Sony's DSC-T2 is so fancy it doesn't even need buttons, but do its pictures impress?
Review summary of the Sony Cybershot DSC-T2:
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 Release: December 2007. Price: $350.
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Full review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-T2:
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Design - Very good
Minimalism is the name of the game with Sony's Cybershot DSC-T2, as the camera body is essentially but a rounded rectangle with a few buttons adorning its top and back. Indeed, seen solely from the front, it's hardly apparent that the DSC-T2 is a camera at all, but seems more an extraterrestrial gadget with purposes unknown. In short, we really liked the design, which combines simplicity with an aura of techno-chic.
The only buttons are the shutter release and unnecessarily tiny power-button on the top and a zoom-controller, playback button, and ‘scrapbook' toggle on the back. Otherwise the DSC-T2 is controlled entirely via its touchscreen viewfinder, which is centered on the camera's frame and given 2.7-inches of real estate.
Our only niggling complaint is the manual lens-cover on the front: not only is it made redundant by the aforesaid power-button, it also felt flimsy and, with even a modicum of force, could easily be torn-off. The cover itself is integral to the camera's sleekness, but it and the power button actually tended to countermand each other during use. Accordingly, we would prefer the power button be dispensed with altogether and the cover be placed upon sturdier tracks.
Features - Very good
Sony has packed the DSC-T2 with image-quality features, including most notably their "D-Range Optimization," which purportedly expands the visual information in blown highlights and underlit shadows; we presume this is similar to what can be accomplished manually with exposure compensations in RAW image editing. It's interesting not only to see a compact camera accomplish this automatically, but to do so intelligently in select regions of an image, and our tests with the camera did show a wide dynamic-range.
Sony has also included optical image-stabilization, which certainly helps in a camera this small. The camera also has a standard macro-range and, better yet, an extremely cool ‘close focus' mode, in which the lens can focus down to a phenomenal one-centimeter. Best of all is the whopping 4-gigabytes of built-in memory, which allows for over 1200 shots without any memory cards.
In terms of standard point-and-shoot features, the DSC-T2 offers only a smile-shutter and red-eye correction. There's also the baffling scrapbook-mode, which automatically organizes and displays pictures against a series of strange, and usually obtrusive, backgrounds. Similar to that is the built-in slideshow mode, which cycles through all available pictures with a series of slow-dissolves and automated pans, all set to amusingly schmaltzy music. Both of these features are sorely lacking in comparison to, say, a good panorama-assist.
Interface / Software - Very good
The biggest draw to the DSC-T2 is, of course, its large touchscreen, which really does make the camera a joy to handle, especially in comparison to the clunkier point-and-shoots on the market. Instead of scrolling through menus of oblique icons, the DSC-T2 simply presents its features right on the viewfinder, and all you have to do is pop out your index finger and push the setting you want to change. As a result, everything from ISO settings to metering modes are immediately and easily accessible.
Sony's bundled software is less intuitive but gets the job done, at least in terms of storage, organization, and basic editing, and if desired, users can also upload directly to the Internet. Connectivity is accomplished via a single dongle that adapts mini-USB, composite A/V, and HD component cables. Unlike the vast majority of point-and-shoots, though, the composite A/V connector is not bundled, which is stranger still considering how much attention Sony has paid the camera's slideshow feature. No surprise that the HD adapter is similarly missing, and alas, as Sony's website warns, the bundle also does not include an HDTV.
Image quality - Very good
The Cybershot DSC-T2 boasts all around great image-quality, with an astounding macro-range, sharp edges, and accurate color-reproduction. Unfortunately the camera is remarkably noisy for its price-range: noise is decently well-managed from 80 – 200 but noticeable at 400 and distracting at 800. At 1600 images are marred by rather extreme color-distortion. As for 3200, well, we've often used the word ‘useless' to describe high ISO sensitivities on other cameras, and now we regret that, for it makes it harder for us to convey just how disastrous the 3200 setting is on this camera. Regardless, the 3200 renders nothing but big, bleary blobs of dull colors so racked with distortion and blur that the actual subject of the image is difficult even to discern, much less appreciate. The 3200 setting, which really shouldn't have been offered in the first place, is to be avoided.
Scene test
On a sunnier note, the DSC-T2 performed admirably in this scene test: colors are excellent, edges are finely delineated, the open sky is essentially noise-free, and no fringing is apparent. Our only minor complaint would be the blue cast on the branches and street lamp in the upper-right.
Edge test
The DSC-T2 performed equally well in this fringing test, as edges are sharp and display no fringing or haloing. The yellow in the stop-light is bright and rich against the blue background, and the image is essentially noiseless.
Ultra-macro test
Our favorite feature of the DSC-T2 is its ultra-macro mode, and this sample evinces just how insanely close the camera can get to its subject: for this shot, the lens was all but flush against a brick wall. The image itself is not perfectly focused at 100% zoom, but it's otherwise colorful and nicely detailed. Lovers of macro photography will get a big kick out of this feature.
Geometry test
One issue to note is some geometry issues with the DSC-T2's lens, particularly an above-average amount of barrel distortion, as seen in this test. This is hardly a deal killer, but will occasionally be visible in photos with hard lines near the outside edges.
Comparison
Compare the Sony Cybershot DSC-T2 with similar products
Price and availability
Available in the U.S. in December 2007, the Sony Cybershot DSC-T2 is priced at $350 .
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