"First Look" review of Sony DSC-P30/P50 posted!
By
Dave Etchells
(Friday, February 9, 2001 - 17:43 EST)
Sony's price-and-features attack on the digicam market extends to the "low" end, in the form of two new Cybershots. Not earth-shaking prices, but very strong value for the dollar, perfect for serious users wanting good image quality and rich features at affordable prices. Not bargain basement, but serious competition with good value in the crucial "mid market" for digicams...
 Phew! "Sony Day" at the Imaging Resource, for sure! The last item today is a quick peek at a pair of cameras at the low end of Sony's latest round of announcements. The new DSC-P30 (1.3 megapixels) and DSC-P50 (2.1 megapixels) will replace last year's DSC-S30 and DSC-S50, but again with price cuts of $100 each. The new models have a shape generally reminiscent of the tiny DSC-P1 we reviewed last summer, but are a fair bit larger overall. (Still "pocket sized" though, passing the ISO standard shirt-pocket test. ;-) The news here (besides the lower prices) is the inclusion of an optical viewfinder to supplement the LCD (hooray!), and again a dramatically reworked user interface. As with the S75, we *really* like Sony's new user interface philosophy, as the UI was one of the things we least liked about Sony cameras in the past. (Personal bias really, as users seemed generally happy with the UI design. The new system is much simpler and faster to operate though.) These new models seem aimed at folks who want a good feature set (3x zoom lens, rechargeable battery, good exposure controls, variable ISO option) at an affordable price. They're not intended to be "bargain basement" cheapies, but seem to offer good value for the money. (The DSC-P30 will retail at $399, and the DSC-P50 at $499. Look for them in stores in April.) We'll have full reviews of both units shortly after PMA, but in the meantime, see our First Look review.
Source:
Imaging Resource "First Look" Review of DSC-P30 and DSC-P50
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