internet.commerce
|
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S90
with its 2.5-inch LCD monitor and optical viewfinder is currently
the high-end model of the Cyber-shot series which includes
the S60 and S80 models. Designed primarily as a point and
shoot camera, the S90 still provides a Manual mode, that includes
user selectable apertures and shutter speeds.
|
 |
 |
Power
button, which is slightly recessed so it cannot turn on the
camera accidentally while being inserted into a pocket or
a camera pouch. The 12-position Mode Dial is next,
ringing the shutter release — a 2-stage release that
provides auto exposure lock and auto focus lock at the halfway
point.
The Mode Dial is easily rotated, and when the LCD
monitor is on, a virtual dial echoes each turn of the dial
on the monitor, making it simple to change mode without checking
the physical position of the dial.
|
Of the twelve positions of the
Mode Dial, one is the Playback 
mode, while the rest are capture modes. Of these, seven are
Scene modes grouped in an area of the dial by a line
that sets them apart:
|
 |
Twilight: provides a maximum exposure time
of 2 seconds. The flash is turned off and sensitivity
is set to 80 ISO. Noise reduction is automatically applied
to the image post-capture. |
 |
Twilight Portrait: uses the same parameters
as the Twilight mode, but adds the flash set to Slow
Synch mode and red-eye reduction so as to capture a
subject in front of scenery at night. |
|
 |
 |
Candle: is to capture a candle-lit scene,
retaining the atmosphere of the lighting. A shutter
speed range of 1 to 1/2000 second is available, the
AF mode is set to Centre, the white balance is set to
daylight, the sensitivity is set to Auto (between 80
and 200 ISO), and the flash is forced off. |
 |
Snow: automatically applies exposure compensation
to counteract the influence of bright and reflective snow
on the metering. Sensitivity is set automatically (80
to 320 ISO), the flash remains useable while shutter speeds
cover from 1/8 to 1/1000 second. |
 |
Beach: increases blue saturation while limiting
the flash modes to Forced on, or Forced Off and limiting
the shutter speed to a minimum of 1/8 second. Sensitivity
is controlled by the camera, and covers a range of 80
to 320 ISO. |
 |
Landscape: provides a shutter speed range
of 1/8 to 1/2000 second. The flash can be set to Forced
On or Forced Off, and sensitivity is automatically adjusted
between 80 and 320 ISO. |
 |
Portrait: also has a shutter speed range of
1/8 to 1/2000 second and an Auto ISO range of 80 to
320 ISO. Sharpness is lowered and the camera optimizes
the image for skin tones. The flash remains available,
and can even be set to slow synch mode. |
The Movie Mode comes next:
 |
Movie provides 3
shooting modes, two of which have similar frame sizes
but with more or less compression:
- 640 (Fine) has a frame size of 640 x 480
pixels with a low compression, but is only useable
when the camera is fitted with a Memory Stick Pro.
- 640 (Standard) also offers a frame size of
640 x 480 pixels, but applies a stronger compression.
This format is useable with standard Memory Sticks.
- 160 has a frame size of 160 x 112 pixels
and applies an average compression.
All movies are captured at 25 frames per second with
sound, and the length of the recording depends on the
capacity and free space available on the Memory Stick.
The optical zoom is disabled at the first frame but
exposure and white balance are adjusted as required
during recording. |
And the Auto, Program and Manual modes round off the shooting
modes:
 |
Manual: allows selecting
from 2 apertures, f2.8 and f5.6 at the wide angle end
, which become f5.2 and f10 at the maximum telephoto,
and a shutter speed range which covers from 1/1000 second
to 30 seconds. |
 |
Program: lets the
camera choose the aperture and shutter speed. The user,
however, has control over a host of other settings such
as exposure compensation, white balance, ISO, etc. (See
the Characteristics section of the review for
a look at the options contained in the Program mode's
Recording menu). |
 |
Auto: leaves most
photo settings up to the camera, and the user only has
access to the image size selection. The menu only provides
two options, one to select the Burst or Multi-burst
modes, and the other to access the Setup menu. |
All the other external controls of the S90 are grouped to
the right of the large 2.5-inch, 480
x 240-pixel (115,200 pixels total) LCD monitor. |
Immediately below the zoom control
is the Display button, identified by  ,
which controls the information superimposed on the monitor,
and also turns it On/Off (see further).
And further below is the Menu button which is used
to call up the menu, and clear it off the screen.
As noted above, the Display button controls the LCD monitor:
|
 |
 |
|
In the Capture
modes, the S90's default display comprises of the battery
state, the capture mode unless the camera is set to Auto,
the flash mode, the current image size, the remaining
shot counter, an indication of the memory in use, the
ISO setting, and the AF mode. Once the shutter release
is pressed halfway, the speed and aperture are also shown,
as is a solid green dot to indicate that the camera has
focused. |
|
| |
Pressing the
button once adds a real-time histogram, showing the
distribution of brightness in the image. Pressing the
button a second time clears the monitor of most information,
leaving only the AF brackets, the focus mode, and when
the shutter release is half-pressed, the indications
for shutter speed, aperture, focus, and flash mode.
Pressing the button a third time simply turns off the
screen, so the optical viewfinder can be used.
With the Playback mode the DISPLAY button provides
a similar function. |
|
| |
By default, the indications
at the top are: battery state, image resolution, folder
number, and image position within the folder. While at
the bottom, the file name is shown, as are the date and
time it was captured. Pressing the button once adds the
image's histogram, and some of the shooting data, pressing
the
button a second time clears all information from the image,
while a third press turns off the screen, useful when
the camera is connected to a television. |
|
 |
The navigation control is next,
composed of 4 buttons arranged in a circle with a small round
button in the middle that is used to confirm some selections
in the menus. Beyond their use to navigate the menus, and
review images, the 4 direction buttons also provide access
to camera settings for: |
 |
 |
The Flash Mode: Auto,
Forced On, Slow Synch, and Forced Off. Red-eye reduction
must be activated in the Setup menu. |
 |
Macro mode, which allows
the camera to focus on a subject 10 cm (4 inches) from
the front element of the lens when the zoom is at the
wide angle end, and 50 cm (19.75 inches) when the lens
is at the maximum telephoto. |
|
 |
Turns on the 10-second Self-timer
delay, flashing the Self-timer/Auto focus assist lamp
below the flash as the camera counts down. |
 |
Starts the Quick Review
mode, providing a fast way to see the last captured
image. Worth noting, the Quick Review mode only shows
the last captured image and can be used to delete the
image, but is not a full Playback mode. |
The button, below the 4-direction control, also has two separate
uses, depending on the camera's mode:
 |
With the camera set to
any of the capture modes, the button provides access
to the Image size selection screen (see the Characteristics
section of the review).
With the S90 set to the Playback mode, or during Quick
Review, the button serves to delete unwanted photos. |
|
|
Relatively competitively priced,
the S90 is easy to get accustomed to. The camera is responsive
to its controls, powers up and is ready to shoot in approximately
3 seconds, and has no serious shutter release latency. Moreover,
although it offers what is still a rarity, a large 2.5-inch
LCD monitor that is sharp enough to make out details, it also
has a power-saving optical viewfinder, which can be very useful,
and makes it quite user-friendly.
|
|
|
|
Introduction
,
can be used to magnify an image up to 5 times, while the wide
angle side 
serves to zoom out, and see an Index screen of either
9 thumbnails when pressed once, or 16 when pressed twice.