The new Sony DSC-P71 offers the resolution of the DSC-P5
— 3 megapixel — but in a slightly bigger and less luxurious
finish that lets the camera sell at a lower price.
Unlike
some of Sony's "S" series cameras, the "P"
series are fully automatic point and shoot models. Yet, some basic scene
type programs are included besides the full auto mode.
The camera is turned on by a small button, located next to the shutter
release, and power-on is confirmed by a green LED.
All the other controls are found on the back of the camera.
To
the right of the optical viewfinder is the Mode Dial, which provides 3 recording modes, in addition to the Playback
and Setup dial positions:
Auto Mode:
fully automatic recording mode.
Scene
Mode: is the access for the Twilight mode, the Twilight Portrait
mode and the Landscape mode.
Movie/Clip
Motion/Multi Burst Mode: to record MPEGs, animated GIF files,
or image bursts.
Playback:
to review captured images.
Setup:
to set basic parameters for the camera such as date and time.
Right
of the Mode Dial is the zoom control, which activates a 3X optical
zoom and, if desired, an additional 2X digital
zoom, enabled in the camera's Setup menu for a total magnification
of 6X. But, as with all digital zooms, pushing the magnification up to
6X tends to degrade the image quality.
The
zoom control also provides 2 functions in Playback. The Telephoto
side (T) magnifies an image being displayed on the screen up to
5X. The wide side (W) displays thumbnails of the recorded images.
A second press of the W places 3 thumbnails at the top of the screen
and the shooting data below. The camera is able to show Aperture, Shutter
Speed, Exposure Compensation, ISO setting, Metering mode, Flash state
and White Balance setting.
The
remaining controls of the DSC-P71 are placed between the 1.5 inch LCD
screen and the small speaker used for camera sounds.
The first is the Menu button, and next to it is the Display/LCD
button which is used to turn on or off the screen, or clear it of most
of the information overlaid on it in the recording mode.
Further down is the Multi-Function Control Button which serves
for menu navigation and image review in addition to 4 other functions.
Flash
Modes: Auto, Forced Flash, No Flash. (Red-eye reduction is engaged
in the Setup Menu.) By default, the Power Save Mode requires the
user to manually turn on the flash every time the camera is turned
on. However, the turning off the Power Save mode in the Setup menu
allows the flash to be left on Auto, even after the camera has been
turned off.
Macro
Mode: permits a minimum shooting distance of 10 cm (3.9 in)
in wide angle and 50 cm (19.5 in) at the maximum telephoto position.
Self
timer: 10 second delay.
Quick
Review: to immediately see a just captured image.
The DSC-P71
is a simple to operate camera, but one that allows more flexibility than
a basic point and shoot would. While the external controls are kept to
minimum to make its operation simple, the menu provides further photographic
settings such as exposure compensation and white balance.
