Customer Reviews

Sony Cybershot DSCN1 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Sony has once again delivered another unique pocket camera. It delivers great high resolution images with good detail and saturation. When I set up the camera, in the menu system, I set the saturation and sharpness up one tick; I also set the, what appears to be a huge 3" LCD touch-screen monitor up to brighter level. What a incredible difference going from 2" to 3" monitopr size. One can really share the shot captured with family and friends... With this done, the camera produces great images from the pocket. The flash seems significantly brighter than the "T" series cameras. I purchased a spare battery and SONY's high speed 1GB data card, which will hold over 250 images at the my recommended highest resolution setting. Also set the video to "Hi Resolution Fine" 640x480 mode. The videos are stunning, vivid, and compete with typical tape video camera performance, for the casual viewer. May be over-spoken, but, the video quality is so good comming from this little footprint, the results are shockingly positive.

There are a number of sites including SONY's site, and www.dpreview.com which describes the camera in exhaustive detail, so I will not repeat these facts here. I am an adjunct faculty member of Florida Altantic University, FAU, teaching "Principles of Digital Photography and Post Image Processing," Pearson Education, 2004. To help our students with their study of this topic I attempt to keep up with the latest releases of digital camera equipment. Go to the site address a part of www.416-1100.com site, to see images from this exciting new camera. FYI, I purchased this camera for my personal use and am delightd with its performance. I also have professional Canon digital SLRS, however I cannot put them in my pocket. There are trade-offs with a pocket camera, but this little masterpiece has what it takes to capture those pictures, when carrying a SLR is not convenient. Jim Wilson, quesitons email directly to FAU@bellsouth.net for further Q&A.

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I was looking all around for an ultracompact camera. I was on the fence between the Canons (SD400, 450, 500 and 550), Nikon S1 and the Sony DSCT1. While the SD500 and SD550 were top of the line (fantastic image quality), all of them have their shortcomings. There is no such thing as a perfect point and shoot digital camera. Just before I made my purchase though, I was lucky enough to come across the Sony DSC-N1 on www.StevesDigicams.com. My first digital camera was a Sony (DSCP1). I did love it, but poor battery performance and expensive proprietary accessories led me to jump the Sony ship. Within the following 5 years, I acquired the Canon EOS D60, the Canon S60, and the Canon S410. So let me just say, I am a Canon guy. I gave the S410 away as a gift and decided to get a new ultracompact. Enter the Sony DSCN1.

The camera sports the largest LCD (3 inches), which at the same time is a touchscreen. There are hardly any physical buttons on the camera itself. For an ultracompact, there is an unusual amount of manual control (Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance, ISO speed, Color Saturation, Contrast, Flash Levels, Sharpness, etc.). The shutter speed can be set from 30 seconds to 1/1000 of a second. Aperture ranges from f2.8 to f16. You can even compose your picture, and then touch the screen to select which object you want to be in focus.

Like many other ultracompacts, there is no viewfinder on the N1. All your shots are composed on the LCD. Some think this is a "con", but I honestly don't know why one would really need the viewfinder. Perhaps the bright LCD may be problematic in a dark theater where you are bootlegging the latest Sony Pictures release... Picture quality is excellent. Focusing is very quick and COMPLETELY silent. Macro performance was impressive. The camera itself powers on quickly so it's honestly only about 2 seconds before you get your first shot.

The camera comes with 26MB of onboard storage for pictures and supports the Memory Stick Duo storage cards (Why so proprietary Senor Sony?). It is an ultracompact, but it is on the larger side of the ultracompacts. It will drop into your shirt pocket but there will be a noticeable bulge... It's about the size (slightly thicker) of a deck of cards. The N1 sports 3x optical zoom, but an oddly diminutive 2x digital zoom. You would think it would be harder to incorporate optical zoom than digital but whatever. That should not keep you from this camera. You can easily zoom in and crop after you put your photo on your computer. 8.1 megapixels affords you great license in that arena. There is only one thing that seems pretty inconvenient. It takes hours to charge the tiny little battery. It took me about 4 hours to finish my initial charge and the manual suggests that you leave it in an additional hour after the light goes off to get it to maximum charge.

This is clearly an awesome camera. I saw a rating of 6.6 on Cnet.com and am still scratching my head over that one. Meanwhile their readers rated it 8.5 on average. Like I said, there is no such thing as a perfect point and shoot digital camera, but the Sony DSC-N1 packs quite a punch. I'm going to date this review by saying I paid $450 for mine (I'm going to be pissed in a year's time when it's going for a hundred dollars less). It retails for $499. While the price can be considered high, the value is definitely just as high. I highly recommend this amazing little gadget.

Pros:
8.1 Megapixels
Awesome Touchscreen Controls
Good Battery Life (well over 200 shots)
Photo Album/Slideshow Review
Manual Focus Targeting
ISO - 64, 100, 200, 400, 800
Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens
Good flash range

Cons:
- It takes 4-5 hours to charge the battery
- Bulky Ultracompact
- LCD gets fingerprints
- Pricy (mine was $450)
- 2x Digital Zoom

N-1. i have migrated continuously from the p5 to p10 to p100, and p150 and lastly the p200 as they were released. this n-1 is pretty different from them, but yet familiar. they returned the on-camera trimming and movie editing, which i like(d). they also made this new one very light, and quick. sadly, it requires yet another docking station, since both the p100/150 and the p200 don't fit the N-1. also missing is a charging slot on the camera, so the station is more important here. but they include a wall plugin converter for the battery. the battery is also yet another new size and shape.

TOUCH SCREEN. the coolest new feature is the touch screen, which replaces all of the buttons except the zoom. the screen is large and adult fingers can navigate easily. but they give you a small plastic stylus which clips onto the leash. this operates all electronic controls except the zoom. the screen is so large that you can really review your work without downloading to a pc, and sharing with others is easier. this 3 inch screen has 9 times more real estate than the p100, which cost the same when it was new. which also means it has 4 times more real estate than the flagship f-828, also an 8 megapixel.

PAINT, or a small version of it, is in the camera, so you can edit an image on camera, then write or scribble with lines, curves and colors. there is also a stencil function with hearts, snowflakes, etc. also with colors. and the eraser, of course. saving an edited image creates a new file, preserving the original image.

BUILT IN MEMORY/ALBUM. new to sony is the built in memory which keeps a rolling 500 thumb image library for every shot, in an album. it also stores the pictures taken when the film chip is not inserted. finding my images across these two locations was confusing at first, but you can copy from/to each to the other.

DUO. unfortunately, a reguler memory stick doesn't fit the n-1. the smaller duo is not included. i bought a 2 gig sandisk for $170. from dell, and they come with a converter for a memory stick slot, so you don't need to buy that for $ 10. from sony. a 4 gig sandisk memory stick is only $ 260. at dell, and these are both the currently largest available for their respective size.

Having got rid of my Elph a year ago and waiting for the right
camera to come out, I discovered the right camera with the Sony
Cybershot DCS-N1.

I bought the camera in November and I can rave about how great
the LCD, touchscreen, slideshow, video are.. or I can point out
what little things I noticed that are little gotchas with the
camera. You can guess the way I decided to go.

SIZE: Overall, my expectation when I bought this was that the
camera wuld be somewhat smaller in thickness, but it is pretty
thick compared to other cybershots. It still fits in your
pocket and still is the talk of the town when you show it to
people. But it's the size of a deck of cards when most newer
cameras are the are half the width. Not a big deal, really, but
just settling your expectation and You will hear this over and
over again.

DESKTOP SOFTWARE: I have yet to truly play with the desktop
software, but it appears that most of the desktop software is
geared to the video aspect of the camera. I did like the
transfer software that came with my Elph, but this camera
interaction with the host computer seems limited to creating an
additional drive that you must grab your photos from and kinda
lame video software.

DESIGN BUGS: One thing Sony has to fix.. and I'm not sure if
this is common with all their cameras or cameras in general.
When the battery dies and you're in the middle of a shot, the
camera does not retract the lense back into the case with a
final gasp of power. The battery died on me during X-mas, and I
was stuck with an extended Carl-Zeiss lens for the rest of the
week. This is kinda a problem if you don't carry the charger
with you on extended trips.

INTERNAL SOFTWARE COMPLAINT: The camera stores its photos in
two separate areas when you take a photo. The Actual higher res
photos go in sequenced folders (named 1xxMSDCF [xx being an
sequential number for each new file]). Smaller low res
duplicates go in "albums". You can slideshow "albums" by date
and the high-res originals by folder. Most likely, you will
delete the high res when you transfer to your computer. My only
three complaints are if you rename the high-res folder outside
of the above naming convention(i.e. "X-mas_Day_2005"), the
camera fails to recognize the folder even exists anymore until
you name it back to the accepted naming convention. Also, if you
delete the high-res image, it doesn't give you the option to
delete the low-res album images as well in the same step. You
have to do this manually yourself as additional steps. Final
feature complaint is once you take the photo, the software does
not allow you to control how long the preview stays on the LCD
screen. It's either ON or OFF. That's it.
(I think the paint feature is rather stupid.. but heck it's a
gimmick I don't have to use).

PHOTO CAPTURE: This thing gives you the functionality and
flexibility of a more professional camera all wrapped up in the
easy to use touch screen. I had to play around with it a bit to
get my shots more in the range I liked, but "Auto" is the best
method by far when you don't have the time... but this features
can still generate the occasional blurry image if the camera is
not steady enough... The other Photo capture complaint is in
dark rooms where I've seen other cameras create an enhanced sort
of lighting upon the picture subject within the LCD before
taking the photo. Here, you have to settle for a weak red light
on your subject to guess if your subject is in the photo in a
dark room.
(Also, 8.1 MP is rather over the top for a camera. I readjusted
my camera back to the space saving 5 MP)

Overall, even if someone can't point out solutions to my above
critique, this camera is worth every penny. I just have to
mention things you won't hear folks mention since they're so
enamored with the product. I have yet to use the video
feature...but I do hope Sony provides better software for the
photo aspect of the camera, I do recommend downloading Google's
Picasa software to manage your photos on your desktop.

Other than that this camera is innovative. I had 5 people
say "I gotta get me one of those" in the last 2 weeks. I'm also
waiting for my cradle accessory via Amazon to come in the mail
to use as a desk photo display. So may be able to extend my
review a bit when that arrives.

To make a long story short, This camera rocks my socks. I am beyond impressed by its usability, durability, looks, and excellent picture quality. The touch screen feature is going to usher in a new wave of copycats, because it is so much easier to use than having a million buttons all over the camera. The camera contains very advanced noise reduction technology and the detail clarity and color quality of the pictures will blow you away. I actually do find myself using the album feature quite a lot because I already downloaded 4 of my favorite songs onto the camera for playback. The paint feature isn't quite as useful after the novelty wears off, but it's still fine to have. The battery lasts through 250+ shots and with at least a 1GB Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo from Amazon(they have a pretty good price actually) you'll have an amazing camera to enjoy for years to come.

I haven't owned a Sony digital camera in years. Not that Sony cameras are not good; it's just that I always ended up getting a Canon, a Casio, a Fujifilm, a Minolta, a Kodak, or a Pentax. At the moment I use my Nikon D70 for photos that I want to keep or submit for contests, and my Fujifilm F10 for everyday snapshots. But recently I had a chance to play with a Sony DSC-N1 and I was really impressed. I think I'll buy a Sony next time, now that I've accumulated quite a number of Memory Stick PRO Duo cards (for my Sony PSP and Sony camcorders).

OK, everyboby knows the N1 has 8.1MP resolution, and the price point is sweet for an ultra-slim, stylish digital camera. The 3x optical zoom is a bit disappointing; I really wish Sony had done something outside the box and gone beyond 3x zoom. (Panasonic has a compact camera that sports a whopping 10x optical zoom coupled with optical image stabilization!) 3x is adequate for most situations, though, so maybe it's no big deal for most casual shooters.

But more than the 8.1MP resolution, which makes great enlarged prints, the N1 has excellent image quality. I always say that image quality is much more than resolution; it's more about color reproduction (is red really red and is blue really blue?) and white balance (is white really white?) as well as technical factors like saturation and contrast. Older Sony digital cameras tended to give crisp but dreadful looking pictures. Not the N1. Both indoor and outdoor pictures look terrific, and as long as you have adequate lighting (or use the flash), you'll get pictures that you'll be proud to share with friends. Digital noise does kick in quite a bit at ISO 400, meaning that in dim light situations you'll notice digital specks when you enlarge the picture. But for 4x6", or even 5x7", prints as well as viewing on a PC monitor or HDTV monitor, the N1's image quality comes across as quite satisfactory. What really impressed me was the flash quality, which seemed better than most other compact digital cameras (except Canon ones).

So if you want a digital camera with excellent image quality, the N1 should be on your shopping list. Overall I still slightly prefer Canon's image quality, but not by much, just by a little bit. It's probably because my idea of "perfect" image quality matches the calibration parameters chosen by Canon's engineers. However, I know many other people who prefer Sony's crispier looks or Fuji's "scenic, natural" looks, so you may want to compare the N1 with a Canon or something else to see which camera produces the results you personally like the most. Bottomline: the N1's image quality ranks very high among compact digital cameras.

Of course, the N1 has many other things going for it, too, like the enormous 3" LCD in the back. The LCD just looks huge because 1) it is, and 2) it takes up most of the real estate of the camera's back. Its resolution is a little over 230k, twice that of most other digital camera's LCDs. This gives a sharp-looking image on the LCD. Ourdoor visibility is good as the LCD is bright. Like Sony's camcorders, this LCD is touch-sensitive, which means you can control camera functions on the LCD itself. I myself am neutral on this. Some people don't like Sony's menu-driven interface and would have preferred a few more buttons. For most casual photographers, this is probably not going to be a big deal.

The N1 is beautiful looking, and it has good shooting performance. I'm talking shutter lag here. It's quite fast. Not as fast as a digital SLR like my Nikon D70 or a Canon Digital Rebel XT, but the N1 felt slightly faster than my Fuji F10. This is a camera that performs, period.

Battery life is decent; I think the official rating is 300 according to the Japanese CIPA standard. My Fuji F10 is rated at 450 and I swear I've taken close to 1,000 photos (about 40% with flash) and I still have 50% left. I don't know if the N1's battery has the same stamina as my F10. But even at 300 shots per charge, that's pretty good.

I want to make two recommendations to any perspective N1 owner:

1) Be sure to get a spare battery. Even though the N1's battery life is good, the battery might fail (e.g., in extreme temperatures) or you might forget to recharge it before a new day starts. Always carry a spare if you can afford it.

2) The N1 uses Memory Stick Duo, and you'll most likely buy the "PRO" version. (The "PRO" designation simply means the Memory Stick Duo card is over 256MB. Sony's marketing people are nothing short of absolutely stupid and perverted.) You don't have to buy the "high-speed" (red) version of Memory Stick Duo PRO; but as a fellow Amazonian recently told me, the high-speed and regular versions cost the same, so you might as well get the high-speed one. Now comes my tip: buy two or more memory cards instead of a single gigantic-capacity one. Say you want 2GB in total. Get two 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo cards instead of a single 2GB one. Why? It's the old adage that "don't put all your eggs in one basket." As with the battery, always carry a spare. Trust me, if you don't have a spare battery or memory card, Murphy's Law will get you, sooner than you think, too.

In summary, the N1 is a terrific ultra-slim camera. It takes great pictures, is stylish, has a huge touch-sensitive LCD, has good battery life, is reasonably easy to use, and did I mention it takes great pictures? It's good enough for this camera aficionado that my next compact camera will probably be a Sony.

I got this camera for christmas and it was the best gift ever!!
I used to have a 5.0 MP sony cybershot and I was very happy with it except when I was shooting in the night, it was frustrating that all the night pics were dark, I tried all kind of stuff to make this work but this 5.0 Mp camera worked great only in daylight, so then the DSCN1 8.1 MP digital camera came along and I was impressed in how incredibly good was it, I took it for our holiday vacation and I hoped that finally I could take pics at night, I tried it at a night parade and with fireworks and I could not believe my eyes of how great pics it took!!! after that I loved it, what can I say about daylight pictures, WOW!!! with this camera I do not worry anymore about if it is day, night, fireworks, the beach etc... .

Let me tell a little about the features, I will start with the thing I think is the greatest idea: The touch screen, it is so practical, and easy to use and if you are familiarized with sony cameras you will not have a problem,if you are not used to sony cameras don't worry it is really easy, also the thing that it it touch screen leaves more space for the screen where you watch your pics.
Other feature is the slideshow mode to view your pictures and not only you have this but you can add music!! yes your own music!! isn't that amazing!! you just plug this camera to the TV and there you go a proffessional slideshow in less than 1 minute.

What more can I tell you please don't hesitate about which camera to buy this is the best choice, a little camera of 8.1 MP!! and I tell for my experience good shots at day and at night.

The only thing you have to buy along with this is a memory stick duo it is not included, (this camera has it's own memory but not too much) so I reccomend to buy the 1GB memory stick.

BUY THIS!

Camera works great for us so far... we had a 3 year old digital camera so this was an upgrade to better technology... takes much better pictures than our old one... the video is great (except in very low light)... we've taken a lot of short video clips of our kids for grandma (etc)... nobody in our family wants to watch more than about 5 minutes of any one home video anyway... so this camera saves us from having to buy a camcorder... (although with our 1GB card we could take 45 minutes or so of continuous video at the medium setting)... the touch screen is great and simple... the camera has quick response time and the indoor and action pictures are again great for pictures of our kids running around or birthday parties... I took about 92 minutes of video and 55 pictures (plus sharing images and videos with others) before the battery ran out for the first time (a couple of weeks of shooting in our family). I guess everyone has their own needs when picking a digital camera, but this one works great for ours.

Photos were excellent. But photo print quality depends very much on the print shop. For the same photo file, it can look like a 4M photo when taken to a below quality printer shop. Photos taken indoor with marginal lighting (no flash used) turned out to be yellowish. Battery life is very long despite its large 3" LCD. Battery charging time is over 3 hours - too long. Photos files viewed on computer looks just great. 8'x10' prints are great but have not tried larger prints. Touch screeen control is a delight and very easy to choose and set. Date on photo is red (would be better if it is black). And the location of the date is not at the far right hand corner.

Loved the touch screen feature when I read about it the first time. Ergo- I bought it. Had a good chance to test it at a wedding I went to. It was easy to use (my level of expertise- point and shooter, I basically need an "on" button and zoom and expect the camera to do everything else) and the pictures turned out great. Until the after party started and I wanted to take some pictures at a bar. I couldn't see anything on the LCD screen- it was pitch-black ! Even my 4 year old Olympus camera was able to give me a hint of what I was shooting at in the dark. Anyway, using the AF lamp I was able to take some pictures, but then I gave the camera to somebody else it was pretty annoying- the pictures had to be taken over and over again...bottomline: I sent the camera back the next week after comparing it with other cameras. I ended up buying the Canon PS700- yes, it only has 6 MP, but what a handling and picture quality. And honestly I have not seen a difference to the 8 MP pictures.

Sorry Sony, but for the price and without an optical viewfinder I would at least expect a display I can work with. Otherwise the camera deserves 5 stars.