Nov 18, 2008 05:27 PM
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Small, simple, and easy to use, the Sony S750 is handsome and has an attractive price. Measuring 3.6 x 2.2 x 1.0 inches (91 x 56 x 27 millimeters) and weighing only 5 ounces (143 grams), the DSC-S750 is meant for travel.The camera has a 7.2-megapixel CCD, a 3x optical zoom lens, and a bright 2.5-inch color LCD display.
Look and feel. Though trim and compact, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750 was comfortable to hold in my medium-sized hands. Likewise, one-handed shooting was also easy to manage, though I did notice a tendency for my thumb to slide over (and thus smudge) the LCD monitor. The lack of a thumb rest on the rear panel means your thumb has to rest on the Zoom lever or Mode dial most of the time. This typically wasn't a problem, as the Mode dial wasn't easily turned, and the Zoom lever was just firm enough that it wasn't accidentally pressed either. On the upside, all of the Sony S750's external controls are clustered along the right side of the rear panel, which makes one-handed shooting less of a problem.The large, bright, 2.5-inch color LCD monitor covers practically all of the camera's rear panel, leaving just enough room for the small selection of controls clustered along the right side.
Though its surface is highly reflective (and easily smudged and scratched), the Sony S750's LCD is still easy to see under bright sunlight. There is no fine LCD brightness adjustment, but the Display button on the rear panel does offer a slightly brighter display mode for outdoor shooting. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750 offers a standard 3x optical zoom lens, equivalent to a 35-105mm zoom on a 35mm camera. In addition to its optical zoom range, the Cyber-shot DSC-S750 offers Sony's 2x Precision Digital Zoom, which does an nice job of preserving image resolution and detail despite digital enlargement. We always like to remind readers that digital zoom often results in lower resolution and detail, because the camera is simply cropping the center of the frame and enlarging it, but the DSC-S750's digital zoom should yield good results if print sizes are kept small, or images used for online purposes. Sony also included their Smart Zoom technology, which you can enable through a Settings menu. Smart Zoom limits the amount of digital enlargement based on the resolution setting, also in an effort to hold onto detail and reduce artifacts. The Cyber-shot DSC-S750 is equipped for normal shooting conditions, featuring a handful of preset Scene modes, Face Detection technology, and tools like ISO, white balance, sharpness, and color mode adjustments. Straightforward and easy to operate, the DSC-S750 is a comfortable travel companion.
Interface. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750's interface is easy to navigate, with few external controls and a limited record menu. You can literally just point and shoot the majority of the time without needing the LCD menu system. The main menu layout is logical and straightforward, and similar to preceding Cyber-shot models with a set of tabs lining the bottom of the LCD display, whose menus fly up into the image area. The arrow keys of the Multi-controller navigate menu options, while the center button confirms selections. The Sony S750's external controls are also quite straightforward. The Power and Shutter buttons are the only controls on the top panel, and both remain flush with the camera for a sleek profile. The remaining controls are all tucked along the right side of the LCD monitor. The Mode dial on the rear panel controls the main exposure mode, and the four-way Multi-controller immediately below not only navigates through menu settings, but also accesses Display, Macro, Flash, and Self-Timer modes.
Modes. The Mode dial on the rear panel controls the Sony S750's main shooting mode. Choices include Auto, Program, Movie, Snow, Beach, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, and High Sensitivity modes. The Auto option is more like a traditional fully automatic exposure mode, keeping most exposure variables under automatic control, while Program mode expands user control to include white balance, metering, ISO, sharpness and color options. The preset scene options are fairly self-explanatory, each optimizing the camera for common-yet-tricky shooting conditions. Sony's Face Detection technology automatically enables in many of the camera's shooting modes, adjusting focus and exposure for better portraits.The Cyber-shot S750 provides a useful selection of exposure tools in many of its shooting modes, including the ability to choose ISO (from 100 to 1, 250), metering, color mode, white balance, exposure compensation, and sharpness. Through its Record menu, the Sony S750 offers a Burst photography mode, which Sony rates as fast as 3 frames in 1.2 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, which matched our test findings. The Sony S750 is also equipped for capturing 320 x 240-pixel movies with sound, at frame rates as high as 30 frames per second.We noticed significant blurring in the corners of the frame at full wide angle, with ISO slightly less blurring at telephoto. The effect was noticeable in many of the DSC-S750's images.
Appraisal. The Sony Cyber-shot S750 has a few issues. Overall exposure is adequate in many cases, but image quality and color accuracy need improvement. Image noise is on the high side, and there's a good deal of blurring from the camera's effort to suppress that noise. The Sony S750 is inexpensive, easy to use, very portable, and results aren't entirely terrible. Our printed results do show that it's more of a 4x6-only camera, only capable of producing truly sharp 5x7-inch prints at ISO 100; raise the ISO any higher, you're better sticking to 4x6-inch prints. Most 7-megapixel digital cameras are at least capable of printing sharp 11x14-inch prints, but the Sony S750's output is too soft at that size.
