Metal clad and finished in
an aluminium colour that is etched with concentric circles
that radiate from the lens barrel, the new Sony DSC-N1
is equipped with an 8-megapixel CCD, a 3X optical zoom and
a large touch screen.
The LCD monitor measures
3 inches (7.5 cm) diagonally and is composed of 230,400
pixels (960 x 240 pixels) and the fact that it is touch
screen completely eliminates the need for many of the usual
external controls.
The result is a camera with only 6 external controls:
the power switch, the shutter release, the zoom control, the
mode switch, the on-screen key button, and the display button,
the latter two having icons that light up when the camera
is powered on.
The top of the N1 provides space for the Power Switch
and the Shutter Release. The power switch features a
trim that lights up bright green whenever the camera is On.
The shutter release, an elongated
chrome button, is a 2-stage release, locking both the auto
focus and the auto exposure when pressed and held at the halfway
point.
To
the right of the shutter release, a hook serves to attach
the wrist strap which in turn serves to attach the small plastic
stylus intended for use with the monitor.
At the top right of the N1's
back, a small rectangular rocker switch controls the zoom.
As is common with many cameras, and with Sony cameras, the
zoom control is also used to zoom into an image displayed
on screen in Playback with the
side, allowing a magnification of up to 5X, the navigation
controls appearing as arrows on the touch screen. The
side makes it possible to display thumbnails (an index screen)
of the images that have been captured, first in a group of
6, then in a group of 12, and any photo is selected simply
by tapping it.
Index
view
Magnified
view
Mode Switch, which is positioned on the
right edge of the body. The switch has 3 settings:
Movie Mode: the DSC-N1 can capture video
clips in any of three formats:
640 Fine: 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per
second and with low compression. (This format is only
available if a Memory Stick Pro Duo is used).
640 Standard: 640 x 480 pixels at 25 frames
per second with a greater compression.
160: 160 x 112 pixels at 25 frames per second.
During movie recording, the zoom position is locked at
the first frame, but exposure and white balance are adjusted
as required as the recording progresses.
Still Mode: is the gateway to the N1's eleven
still image modes. The modes are selected by pressing
the On-Screen Key button (see further) which
displays the touch-panel buttons of which the top left
button serves to select the mode using either the stylus,
or by tapping it with a finger:
Auto
is the N1's point and shoot mode, which
places most settings under the control of the camera,
while the user controls the flash, the self-timer,
the macro mode and the image size.
Program
also places the selection of the aperture and
shutter speed under the control of the N1, but leaves
all other settings under the user's control (see
the Characteristics section of the review
for more detail).
Manual
provides complete control over the camera, offering
a shutter speed range of 30 seconds to 1/1000 second,
and three apertures which vary in value according
to the zoom position, but which at the widest angle
are f2.8, f4 and f8, and f5.4, f8 and f16 when the
lens is at the maximum telephoto.
Or any one of the eight Scene Modes common to
a number of other Sony cameras:
Twilight
Landscape
Twilight Portrait
Beach
Candle
Snow
Soft Snap
Fireworks
Finally, the third position of the Mode Switch is for
the Playback Mode.
Two more buttons complete the external controls of the N1.
Both of these feature a light-up icon, which is only visible
when the camera is on.
The first at the top is the On-Screen Key button ,
which displays the touch panel buttons. The touch panel buttons
replace settings that are usually accessed with a multi controller,
or using buttons on the body, and which are usually the most
commonly required settings.
The buttons that are presented depend entirely on the capture
mode in use. The most extensive list of options is shown when
the camera is set to the Program mode:
Serves to select the Shooting
Mode, and is common to all modes.
Controls the Exposure Compensation,
providing a range of ± 2 EV in 1/3 EV steps.
Controls the Focus Mode:
Multi AF uses a wide area AF zone
around the centre of the frame to find the focus point.
Centre AF focuses exclusively on
the subject at the centre of the frame.
Spot AF makes it possible to drag
the focus point anywhere in the frame. (Works best
with the stylus.)
Infinity or preset distances (7.0
m, 3.0 m, 1.0 m, 0.5 m).
Select the Flash Mode: Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Synchro, and No Flash. Red-eye
reduction is available, but the option must be enabled
in the Setup menu.
Starts the Self-Timer,
which offers a 10-second delay once the shutter release
has been pressed.
Controls the Macro Mode,
which allows the N1 to focus on a subject that is 6 cm
(2.34 in.) from the lens while the zoom is at the wide
angle end, and 34 cm (13.26 in.) when the zoom is at the
maximum telephoto setting.
Serves to set the Image
Size. (See the Characteristics section of
the review for more information.)
The last button is to control the monitor, and the information
it shows:
With the N1 set to a capture
mode, the default display indicates the capture mode;
the battery state; the image size; the image quality;
the folder name into which images are being saved; the
remaining number of images that can be captured; an
icon that shows how much space remains on the card;
an icon to indicate that the Album function is on; the
ISO setting; the AF brackets; and the focus method in
use.
Pressing the Display button once adds a real-time histogram,
which shows the distribution of brightness in the image.
Pressing the button a second time removes all superimposed
information with the exception of the AF brackets and
the Focus mode. As with all other displays, pressing
the shutter release lightly displays the selected aperture
and shutter speed, the flash indicator if it should
be used, and a green dot to indicate focus.
In the Playback mode, the display normally shows the
battery state, the image size, the folder name, the
image's position within the folder, the image file name,
and the capture date and time superimposed on the image.
Pressing the Display button once adds the histogram
for the image, and basic shooting data such as aperture,
shutter speed and ISO sensitivity. A second press of
the button clears all superimposed information from
the photo.
Worth noting, if the On-Screen Key button is pressed
the touch areas that serve to move from one image to
the next disappear. Nevertheless, it remains possible
to change from one image to the next simply by sliding
a finger across the screen.
With the introduction of the
DSC-N1 and of its large touch screen, Sony may well be pointing
us to the future. Not only is the screen easier on the eyes
because of its size, the navigation of the menus, and all
operations that have to be performed on the camera become
fast, either using fingers or the stylus. The touch screen
concept is ideally suited to this type of compact camera,
and is remarkably intuitive. Most options are immediately
accessible — literally at the user's fingertips —
with one notable and incomprehensible exception: white balance.
The drawback to the system? A screen covered in fingerprints...
Ergonomics
To
the right of the shutter release, a hook serves to attach
the wrist strap which in turn serves to attach the small plastic
stylus intended for use with the monitor.
side, allowing a magnification of up to 5X, the navigation
controls appearing as arrows on the touch screen. The 
side makes it possible to display thumbnails (an index screen)
of the images that have been captured, first in a group of
6, then in a group of 12, and any photo is selected simply
by tapping it.
,
which displays the touch panel buttons. The touch panel buttons
replace settings that are usually accessed with a multi controller,
or using buttons on the body, and which are usually the most
commonly required settings.
