Sony DSC-N2

Reviewed March 2007

Image Quality

As noted in a number of parts in this review, although it is equipped with a higher resolution CCD, the DSC-N2 is extremely similar to last year's DSC-N1, and in use, comments made about the N1 can be applied as well to the N2. The 3-inch touch-screen interface is efficient, and changes can be made to camera settings faster than using the more traditional control tools of digital cameras: dials, 4-direction controllers and joysticks.

The ease of use of the touch screen concept for this type of camera is well demonstrated when the flexible focus point is used.

The system allows the focus point to be dragged to any point within a large rectangular area that occupies most of the screen, using a fingertip or the stylus, significantly faster and easier than can be accomplished with non-touch controls.

The DSC-N2 is fast overall. The camera takes approximately 1 second to power-up and be ready to shoot, and there is no significant shutter lag. Focus is likewise fast. Still, it is worth noting that the N2, although having the benefit of an AF assist lamp, will occasionally capture out of focus images indoors, seemingly because the shutter can be released before the camera has ha the time to finish focusing.

Similarities between the N1 and N2 extend to other areas as well: the image quality the camera yields is excellent, and bigger. The N2 has a 10-megapixel CCD, 2 million pixel more than the N1, producing images that can be printed out to a 12 x 9 inch (31 x 23 cm) size at around 300 dpi, a size that is suitable for framing.

One difference, however, is the sensitivity range of the DSC-N2's CCD. The N2's CCD has a minimum sensitivity of 100 ISO when set manually, extending to 1600 ISO.

While when the Auto ISO mode is used, the sensitivity range starts at 160 ISO and stops at 400 ISO (a fact that can only be ascertained through experimentation as the camera's manual omits any detail about the camera, or for that matter any of the DSC-N2's specifications).

Interestingly, using a manually set sensitivity of 100 ISO, the images from the DSC-N2 contain no noise when captured under bright light, while under cloudy weather or indoors, a little bit of noise can sometimes be detected in shadow areas.

Moreover, at 160 ISO, the starting point for the Auto ISO mode, images tend to be generally free of noise. The 200 ISO level sees a nominal increase in noise, but here too noise remains mostly observable in shadow areas. The 400 ISO level brings another slight increase in noise, but even then, it is more noticeable in areas that are out of focus and in a slight lowering of the details that can be seen in the image overall than by the random coloured pixels that usually associated with a noise digital image.

Images captured with the higher levels, however, 800 and 1600 ISO which can either be set manually or are used by the High Sensitivity mode, contain visible noise. Nevertheless, the 800 ISO compares well to what most compacts yield at 400 ISO, and the 1600 ISO level is closer to the noise content of 800 ISO photos. A noticeable improvement in performance over the DSC-N1.

This said, indoors and when the flash is used, the high ISO settings are not as acceptable. In fact, both the 800 and 1600 ISO settings yield flash images that pointillist in appearance, and which even reduced considerably are only marginally useable. Unlike the 400 ISO setting which, while noisy, is useable.

As it is with most compacts, flash photography with the DSC-N2 is not as satisfying as is outdoor photography with sunlight. Flash photos, unless captured at the lowest ISO setting and over short distances in an environment that is already reasonably lit, tend to exhibit noise rather quickly.

Equipped with the same Carl Zeiss lens as was used on the N1, the N2 yields images that have comparable optical characteristics.

Photos are uniformly sharp, irrespective of the focal length used, and images captured at the wide angle end of the zoom are as sharp as those captured at the telephoto end. Similarly, there is no sign of any chromatic aberration — purple fringing — at either end of the zoom range.

Images captured using the telephoto end of the zoom reveal no pincushion distortion. On the other hand, a bit of barrel distortion can be noticed at the wide end when the image happens to have a vertical image element aligned on the edges of the frame.

Using the default settings, the DSC-N2 produces images that have colours are a bit understated, avoiding any over saturation, but which are nonetheless quite accurate. And, should kicking up colours be desirable, as it can be either with winter shots of shots captured at the height of summer, the two photographic extremes, the Vivid setting can be used to increase overall saturation.

The JPEG compression of the DSC-N2 hovers in the 7:1 to 8:1 range at the highest image quality level. Albeit it stronger than what used to be thought of as a "Fine" image quality setting — in the range of 4:1 — the process avoids compressing the images to the point where all the smaller details become blurred. And this, combined with an effective Multi metering system that can be trusted under most circumstances, and sharp optics are mostly responsible for the high image quality of the DSC-N2.

The Sony DSC-N2 is an update of the DSC-N1, which aside from minor tweaks to its interface and image processing, simply moves the model up to a new plateau of resolution. Nevertheless, while offering an increase in image resolution over last year's model, it avoids taking away features its predecessor had, and does not introduce an increase in noise. So, put simply, the N2 can be thought of as more bang for less buck, since its price is considerably lower than the N1 commanded at its introduction and it offers a higher resolution while retaining the same high image quality.