Rating: 
Summary: Reasonably good
Review: This was my first attempt at buying a digital camera and i've been quite happy with the picture quality of this Sony. A few quibbles I have are the fact that Sony addons (like additional memory cards and card readers) are Sony-specific and are thus very expensive in comparison to less exclusive brands. I would expect to buy about $50-100 in addons while buying the camera. The angle that one holds the camera is a bit awkward as well. Instead of putting it in the cradle of your palms, one puts it in the cradle of your index finger and thumb in somewhat of a L fashion on both sides. Theres a long lapse between clicking the shoot button to actually taking the shot when the camera is set in autofocus making it somewhat hard to capture split second events or motion although one could always turn this autofocus feature off.
On the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised that the camera doesnt seems to eat up battery time as much as I expected. I'm slightly disappointed with the zoom of the camera in that its a bit lacking but this may be a problem with all 3X digital zoom cameras. I would definitely have to say that the camera is not the best for its money if you consider the addons (when compared to the A10) but it gives quite good pictures none-the-less which is, after all, the whole point; hence I gave it 4 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Great first digicam ... with lots of features
Review: The Sony DSC-P30 is a terrific first camera to use for great 4"x6" snapshots or good 5x7s, or for email or web use. (You would need more pixels to do bigger enlargements). It takes great pictures; is very well-featured for a camera in this range; and is well-designed and easy to use.
- The 3x optical zoom is a huge plus, and will give you much better composed and better quality photos than non-zoom or digital zoom cameras.
- If you like close-ups, the "Macro" feature will amaze you.
- It's all automatic when you want to point and shoot, but allows you some control when you want it.
The features and components are based on more expensive Sonys, a big plus.
...P>A few things to know up front:
- All digital cameras eat batteries. Get NiMH rechargeables rated 1700-1800 mah (cheaper and better than the Sony lithium pack for this camera). The DSC-P30 is actually better than most in that it uses only 2AAs, and lasts a fairly long time on that. So you can easily carry a spare set, shoot all day, and your battery worries are over.
- The Sony Memory Stick format IS more expensive, but since this is a lower-resolution 1.3MP camera you need only 64 to 128mb (gives you 100-200 photos at high quality). Unfortunate, but not enough difference to avoid this camera, as some suggest.
- All digital cameras have "shutter lag" and longish shot to shot times. This is one of the major adjustments new digicam owners face when they get their first camera. The Sony DSC-P30 starts up very fast, and has a typical shot-to-shot time.
- All digital cameras have trouble in low light. The "autofocus illuminator" on this camera helps with that, and is rare on lower-priced cameras.
- The viewfinder (used in bright light or to save battery by not using LCD) doesn't show the full picture. It's a common problem, you can somewhat get used to it, but it's one of the few negatives for this camera.An alternative would be the Canon A10. Less features, a little heavier (uses 4AAs), but the Compact Flash cards Canon uses are cheaper. Both cameras require you to buy rechargeable batteries and a bigger memory card to be really usable - that's industry practice, unfortunately.
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