By Joshua Goldman
18/06/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,44567297p,00.htm

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 immediately looks impressive. A 12-megapixel camera with a stabilized 4x internal zoom lens, 3.5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution four times that of a typical camera LCD, and few physical controls in a body that's roughly half-an-inch thick and is so light there's a good chance your wallet weighs more. Of course, you might expect excellent photos for that money, too, and that's where the T900 comes up a bit short.

Design

The camera has an elegant feel with a full metal body. There is nothing but a screen on the rear and a wrist strap loop at the right end which doubles as a thumb rest. The only physical controls are the power and shutter buttons with a zoom ring around the shutter release, a switch to toggle between still image and movie modes and a small playback button at the top of the display. On the bottom is the battery/M,emory Stick compartment, a proprietary connector for use with the included USB/A/V cable and multi-output dock, and a tripod mount. To take a picture you simply slide down the metal lens cover and snap. You'll want to be careful of errant fingers getting in shots and touching the lens as it's positioned at the far left.

Navigating the camera settings is easy enough once you remember what menu system you want. The Home menu gives you access to all the main features and options, while the Menu screen provides context-sensitive options; for instance, if you're taking still pictures, you get all the settings related to the shooting mode you're in.

Feature

Sony's high-contrast Xtra Fine display is quite good. At the Normal brightness setting, there was no issue seeing the screen in direct sunlight. Well, after wiping away fingerprints there was no issue; the T900 seemed to collect more than most. If having to wipe off fingerprints is a deal-breaker, you'll want to skip this camera and probably all touch-operated models for that matter. Aside from fingerprints, you may take issue with the touchscreen's responsiveness. We found the T900's to be fine with fingers, but better with the included stylus (or Paint Pen as Sony calls it) because we could be more precise with it. The plastic tip clips onto the wrist strap and allows you to quickly poke around the three onscreen menus (Home, Menu, and Display) along with the in-camera retouching and painting tools (you can add stamps, frames or draw on pictures), all while keeping the screen free of fingerprints.

Specifications/model	Canon Digital Ixus 100 IS	Sony Cybershot DSC-T900	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700
Sensor resolution	12 megapixels	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Dimension/weight	87.0 x 54.5 x 18.4mm/115g	94 x 57 x 16 mm/123g	95 x 58.4 x 16.4mm/135 g
LCD size	3-inch	3.5-inch	3.5-inch
Max. video resolution	1,280 x 720 pixels at 30fps	1,280 x 720 pixels at 30fps	640 x 480 pixels at 30fps
Image stabilizer	Optical (via lens)	Optical (via lens)	Optical (via lens)
Memory media	SD/SDHC	Memory Stick PRO Duo	Memory Stick PRO Duo
Related links	Review		Review

Being a snapshot camera, there's no reason to expect the T900 to have manual controls for shutter speed and aperture. You do, however, get four automatic modes: Program Auto has the most controls with access to ISO, exposure, white balance, focus, and metering; Sony's Intelligent Auto. Then there's Easy mode whicht takes away all but a couple basic shooting options; and SCN which lets you select from five specialty scene situations, but automatically handles all other settings. If you tend to leave it in Auto mode, Sony's Intelligent Auto turned in reliable results in our tests as it picks from eight scene types (branded iSCN) and powers on face detection and image stabilization. Sony's iSCN can be set to Auto or Advanced, the difference being that in difficult lighting the camera will automatically take two shots with different settings so you have a better chance of getting a usable photo. Also worth mentioning is that the T900 has exposure bracketing that'll take three photos: One at the exposure you select and then two more at plus and minus 0.3EV, 0.7EV, or 1.0EV.

Performance

Performance is excellent for an ultracompact camera. Startup time is a fast 1.4 seconds with an identical shot-to-shot time. Turning on the flash has little impact, only going up to 2.2 seconds for it to refresh and capture. Shutter lag is 0.4 second in good lighting, while more challenging dim lighting extends the lag time to an average 0.7 second. The T900's continuous mode is respectably quick, too, at 0.9 frame per second. What's probably the biggest disappointment is battery life: A fresh charge from the included little lithium ion pack gets you about 200 shots.

Image Quality

Photo quality for the T900 is a bit tricky. The results are roughly the same as the sub-US$250 Cyber-shot DSC-W290, which was very good for its price. The T900 is US$100 more, though, so the expectation is there that the photos should be better and they aren't. (No doubt the premium went into the better LCD and miniaturization of everything.)

Color and exposure were very good: Pleasing and accurate, though reds were occasionally a little too vivid. The camera goes from ISO 80 up to ISO 3,200, but usability drops off significantly above ISO 400 (typical of cameras in its class). However, even at ISO 80, photos viewed at full size have a grain to them that only gets more pronounced as sensitivities get higher. It had little to no impact on large prints (13 x 19 inches and below) made from test shots taken up to IS0 200. If you're planning to output pictures that large, just keep the ISO as low as possible. In the end, the photos are good for a snapshot camera, but don't expect better picture quality because of the higher price tag.

Those interested in picking up the T900 for the added benefit of HD movie capture will be happy that the quality is very good. And, you get use of the 4x optical zoom while recording.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 is a good, fast snapshot camera that's also very attractive and extremely compact. Its battery life is a little short and the touch screen won't please everyone. Also, some will find the photo quality unworthy of the camera's price tag. In this case, you're paying for the great design more than for great photos.