Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S75 3.3 Megapixel

It was one of Sony top cameras at the time in 2001. Cost about $750 and produces stunning shots (that still get complimented). Thanks in part to the Carl Zeiss lens. While 3 megapixels doesn't sound like much. 4 years ago there were photographers I knew doing full magazine spreads with just 2 megapixels (though they were pro SLRs). This has easy controls for the novice user yet enough manual controls that keep up with hobbiest. I doesn't handle high speed action and extreme low light conditions nor is it the quickest to react. Stills are brilliant. I have learned to bring along a white sheet of paper to white balance especially in low light conditions. This has saved me from lots of photo retouching. The AUTO WB settings have a tendancy to come out red or greenish without WB. The thumbwheel started getting finicky about 2 years into it. It likes to jump around a lot. Size has become a factor though on trips. It isn't the most convenient camera to take around. Considered enormous and slow by today's standards. I have seen and used some of the sexier cameras but I've gotten used to my first love. I know her quirks and her strengths. I know there will be other cameras I will own for their size or their abilities but I know I'll have someone faithful to come home to. We grow old together.

Bought mine in 2003 for my sister-in-laws wedding for over $600. Liked it so much that I had to buy another in 2005 on eBay (much less, natch) since my wife and I competed on who was to use it. Stills are fantastic quality in medium light and better. In low light, the auto focus is iffy, so I try to use manual focus then. On occasion, the auto focus even in good light is off (as happens with a lot of digital cameras) so my rule always is, take two shots if possible. Also, I highly recommend getting a lens adapter ring (Sony VAD-S70) and a UV/neutral filter to protect that great Carl Zeiss lens. I never use a lens cap with these, and I toss my S75 around a lot, just throwing it into my briefcase. The adapter makes it a bit bigger (and with extreme close-ups like <1 ft, flash is 5% blocked in corner but how many of these do you take?) but it still fits into a normal jacket pocket with no problems, and makes it almost indestructible. The auto settings work fine but it has enough manual settings if you want to be creative. I love the MPEG settings. The video quality is just average but adequate for web stuff. The audio is just fine. I keep it on the 320x240 setting and it will let me shoot MPEG for as long as the memory stick holds out (over 20 mins on a 128M!). Great for "accidentally" recording someone you're talking to without being noticeable, if that's your thing! I continue to get lots of compliments from my pics with these cameras. 3.3MP produces shots that rival even larger sizes-great color and detail. Easily blown up to 8x10 or bigger. Great one step close-up setting for those eBay pics! Controls are easily learned, or just leave it on auto everything-just zoom, frame and shoot. (If my daughters could learn to use at ages 9 & 12, anyone can) If you're taking action shots, to reduce the "digi-delay, set focus manually, then push the shutter button down half-way, then wait for your shot and push rest of the way when you need it-not perfect but it helps. Also, built-in flash won't illuminate shots more than 20-30 ft but very few do. Bottom line: My wife and I love ours and I'm thinking of buying my kids their own!

January 2007
Though today's digital cameras may offer more megapixels per captured image than this older model, most people don't need more megapixels. Certainly I don't; I'm an amateur. For my first digital camera, I wanted a good value, very good optics, and the option of choosing my own settings for focus, aperture, and shutter speed. That's just what this camera offers.

The focus works the way it does on a conventional camera: you twist a barrel around the lens to sharpen the part of the image you want to focus on. So simple, so natural. (Not frustrating like weird two-step indirect method of manual focusing required by some of the more recently issued point-and-shoot cameras, such has the otherwise pretty decent Canon PowerShot A530 that I've tried.) Of course, learning how to switch to the other manual settings is not entirely obvious, but with the manual that's only a little bit frustrating (downloadable, in a pinch) and a tiny bit of patience--or with Job's patience, no manual, and lots of trial and error--a person with average gizmo ability can figure it out.

Having used a Sony Cybershot DSC-S75 many times through a camera library of sorts, I knew that I would be happy with the way it works and with the range and depth of its features. One can use the automatic settings with good results in many situations, but the manual controls are if you want them. The manual controls may be too complicated for a first camera for a complete photography novice, but they're great for someone with a little experience who wants a lot of control. And at used-camera prices, it's a good camera for a novice who wants room to grow.

This camera also works especially well for left-handed people. I prefer this model over its successor because some of the menu and mode controls on the back of the camera flank the left side of the display where my dominant thumb can get a proper workout.

The camera's software works seamlessly with my Mac running OSX 10.4. Nothing new to load onto the computer, no new software to figure out; just join the Mac with the USB connecting cable to the camera, turn it on, and iPhoto opens to receive the images that download automatically without further ado.

With a battery-recharging adapter, I can shoot for a long time on a single battery--a couple of hours, maybe, depending upon how much flash I use and how much standby time I chew up reviewing my shots or musing about composition. With extra memory on the stick I can capture a couple hundred images, easily, before I need to switch memory or batteries. (Tip: The guys at the camera library warn that the batteries discharge if left in the camera, even if it's turned off. So for the longest battery life, pop the battery out of the camera and into the case somewhere safe--not in contact with metal--when you put the camera away.)

This camera is larger and heavier than some of the compact point-and-shoot cameras that are now so ubiquitous. For me that's a good thing: I'm less likely to forget the thing and lose my favorite new toy.