DSC-P8 Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera

CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
Detailed editors' rating
Design: 8.0
Features: 7.0
Performance: 8.0
Image quality: 7.0
Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 25 reviews
• See all user reviews

Product summary

CNET editors' review

• Reviewed by: Theano Nikitas
• Reviewed on: 05/28/2003
• Released on: 04/15/2003

Sony's 3.2-megapixel P8 is loaded with all the distinctive, fun features we loved in the P7, its predecessor in the DSC-P series of compact cameras. The P8 also offers a few treats of its own, including a live histogram and the Tracking Auto-Focus function. While this good-looking camera wins points for ease of use, dedicated point-and-shooters will find better value in 3-megapixel models with more-streamlined feature sets.The P8 is just as attractive as its predecessors, if slightly trimmer--Sony shaved a fraction of an inch off the width and half an ounce off the weight. The result is an ultracompact design weighing 7.5 ounces with the battery and the Memory Stick installed. Sony also made more of the most frequently used features accessible via controls on the P8's body. For example, the camera finally comes with a delete button.

The mode dial, located by the power button and the microphone, is easy to adjust.

Navigation and zoom buttons are joined by more controls for commonly used functions on this model's body.

Ratcheting the P8's mode dial is easy, and you can comfortably toggle through options with the four-way controller on the back of the camera. Making sense of the scene pictographs may require a peek at the manual, but all other menu items are clearly marked. Even newbies should be able to figure out what's what.

The proprietary InfoLithium battery and the 16MB Memory Stick are tucked away in a side compartment. We accidentally slid it open on one occasion, but otherwise we enjoyed the effortless, anytime access. This little camera travels well; overseas voyagers will appreciate the P8's dual-voltage charger.Continuous autofocus is new to the P8. It's silent and fairly responsive, unlike with some cameras, which emit shuddering sighs as their lenses search for focus. While we wouldn't take this camera to a Le Mans race, the tracking feature will help when you're photographing everything but the most hyperactive child.

Sony also added a live histogram, a peak-and-valley graphical representation of a scene's highlights and shadows. The tool, which is becoming fairly common in consumer cams, helps you gauge your exposure's range. Too many peaks indicate that your photograph may be too light; excessive valleys tell you your image is dark. On the P8, you turn on the histogram with a one-touch button. It changes as you recompose or relight a scene so that you have a more accurate view of your exposure.

Otherwise, the P8 comes with the same fun features found in the P7, and it supports most of the same accessories. You can automatically size and resize images for e-mailing, crop photos, and edit video clips. Other useful carryovers include the ability to adjust metering, white balance, ISO settings, and flash power. We particularly like the AF Illuminator, which sends out a brief burst of light that helps the camera focus accurately in low light. It works impressively well.

Unlike most cameras, which limit the length of your recorded clips, the P8 is restricted by only its Memory Stick. The camera is compatible with Memory Stick Pro for a capacity of more than 256MB. You can record MPEG-1 movies with 640x480-pixel resolution (compared with the P7's 320x240). And the Video Mail mode records smaller files so that you can easily e-mail them.

The P8 offers an automatic daylight fill flash that illuminates backlit subjects. In our tests, this feature functioned erratically at best. When we want fill flash, we prefer to force the flash on.

The battery and the Memory Stick share an easily accessible side compartment.

The P8 performs well for a camera in its class. It starts up in less than 3 seconds, and there's virtually no shutter lag. Shot-to-shot time runs about 1.8 seconds. Waiting for the flash to recharge adds another 3 seconds, and red-eye reduction, which delivers a preflash, imposes yet another 1-second delay. The continuous-shooting mode can snap off only two shots, but it grabs them at a speedy 2.7 frames per second before the camera takes a 4-second pause to write the files to the Memory Stick.

In-camera charging of the tiny InfoLithium battery takes less than 2 hours, and a full charge provides enough juice for more than 450 images, a couple of motion clips, moderate playback, deletion, and flash usage. You can even take about 20 more photos after the low-battery warning begins to blink. As part of its energy-saving scheme, the camera goes into standby mode after 16 seconds and retracts the lens during playback.

The 3X optical zoom is fairly responsive and quiet. As with other small cameras, we detected some slight barrel and pincushion distortion, but most people probably won't notice when viewing their images. The P8's 3.9-inch limit on macro shots won't break any records, but it's more than adequate for photographing flowers and other small objects. When we combined the macro feature with the autofocus, we were pleased with the P8's performance.

We did experience a glitch, however: On two separate occasions, several of our test shots became corrupted. We've run into this before when moving Memory Sticks between cameras and card readers. After we formatted the Memory Stick in the camera, the problem disappeared.

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