I can't believe how fast technology is moving forward. I expect to see it do so but, actually owning a digital camera and playing with it and the touch screen is amazing to me.
After a lul in buying cameras I got my hands on this lil' baby. It's actually my daughters but she lets me play with it. The packaging's highlights state this is a 8.1 megapixel camera. I'm impressed with the Sony DSCT70S Slim Digital Camera 3" touchscreen. The image is wider and brighter than on previously owned digital cameras. The camera also has a 3X Optical Zoom. I wasn't all impressed with that. It does continue up to the 15X Smart Zoom too.
I have learned much about this camera and will update as I use more functions. Right now I am happy with the camera and all the features it offers in a small package.
Getting Grump To Smile
This camera has a feature that will take an image of someone
only if they are smiling. My daughter got some cheesy smiles out of me. The camera simply would not take a picture until I smiled. I did the same with her. Same results. Kinda weird, but cool.
Other Features
Even though this camera is so thin, a bit more than a 1/2", it still has a tri-pod adapter on the bottom. The wrist strap is extra long. I wondered why at first and later learned the stylus for making custom images and graffiti and for better pin-point use of the touch screen gets attached to it.
The camera comes with one cord that has dual fittings on it. One is for the computer and the other is for the TV. I like that it's all in one. It's very convenient.
I didn't think the standard range of the flash worked well in this mini-camera. I suppose I couldn't expect too much. but I did think that it was pretty quick in being ready for a flash shot. I open the camera up and it's almost instantly ready to take a flash photo.
There is a sort of "boost the flash" function that gives better light beyond eight feet or so. Not too much further though. It is easily found using the touch screen. This "ol' dog" wasn't sure if he would adapt to the touch screen but truth be told, I love using it.
The camera has been a lot of fun for my daughter too. She has been using the stylus that's included with the camera and stores on the oversized wristband. She can write on pictures, put a mustache on her girl friends and other silly such things. The camera even has built in choices of borders she uses.
There is also a function that is extremely easy to use where a choice of a couple of dozen icons like hearts, stars, tiara and more can be added to images.
I happen to like a function that can give "arty" images. Everything can be muted in an image to all black and white but part of the image can remain in full colour. Very cool effects can be done with this. The camera takes the step of being fun beyond just regular picture taking. I can make any photo look like a fish-eye affect. I can even adjust the intensity of it as I can with some of the other "toys" the camera has.
A practical function is this Sony products ability to recognize multiple faces and keep each in focus.
I like the idea that I can blur the image around any focal point. It's like having extreme depth of field on a regular SLR shot. Cool again!
Probably the one "toy" I like best on the camera is the ability to crop photos while everything is still in the camera and I'm on the road. There are many times I would have liked to do so with my other cameras. This one I can and I like it. Once the change is made the camera will store the new image as well as keep original until it is erased if wanted. The camera also has functions to modify an image size for internet sharing or even wide screen format on a TV. Just a quick note. We checked out photo shown directly on our TV and the images were excellent.
Battery Life
This comes with a rechargeable battery and the charger. The thin lightweight battery comes out of the camera to charge. It fits snugly into the small charger that comes with the camera. The battery lasts a day or so of moderate use. That includes a slide show or two or three. If only images are being taken and not any other "playing" with the camera, it seems the battery is good for a couple-a-few days easy use on one good charge.
pops Last Thoughts
The camera when it is closed is all metal showing in the front and just the screen in the back. The front cover actually slides down about half an inch on the front face of the camera exposing the lens. I really like how well this camera is machined.
This camera takes great pictures outside. They are very clear, very sharp and quite colourful! Indoors I don't see the same quality. The images are much more muted and shadowy.
I like the feel of this small camera. It's small sleek and slides into my pocket almost like there's nothing there.
I particularly like the touch screen feature. It seems much more intuitive than any of the other digital cameras I own and have used. With the business I'm in I use many different digital cameras every weekend for novelty photos we take. Because of the dials and such on them I don't seek as many of the features the camera has. With the touch screen access I go deeper into the cameras features and reap the benefits. Not having all the dials also gives this camera an extremely smooth sleek look.
I do like the results of the macro settings on this camera. Good detail and clear shots are the results. The Carl Zeiss lens doesn't stick out in the front of the camera when it is used up to the 3X settings.
The slide-show feature is cool too. A touch or two on the screen and the show begins. I have not downloaded and music on the camera that can be done to accompany the slide show. I'll get to that and report when I do.
Th camera can store a few pictures, a dozen or two directly into the camera. My daughter purchased a 2GB memory card for the camera that holds plenty of images and video too.
I like the results of the video use of the camera outside. It gives sharp images and I can actually hear the dialog through the mini-speaker in the camera. It's louder than any of the other digital cameras we have owned.
The Sony DSCT70S Slim Digital Camera is an excellent camera for the young set. It is very cool looking and though this one is silver, it comes in a variety of colours and finishes. The sleek lines and all the touch features make this camera a step ahead of the technology of just a couple-a-few years ago. nI like it as a fun camera that slides easily into any pocket and offers much.
Canon PowerShot A400 Digital Camera
Canon PowerShot A630 Digital Camera
Canon PowerShot A520
Canon A530 another small step up
Nikon Coolpix 4600 Digital Camera
