Editorial Reviews Product Description The DSC-S50 CyberShot
is a feature-packed, compact 2.1 megapixel camera with a 3x optical and 2x
digital zoom. Like most Sony cameras, the S50 also comes with a long-life
InfoLithium rechargeable battery. One unusual feature of this camera is
its 2-inch color LCD screen, which swings up from the back of the camera
and swivels more than 180 degrees. This lets you adjust the position of
the display, compose self-portraits, and even swivel the LCD toward the
inside of the camera for safe transportation. The display is clearer and
brighter than those on most cameras--you can even use it in direct
sunlight. Like many camcorders, this one lacks a traditional optical
viewfinder--you compose your shots by using the color display.
Maximum image size is 1,600 x 1,200 pixels, which produces good-quality
prints even at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches. Pictures are stored on Sony's
proprietary Memory Stick media (the camera ships with a 4 MB stick).
Hobbyists will appreciate the wide range of manual controls, including
shutter priority, aperture priority, manual focus, exposure compensation,
and a number of special effects. The macro is particularly impressive,
focusing on items less than 1.2 inches from the lens.
This multimedia marvel also lets you make low-resolution (320 x 240 or
160 x 112) MPEG movies up to 60 seconds in length, and a built-in
microphone can be used both for movie mode and to add sounds to your still
photos.
Delivers the goods, October 1, 2000 Reviewer: Christopher
Miller (see more about me)from Slingerlands, NY
USA The DSC-S50 is my second digital camera and I have
been very satisfied with it. It is very easy to use and has the power user
features that you expect for a camera of it's class. I use it for
capturing pictures for the web and it's 2.1 megapixel resolution is more
than adequate for that purpose. It comes with only 4 megs of storage, but
is easy to upgrade. Lexar noew makes memory sticks and the price is close
to the compact flash prices. I picked up a 32 mb stick and I can take
about 80 pictures at the medium resolution of 1024x768. The big drawback
is the lack of an optical viewfinder. The LCD display is very nice, but
drains the battery. It's also very difficult to see in bright daylight.
20 of 21 people found the
following review helpful:
Best camera for the money - works great on
Macs, August 17, 2000 Reviewer: appleguru
(see more about me)from Cupertino, CA United
States While there are many cameras to choose from, the
Sony camera offers the most features for the money. Its a great 2 mega
pixel camera, that has a VERY nice LCD screen (one of the best I've seen).
The MPEG feature will not be useful to most, being that it is very low
quality, but it's nice to have. Make sure you have a good printer to go
with the camera (this is the case for any digital camera)!
The camera comes with everything you need, cables, battery, software,
and 4MB memory stick which suprisingly can hold a pretty good amount of
pictures. I would get the extra 16MB memory stick as well... With the 4MB
and 16MB memory sticks, you'll be set for any vacation.
Because it is USB, all you have to do is copy two sony extensions into
your system folder and the camera is ready to work on your MACINTOSH. Just
plug it in and you can read/delete from the sony memory stick as if it was
a mounted drive.
11 of 11 people found the
following review helpful:
Sony Comes Through, September 22, 2000 Reviewer: Ronald
Williams (see more about me)from Missouri,
USA The Sony DSC-S50 may not be the cheapest digital
camera you can buy, but it certainly has to be one of the best. The USB
port makes loading your pictures on a computer really easy. The controls
and menu layout are similar to the Mavica, so if you have used that camera
then you already know how the menu system on this one works. The small
size and storage capacity are what sold me on this camera. As noted in
some other reviews, a viewfinder would be nice, because if you are taking
pictures outside, it can be difficult at times to see the image on the
flip-up screen. But those are about the only drawbacks to this camera I
can think of. I have taken most of my pictures at the lowest resolution,
and even then, they are still EXCELLENT pictures. I even posted a picture
of a book cover on ebay, and you could read every word that was printed on
the book cover. I used the Macro mode and it worked great. I have used a
Kodak and Mavica (not owned) in the past, and found the Kodak to be OK,
but it isn't in the same league with SONY. I also have to give AMAZON a
plug here too. They gave me great service, shipping costs were reasonable,
and you save at least $50 or so compared to a typical retailer. This
camera comes with a 4mb Memory Stick and I bought a 16mb for additional
storage capacity, and I would definitely recommend getting at least that.
They are a little pricey right now, but I'm betting the price will drop in
the future. Overall, this is a great camera and you won't be disappointed
if you buy it. Don't waste your money on off-brands.
9 of 10 people found the
following review helpful:
Cybershop Takes The Cake, September 18, 2000
Reviewer: A customer from Boulder, CO
USA Truly an amazing product... to be expected, of
course, from Sony. Albeit the camera is on the pricey side, you are paying
for extras you cannot find anywhere else. In particular, the LCD screen,
which enables you to manipulate your photos right from the camera. You can
tweak a photo, delete it, store it as a presentation, etc. When you are
ready to preview the image on the computer, simply plug in the USB
connection. I would recommend this model because it offers MPEG movie
mode, as well as 2.1 megapixel resolution, which ties in greatly with
high-end InkJet printers, such as HP. I would, however, recommend
purchasing additional memory sticks, perhaps up to 64 MB, as you may be
interested in storing video and additional high quality, 1600 x 1200 x
16.7m images. Currently, the unit ships with a 4 MB card, which stores
appx. 4 images at the highest quality. A bit shabby for those looking to
build an extensive photo collection. I was skeptical during the initial
purchase, but am glad I made the move.
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Reviews
Delivers the goods, October 1, 2000 