The apple did not fall far from the tree with the Sony DSC-P10,
as the body design is clearly inspired by other cameras in the series,
albeit with a metal body that has hints of bronze tones.
The P10 is one of two just released very compact cameras from Sony that
have a 5 megapixel resolution, the other being the DSC-P92,
a slightly larger camera which will reviewed in the next issue.
Beyond this, however, the P10's external controls are generally similar
to those of other recent Sony cameras. A microphone is embedded
next to the power switch, and the Mode Dial has the shutter
release in the middle.
Six
settings are available with the Mode Dial:
Auto
Mode: is the simplest shooting mode. In the Auto mode, the P10
is totally point-and-shoot, the camera handles everything, including
CCD sensitivity.
Program
Mode: is the most advanced shooting mode, and the menu associated
with it, the most complete.
Scene
Mode: provides a group of 7 subject-oriented programs, any one
of which is selected through the Scene options, one of the
sections that is part of the P10's menu when the dial is set to
the SCN position. Once a Scene mode is selected there, it
becomes the default when the mode dial is returned to the SCN
position, until it is changed.
Fireworks
Mode: sets the focus to infinity, the white balance to
daylight, forces the flash off, uses noise reduction and a
shutter speed of 2 seconds. The sensitivity is forced to 100
ISO. (The remaining settings provided by the Scene menu are
available.)
High-Speed
Shutter Mode: in this mode, the P10 gives preference to
a high shutter speed (1/250 sec or above), and a f5.6 aperture.
Sensitivity can vary from 100 to 320 ISO according to the
ambient light. (All other controls in the Scene menu remain
available.)
Beach
Mode: The shutter speed is slightly lower as compared
to the Program mode, increasing the brightness of the exposure
slightly to compensate for the effect of bright ambient light
on the metering. The sensitivity can vary between 100 and
320 ISO and the program is biased towards depth of field.
(All other controls in the Scene menu remain available.)
Snow
Mode: is very similar to the Beach mode. This mode also
lowers the shutter speed slightly when compared to both the
Program mode, and the Beach mode, thereby compensating for
an even brighter environment, and making snow look white instead
of grey. Sensitivity can vary between 100 and 320 ISO, and
the program is biased towards depth of field. (All other controls
in the Scene menu remain available.)
Landscape
Mode: selects a smaller aperture and a longer shutter
speed. A slight boost in colour saturation is also applied,
and the Macro mode is unavailable. Sensitivity can vary between
100 and 320 ISO. (All other controls in the Scene menu remain
available.)
Twilight
Portrait Mode: forces the flash to Slow Synch, and does
not allow it to be changed. A slight boost in both contrast
and saturation is detectable and a sensitivity of 100 ISO
is used. (All other controls in the Scene menu remain available.)
Twilight
Mode: increases the blue saturation slightly, and forces
the flash to Off. Noise reduction is applied and sensitivity
is set to 100 ISO. (All other controls in the Scene menu remain
available.)
Movie/Clip
Motion Mode/Multi Burst: to record one of 3 separate types
of moving images. MPEG Movie is the default, and provides a choice
of 2 frame sizes, 640 x 480 pixel and 160 x 120, which is intended
for e-mail. During recording, the zoom position is fixed at the
starting setting, but focus and exposure continue to adjust as
the recording progresses. The length of the recording depends
on the space available on the Memory Stick.
Multi-Burst is the second of the three types of moving images
that can be recorded with the P10. The format records 16 images,
each 320 x 240 pixels, but which are stored in a single 1280 x
960 image. The P10 is able to play back each frame as an animation,
which allows for the decomposition, and analysis, of a fast movement
such as a golf or tennis swing.
The third option is Clip Motion. Clip Motion is to record
GIF animations, and 2 types are offered, Normal setting,
which allows up to 10 frames to be recorded; or Mobile
which consists of 2 frames. Images are recorded in 256 colours.
Playback:
to review captured images and movies. (See the Characteristics
section of the review for the options available in the Playback
mode.)
Setup:
to set basic parameters for the camera such as date and time, or
format the Memory Stick. (See the Interface and Software section
of the review for an overview of the functions and settings available
in the Setup menu.)
The zoom control is at the top right, and moves the zoom lens to the wide
angle when pressed on the left, and telephoto on the right.
In addition, the control serves to display 2 types of Index screens (thumbnails
of the images that have been captured) when pressed to the wide angle
side, and magnify a photo displayed on the screen when pressed to the
telephoto side. The maximum magnification possible is 5X, in 17 steps.
Located
directly under the optical viewfinder, the Monitor button
controls the display modes of the LCD screen.
At each press, the Monitor button changes the quantity of information
overlaid on the monitor, finally turning it Off and then back On. Three
levels of information can be shown, including one that includes a real-time
histogram showing the distribution of brightness in the frame.
Below the Monitor button, the 4 direction control, called simply the Control
button, is used to navigate the menus and the round button at its centre
serves to confirm specific actions in the Playback and Setup menus. Moreover,
the 4 directional buttons have extra uses in the Recording modes:
Flash
Modes are selected with the up arrow: Auto,
Forced Flash, Forced On, and Slow Synch. As with other Sony cameras,
Red-eye reduction must be enabled in the Setup Menu to function,
a quirk of design that can be a bit of a problem at first.
Macro
mode is turned on or off with the right arrow.
In Macro mode the P10 can focus on a subject 10cm (3.9 inches) from
the lens when the zoom is at the wide angle position, and 60cm (23.4
inches) at the maximum telephoto setting.
The
Self Timer is started with the down arrow.
The Self-timer has a ten second delay.
Last,
as with all recent Sony digital cameras, the P10 has a Quick
Review mode, accessed with the left arrow, which avoids
having to turn the Mode Dial to the Playback position to take a
closer look at a just captured image.
The other controls on the back of the P10 consist of 3 buttons:
Displays
the menu according to the shooting mode, or the Playback menu.
The
Resolution/Delete button is new to Sony cameras.
It provides a direct access to set the image resolution, avoiding
having to go through the menu.
In Playback, the same button can be used to call
up a small dialog box that can be used to delete an image displayed
on the screen.
The
DSC-P10 is quite a remarkable camera: a five megapixel that slips into
a pocket fairly unobtrusively. With a 5 megapixel image size, the DSC-P10
can produce a 8.6 x 6.5 inch print at 300 dpi, a dpi that provides enough
detail to compare to prints made from film.
Like other Sony cameras that have a similar design, the P10 is quite easy
to get accustomed to, and generally easy to use.
controls the display modes of the LCD screen.
