Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T7 Digital Camera [5MP, 3x Optical Zoom]

Along with looking sharp and sleek, the camera is beautifully constructed. It feels extremely solid to hold, is quite light and evidently has a high build quality although I'd still have qualms about dropping it. The LCD screen is another high quality component of the camera. It has a decent angle of view and displays pictures with amazing clarity. As for movie playback on the screen - I use a 512MB Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo stick which allows movies to be shot in high quality mode (640x400). Note that only Pro Duo cards can shoot in high quality mode. The playback of these movies on the screen is breathtaking with no hint of lag. The movies are also recorded with sound; sound playback is adequate on the T7. It can distort a little at high volumes but it isn't a major problem. If you're wondering, the 512MB stick can record just over 6 minutes in high quality mode.

As a first time digital camera buyer I was also looking for ease of use. I was extremely impressed with how straight forward the T7 is. Few times did I have to refer to the manual. Sony have provided the camera with a range of different scene modes for certain situations such as bright days, bright white snow, cloudy days, fast moving objects, fireworks, etc. The menu also allows configuration of ISO values, aperture sizes, shutter speed, etc. Point-and-click shooting for novices like myself is made easier with a real-time histogram for light values.

Photos taken with the T7 are sharp and clear when printed but usage of some scene modes can cause extra noise in the photo. Flicking through the photos taken is a piece of cake. The camera provides three settings - View, Shoot and Record. Shoot and Record are for taking photos and movies respectively whilst View is for looking over your photographs. At its largest scale, the camera displays photos in a 4x4 grid. Deleting any unwanted is also simple.

The camera takes an extremely short time to start up (approximately 1 second), and taking photographs is speedy too. Having the camera set on 5MP mode, the camera can take around 190 shots on an empty 512MB stick. Battery life is average on the camera - it lasts about 80 minutes on a full charge if you're taking pictures. If you're simply viewing them, this will increase to two hours. To conserve battery life, the camera automatically powers down if you close the protective lens cover, and if you leave it open, it will also automatically shut down after a few minutes. Having the screen set on normal brightness helps too with volume down and no menu sounds helps too. Along with having a spare battery.

This is an excellent camera for consumers. Its superb looks and construction turns head; I've had a dozen people inquire about it whilst on holiday and a few more when I returned back home. It performs admirable in point-and-click shooting, as well as providing more advanced settings for enthusiasts. Movie recording and playback is an absolute joy on the T7; videos in high quality look stunningly sharp on our 32" TV. When I was researching which camera to buy, it was going to either the Nikon CoolPix S1 or the Cybershot DSC T7. I'm glad I chose the latter.

The 5.1 megapixel is good enough for me but the best part is the video taking capability. On a 1 gig card (about £90) you can get 45 mins of v good quality footage and as its so small, nobody notices your doing it!

You could easily slip it in your jeans pocket for a night out and for me the size & weight is the most important part, but it still does everything the larger cameras do.

Linking to your pc is rapid and it automatically downloads when linked via USB. very easy to use, you dont even need to read the instructions.

Overall, great piece of kit and well ahead of the nikon and cannons i considered. it also looks great!

The whole subject is entirely subjective as well. Some people who say it's great might have no photographic eye whatsoever, and the guys who says it's bad might be professional photographers.

So what's it like. Well I bought this camera and a Nikon D70s Digital SLR for serious stuff. The Sony is for nights out, parties, BBQs and places where you wouldn't usually want to lug a huge 300mm lense. The day I got them I pointed the Cybershot at my car and snapped a picture in clear daylight. I did the same with the D70. I then plugged both straight into my Canon IP4000 printer and output a standard 6x4 glossy print from both. Apart from some very subtle differences neighter myself nor my friends could tell the prints apart.

What does this mean? Clearly the D70 can handle a much wider range of shooting environments with many more manual overide features. But in an ordinary snapshot test they both performed great.

My conclusion is this. Anybody who rubbishes the image quality of the Cybershot hasn't got the slightest idea of what they are talking about. Image quality from a camera the size, style and price of the T7 is simply astonishing. If you are not happy with the image quality then you are either using the camera improperly or you are expecting far to much and I would advise you shell out £800 for a D70s and suitable lens, but be prepared to endure repetive strain injury carrying it around, and do not expect to take it on a night out clubbing.

My recommendation is this: BUY IT!! You will love it!!