Sony DSC-T200 Review

Click on the T200 for a 360° QTVR tour

The ultra-thin, 8-megapixel DSC-T200 model raises the bar with a 3.5-inch wide LCD touch-panel that controls all of the camera's settings and an internal 5x Carl Zeiss® optical zoom lens. Not only is this model durable with a stainless-steel body, but it's stylish too with silver, black and red colors choices. This camera shares almost identical spec with its sibiling, the DSC-T70.

Sony's new T-series cameras feature high-definition output so you can bring your photos to the party and take full advantage of the HD equipment already in your home. Once you have viewed photos in the utmost clarity, color and detail on an HDTV set, there's no going back to huddling around a PC.

Shooting in low light doesn't have to result in blurry, grainy photos. Sony's Super Steady Shot® optical image stabilization counters camera shake and stabilizes images so you can easily shoot with longer exposure times. Armed with high light sensitivity (up to ISO 3200), you can also shoot at higher shutter speeds without using the camera's flash and spoiling the mood of the pictures. Sony's Clear RAW ™ noise reduction technology will help reduce the imager noise common in high ISO low-light exposures.

The DSC-T200 is powered by the Bionz™ processing engine, first used in Sony's Alpha digitalSLR camera system. Not only does this robust processing engine deliver the fast image processing speeds needed to produce color-rich, detailed pictures for true high-definition photo viewing, it also speeds up the cameras' response times and extends battery life.

With the cameras' new "smile shutter" function, which automatically detects and captures a person smiling, you'll never miss a smile due to shutter lag or distractions. The function is turned on or off by pressing the shutter while in smile shutter scene mode. Combined with such other Sony innovations as face detection, image stabilization and a high sensitivity (ISO 3200) the T200 and T70 models are nearly foolproof.

Slide the lens covers down and the T200 is ready to shoot in less than a second and prepared for the next shot in about a second. It will keep snapping for the duration of the party - on a full charge, up to 250 shots.

Sony's new cameras have three accessory options for high-definition photo viewing. All are compatible with the Sony VMC-MHC1 HD component cable for simple connection to an HDTV set. They can also be connected to the new Sony CSS-HD1 high-definition Cyber-shot Station™ with a bundled component cable and a remote commander. Connect all your devices to the station just one time and it also works as a charger for the camera.

Cyber-shot DSC-T200 Features:

• 8-Megapixel Super HAD CCD sensor with 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios
• Carl Zeiss "folded" 5x Zoom (35-175mm equivalent in 35mm photography)
• Sony Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization
• Stylish, durable and ultra-thin stainless metal body in three colors (silver, black and red)
• MPEG VX Fine Movies: 640x480 w/audio at 30fps, length limited only by media
• Auto, Program AE plus 10 Scene modes
• Burst Mode: 100 shots at 2.2 fps (all resolutions)
• Live histogram display in capture and playback modes
• 9 Area Multi-point AF system; auto or selectable Spot AF point
• Face detection technology for stunning Portraits
• Smile Shutter mode, automatically detects and captures smiling faces
• 3.5" Touchpanel Clear Photo LCD Plus screen
• ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 equivalent
• Noise Reduction: Automatically cleans up long exposure images
• Flash with Auto, Fill, Forced Off, and Slow Synchro (Red Eye reduction available)
• USB 2.0 high speed Auto-Connect to host computer
• Rechargeable InfoLithium battery and AC charger included
• 31MB internal memory + Memory Stick Duo & MS Duo Pro cards
• DPOF and PictBridge direct-print USB compatible
• HD (1080i) video output for viewing images on a HDTV

The Cyber-shot DSC-T200 is available now for about US$399

Sony DSC-T200 Specifications