Sony DSC-N1

Reviewed March 2006

Characteristics

The Sony DSC-N1 has an 8.3 megapixel, 1/1.8 inch CCD of which 8.06 million pixels are effective when capturing the maximum image size of 3264 x 2448 pixels.

CCD sensitivity begins at 64 ISO, but can be manually set to 100, 200, 400 or 800 ISO in all but the Scene modes. In addition, sensitivity can also be set to Auto, which lets the camera adjust it from 64 to 400 ISO as needed.

The DSC-N1 is equipped with a 3X Vario-Tessar Carl Zeiss optical zoom with a focal length of 7.9 to 23.7 mm, equivalent to 38 to 114 mm on a 35 mm camera.

Three apertures are available to the camera, and to the user when the Manual mode is used. With the zoom set to the wide angle end, apertures are f2.8, f4 and f8. With the zoom at the the maximum telephoto position, these apertures become f5.4, f8 and f16.

This aperture range is combined with a shutter speed range that covers from 30 seconds to 1/1000 second when the camera is set to the Manual mode.

In addition to the 3X optical zoom, Sony provides both a "Precision zoom" (up to 6X) which is a standard interpolating digital zoom that causes a visible deterioration in the image quality, and a "Smart zoom," so called because it does not interpolate the image, but instead takes advantage of the full resolution of the CCD to offer the user the effect of a longer zoom when an image size of 5 megapixel or less is used. (For more in-depth information about digital zooms and how they work, read our article.)

The DSC-N1 is able to capture photos using any one of 7 image sizes, but only in JPEG format, and only at either one of 2 compression settings, Fine or Standard:

• 8M: 3264 x 2448 pixels
• 3:2: 3264 x 2176 pixels
• 5M: 2592 x 1944 pixels
• 3M: 2048 x 1536 pixels
• 1M: 1280 x 960 pixels
• VGA: 640 x 480 pixels
• 16:9 (HDTV): 1920 x 1080 pixels

Depending on the image size and compression selected, the camera indicates the total number of images that can be captured at the top of the screen.

The image size is selected directly on the touch screen by tapping the icon (see the Ergonomics section of the review for a list of the camera settings that are directly accessible). The image quality however, requires accessing the Menu itself, again by tapping its touch-screen key, and is part of the other menu options. As always, the menu contains the greatest number of options when the camera is set to one of the more advanced modes, in this case the Program mode:

• Metering Mode serves to select the metering pattern: Multi, Centre-weighted or Spot.
• White Balance: offers settings for Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, or Flash.
• ISO: serves to set the CCD sensitivity (Program and Manual modes only) Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400 or 800 ISO.
• Picture Quality serves to select the JPEG compression level: Fine or Standard.

• Mode provides for the following shooting modes and the setting selected in this option decides what other options appear on the screen below the Mode setting:
  • Normal: captures one image each time the shutter release is pressed.
  • Burst: captures a burst of 4 images at the highest resolution and the least compression (the number of images the camera can capture in a burst depends on the image size and quality).
  • Exposure Bracketing: records a series of three images with the exposure values automatically shifted by the increment selected in the Bracket Step option (see further).
  • Multi Burst: captures 16 images at a pre-selected interval (see further) and stores the shots into a single 1280 x 960 pixel image. During Playback the sequence is shown as an animation, making it possible to "decompose" a fast movement such as a golf swing.
• Bracket Step serves to select the bracketing increment: ±1/3 EV, ±2/3 EV, ±1 EV (this option is only accessible if the Bracketing Mode has been selected in the option above).

• Interval: selects the burst speed for the Multi Burst mode (1/7.5 sec., 1/15 sec., 1/30 sec.) (This option is only accessible when the Multi Burst mode has been selected).
• Flash Level allows adjusting the flash exposure over three levels: + (plus), Normal, or - (minus). (This option is not accessible when the flash is Forced Off, or with some Scene modes.)
• Picture Effect: makes it possible to record images as Sepia or Black and White.

• Saturation: controls colour saturation of images (+, Normal, -).
• Contrast: provides three contrast levels (+, Normal, -).
• Sharpness: controls the in-camera sharpening applied to images (+, Normal, -).
• Setup: is the access to the Setup menu (for a description of each of the options contained in the N1's extensive Setup menu see the Interface and Software section of the review).

When the N1 is set to the Movie mode, the touch-screen options are limited to Exposure Compensation, Focus mode, Self-timer, Macro Mode, and Frame size.

A menu access is available as well, and provides settings for Metering Mode, White Balance, Picture Effect, and Setup, all which have the same possible settings as the still image modes.

The Playback mode's menu is accessed by a touch screen MENU button that appears on the lower left of the image under review. The menu is composed of 13 options:

• Album: stores a small copy (VGA and Standard compression) in the internal memory of the N1, making it possible to view these images even if the originals are no longer there. Images in the Album are organized by date and can be displayed in an index view with the date in the upper left corner of the screen.

• Slide Show: makes it possible to create a slide show with a variety of transition effects and music — 4 tunes are already loaded into the camera and more can be added using an option of the Setup menu — or present a normal slide show which has no music or transition effects.
• Paint: allows writing on a photo, or adding symbols such as stars, snowflakes etc. or drawing on the image using lines of with various line thickness, in a variety of colours, and saving the result as a new image. In addition, an eraser is available to erase errors or make changes.

• Delete: serves to delete unwanted images one at a time.
• Volume: makes it possible to adjust the sound volume.
• Folder: serves to select the folder from which images will be viewed.
• Protect: serves to protect images against an accidental erasure.
• DPOF: allows selecting which images will be printed, one at a time.
• Print: serves to print images when the camera is connected directly to a PictBridge compatible printer.

• Resize: makes it possible to make a copy of an image at a smaller size than the original. The original image is retained.
• Rotate: allows rotating an image 90° to the right or the left.
• Divide: serves to cut and edit movies captured with the camera.
• Setup: access to the Setup menu, common with the other menus. (See the Interface and Software section of the review.)
• Trimming: which is only displayed when the Menu key is pressed once an image has been magnified on the monitor; and the trimmed (cropped) section of the image can be saved as a new image.

The DSC-N1 is compatible with Memory Stick Duo, and the memory card slot is located on the right side of the camera, next to the battery compartment, both of which are covered behind a spring-loaded door hinged at the top. The Memory Stick is ejected by pressing on its edge. The DSC-N1 is not retailed with a Memory Stick Duo but comes with 26MB of internal memory.

The chart below provides an idea of the number of images that can be stored in the internal memory, and with a 1 GB Memory Stick Duo: