Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P71
Sony's DSC-P71 combines a 3X optical zoom and 3-megapixel resolution in a moderately priced point-and-shoot.
Tracey Capen
WHAT'S HOT: In view of the DSC-P71's 3X optical zoom and 3-megapixel resolution, its price of $399 is very attractive. And thanks to its solid, compact design, it easily fits into a coat pocket or small bag. Built into the camera is an auto-focus illuminator--a short-range beam of light that helps the camera focus in dark settings. Many of Sony's models offer this feature, but other vendors' cameras rarely do.
The DSC-P71 also gives you flexible battery options: Two rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries and an external charger are included in the box, but you can use disposable AAs if necessary. Battery life is surprisingly good for a camera with just two 1.5-volt batteries. The nickel metal hydride cells lasted for 334 shots on a single charge in our tests.
WHAT'S NOT: Our quibbles with this model are minor. The 1.5-inch LCD color display is relatively small, as is the menu text, which makes the menus harder to read than on competing cameras.
WHAT ELSE: The DSC-P71 we tested produced photos of average quality, based on our lab tests. Most of our daylight test shots looked accurately exposed and showed true colors, with pleasing shadings and skin tones. Our flash shot, on the other hand, had an orange tint, and our still-life image was slightly greenish, indicating that the camera may have difficulty producing accurate white balance. But we also took some informal flash shots that looked fine. The overall sharpness of the Sony's images was acceptable, though not as sharp as we saw from the Olympus C-3020 (which we tested at the same time).
Like most point-and-shoots, the DSC-P71 has few frills. It shoots MPEG video clips but does not record sound. And your exposure control options are limited to full automatic, plus just three scene modes: twilight, twilight portraits, and landscape. A menu-based exposure value option gives you some latitude for adjusting to difficult lighting.
Thanks to its simple features, the Sony is relatively easy to use. A four-way thumb button enables you to navigate the menus--and doubles as a shortcut button for changing the flash mode, starting the self-timer, reviewing shots, or switching to macro focus. In macro mode, 4 inches away is the closest you can get. That translates into photographing an area about the size of an audiocassette tape.
Sony offers relatively few add-on options for this model. Though no accessory lenses are available for the DSC-P71, Sony says that a water-resistant case is in the works. The company bundles Pixela's ImageMixer 1.0 software for managing images, making cards, and performing simple fixes to your shots. It does these tasks adequately but feels slow and isn't especially intuitive to use. You'll probably want to upgrade to a better imaging application such as ArcSoft's collection of imaging editing applications or Roxio's (formerly MGI's) PhotoSuite.
UPSHOT: Consider this camera if you're looking for a compact, solidly built point-and-shoot. The DSC-P71 is especially good if you're more interested in grabbing a nice shot than fiddling with controls.
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