Customer Reviews

Sony Cybershot DSCT7 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I've already been the happy owner of a Sony DSC-F828 "big" camera for over a year, and still consider it perfect for my serious photographic needs.

However, precisely _because_ it is so big, it can be very inconvenient to bring along, and also very intimidating to potential picture subjects.

Enter the new Sony DSC-T7. I didn't realize just how _much_ smaller, or more precisely, how much thinner it is than all other digital cameras until I saw it in person. It not only fits in a shirt pocket, it fits in a shirt pocket _along_with_ a Treo or an iPod. Because its 3x zoom lens is folded, it does not protrude at all when taking pictures, meaning most subjects won't even realize a camera is pointed at them, let alone that it is zoomed in and high resolution. This greatly easy getting natural expressions in informal photos.

Next, the specifications of the T7 are better than those of other similar Sony cameras such as the T1 and T33 in ways I care about, such as doubling the number of pixels in the 2.5" LCD screen, including an auto-focus assist lamp, and USB 2.0 support without needing driver software when used with Windows XP.

One of my pet peeves about digital cameras is that they are not protected from the elements. The T7 helps this in two ways. First, its on/off switch is a solid lens cover. Second, the camera fits easily in the smallest size zip-loc sandwich bag, and can easily be operated while in the bag, providing serious dust and splash protection.

One further protection is needed, but easily handled. The LCD needs protection, which I provided by covering it with a sheet of screen protector plastic left over from an old PDA.

As you might expect from such a thin device, battery life is somewhat limited (about an hour of continuous use, set up for maximum brightness, continuous focus adjustment, and automatic flash. For that reason, I bought a spare battery, and since the charger is bigger than the camera, suggest other buyers do the same.

Similarly, plan on getting more memory immediately. The supplied 32M is good for only 14 pictures at top resolution. I settled for 512M, the largest I could actually buy at time of purchase, but would recommend the new 1GB size if available to you as you buy. The memory door appears a bit flimsy, so it seems best not to need to open it too often.

I bought this for my point and shoot wife to take on a week-long trip, and thereafter to have it with us whenever a shot might present itself, but not surely enough to carry the large camera, or in situations where keeping the large camera clean and dry might be an issue.

If you too are a serious hobbyist, do be aware of unavoidable limitations: 1) 5MP is good, but not as good as the 7MP of a few also (barely) pocketable cameras. I decided smaller size outweighed higher resolution, but you may feel differently. 2) F4 is 2 full stops dimmer than the F2 of my other camera, which matters quite a bit when the light is low, as does 3) the ASA maximum of 400, rather than 800. There's also 4) no place to attach a filter. For a second camera, these are all perfectly acceptable compromises, in my opinion.

Highly recommended as a second camera for hobbyists, or as a first camera for folks who want a very convenient and very high quality point and shoot camera.

My main criterion for my 2nd digital camera was: can I jog with it in my pocket? Of all the 5mp+ I looked at, this is the only one that really won't be annoying. And has now been tested on several jogs with great success. It is very solid, sturdy, and dense. It really is as wide and high as a credit card, and LESS than a cm thick, not counting the sturdy lens cover. That cover was a big selling feature for me, as I am afraid of those flimsy metal leaves that close to 'protect' some lenses, while in my pocket. Although it has slid open by itself in my pocket, but the auto-off protected its battery.

After 3 weeks, I have taken many great photos with it. It has an amazing macro capability: better than 1:1! It really is like a magnifier, the icon they use for that mode.
I miss the time-lapse feature of my Canon S50 ("intervalometer") and hope Sony gets a firmware upgrade to include that. Although this is not a full 'manual' camera, it has many adjustable features, and seems to choose well when you let its AI do the adjusting. The video is awesome, esp. at full res (640x480) as is the sound. In fact, you could set it to low res, just to use it as a sound recorder-- well over an hour on my 512M stick. At high res, you get only ~10 min on a gig stick, but considering this is not a camcorder, that is fine for capturing many moving 'images'.

I LOVE the very fast start-up, well less than 1 sec. Great for catching those spontaneous shots while riding in a car. And it is quiet: no motors whining to give away your photographic intensions. (The zoom motor is virutally inaudible).

I was very pleasantly surprised how intuitive all the buttons are laid out, and menus too. Sony did a lot of usability testing. Much better than my Canon. And the buttons are the sturdiest of its class of tiny cams.

It has a tiny tripod hole, so needs their adaptor/desk-stand to mount (included). Battery is tiny but not as feeble as some reviews reported. I love Sony's 'infolithium' that tell you how many minutes you have left. Get an extra, tho. The screen is awesome, and can be booped up for easy view in broad daylight. Who needs a viewfinder?

Sensitivity and noise are pretty good-night images possible. Image colors are over the top, so I turned down the 'saturation' setting.

It is so tiny, you better use that long neck strap so you don't lose it. I keep it tied to my belt loop and forget I have it with me at all times now.

If you want the best really small digital camera out now (May 2005) then this is the one.

I am utterly impressed by this camera. Ill explain this review in 3 parts, the overall quality, and its uses.

Indoor Images
Many people complain about indoor images and I must admit i at first when purchasd this camera was very dissappointed at the orange brownish tinge from this camera, but i also discovered something new after a few days of owning this digital camera. Well the thing that really causees the brownish tinge in this camera is the type of flash thingy. If you are using this camera in low light conditions indoor, try using auto flash, as and it will have no brownish tinge, i have tested this many times and can confirm this, and when taking images in a fully lit area, use SLOW SYNCRO FLASH, this flash makes the color so accurate that you can't possibly see any oragne tinge. i compared it with auto flash and what a difference it made. When i mean dark areas for auto flash also I don't mean like complete black. Ill show you an example. Lets say ur in a room and half of it is lit, or the light source doesnt reach the whole room, like half the room is darker, than on the darker side use auto flash, and on the brighter side use slow syncro flash. It has high color accuracy, u just have to be steady. When taking pictures in complete darkness, the flash shows no significant difference. Also with the flash indoors, the book does show the distance, i know tons of people have not followed the distance and get overexposed pictures and complain its the cameras fault when its not. I think the distance for flash on the W side, normal is 3 and a half feet up to 8 feet something.
After i followed these simple rules, i never had a brownish tinge in my images, and some of these pictures i tested were used using floursecent lighting, and some with natural light.

Outdoor
Outdoor images turn great in auto mode, no really need to set anything unless you want to take landscapes, they have settings for those already. Amazing quality, and if your taking pictures of people being being lighted from behind, try raising the ev a little higher, and use force flash.

Overall
Great, compact camera. The images is what a 5 megapixel camera should have, i don't see why people complain about is to much. Sure its fine to complain to sony that the manual didn't show them how to take indoor images and how to use the slow syncro options. All my tests were done in the auto setting with only changes in flash, because the auto wb are already good. This camera is simply amazing, and is good for students/adults that just take pictures for family vacations, school projects. The price is also perfect for a camera this small and i do not complain about the battery life. And easy to use for just a point and shoot as you dont really need to change the settings. Hope this helps those that are deciding to get this camera or having trouble taking indoor images.

I had this camera for several weeks now and took over 100 pictures. The pictures are really good with this size of camera. People who complaint abut the picture quality of this camera either they expect too much from Sony or they never use an ULTRA-COMPACT camera before. You cannot compare this camera to the bigger (compact) camera from Canon, Nikon or Pentax. The depth of this camera is about half of the Canon SD lines (ex. SD400) and Pentax S5i OR 1/3 of the Canon S lines (ex. S410).

I currently own both Sony F828 (8MP) and Pentax S5i (5MP). I get this camera because it's thinner and has a larger LCD screen than the Pentax .

Of cause, the picture quality cannot compare to a semi-pro camera like Sony F828 but it's about the same as or better than Pentax S5i. This camera is great to take outdoor pictures or indoor pictures with short distance (under 5 feet). You cannot use this camera to take group photos (say- more than 4 people) because the flash is not strong enough to produce a good picture. Some people complaint about the noise but all they need to do is to lower the ISO to 200 or below to avoid those noises.

I did not notice much about blurry pictures. The pictures come out great 90% of the time for indoor. Outdoor pictures are always great. Color is very decent also.

Pros:

1. Small - easiest to carry and decent picture quality

2. looks great

3. high quality built and feel great to hold

4. battery is very decent compare to my Pentax

5. histogram

6. very good movie resolution with no time limit.

Cons:

1. add a charging station so that the battery does not have to come out when charging

2. a little bigger and stronger flash is good

3. a little bit pricy but built quality is great compare to my Canon or Pentax. Hey, why people are willing to pay more $$$ for an entry level Lexus when they can get an Avalon or a Camry with same options for thousands less.

if you're looking for a camera to fit all situations (day, night, group photos), you need to get a BIGGER cameras but it's more difficult to carry around. I got rid of my Canon S410 and got a Pentax S5i about 6 months ago because the Canon is too fat to fit in the pocket

Outstandingly awesome! Feature rich, yet simple to use - and YES, it does have an OPTICAL zoom. The quality of the photos are great. And it's very small - I can wear it around my neck and forget it's there because it's so light. As an avid photographer for many years (even back when the equipment wasn't digital!), I can say this is an incredible piece of technology.

I was looking for a ultraslim camera to replace my 2 years old Canon S400 which is still too thick and heavy for me as a snapshot camera. When I first saw the T7, I was attracted to its super sexy style. So the T7 automatically sit on top of my short list for the next camera. (the others are Panasonic FX7, Canon SD400 and Nikon S1) Before I made the decision, I have read a lot of reviews online regarding the T7, people are either love it or hate it, and I understand why soon after I got my hands on the it...

I purchased the Sony T7 from a local store (although Amazon offer a better price, it would be a huge hassle if I don't like it and decide to return it). But soon after taking a few pictures with the camera, I discover that this is definitely not a camera for me.

For those people who highly rated this camera, those are the people who love sexy and stylish gadgets, in this category, T7 should be a perfect choice. It is super stylish, slimmer than anyone could imagine for a 5MP camera and it is definitely an eye-catcher and a head turner that people just can't keep their eyes off it!

However, after I calm down from it's stunning appearance and start using it, I immediately realize the reasons why so many users of T7 left negative feedbacks. The camera is too small that it is awkward to hold and take pictures steadily. Lens and the large LCD screen are prone to the fingerprints. All of the pictures took indoor is grainy and noisy, even with the help of flash. The flash is so weak that it hardly reach over 6 ft. Using the red-eye reduction function will further induce handshaking effects and ghosting effects when taking pictures indoor due time required to steadily hold the camera is longer. Ironically, a camera of it's size is prone to red-eye since the lens and the flash is so closely located.

In short, the image quality of all the pictures T7 took are disappointingly lower than the pictures took with my 2 years old Canon S400. The supporters of T7 may argue that T7 is much smaller than S400. That's true, however, personally, at this price, I would expect the picture quality is on par or at least come close to my 2 years old S400.

PRO
- Super slim, super stylish and attractive
- Body feels sturdy and well build
- 2.5" large LCD screen
- Very fast start time

CONS
- Difficult to hold steadily
- Weak flash
- Weak battery life (Additional battery pack cost $50)
- Use MS Duo/Duo Pro (Which costs approx 50% more than SD with similar speed)
- Pictures taken indoor are noisy and grainy
- Prone to red eye, but prone to hand shake when using red eye reduction
- Lens and LCD screen are prone to fingerprints

After playing with the T7 and the comparison tests with my old S400, it is very clear to me that T7 isn't a camera that worth its price. The bottom line, how good is a camera if it can't take even decent quality pictures even though it looks cool on the outside? I am going to return it to the store and luckly they don't charge for restocking.

I am going to continue my research on the other cameras on my list (Nikon S1, Panasonic FX7 and Canon SD400) which are just a little thicker than T7 and cost approx $100 less! So far, I have seen less complaints on each of these cameras than T7.

I just bought a new DSC-T7, and was a bit concerned about the picture quality at first. The indoor pictures seemed dark and blurry, and outdoor pictures were of inconsistent quality. The problem was with Sony's default settings for the camera. They were not appropriate for the "point-and-click" photography that most novice photographers like myself want to use it for. The Focus setting comes out of the box at "Multi AF", but "Center AF" yields a much better result. The same holds true for the Metering setting, which comes out of the box set at "Multi", but works much better at "Center". After adjusting these settings, I've been completely satisfied with the DSC-T7. I wanted a small camera with sophisticated but easy-to-use features, and this camera is the smallest and best in its category. It takes great indoor and outdoor pictures, has a nice MPEG movie function, and is so small it's no trouble to carry around.

The DSC-T7 camera from Sony takes the concept of portability to a whole new level. Remember the Motorola brick phones of the early 1990's? Well, that's how most of the other cameras currently on the market will leave you feeling once you've held the DSC-T7. This smallness however comes at a price; people used to larger cameras may take some time to get comfortable using this camera. I use a Canon EOS-20D for more serious photography, and switching to this camera for casual use almost makes me distracted due to its smallness. My wife however loves it.

Pictures have the typical Sony look to them: crisp, sure and accurate. Coloring is almost dead-on correct; however Sony's in-camera post processing gives images a dynamic boost which, while looking very good, may look slightly unnatural to some pros. But then again, there are uses and there are cameras. For a travel camera and casual shooting, there is simply no match for the DSC-T7. On the other hand, no one will use it in a studio for professional photography, which is OK as well.

I only wish that Sony were offering a carrying case as standard issue with this camera; it is a pity that they had decided to carry it as a separate item. It would be a shame to drop the DSC-T7 and have nicks and scratches on it. At least our box did not come with it, and here's hoping that Sony will at one point decide to include the soft case as a standard accessory with every camera.

Recommended: 5 out of 5 stars.

When I found this digital camera at Best Buy, I decided to go to Amazon to read the customer reviews before purchasing it. After reading several so-so reviews, I was a bit wary to order the camera, but just couldn't get over it's incredible thinness, so I bought it. It arrived yesterday, and let me tell you, I am smitten. If I had to go back and make the decision again, I would choose this model in a heartbeat.
After playing around a little with the standard features, I decided to try out this new-fangled-spangled magnifiying glass feature. For those of you who don't quite understand what it is, it's basically a setting where you can hold the camera lens as close to something as you want and it will focus and take the picture clearly. It's an amazing tool, and I've fallen in love with it! I tried taking a picture of my eye with my old blocky digital camera, but my optical fibers were never clear. This one, however, is amazingly sharp!
As I said before, I was scared to buy the camera because of some negative reviews it had recieved. Let me tell you from my viewpoint, as an amateur photographer, how I feel about some of the "problems":
1. Focus: It is true that the flash doesn't reach throughout an entire room, which can sometimes make a picture blurry, but if you play around a bit with the settings, things will eventually clear up.
2. Lens cover: I haven't had much of a problem with it sliding open on accident. You just have to be careful where you store it. The one time I did find the cover open, the camera was turned off. Maybe it had turned itself off? Probably just an accident on my part though.
3. Battery cover: I didn't find the door flimsy at all.
4. Battery life: It may be a bit short, but it hasn't bothered me yet.
5. Finger in lens: Once you figure out the correct way of holding the camera, it's easy to avoid this annoyance.

That's all I can think of right now. Take my word for it: you won't regret buying this amazing product!

I received a Cybershot DSCT7 as a gift from the people I work with and I am very pleased with it. This camera is the ultimate in portability - it fits in a shirt or pants pocket without a problem and makes it a camera that you will want to take with you everywhere. The unit has an integrated lens cover that also serves as an on/off switch which makes it quick and easy to use. It lacks a view finder but does have a large and easily readable display which works well even in direct sunlight. The Memory Stick Pro memory cards work well but are a bit of a disappointment in that I have several of the full sized ones that I purchased for use with my other Sony cameras that cannot work with this unit. The Memory Stick Pro sticks do come with an adapter that allows me to use them with my legacy Sony cameras so at least my new investments can be used across all the memory stick devices. The pictures are sharp and the color fidelity is very good. The DSCT7 comes with a special adapter that needs to be attached to the camera to provide a USB connection for downloading to the computer. I have a Sony computer so I just put the memory stick into the full size adapter and put it into the memory stick reader on the computer. **Note to Sony computer owners** Make certain to download the Memory Stick Pro drivers from the Sony web site or your computer WILL crash every time you try to read the Memory Stick Pro cards. The flash is very small and does a decent job at very short range but should not be relied on for taking group pictures in low light conditions. Battery life is exceptionally good and you should get close to 100 pictures with a full charge of the standard battery supplied. It doesn't come with an integrated charger so you need to remove the battery and put it into an external charger (supplied) - not a big deal but not as convenient as some of their other models that can simply be plugged in to a power cord without removing the battery from the camera. Overall I really like the portability, image quality and ease of use - I'd buy one again.