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This camera is cheap, but its memory card isn't - it uses Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo, or, the same memory card that the Sony PSP uses. A 1GB memory card is fairly standard and was bundled with my camera as a manager's special. At best quality with a 1GB memory card, you can squeeze over ... Read review
Born to Travel! Rugged and affordable, the Ex-Pro ® clam case offers the ultimate ... more
protection to your camera from bumps and scratches ! All camera cases come with a neck strap making it easier to carry around, the strap can also go around your shoulder making your camera more secure whilst out or use the belt clip carabina also included with your purchase. Colour of the product purchased is designated in the image and the title line. Wide range of other colours available.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Born to Travel! Rugged and affordable, the Ex-Pro ® clam case offers the ultimate ... more
protection to your camera from bumps and scratches ! All camera cases come with a neck strap making it easier to carry around, the strap can also go around your shoulder making your camera more secure whilst out or use the belt clip carabina also included with your purchase. Colour of the product purchased is designated in the image and the title line. Wide range of other colours available.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Born to Travel! Rugged and affordable, the Ex-Pro ® clam case offers the ultimate ... more
protection to your camera from bumps and scratches ! All camera cases come with a neck strap making it easier to carry around, the strap can also go around your shoulder making your camera more secure whilst out or use the belt clip carabina also included with your purchase. Colour of the product purchased is designated in the image and the title line. Wide range of other colours available.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Born to Travel! Rugged and affordable, the Ex-Pro ® clam case offers the ultimate ... more
protection to your camera from bumps and scratches ! All camera cases come with a neck strap making it easier to carry around, the strap can also go around your shoulder making your camera more secure whilst out or use the belt clip carabina also included with your purchase. Colour of the product purchased is designated in the image and the title line. Wide range of other colours available.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Born to Travel! Rugged and affordable, the Ex-Pro ® clam case offers the ultimate ... more
protection to your camera from bumps and scratches ! All camera cases come with a neck strap making it easier to carry around, the strap can also go around your shoulder making your camera more secure whilst out or use the belt clip carabina also included with your purchase. Colour of the product purchased is designated in the image and the title line. Wide range of other colours available.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Born to Travel! Rugged and affordable, the Ex-Pro ® clam case offers the ultimate ... more
protection to your camera from bumps and scratches ! All camera cases come with a neck strap making it easier to carry around, the strap can also go around your shoulder making your camera more secure whilst out or use the belt clip carabina also included with your purchase. Colour of the product purchased is designated in the image and the title line. Wide range of other colours available.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
...card isn't - it uses Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo, or, the same memory card that the Sony PSP uses. A 1GB memory card is fairly standard and was bundled with my camera as a manager's special. At best quality with a 1GB memory card, you can squeeze over 500 pictures on it or just about 50 minutes of video.
Oh, because the camera uses the same memory card as the Sony PSP, you can take out the card and load it into the PSP to view the pictures ... ...I am not entirely sure Sony thought out.
There are several modes of photography - landscape, portrait, night light and several others, each of which works flawlessly in that particular light environment - adjustments are almost nil when working in the proper mode.
One feature which surprised me was the "rapid-fire" style, where you can shoot 3 pictures in 3 seconds - however, if you use this option, there is ... more
I purchased this camera for myself as a birthday present last November, and I must admit that I am very pleased with its performance.
At 6.0 Megapixels, enlargements up to the of the screen of your 19" TV were crisp and clear with extremely little loss of picture quality.
This camera was aimed at the point-and-shoot photographers out there, or those who just needed a cheap camera. However, if you decided to play the part of a professional, then you would have no problem, since this camera has tons of settings for playing around with - such as exposures, brightness, white balance, and even picture effects, such as black and white and Sephia.
This camera is cheap, but its memory card isn't - it uses Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo, or, the same memory card that the Sony PSP uses. A 1GB memory card is fairly standard and was bundled with my camera as a manager's special. At best quality with a 1GB memory card, you can squeeze over 500 pictures on it or just about 50 minutes of video.
Oh, because the camera uses the same memory card as the Sony PSP, you can take out the card and load it into the PSP to view the pictures on the PSP's lovely widescreen LCD - a feature I discovered quite by accident.
In the title, I said "weird flash" because it is - I am accustomed (as everyone else is, I am sure) of waiting for the camera to flash and that indicates that the picture was taken - this camera flashes once and then another time, but substantially brighter. If your subjects are unaware of this feature, then you may wind up with blurred shots - people getting up or moving before the picture was actually taken. However, I believe this to be a feature of autofocus technology in the camera, but I stand to be corrected.
Pictures are stored in standard JPEG format, while videos are in *.AVI format, which can be played with Winamp or Windows Media Player without any encoding or file modification - unfortunately, it will not play on the PSP, which supports MP4 video playback - a feature I am not entirely sure Sony thought out.
There are several modes of photography - landscape, portrait, night light and several others, each of which works flawlessly in that particular light environment - adjustments are almost nil when working in the proper mode.
One feature which surprised me was the "rapid-fire" style, where you can shoot 3 pictures in 3 seconds - however, if you use this option, there is no flash, and the camera may be unresponsive for a few moments, while it stops to store the pictures on the memory card. The camera's on screen menu system was not the best laid out, but it was easy to use, nevertheless, and you can do quite a lot of modifications to camera settings and even edit some of the pictures right there on the camera. The camera starts up rather quickly, so you won't have to worry too much about missing out on some good photo ops.
Photography in the snow, however, may pose a slight problem, since the camera's operating temperature is not 0 degrees Celcius. As a result, the camera freezes up and will refuse to take any pictures as long as it is cold.
Battery life is very good, but I am having a problem with normal batteries not lasting long enough - rechargeables (which normally do not last as long as disposables) last longer. I am not sure if this is a camera flaw or the way it was designed, but the camera's battery life lasts very long (in my case, a couple days), even with the LCD on for most of the day.
The only downside, real photographers may say, is that there is no viewfinder - you have to depend on the 2.5 inch LCD screen. For a small camera, the screen dominates the rear of its body. Its image quality is excellent, but not always visible in bright sunlight. Also, this camera has no visible options for connecting extra zoom lenses for wide angle or long-distance photography.
The camera comes bundled with Sony's software for downloading pictures from the camera, but I prefer to use the Microsoft Photo Wizard to download them from the camera. It also comes with an AV-cable, which can be used to connect the camera to a TV set to view all your videos and pictures.
I would recommend this camera to anyone interested in making the jump from film-based cameras to digital formats, since it is very easy to use, the picture quality is excellent, it takes AA batteries, the 3X optical zoom is actually more than adequate for everyday shots. So, while it may not look like a professional grade camera, it actually packs quite a punch.
Advantages: good picture quality, ease of use, compact Disadvantages: no delete all function
...it yet (it takes the Sony Memory Stick Duo), but I find that there's plenty of space for my pictures if I don't use the highest quality setting. It holds about 150 pictures on the lowest quality setting without the memory card, and I put my pictures onto my computer pretty frequently, so space hasn't been an issue for me yet.
The biggest problems I've run into so far are the lack of a delete-all function (as far as I can tell), and a problem with ... ...I guess maybe I'm referring to a long warm-up time: When you first turn the camera on, you can't take a picture quickly - a yellow light comes up, and your picture isn't taken.. If you're whipping your camera out right away, hurrying to get a shot you really wanted, you're pretty much out of luck. By the time the camera is ready, your shot is probably gone. The rest of the time, though, the camera is decently responsive. All in all, I think it's ...
ljk0828 04.01.2008 (25.12.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500
Advantages: Excellent Flash, good resolution, compact Disadvantages: A bit slow
...shots.
I do think this camera is a delight though and it is compact and smart looking. You would be hard pressed to find a better camera for the money you are paying. Sony is also a good reliable name, so you know you are getting a good deal. ...
suzanne.drake 28.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500
Advantages: Size, ease of use Disadvantages: Battery life indicator
I bought this camera as I was looking for a relatively cheap, easy to use digital camera. I only require point and shoot capabilties as it is only used to take holiday snaps of the family! Having been using it now for a few months I can honestly say I would recommend it. It's size is great and the photos it takes are so much better than my last camera. The only problems I have found so far is the battery life indicator seems to stay on full for ages ... ...this can be annoying if you haven't packed spare batteries! Also the flash doesn't seem very strong - unless the subject is close up the picture will be dark. Apart from these two minor issues the camera is wonderful and so easy to use - definately recommended to all techno - phobes. ...
kt66 10.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500
Advantages: very user friendly, easy to learn functions Disadvantages: if bought in the wrong place does not come with case
...buttons which allow the ease of use, and the software for the computer that comes with this camera is reasonable but i found it easier using paint shop pro the latest revision, im not a big fan of all this sony software as i dont find it very user friendly ...
sparkly11 06.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500
Advantages: excellent picture quality and zoom Disadvantages: low battery life
Now, im no camera swot, but what i do know is that this camera is perfect for people who want to create stunning pictures. i origionally got this camrea for my partner but ended up using it more myself, purely because its so damn easy to use! for the price of it, ok it was a wee bit expensive at £105 i thought it was worth it as it comes with software to transfer and store your pictures on your computer. the only problem we found with this camera ... ...out for that. another amazing thing is the perfect sound quality this camera has when your recording something. so overall i think this camera is great and its small size makes it easy to transport. i think if you want an easy to use, easy to work out camera that produces a great picture then this is the one for you. ...
shadowtiger88 07.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500
sony cybershot 300
Digitalcamera -13.6Megapixel -OpticalZoom: 3 -DigitalZoom: ...
Product Information for "Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500" »
Connections
Connector Type
1 x composite video/audio output
1 x USB, 1 x USB
Expansion Slot(s)
1 x Memory Stick PRO Duo
Manufacturer's product description
A remarkable combination of value, simplicity and performance make the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500 a perfect choice for first-time digital photographers. The DSC-S500 combines 6.0 megapixel resolution with a quality 3X optical zoom lens design, terrific wide-angle shooting capability, 25 MB Internal Memory for capturing shots in-camera, and a bright 2.4" LCD screen that allows you to check your shots and share results immediately. More megapixels give you more detail and definition when you make big prints or crop in tight on your subject. The Sony advanced Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design allows more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise. 3X Optical Zoom helps the DSC-S500 bring distant subjects closer and lets you frame shots for better composition; the Sony precision 2X Digital Zoom provides an additional 2X magnification to zoom in close without jagged edges. With 25 MB Internal Memory, the DSC-S500 allows you to shoot without using a memory card - then easily transfer your images to optional Memory Stick Duo media, upload photos to your computer or make prints on your digital printer. The DSC-S500 gives you a big, bright LCD screen for reading camera menus, composing shots, checking results and sharing your photos on location.
Price, video mode, auto focus, auto exposure 
