"Picky Details" for the Sony DSC-P73 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the DSC-P73:

Power
Because it uses a non-standard power connector, I wasn't able to conduct my usual power tests on the DSC-P73. Sony's own figures in the manual show a power consumption of 1.1 watts when in capture mode with the LCD display turned on. That's a very low number and should translate into worst-case run times of three and a half hours or more with good-quality NiMH AA cells. (And the cells that Sony ships with the camera are indeed of good quality.) I still strongly recommend that you purchase a couple of sets of spare cells though, so you'll always have a pair ready to go. Read my Battery Shootout page for information on how well various brands of NiMH batteries perform under actual test conditions.

Storage Capacity
The DSC-P73 stores its photos on Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro memory cards, and a 16 MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 16 MB card at each size/quality setting.