The ultra-compact Sony DSC-T7
offers a 5.1 megapixel resolution, a completely internal 3X
Carl Zeiss zoom and a large 2.5-inch monitor.
While the DSC-T7 has the same technical characteristics as
the DSC-T5, with this model Sony engineers have miniaturized
the camera even more.
As the protective cover on
the front of the T7 slides down, it reveals the lens, the
AF assistance lamp — which also serves as the self-timer
lamp — the flash, and turns on the camera.
The camera can also be powered up using a small button located
on the top right side, however this switch is particularly
designed to turn on the camera in Playback mode, and thereby
avoiding having to remove the protection of the lens.
On the right is the 2-stage
shutter release which is flanked by a tiny green LED which
shows power on. To its left is the zoom control, a tiny push-pull
switch that protrudes a couple of millimetres from the camera.
In addition to being labelled W and T it is
also labelled with
and
to show that it has additional functions when the camera is
in Playback mode, making it possible to see 9 thumbnails of
the captured photos per screen, or magnify parts of an image
on the monitor up to 5X.
To the left of the zoom control
a second small LED, this one yellow, which serves to indicate
the flash state. To its left the last section of the oval
area has little holes to let sounds reach the T7's microphone.
The major part of the T7's
back is occupied with the LCD monitor that measures 2.5 inch
(62 mm) diagonally.
Composed of 230,400 pixels it serves to view and preview
shots as the T7 is not equipped with a separate optical viewfinder.
The brightness of the monitor's back light is adjustable (see
the Characteristics section of the review) making
it possible to adjust it to ambient light.
A speaker is positioned behind
a series of staggered holes to the right of the monitor, but
to provide more space to hold the camera, the post where the
wrist strap is attached has been extended, providing a small
thumb rest when the camera is use, as well as a place to attach
the strap.
The other external controls for the T7 are — unusually
— on the left side of the monitor. At the top is a Mode
Switch, with the same shape as the zoom control, but whichhas three positions:
Playback mode,
Image capture mode (see further for a
list of the different modes that are available)
Movie mode: the DSC-T7 can capture video
clips in any of three formats:
640 Fine: 640 x 480 pixels at 25 frames per
second and with low compression. (This format is only
available if a Memory Stick Pro Duo is used).
640 Standard: 640 x 480 pixels at 25 frames
per second with a greater compression.
160: 160 x 112 pixels at 25 frames per seconds.
During movie recording, the zoom position is locked at
the first frame, but auto exposure and white balance are
adjusted as required during the recording.
The MENU button is positioned immediately below the
Mode Selector. The button serves to display the menu that
corresponds to the current mode: still image, movie or playback.
(See the Characteristics section of the review for
a listing of menu items assigned to each mode and their function.)
Unlike most other compact cameras, the DSC-T7's 4-direction
control is positioned on the left side of the monitor, and
is operated with the left hand. It is composed of 4 semi-circular
buttons arranged in a circle with a round button at the centre.
The centre button serves to confirm selections which have
been made in the menus using the four buttons around it, and
in Playback the four directional buttons also serve to move
from one image to another.
Moreover, when the T7 is set to a capture mode, the 4 directional
buttons provide access to other settings, as indicated by
the icon on each:
The up arrow button
serves to select the Flash Mode: Auto,
Forced On, Slow Synch, and Forced Off. A red-eye reduction
mode is available, but must be enabled in the Setup menu
first.
The right arrow button
sets the camera to Macro Mode. The Macro
mode allows the T7 to focus on a subject that is 8 cm
(3.12 in.) from the lens while the zoom is at the wide
angle end, and 25 cm (9.75 in.) when the zoom is at the
maximum telephoto setting.
The down arrow button
starts the Self-Timer which offers a 10-second
delay once the shutter release has been pressed.
The left arrow button
makes the camera enter the Quick Review mode so
that the last captured image can be seen without having
to change to the Playback mode.
The last 2 external controls of the T7 are placed below the
monitor:
In the still image capture modes the left button serves
to set the Image Resolution
or the frame size for the Movie mode (see
the Characteristics section of the review for
a list of the resolutions available with the T7).
While in Playback mode, or when the Quick Review mode
is active, the button can be used to delete unwanted
images.
The button on the right controls the Display
and the information that is superimposed on the monitor.
Set to the capture mode, some basic settings are displayed
by default: the battery state, with an estimate of the
time until the battery is drained; the image size; the
image quality; the folder name into which images are
being saved; the remaining number of images that can
be captured; an icon that shows how much space remains
on the card; the AF brackets; and the focus method in
use.
Pressing the button once adds a real-time histogram
to the display, showing how brightness is distributed
throughout the frame. A second press of the button removes
all indications with the exception of the AF brackets
and the AF type, while yet another press of the button
returns the display to its defaults settings.
And, when the shutter release is pressed halfway, the
shutter speed and aperture selected by the camera appear
on the lower right of the monitor.
In the Playback mode the default display presents the
image with the following superimposed on it: the remaining
battery charge shown in minutes, the image size, the
folder in which it is stored, the rank of the photo
amongst those in the folder, the memory icon, and the
time and date on which the image was captured.
Pressing the
button once adds additional information about exposure
compensation, ISO setting, flash mode, white balance,
aperture and shutter speed used for the image and a
histogram.
The Sony DSC-T7 may well hold
a record for thinness in a 5-megapixel camera that still includes
a 3X optical zoom. But this very thin design is at the expense
of places to hold the camera, and using the T7 requires a
bit of practice to get used to where to hold the camera and
still operate it. And even then, with the lens in the corner,
fingers still occasionally stray into the field of view.
Nevertheless, both the shutter release and the zoom control,
albeit small, are functional and react quite quickly, as does
the T7, generally.
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Introduction
and 
to show that it has additional functions when the camera is
in Playback mode, making it possible to see 9 thumbnails of
the captured photos per screen, or magnify parts of an image
on the monitor up to 5X.
