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Sony DSC-S85 Sony extends its S-series Cybershot line with the S85, sporting a 4-megapixel CCD, Exposure Bracketing, and Burst 3 sequential capture. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet Cyber-shot DSC-S85 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on Cyber-shot DSC-S85 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 4:Viewfinder Review First Posted: 6/7/2001

Viewfinder
For composing images, the S85 features a real image optical viewfinder and a color LCD monitor. The optical viewfinder zooms along with the lens, but does not show the 2x digital zoom, which can only be enabled when the LCD monitor is activated. A central autofocus crosshair in the viewfinder assists with focus and exposure lock. Eyeglass wearers will be pleased to note the diopter adjustment dial on the left side of the eyepiece, which adjusts the view for near- and farsighted vision. We also found that the S85's viewfinder eyepiece had a fairly high eyepoint, meaning there is adequate space for an eyeglass lens to fit between the photographer's eye and the viewfinder image, without affecting vision. (We did find it necessary to press our glasses against the viewfinder eyepiece somewhat, although that didn't interfere with our use of the camera too much. Still, we'd like just another millimeter or so of eye relief on the eyepiece design.)


The 1.8-inch color LCD monitor on the back panel is activated by pressing the Display button, which also controls the information display. Pressing the button once activates the LCD monitor (if it was previously turned off) with the information display turned on. A second press cancels the information display, and the third press shuts the image display off completely. In Record mode, the LCD monitor's information display reports a plethora of information, including image resolution, JPEG compression level, number of remaining images (plus available Memory Stick space), exposure compensation, f/stop, shutter speed, flash mode, and an excellent feature unique to Sony cameras -- the number of minutes remaining on the battery! In Automatic and Scene modes, a half press of the shutter button is necessary to display the current shutter speed and aperture settings, and in some capture modes, only applicable readings will be displayed.


We liked the Manual Focus display, which eschews the usual focus bar. Instead, the current distance setting is shown in a single, numeric reading, which you can change by turning the Jog Dial (when the focus distance is highlighted on the LCD screen). Being able to set the lens focus to a specific (numeric) distance can be invaluable when setting up for shots in low-light conditions. (Although, the S85's focus-assist light also works exceptionally well, providing well-focused pictures even in total darkness.) We also noticed that when you manually adjust the focus, the LCD monitor snaps into focus dramatically as soon as you select the right distance. We're not sure how Sony managed to make focus changes so dramatically obvious on the LCD, but whatever they did seems to work well, and makes the manual focus option much more useful than those we've seen on many other cameras.

Our one significant complaint about the S85's viewfinder system is that we found the optical viewfinder to be rather "tight," showing only about 83.6 percent of the final image area at wide angle, and about 83.2 percent at telephoto (for all four image resolutions). Most point & shoot cameras show about 85 percent of the final image area in the optical viewfinder, and we personally prefer to see something closer to 90 percent coverage. The S85's LCD monitor produced much more accurate results, showing almost exactly 100% of the image area, at all zoom settings and image sizes. Since we generally like to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the S85 performed very well in this respect.

In Playback mode, the LCD monitor offers an Index display mode as well as a 1.1 to 5x Playback Zoom, which enlarges captured images for closer inspection. Once enlarged, the Arrow buttons enable you to scroll around inside the image. The Display button controls the information and image display in Playback mode, cycling through three modes: No display, image with information, and image without information. The Playback image information includes the file type (movie or still), image size, where the image falls in the Playback index, remaining card capacity, file name, date and time the image was taken, and the remaining battery power.

We also liked the control the S85 provides over the LCD display itself. Most digicams we've tested offer a "brightness" adjustment that really only changes the LCD contrast setting. Like the S75, the S85 provides that control, but also lets you adjust the actual brightness of the LCD's backlight as well. Very handy for sunny shooting conditions, albeit at the cost of a roughly 20 percent increase in power consumption. Between the contrast and backlight adjustment options, the S85's LCD screen is one of the best we've seen for use in full sunlight. (Surprisingly, it actually is usable even in full sun, pretty remarkable, given how miserably most cameras perform in this respect.)