Sony DSC-P1Sony packs a 3 megapixel CCD and a full 3x optical zoom lens into an exceptionally compact digicam!<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 9/12/2000 |
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, our comments here are rather condensed, summarizing our key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the Sony DSC-P1's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the Sony DSC-P1 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the DSC-P1 performed very well, with good color balance in the majority of our testing. The camera's white balance system had a little trouble with the indoor portrait shots, but did a good job in most other shooting situations (the camera handled the difficult Outdoor portrait very well). We shot with the automatic white balance setting during most of our testing, since it produced the most accurate results. (We did notice that the automatic setting produced slightly warm results on the Musicians poster, which is more than likely the digicam's reaction to the large amount of blue in the image, and a fairly typical reaction among digicams we've tested.) The DSC-P1 accurately reproduced the large color blocks in the Davebox test target, with only the slightest weakness in the cyan patch. Tonal handling was also really excellent, as the subtle tonal variations of the Q60 target were visible up to the "B" range and the large vertical grayscale chart showed detail far into the darker tones. In the outdoor portrait shot, color was again excellent, and the P1's 12-bit digitization showed its value in the excellent detail it maintained in the strong highlights of the model's shirt. Overall, the DSC-P1 did a great job with color balance, and showed exceptional tonal range.
The DSC-P1 turned in a really excellent performance on the resolution test. In fact, it actually almost exactly equaled the performance of the earlier DSC-S70, a notably sharp, high-resolution camera. The image is a noticeably softer overall, but the detail resolved (in terms of lines per picture height) is virtually identical. (A nice illustration of the difference between resolution and sharpness.) We "called" the P1's resolution at 900-950 lines per picture height in the horizontal direction, and 850-900 in the vertical, with detail visible vertically well beyond 900 lines, and horizontally to well beyond 1000. As with S70 seems to show resolution beyond what should be theoretically possible, according to the Nyquist theorem and the CCD's pixel count. We attributed this to the camera's excellent suppression of artifacts, both in chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) domains. There is in fact some aliasing visible beginning around 750 lines vertically (where theory says the limit should be), but it's so well controlled as to be almost invisible. Really a topnotch performance on this test!
The DSC-P1 offers a fair amount of exposure control, although it operates in full Automatic exposure mode at all times. The camera does offer a handful of preset Program AE modes (Twilight, Twilight Plus, Landscape, Panfocus and Spot Metering) that expand its shooting repertoire. The user can also control sharpness, flash mode, exposure compensation and white balance. The DSC-P1 didn't do quite as well in the low light category as the very best of the current crop of 3 megapixel digicams, as we were only able to obtain useable images at light levels as low as 1/2 of a foot-candle (5.5 lux). Overall, we'd rate the camera as performing at full spec at 2 foot-candles (22 lux), adequately at 1 foot-candle (11 lux), and marginally at 1/2 foot-candle (5.5 lux). Noise is quite low throughout the range. (For reference, a typical city night scene under average street lighting corresponds to a light level of about 1 foot-candle.) Prior to the P1, we haven't been recording the minimum light level that cameras' autofocus systems could work at, but will now do so on a regular basis. In the case of the P1, we found that it focused well to 1 foot-candle, was a little spotty at 1/2 foot-candle, and below that really needed to be operated in a fixed-focus (landscape or panfocus) mode.
The single biggest disappointment of the P1 was its flash range, which is very limited, even according to Sony's own ratings. (We must at least give Sony credit for not trying to inflate the flash performance in their specs, something we've seen in the past from other manufacturers, here to remain nameless. With a maximum rated flash range of less than four feet in telephoto mode, the DSC-P1 wouldn't be your first choice for unassisted nighttime flash photography of larger groups or settings. We also observed that the shutter delay due to the autofocus mechanism is somewhat longer than average, which could be problematic for action photography.
We found the DSC-P1's optical viewfinder to be somewhat tight, showing about 84 percent of the final image area at wide angle and 83 percent at telephoto (at both 2048 x 1536 and 640 x 480 image sizes). (Note that we've changed our nomenclature on this to better reflect what you see looking into the viewfinder: We previously would have referred to the DSC-P1's viewfinder as "loose"...) The LCD monitor was more accurate, though still a little tight, showing 90 percent of the final image area at both wide angle and telephoto (also at both 2048 x 1536 and 640 x 480 image sizes). Since we generally like to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the DSC-P1's LCD misses the mark slightly in this area. We also noticed that images framed with the optical viewfinder were weighted toward the top left of the image area, with more space on the right and bottom sides. These images also showed a slight slant towards the lower right corner.
The DSC-P1 turned in about an average performance in the macro category, capturing a minimum area of 4.21 x 3.16 inches (106.89 x 80.17 mm). The resolution, color and detail all look good, although the brooch appears just slightly soft (possibly due to a limited depth of field). The DSC-P1's flash does a reasonably good job of throttling down for macro images, although the shiny coin proves to be a bit tricky (as is the case with many digicams). Overall, a nice if not exceptional job.
Though the DSC-P1 may be somewhat limited in its amount of exposure control, the camera produces nice images with good color balance and quality. Noise levels were extremely low in most of our test shots, always something we look for in a digital camera. The Twilight and Twilight Plus modes give the user more flexibility in low light situations, as does the ability to control white balance, exposure compensation and sharpness. Overall, we were very pleased with the DSC-P1's performance.
Conclusion
Overall, the DSC-P1 offers a nice selection of features for the average digicam user in an exceptionally compact package. As we said at the outset, we see the DSC-P1 as being a "no excuses" compact digicam. It offers an unusually compact form factor, yet provides excellent image quality, good flexibility, a 3 megapixel CCD and a full 3x zoom lens, and surprisingly comfortable ergonomics. Though the exposure is automatically controlled, the creative options of the Picture Effects menu and the wide array of special exposure modes make this camera flexible enough for most shooting scenarios. The camera was described to us by a Sony manager as "A Sony digicam experience in a compact package," and that's exactly what it delivers: We think this is going to be a very popular digicam. (And if you're interested in underwater photography, run don't walk to your nearest Sony dealer to get one of these with the optional "Marine Pack" underwater housing - It's that good!) Highly recommended!
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