Sony DSC-P52 Digital Camera [3MP 2xOptical]

I've divided this review into segments:

EASE OF USE:
Using the camera is child's play. I only read the manual briefly, but I quickly became accustomed to the controls. The large LCD display makes taking decent photos a piece of cake. It's very easy to navigate your way through the functions.

ERGONOMICS:
The camera fits nicely in the hand and feels quite sturdy. It may seem a little brick like by today's standards, but it means that camera shake is kept to a minimum.

QUALITY OF PHOTOS:
The quality of the photos is superb. I've taken hundreds of photos - holidays, weddings, portraits of family and friends. There are limitations, however. The shutter speed isn't particularly fast, so don't expect spectacular results if your subject moves quickly. I intend to invest in a digital SLR in the future to address this problem.

PIXELS:
Even though this camera is capable of taking 3.2M photos, I rarely using this setting. For one, it uses an enormous amount of memory stick space. For enlargements up to A4, 2M pixels is more than adequate

VALUE:
Overall, the camera is good value for money. I would invest in either a 64mb or, better still, a 128mb memory stick as the 16mb specimen provided is fairly useless.

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?
I most certainly would, but it depends what you intend to use if for. As mentioned earlier, this camera is ideal for snapping friends, family members, and special events such as weddings and holidays. Just remember the shutter speed limitations for your Brands Hatch days!


Impressive   January 13, 2005
This will be short and brief but to put it simply, this camera is a really quality camera that i have had for some time now and i have really put it through its paces. Even now i find the picture qulaity exceeds beyond a lot of my friends 4MP camera and this is only 3.2MP but still offers wonderful sharp and well-focused images. This camera is very well built and feels like a tyically solid Sony product and i love the sound quality of recorded video using this beast. My drums are very loud and this product picks up the sound perfeclty with no distortion! Buy this camera as Sony really make a good job of making digital devices. make sure you buy a decent capicity memory card too!


Best camera around   October 29, 2004
Chris Wood (Birkenhead, Merseyside United Kingdom)
I have owned my camera for a whole year and have taken literally hundreds of photo's.I'm even more pleased with it now than when I first got it which is why I'm writing this now!
One of the best things I think is the amazing length of battery life! I actually bought a spare set of rechargables so I could always have a spare set ready to go, but I needn't have bothered!! They last forever! I'm not a very technical photographer, so I won't go into boring details, suffice it to say the photographs obviously are better quality taken on 3.1 megapixels, but if you buy extra memory (I use128mb)you can use this setting permanently. Excellent on screen and printed, too.
A first rate, easy to operate camera. Well done Sony!


Good Purchase   July 3, 2004
David Ellis (London, England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Very satisfactory purchase. The camera is easy to use, and has a well-made feel and nice design. Pictures are of high quality. The rubber flap covering the USB socket is a poor design feature and frequently comes loose, but this is a very minor niggle - otherwise a great purchase.


Top notch camera at a top notch price!   April 10, 2004
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Well Sony have done it again, another great product! My first impression of opening the box was "great it looks like a brick" but that was only due to the lens, other than the slight bulkyness of the camera its superb! The camera is packed with features that the novice and expert can both enjoy! Features like Sepia, black and white, Negative and Solarize. The 'burst' mode is fantastic if you want to catch moving images.
Then there's the video recording facility, which so far is a great subsitute for having to buy a digital video camera - this one includes sound!
To sumarize it all... Great Camera, Great Price and Great value for money!