Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V1

~~~~~~Intro~~~~~~
Sony has got quite a reputation for quality when it comes to its digital camera range. Their DV recorders are always of the highest quality (TRV 60E and above IMO) and their still cameras keep up the brand strength. The F717 was a very good camera too, and whilst sony can't quite beat canon overall, this camera was still very good and competitive. Sadly, it was huge! So, enter the V1. With the V1, Sony has acknowledged the ...
...still not sold on the sony styling of this camera. I liked the G5's stocky build quality, but fortunately the sony still has much of the same quality. Where it is really lacking however is the lack of the 5400s nice hand grip. Sadly, there really is not enough room for it given the viewfinder (the sony label barely fits!). Hence we just have the compact ridge to hold onto.

Pictures of this camera make it look far more cheaper and ... more

~~~~~~Intro~~~~~~
Sony has got quite a reputation for quality when it comes to its digital camera range. Their DV recorders are always of the highest quality (TRV 60E and above IMO) and their still cameras keep up the brand strength. The F717 was a very good camera too, and whilst sony can't quite beat canon overall, this camera was still very good and competitive. Sadly, it was huge! So, enter the V1. With the V1, Sony has acknowledged the needs of those who prefer a compromise between absolute performance, and a bit of tact when snapping that candid serruptitious shot. This camera is probably more of a design marvell given that it packs the same features of the unwieldly F series and manages to surpass in form factor both the nikon 5400 and Canon G5 with essentially the same featuresets.

~~~~~~Design~~~~~~
As in my recent Canon G5 review, I am still not sold on the sony styling of this camera. I liked the G5's stocky build quality, but fortunately the sony still has much of the same quality. Where it is really lacking however is the lack of the 5400s nice hand grip. Sadly, there really is not enough room for it given the viewfinder (the sony label barely fits!). Hence we just have the compact ridge to hold onto.

Pictures of this camera make it look far more cheaper and made of plastic than it really is. In reality however it's magnesium shell makes it seem very well built, solid, and definitely durable enough to take some hard hits. You might scratch the body, but it will survive. The flash which is usually depressed and on the right as you look at the lens is the only the part I don't really like. Yes, the flash is better than that of the G5 in terms of power (3.5m throw), and the design forces it to be the way it is given the Infra red and AF hologram assist lamp. However, it is still the weakest point and lkely to break with harsh use when popped up. It is vulnerable, and it will be the first mechanical part to fail.

Despite that, general design of the camera is probably more intuitive than with the canon. All the controls just seemed to fit more comfortably with my fingers and I went to the right wheel most of the time. I might have used Canon's for most of my life, but the Sony was a painless experience. Overall, design of the Sony does excel beyond expectations, and it is very thoughtful. For instance, the flap that covers all the extra connection ports on the corner is hardly visible becuase it really does sit flush with the camera! yay!

~~~~~~Internals~~~~~~
The basic specification is equal to the PowerShot G5 and the Coolpix 5400 (how can I not constantly compare?), with a 5-megapixel 1/1.8in CCD. Where Sony does differ is their use of a Carl Zeiss lens with a 4x optical (+4x digital) zoom. Errr. yes. Did I mention that comparison was impossible to avoid? The only major difference is that this camera is actually really very quiet. The motors inside used for the obligatory lens extension on this prosumer camera are as smooth as silk, and totally unobtrusive. It makes less noise than other cameras, and is small enough for quick subtle snaps - parfait!

~~~~~~Controls~~~~~~
The V1 is certainly not just a point-and-click (sub-)compact. Most of the advanced controls you can think of are here, including automatic exposure bracketing and sensitivity selectable up to a fast ISO 800 (not that I advise using it). The top-mounted rotary selector offers quick selection of manual, aperture or shutter priority and program modes, as well as the lovely full auto function. Similar to the G5's ISAP, the Sony comes with scene modes offering various scenario presets - whilst not as advanced as the G5's system, it works well enough. The V1 also bundles Sony's MPEG-VX movie capture system, allowing you to shoot 640 x 480 movies limited in length only by the capacity of the installed Memory Stick (32MB provided).

A thumb switch next to the rotary selector allows you to select the Nightshot mode (lovely feature for 0lux) that illuminates the scene via an infrared LED (as mentioned). Given the strength of the LED though, range is only a few metres and the results are obviously in green monochrome only. Still, not bad.

~~~~~~focus and zoom~~~~~~
Unlike the Coolpix 5400, the V1 has no problems focusing in low light thanks to its Hologram AF, which projects a red laser matrix onto the subject to help it calculate distance. I love this feature to be honest, and it scared some people I used it on. This AF hologram assisted focusing system is present on almost all Sony cameras, and even on their DV recorders with stillshot. If you try it and look at the matrix used, it is very sensible, and generally covers well the key parts of the subject being taken. It works wonderfully well keeping the focus from getting confused (as with the G5), but as I said it scared some people so it isn't too good for discreet shots if the person gets layered with laser marks. Still, when taking a shot in low light this makes the camera focus accurately far quicker than its rivals.

The only problem that can arise from the AF assist is that it is quite a broad area and if you are taking a picture of something narrow, it will suffer in the same way as the Canons with their wide focus points which can overlap with the distance and cause the camera to focus off the subject. But to be honest, a quick adjustment of the camera position is enough to stop backgrounding.

~~~~~~Performance~~~~~~
In the great outdoors of the indoors, I have to mention again that the controls contribute to the good performance of the camera. Although there is no dedicated metering system, all the most important functions can be easily got at with a thumb, and coupled with the bright (although smallish) and informative 1.5" LCD Information is quick to help you frame a shot. The real-time histogram helps you deal with exposure problems, and the lovely InfoLithium battery system gives you a good estimate of remaining charge in minutes. This is a common feature with all their cameras as far as I know, and it works on all of them.

As a result, image quality is impressive. Colour aberrations, glowing, and coloured jagged lines were hard to spot, and noise levels were adequately low. In comparison to a more expensive camera (EOS 300D) the ISO 800 was a joke, but it still gave similar quality to the ISO 400 of the G5. I joke you not, and I was pleasantly surprised.

It's difficult to criticise the performance of the V1 in any way. Memory stick performance might be slow to the PC, but the actually format is fast enough to still provide three fps in continuous over the 2.5 of the G5. The USB interface might need some tweaking. Additionally, the macro performance is worse than the G5's by 5cm with a minimum distance of 10cm. And with no good handgrip, when doing precise shots, or framing them for long it can feel a bit uncomfortable. It certainly won't feel a part of you. If you do get bad pictures out of this, it is probably a one-off, or a digital camera is just not suited to the conditions, and you need one with a lower lens aperture value (Canon is F2 to F3 versus this one with F2.8 to F4.6).

Before I forget, startup time is again (as with the G5) the slowest aspect, although it is noticeably quieter and slightly quicker than the G5 in this respect.

~~~~~~Conclusion~~~~~~
In the inevitable comparison between the V1, PowerShot G5, it is very hard to see how I could choose the G5 over the sony. For the first time I was about to find in favour of a Sony still camera! This review also shows that I was certainly taken aback by almost every aspect of the camera. The G5 is a mighty fine unit, but folks, we can only have one winner and with a photo finish the Sony just manages to pip it to the post on every occasion.

Not only is the V1 significantly cheaper, but it's quality is on par with it's closest rivals. The Carl Zeiss lens might not be as fast as the Canon's, but unless you are a poor photographer you should be able to overcome it. Also, if you are taking difficult and fast shots, then these prosumer cameras ARE NOT the ones for you. The V1 is also more compact, and whilst less comfortable to hold, is still good enough. there has to be a compromise with everything.

I heartily recommend this camera over the canon G5, even if only to avoid the noise problems. Quality wise, the G3 is better than the G5 and the Sony is inbetween the two in my subjective opinion.

As always, if you are interested in this product, I do think it is a very good purchase indeed, but remember to try it out at a Jessops or other camera shop. Take pics, view them, print them, take outdoor shots, indoor shots. Play with the settings (make sure you go on a quiet day) and you will find one that suits you.

Why did I go for an Eos 300D if I liked this one so much then? Well, first I got the Rebel from the US. I had the lenses from my film SLR so all I needed was the body. Also, it has much higher quality and will be good for a wider range of shots. Furthermore, whilst the sony software packages are good, I HATE the memory stick storage. Compact flash is generally faster and cheaper than Sony's proprietary format.

There you have it, admittedly no absolute verdit, but I do suggest you look at this camera before any other in its class, but remember that memory sticks ARE expensive for good capacities.
 

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