A lower priced alternative to the DSC-P10,
the Sony DSC-P92 also provides a 5 megapixel resolution, but housed
in a somewhat less luxurious body with a few less features.
The
DSC-P92 is slightly larger than the DSC-P10, but even with its larger
size, it is still an easy to carry camera with a big resolution.
But, while the P92 has the same resolution as the P10, it also has a number
of external differences besides its size. Indeed, with the P92, shooting
modes are selected in the menu, and not with an external dial.
The
top of the DSC-P92 has only two controls: the On/Off switch and
the shutter release. It starts quickly and is ready to shoot 2
seconds after the On switch has been pressed. The shutter release is a
standard 2-stage system that provides auto focus lock, and exposure lock,
when pressed to the halfway point. Like some other recent Sony cameras,
the DSC-P92 has no shutter lag, and a very fast AF system when there is
plenty of light. Shots can be captured very quickly, one after the other.
All the other controls are on the back of the P92. Starting with the zoom
control which is a solid toggle switch that serves both to change the
focal length, and control the display of images in Playback.
While the "T" side of the zoom provides an image magnification
of up to 5X for an image currently being played back, the "W"
side can show a screen full of thumbnails (9 per screen), or a screen
with three images and the shooting data below the middle photo.
Just
below the zoom control and to the left is the Mode Selector which
has 4 positions:
Still
Image shooting: is the primary access to all 7 still image shooting
modes. (See the Characteristics section for a descriptions of
the modes available.)
Movie/Clip
Motion/Multi-Burst: serves to record any one of three types
of moving images. The particular type of moving image is pre-selected
in the Setup menu. (More info on each of these is available in
the Characteristics section of the review.)
Playback:
to see recorded images and movies. This mode also provides detailed
shooting information and serves to select which images will be printed
(DPOF) by a printing service.
Setup
Mode: is used to configure the basic settings of the DSC-P92.
(See the Interface and Software section of the review for the
options found in the Setup menu.)
Below the Mode Selector,
the DSC-P92 has another cluster of buttons, of which 4 are arranged in
a circle. Starting on the left side, the Menu button calls up the P92's
menu, below:
the
Monitor button controls the information display, or the On/Off,
of the 1.5 inch LCD monitor.
Presents a short menu from which the P92's image size is selected.
In Playback, the button serves to delete images.
The Control
button, which collectively describes the circular group of buttons that
serve for menu navigation, offers additional functions:
The
up arrow serves to select the Flash Modes. Four modes
are available, Auto, Forced Flash, Forced On, and Slow Synch. Red-eye
reduction, which strobes the flash before capturing the photo, is
also available but must be enabled in the Setup Menu.
With
the right arrow the Macro mode is turned on or off.
The macro mode of the P92 allows the camera to focus on a subject
10cm (3.9 inches) from the front of the lens when the zoom is at
the wide angle position, and 60cm (23.4 inches) at the maximum telephoto
setting.
The
down arrow starts the Self Timer which has a 10 second
delay.
While
the left arrow starts the Quick Review mode. THe Quick
Review mode avoids having to switch the Mode Selector to the Playback
position, and presents the last captured image. In the Quick Review
mode, the zoom control can be used to magnify the image, and the
Delete button can be used to get rid of an unwanted photo.
It
is inevitable to draw comparisons between the P92 and the P10, Sony's
other compact 5 megapixel camera. The slightly larger size of the P92
makes it bit easier to use since this allows the controls to be a bit
farther apart from each other. Similarly, the absence of a mode dial on
the P92 is not detrimental as the menu provides a similar functionality,
and is readily accessed.
Unlike the P10 however, the P92's exterior is probably not as rugged as
the solidly metal P10.
