Sony CyberShot DSC-P30Sony develops an affordable, full-featured 1.3-megapixel compact digicam with great picture quality!<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 4/9/2001 |
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 DSC-P30'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 P30 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the P30's white balance system did a good job of interpreting most light sources. The P30 had some trouble with the household incandescent lighting of our Indoor Portrait, producing sepia casts in both automatic and incandescent white balance modes. We also noticed a tendency for the white balance to change with the exposure compensation setting in this shot, as a +1.7 EV adjustment produced a very reddish/orange image and no exposure adjustment reduced the color cast, but also resulting in a much darker image. Switching over to Twilight mode gave us longer exposures and better overall color. During the majority of our testing, we noticed either slightly cool or slightly magenta results, and we typically found the automatic white balance setting to be the most accurate. Despite the minor color casts, overall color looked pretty good in most of our test shots, with pretty good accuracy. We noticed that bright red values, such as the red flower in the Outdoor Portrait and the large, red color block of the Davebox target, were slightly oversaturated, although the other large color blocks of the Davebox test target looked pretty good and nearly accurate (though the cyan block is a little weak). The P30 just barely picks up the subtle difference between the red and magenta color blocks on the middle, horizontal color chart (which is a common problem area for many digicams), oversaturating them slightly. The P30 also captures the subtle tonal variations of the Q60 chart all the way up to the "B" range, though they are very faint (another common problem area for digicams). Overall, though, the P30 produced nice color.
The DSC-P30 did very well in our laboratory resolution test, cleanly resolving to 500-550 lines per picture height in both vertical and horizontal directions, and showing excellent detail all the way out to 600 lines. This is a very good performance for a 1.3 megapixel camera.
Optical distortion on the P30 is fairly low at the wide angle end, where we measured an approximate 0.42 percent barrel distortion. The telephoto end fared slightly better, as we measured an approximate 0.34 percent pincushion distortion. Chromatic aberration is very low, showing about a half a pixel of coloration on each side of the black target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.) Overall, it looks like the DSC-P30 has a very good lens system.
We found the P30's optical viewfinder to be very tight, showing approximately 69.6 percent of the final image area at wide angle, and about 74.7 percent at telephoto, at all three image sizes. We also noticed that the final image is shifted towards the lower left corner, with a great deal of extra space on the right side of the image. Images framed with the optical viewfinder are also slanted toward the lower left corner. (Overall, the optical viewfinder is one of the most glaring weaknesses of the P30's design.) The LCD monitor fared much better, showing approximately 99.6 percent accuracy at wide angle. Unfortunately, the telephoto images framed with the LCD monitor are slanted toward the lower left corner, placing our standard measurement lines just out of the frame. We assume that the LCD accuracy at telephoto is also very close to 100 percent, however. We generally like to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, so the P30 does well in this respect, though the telephoto images are somewhat slanted.
The P30 performs well in the macro category, capturing a minimum area of just 2.32 x 1.74 inches (58.96 x 44.22mm). Detail and resolution both looked great, with good sharpness. We did notice quite a bit more corner softness in the macro shot however. (Not uncommon in cameras we've tested.) The gray background showed a moderately low noise level. Color balance was good throughout the image, though just the slightest magenta tints were visible in the lighter areas of the dollar bill. The P30's built-in flash had some trouble throttling down for the macro area, creating a hot spot in the top right corner, and a darker shadow area in the lower left corner.
Our first reaction to the P30 was that it didn't do well at all in the low-light category, as we were shooting only in the normal exposure mode, using ISO settings of 100-400. (Low-light limits were about 8 foot-candles at ISO100, 4 foot-candles at ISO 200, and 2 foot-candles at ISO 400, but even those figures were pushing matters somewhat: Light levels of almost 2x that would be a more conservative rating.) We then switched to the camera's "Twilight" mode, which allows longer exposure times, and obtained much more favorable results, achieving a good, bright exposure at a light level of 1 foot-candle (11 lux), and a usable one at 1/2 foot-candle (5.5 lux). To put the P30's low-light performance into perspective, an average city night scene under modern street lighting corresponds to a light level of about one foot-candle, so the P30 should do fine for most outdoor/city shooting in its Twilight mode. The table below shows the best exposure we were able to obtain for each of a range of illumination levels. Images in this table (like all of our sample photos) are untouched, exactly as they came from the camera.
Overall, the P30 did a nice job for its 1.3 megapixel class, producing good color and resolution throughout our testing. The P30 captures a very small macro area, and its white balance system can handle most light sources reasonably well. Operating in "Twilight" mode, the P30 should be well up to the challenge of most city night scenes. The availability of a 3x zoom lens, sharpness adjustments, and user-controlled ISO makes the P30 a versatile camera for average consumers, and it takes nice pictures too.
Conclusion
The Sony DSC-P30 should appeal to users looking for a full-featured digicam with very good picture quality at a reasonable price. The P30 isn't a bargain-basement, de-featured model, but rather a serious attempt to provide a quality camera with a full feature set at an affordable price. In our view, Sony has met most of the needs of typical consumer photographers, while holding prices in line. With this model, Sony has revised its user interface substantially, and in our opinion, in all ways for the better. If you're looking for a compact, high-quality digicam at a reasonable price, the DSC-P30 clearly deserves a serious look!
Follow Imaging Resource: