.

The camera menu is pretty much touch-and-go, literally. You can press a part of the screen to select a focus point or you can scribble over the recorded image in red ink. Because it's a touchscreen, there are more hotkeys (peppered over the display) than the Cyber-shot T100, so options are now more accessible. But all these aren't new; early Sony Handycams used touch-based controls. There's also the matter of subjectivity--not everyone likes non-tactile buttons.

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