Sony DSCP150 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Camera!
Review: First off I would like to say that when I was shopping around for a digital camera I looked at as many reviews as possible and I found this site had the most extensive and convincing review on the internet:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscp150/

I got this camera a week ago and I have been using it constantly since. The DSC-P150 is fantastic in all of the major areas.

The Lithium Ion battery charges quickly and power consumption on this camera is very efficient. The rechargeable battery is a definite plus. Sure Lithium Ion batteries deteriate after time but considering the fact that there are many cameras that eat batteries in less than a day this is a great deal.

Since this is a point & shoot camera it is obviously nowhere near the quality of a digital SLR but this camera still takes great pictures. The 7-mega pixel images are amazingly clear and take up just over 2 Megs of space. The shutter speed is enough to provide clear images in even low light conditions.

The memory stick provided is only 32 Megs and I highly suggest buying a stick with at least 512 megs if you plan on shooting images mainly on 5 - 7 mega pixels. SanDisk makes great cards at a fraction of the price.

The transfer speed with USB 2.0 is great as well and it doesn't drain the battery power much like in most digital cameras.

I was very pleased and surprised with the MPG movie quality. I created a short film using the highest resolution (640x480 fine) and I played it using the camera and provided RCA/USB cable.

The cameras interface is very easy as well. There are shortcuts that allow you to quickly change image quality on the fly and delete bad images in a second. These are the two most used features for me and it is incredibly easy.

The size of this camera is a definite selling point. It is so sexy and sleek it is bound to turn heads but don't let its size fool you. It can still take great images like the big dogs.

The only downfalls in this camera that I can see would be the lack of manual control that you can have on an image but if you are looking for that go and buy a digital SLR. This is a great digital camera that I recommend to everyone who is looking for a compact point and shoot with great image quality.


Rating:
Summary: No Trimming???
Review: Great camera and some nice improvements on the p10. Indoor picture quality is better with less blur and the speed to turn on/off and even click to capture picture is a nice improvement. However there is one MAJOR flaw for me in that Sony have decided for some reason to leave off the trim facility. Once you have taken a shot, you can zoom in but unlike previous models you can no longer capture the zoomed image as a new shot which means alot more editing on the PC as opposed to the camera itself. I used the trim facility on practically every shot with my P10 so this is VERY dissapointing.... :(

Rating:
Summary: Two shots and it is dead.
Review: I bought this as a gift for my wife. She took it out of the box, charged it up and on the second click of the shutter it flashed a message "turn off and turn on again". We did. It never recovered despite numerous resets and removing the battery, per Sony customer service rep instructions. The lens is frozen; it cannot retract and the camera stays in an inoperable error state. Sony is telling me to ship it to them. Giving it two stars rather than one because I removed the memory stick and printed the two shots we'd taken and they looked great. Second Sony product in a row that we've had out-of-the-box quality problems with (LCD monitor was the other). Losing our brand loyalty very rapidily.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe it's a Sony
Review: I fully agree with the reviewer who gave this camera only 2 stars. I have just tested one, which I bought for my wife as a Christmas present, and everything he wrote about the P150 is true. I spent the whole afternoon, took 152 snapshots, and found not a single mode that would give my wife an easy way to use this camera. Even in full manual mode about 40% of the easy shots I took turned out to be blurred or underexposed or both.

I have been a VERY satisfied owned of Sony's DSC-S85, which is a great, great camera. (great lens, very good flash, decent firmware) The P150 is such a disappointment that it is hard to believe it is made by Sony. It has seriously shaken my trust in this brand and I am now wondering whether I should do the previously unthinkable: buy a Canon? :-(

Rating:
Summary: Blurry pictures
Review: I have had this camera 2 months and taken at least a thousand pictures. 75% are blurry. My take is that to much pressure is needed to push the button thereby moving the whole camera. My first camera - one of the first digital cameras out - 1 mp fuji took better pictures.
Avoid this camera at all costs !

Rating:
Summary: Save your money, get a P100
Review: I just finished doing a comparison of three point and shoot cameras that I own. Sony P100, Sony P150 and the Canon G5. For overal quality I put my vote with the Canon G5. The Sony P100 is an excellent camera and of course the P150 is the next step up. But what I notice with both of my Sony cameras is that they do tend to blur far more frequently than the Canon. I get better video results with the Canon as well. For very smalll cameras the two Sonys are terrific. The Sony serves me well enough for a vest pocket camera on my daily hike. My in the glovebox camera is the Canon G5. And for my professional photography I use 2 of the Canon 10D. In my side-by-side testing I found that I got more blurred shots with P150 than I did with the P100. I don't know why. I had both the Sonys and the Canon G5 set on P, no flash, 400, indoor lighting. So for a vest pocket camera I would save a few bucks and get a used P100. The 150 just isn't worth the extra $$$ If you aren't going to carry a camera in your pocket I would get the Canon G5. If you want even better pictures then get a Canon Rebel digital. If you want the top of the line get a Canon 10D or the new 20D. Whichever one you get, ENJOY yourself!

Rating:
Summary: least shutter lag, no redeye, long bettery life
Review: I love this camera. I upgraded from a Cannon S110 Digital Elf, and love the
- lack of shutter lag. This is the single biggest factor for me as a parent of 17 month old twins. With the Elf, I was constantly missing shots as the time from click to capture was significant. This camera has the least lag I could find. My father got the new Elf at the same time I got this, and became extremely jealous of the lack of lag.
- lack of redeye. I can point this a foot from my face in relative darkness with the flash on, and get no redeye whatsoever. No more futzing with photo software trying to get rid of it for me!
- the long battery life. I'm consistently getting several hundred shots per battery charge.
- small size. It's about an inch longer than the elf, but slightly thinner, and feels lighter. Easily fits in my pant's pocket.

The downsides:
- I think the only way to charge the battery is to plug in the entire camera -- separate battery chargers are ~$50.
- Uses memory sticks, not industry standard compact flash. Thus, the memory will cost you an extra $20-50 -- but this a one time charge.

There are a ton of accessories available for this camera, from lenses to filters to underwater cases.

(...)

Rating:
Summary: Wait! Before you buy.....
Review: I would rate this camera 4.5 stars for picture quality, and of course its sleek size as well its quick shutter speed. However, on Thursday, January 6, 2005 Sony make the following announcement (taken from dpreview.com)
"Sony has today announced another new camera, which only has minor cosmetic changes from its predecessor, in the shape of the 7.2 megapixel Cyber-shot P200. An upgrade of the P150, launched in July, the only real difference seems to be the larger 2-inch LCD, otherwise it sports the same Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x zoom lens, is PictBridge-compatible and has a rechargeable InfoLithium battery plus compatibility with Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO. It will be available in February and is expected to be priced lower than the $499 DSC-P150 when it was launched in July last year."
SO, if I were you, I'd wait another month and either get the P200 for less (!) or wait 'til they lower the price of the P150 which seems inevitable. Just hope the P200 comes in the Cool Blue Color.
Finally, if you don't need an ultracompact, I'd recommend Sony W1/W5 instead. It's bigger but also takes better pictures and costs less!

Rating:
Summary: The Sony's P150 is a solid mean machine!
Review: Pros: Size, Above average to excellent photos, 7MP camera, KISS camera, big pictures, fast everything speed, movies with sound. Quality rules, sharp detail, stunning color, long battery life, truly point and shot for beginner or expert.

Cons: Weak flash, lack of advanced features if you're looking for that, microphone/speaker is kind of small, exacting manual control is sacrificed to keep it small, could have included a larger Memory Stick and case.

Summary: I just got my Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-150 & I love it. It has 7.2 megapixels, so my pictures have stunning detail. The color is also excellent; even on an automatic setting. The movie mode has is excellent; with 2X the frames/seconds & 2X the resolution (I regularly record my golf swing, so this is an important feature). It's only time limitation is amount of memory (many cameras have 30 second limits). I also regularly use the mult-burst mode to take 16 pictures in ~2 seconds (also for my golf swing). In bright light, I can increase the shutter speed to 1/1,000 second to capture more high-speed detail. The Battery life is much better than my old camera (I get ~3 hours/charge). I carry my DSC-150 everywhere, so I'm capturing pictures I would have otherwise missed. I highly recommend it.

Bottom Line: It's an excellent choice for anyone who wants professional resolution & color pictures in a tiny camera.

Rating:
Summary: 2 superior websites unbiased reviews: "highly recommended"
Review: Want ultracompact size/simplicity combined with high quality digital and 7.2 megapixels? I've got one, and this is it; most people will find the 150 is all you'll need for a primary camera. For very serious photographers and pro's it's a great second camera when convenience makes a difference. Check out dpreview.com for the best reviews of digital cameras (and this one in particular). Also check out the even more comprehensive summary of the DSCP150 at imaging-resource.com (it made "Dave's Pick's List 2004") for a stellar professional review.