Sony DSCP150 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)

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Product Details

Product Manual [3.19mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002SQEWS
• Item model number: DSC-P150
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,901 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 7, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Sony takes image size to the next level with the DSC-P150 Cyber-shot digital camera. With a 1/1.8" Super HAD CCD, it captures images as large as 7.2 Megapixels (3072 x 2304 Pixels) for prints that show every last detail. Even with its outstanding imaging capabilities, the DSC-P150 is incredibly compact and travels easily wherever you go.

The DSC-P150 also features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens with 3X optical zoom and the Real Imaging Processor for excellent response times and crisp, clear visuals that are consistently stunning. Images are further enhanced with the 14-Bit DXP A/D Conversion for the extended contrast range and Multi-Pattern Measuring for optimum exposure.

The DSC-P150 is compatible with a full range of custom accessories, including a variety of optical conversion lenses and the MPK-PHB Cyber-shot Marine Pack for underwater use (all sold separately). It is also compatible with the CSS-PHA Cyber-shot Station (sold separately) which allows you to easily transfer images to a personal computer or digital photo printer while simultaneously charging the camera's battery.

Technology Features

	0 --14.0X Smart Zoom Feature (at VGA Resolution) Smart Zoom intelligently uses the full CCD to let you zoom into the portion of interest by cropping the image size-thus avoiding the image degradation of Digital Zooms.		AF (Auto Focus) Illuminator Briefly lighting the scene in low- or no-light conditions, AF Illuminator insures a positive focus lock, allowing you to accurately establish and maintain focus in difficult situations.
	Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens Carl Zeiss lenses have an advanced optical multi-layer coating offering less glare and flare with increased contrast. This results in vivid image brilliance, true-to-life color saturation and perfect renditions of subtle tones.		Real Imaging Processor Sony's Real Imaging Processor CPU converts RGB+E input to ideal RGB, and manages image control and power consumption. Because it's optimized for Digital Camera functions, it provides outstanding image quality, extraordinary speed and improved battery life.
	14Bit DXP A/D Conversion Sony's 14-bit Digital EXtended Processor captures the range between highlight and shadow with up to 16,384 values, for extended dynamic contrast and detail.		Slow Shutter Noise Reduction This process captures the scene in two exposures. The second subtracts the noise pattern from the initial shot, resulting in a final beautiful photograph that is virtually noise-free.
	5 Area Multi-Point Auto Focus By evaluating 3 separate focus areas of the frame, Sony's Multi-point AF system can intelligently focus on the subject and avoid mistakenly focusing on the background. Selected cameras feature a 5 area Multi point Auto Focus.		Manual Exposure Mode Flexible Exposure control is provided with Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual Exposure modes. Program Shift lets you select aperture/shutter speed combinations for direct control of motion and depth of field, while still in Program AE mode.
	Multi-Pattern Measuring Independently light-metering 49 points of the frame, Multi-Pattern measuring establishes the optimum exposure value, even in scenes where pronounced highlight and shadow are not centered in the frame.		MPEG Movie VX Fine Mode with Audio Captures VGA (640 x 480) high frame rate (up to 30 frames per second) audio/video clips with length limited only by the capacity of the media. Video mail mode captures smaller file sizes suitable for email.

More Features
1/1.8" 7.2 Megapixel Super HAD CCD
Super HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCDs provide excellent image quality by allowing more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise.

3X Optical/2X Digital/6X Total Zoom
Optical zoom helps you fill the frame with your subject for better pictures. And Sony's Precision Digital Zoom helps bring your subject closer with an extra 2X magnification

PictBridge Compatibility
Connect your PictBridge-compatible digital camera directly to a PictBridge-compatible digital photo printer via a USB cable to allow for simple photo printing without the need for a computer.

Live Histogram Display
Available in capture and playback the Live Histogram displays the concentration of pixels at each luminosity value making it easy to evaluate correct exposure.

Selectable Focus Mode
Monitoring AF (Auto Focus) helps you anticipate the action by focusing even before you press the shutter release.

Scene Selection Mode
With 9 Scene Modes, parameters can be matched to the shooting conditions. Choose from one of the following: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Candle, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, or High Speed Shutter

Pre-Flash Metering
With a momentary pre-flash, the camera illuminates the subject and sets exposure through the lens for accurate flash metering. Adjustable flash level and red-eye reduction ensure great flash shots.

Memory Stick Media and Memory Stick PRO Media
Digital. Powerful. Transportable. Memory Stick media is compact, portable and rugged -- connecting a variety of hardware and software applications.

5 Shot Burst Mode
Capture up to 5 shots (7MP fine) or up to 100 (VGA standard) at 1.1 frame/sec. even at 7 MP resolution. Perfect for high speed subjects or fast moving action such as sports

Multi-Burst Mode
Captures 16 320 x 240 frames as part of a single 1280 x 960 image which plays back sequentially in the camera. Selectable 1/7.5, 1/15, 1/30 second.

Conversion Lens Compatible
With VAD-PHB adaptor, you can add tele- or wide- conversion lenses for greater magnification or wider field of view, as well as protective and special effect filters.

Cyber-shot Station Dock Compatible
Make transferring images and recharging the DSC-P150's battery easier with the optional Cyber-shot Station camera dock. Just place the camera on the cradle for instantaneous power and computer connections.

Rechargeable InfoLithium Battery
Provides reliable, long-lasting power for continuous shooting, without "Memory Effect". The supplied AC-LS5 adapter/charger provides stable power for USB Transfer.

Product Description

Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-P150 is the world's first compact point-and-shoot digital camera in the marketplace loaded with 7.2 megapixels, putting breathtaking, near-professional-quality photos in your shirt pocket or handbag. The P150 camera yields an image size of 3072 x 2304 - making it the first pocketable camera capable of capturing enough pixels to make 300-dpi 8" x 10" enlargements.The P150 has also been empowered with Sony's own recently introduced Real Imaging Processor circuitry that ensures fast start-up and shot-to-shot times, and puts extra speed and performance behind automatic features such as auto focus and auto exposure. That means you'll never miss that one-in-a-million shot because the camera is always ready to take great pictures.The Cyber-shot P150 digital camera is equipped with features typically found only on more full-sized cameras. At just 1 inch thin, it's easy to hold, use, and carry with you in your pocket or purse. The Cyber-shot P150 features a Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar 3X optical zoom lens to complement and maximize the benefit of the camera's high resolution.The P150 also has a bird-like appetite when it comes to consuming battery power. With up to 310 shots per charge of the InfoLithium battery the Cyber-shot P150 lets you snap away and preview images on the 1.8-inch LCD screen without fear of running down the charge.Beyond the easy point-and-shoot features, the Cyber-shot P150 also has manual flash and exposure settings, and nine preset scene modes such as twilight, landscape, snow, beach and fireworks, letting the user quickly select the best setting based on shooting conditions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sony's Best Yet, November 18, 2004

By	Digital Photographer "Used to Like Nikon,s" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful camera, it is small, light, easy to use and produces photos at 7.2 megapixels that are superb.
It is small, nice looking, starts very quickly and usually focuses with an assist light quickly.
Plenty of controls that are easy to use and pretty good instruction manual.
If you want to fool around, you can change the saturation, sharpness, exposure compensation, the usual stuff.
On shooting on complete auto ASA I have yet to see any artifacts or fringing.
When printing the results are just amazing, I also have a Nikon 8700, superb camera, when I look at the results from the Nikon, well, its really hard to see the difference.
Very fast operating camera.
I dont think I have ever been as pleased with a photographic product.
The only negative I can observe, is`that on start up, your left hand goes over the lens, and stays there as the lens comes out, I,ve gotten used to it and keep my left hand away from the lens.
Battery life is excellent, the battery charger can be used as an ac power supply, if you remove the battery from the camera.
Great machine, I love it, now, its all I use.
If you want to buy a digital or buy a new one, this is the guy to get.
Sony has gotten the message loud and clear, this is their best effort yet, it is in class of its own.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wait! Before you buy....., January 10, 2005

By	K. KIM "mom2sarah" (Wheaton, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would rate this camera 4.5 stars for picture quality, and of course its sleek size as well its quick shutter speed. However, on Thursday, January 6, 2005 Sony make the following announcement (taken from dpreview.com)
"Sony has today announced another new camera, which only has minor cosmetic changes from its predecessor, in the shape of the 7.2 megapixel Cyber-shot P200. An upgrade of the P150, launched in July, the only real difference seems to be the larger 2-inch LCD, otherwise it sports the same Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x zoom lens, is PictBridge-compatible and has a rechargeable InfoLithium battery plus compatibility with Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO. It will be available in February and is expected to be priced lower than the $499 DSC-P150 when it was launched in July last year."
SO, if I were you, I'd wait another month and either get the P200 for less (!) or wait 'til they lower the price of the P150 which seems inevitable. Just hope the P200 comes in the Cool Blue Color.
Finally, if you don't need an ultracompact, I'd recommend Sony W1/W5 instead. It's bigger but also takes better pictures and costs less!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best point-and-shoot on the market?, March 21, 2005

By	B. Stoops (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm an avid photographer who was looking for a truly pocketable digital to compliment my larger, more full-featured Olympus digital. I also wanted something fast, both in terms of start-up and shot-to-shot cycle time and was unwilling to compromise on image quality. Lower down on my criteria list was a camera that had strong video capability -- high-res w/o recording time limits that many cameras (including many of the Canon digital Elphs that I was strongly considering). If your primary critera are size, speed, and image quality, you can't go wrong with this camera. Prior to purchase, I was quite worried, to be honest, about some reviews mentioning blurry photos. After 2 month's of use, however, I can only assume that those mentioning such problems either received faulty units or, more likely, don't know how to use this (or other) camera properly or are taking shots under conditions (low light and/or fast moving subject) where blur is normal. MY IMAGES HAVE BEEN SURPRISINGLY CRISP, WELL-FOCUSED, AND VIBRANT, even using the flash, and my most frequent subjects are my 3- and 1-year-old daughters (not the easiest subjects to shoot!). As for resolution, I was not looking for a 7-megapixel camera, but I must say, it comes in handy. People talked about the potential to crop down significantly to essentially increase the zoom capability. I was leary of this as I was doubtful that the focus on such detail would allow me to do this while retaining a sharply-focused subject, but I've been very surprised by the focus detail and am now quite glad I have all that the extra resolution to work with.

Is this the perfect digital camera? I don't think any camera is perfect. I'd love to have manual white balance (though I've yet to have a photo that has not had the auto setting do a wonderful job on) and other manual controls, RAW support, a more powerful flash, better burst shooting, and other high-end features. But for cameras in this class, this camera is hard to beat. If you can go with something just a little larger (but still quite small), take a look at the fairly new Olympus C-7000. For those considering the P200, read the reviews carefully as I've seen some reports that noise is more of a problem, though in general it seems like a worthwhile upgrade, especially if you can get it at a lower price. Amazon's current price on the P150 is sure easy to beat from reputable sources now with just a few quick searches. If you are looking for a backup battery (I've never needed mine - it lasts forever), check out batteries-dot-com for a much cheaper alternative. As for flash, Vivitar's DF120 far exceeds Sony's branded model for half the cost. I tried to buy the Vivitar DF200 as a more worthy slave flash but Amazon's stock was depleted and not resupplied. If flash is important to you for this or other digital camera, there are some very capable, pwerful SLAVE flashes available (can use with most/any digital camera type, no need to mount, easy to use, add much versatility to your camera).