Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Digital Camera (10.3MP, 3888x2592, 5x Opt, MS/CF/Pro/Microdrive)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1

Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Digital Camera (10.3MP, 3888x2592, 5x Opt, MS/CF/Pro/Microdrive) Review, by Melissa J. Perenson January 19, 2006

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• Reviewed by: kool100vr4

  Strengths: good image quality, its a baby dslr..

  Weaknesses: battery charging in camera, big and heavy..

  Overall: well, i finally bought the sony r1, after along wait for the price to drop, and read all reviews on it..i got it for 565$. what i like about r1: build quality, good zeiss lens, 24mm wide angle, iso change on cam just a botton..great colors balance, low noise and high iso, big cmos sensor, use both pro stick and cf card, long battery life , displays batt life in mins, useable high iso at 400, top view and swivel lcd, manual tele zoomring, good raw files. what i dont like: battery charges in camera is a big draw back, while you charge the batt, you cant use the camera to shoot, bad feature, hope sony improves it on next camera. the camera design is so weird, the grip is over size, off balance on hand, view finder housing is over size, to use external flash you have to go to menu and change it everytime, and change back to use pop up flash, cant use both flashes, missing OIS(opical image stabilizer), its heavy and big, tele at 120mm is at f4.8, AF is not that fast, its kinda slow, especially in dark, sony should learn from this cam and improves it on next camera, im sure they will.the price is abit too high for a point and shoot.no video mode, macro is not that good, its about 15inches from subject.other than that i love to use it, its my main camera to walk around with, i love the image result quality, thats why i bought it, i know no camera is perfect yet.for the price i paid im not complainning. its a dslr wanna be, very close to dslr results. i strongly suggest to any one who wants a back up to dslr..

• Reviewed by: stillaplayer22

  Strengths: pic quality, variable angle lcd, lens quality, full manual control

  Weaknesses: lcd size, low zoom, ease of use, heavy, cant record movies

  Overall: awesome pic quality...if you can use it..its very hard to learn to use this camera effectively..i am not a beginner in digital cameras as i have a panasonic dmc-fz50 a konica minolta dimage z6 a nikon coolpix s6 and a couple more because i love photography and all digital toys and this is no exception but it would have been nice if the lcd was 2.5" or even 3" and a bit easier to use and higher zoom with better image stablizahe ......but still one of the best ive ever seen...only the panasonic dmc-fz50 was better...and also a bit on the pricy side..not recommended for beginners...definetly a pro cam....but thats up to you to decide...if your thinking of buying this camera be prepared to use it on a tripod ALOT if you think you can take it out of the box and start taking pictures be prepared for disappointment you will need alot of practice and studying of the manual before you can take quality pics...hope this has helped your decision in making your next digital camera purchase

• Reviewed by: worldluxuryart

  Strengths: Incredible picture quality; flexible options; long battery life; pop-up LCD screen; takes Sony lenses

  Weaknesses: Bulky and kind of heavy

  Overall: This is an incredible camera for the price. It takes pictures that are as of high quality as the more expensive cameras. For the price difference, you can get an extra battery and accessories, or better yet an upgraded lens. This is one of the best cameras in the market today, Sony great brand and quality.

• Reviewed by: Byrs

  Strengths: Great image quality, easy to use, good instructions

  Overall: Disclaimer: I just started using this camera. So far, I am very satisfied with my purchase. Great things about this camera: 1. 10.3MP is hard to get under $1000. And if you need to fit more images on your recording medium or not going to print them in large size, you can the image size switch between 1MP to 10MP. 2. Carl Zeiss lens is awesome, as usual. It also allows you to zoom in and zoom out. 3. It is nice to have LCD screen and optical viewfinder at the same time. For instance, since LCD screen rotates 180 degrees, you can take pictures of yourself while seeing yourself on the screen. By the way, this self-timer mode is very easy to use. Some photographers (like myself) are used to using the viewfinder instead of the screen, so that works nicely too.4. It is nice that you can move through the menu without touching the screen (there is a special button that operates like a joystick). 5. The battery charges very quickly, although it seems to last only for 1.5 hour. 6. The images are supersharp and bright, never seen this image quality on other digital cameras. 7. In the auto-mode, the camera focuses, adjusts ISO (brightness), white-black balance, and whether to use the flash automatically, so you just point and shoot. If you are used to doing all these things by yourself, you can do it manually as well. Minor downsides: 1. There is no recording medium supplied with the camera, so you need to buy Microdrive, Compact Flash II card, or Memory Stick Pro at the same time you buy the camera. It allows you to insert the memory stick and Compact Flash/Microdrive at the same time, but you can only record on one of them at a time. 2. When camera uses the flash, it opens up automatically, but it does not retract automatically, so you push it in yourself (not a big deal, but Sony could have thought of that). 3. Many people reviewing this product mention the weight and ergonomics. As to the weight, I personally did not find it to be too heavy, and its weight is comparable to many professional cameras. As to the ergonomics, when you first hold it, it does feel unusual, because you hold the body on one side and the lens on the other as opposed to holding the body on both sides. However, it takes only about an hour of working with the camera to get used to that. I would definitely recommend this camera to others. A suggestion: buy a recording device of at least 4GB (better two), an extra battery, and a jacket case. It does add up to the cost, but it is worth it.

• Reviewed by: sgiyer

  Strengths: Quality, Name, Clarity, Ease of use, Top mounted LCD, compatibility with memory stick and flash card!!

  Weaknesses: Bulky, Pricy

  Overall: This is an awesome camera. This is my first digital camera. I had a Minolta 7000i camera. That used to be the best in the market 15 years ago. Now this one seems to be the best, as far as I have researched!. Although this is a bit pricey, it takes excellent, breathtaking pictures even in the Non-Raw mode. Raw-mode is even better!!. With 4Gb flash card, I can't wait to go on a trip to utilize this to its fullest!!