Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50

Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T50 is an update to the existing DSC-T30 model. Both cameras include the same image-stabilized 3x optical zoom lens, branded with the famous Carl Zeiss name and coupled with a 7.2 effective megapixel CCD imager. The most significant difference between the existing camera and the Sony T50 is the addition of touch-screen capability to the large 3.0" LCD display. (We're currently awaiting clarification as to whether this has changed the camera's overall weight, and if so by how much). Noise reduction in the Sony DSC-T50 has also been adjusted, and now operates at exposures 1/6th of a second or longer (formerly this was 1/25th of a second or longer). The Cyber-shot T50's built-in flash memory capacity falls by two megabytes to 56MB, the "Candle" scene mode swapped for a "High Sensitivity" mode, and a new "Normal" slideshow mode has been added. Finally, the Sony DSC-T50's bundled software has been changed to Picture Motion Browser v1.1.




Power is supplied to the camera by a Sony T50 Lithium battery (NP-FR1). Sony estimates that you should be able to take around 400 shots before the battery needs to recharged.

A generous 56mb of storage is built into the camera. I was able to take a respectable 20 shots before the memory became full. This is enough to test the DSC T50 out, but before you do any serious picture taking you will need a larger memory card. The camera is compatible with Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Duo Pro cards.



Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 Specification

Weights and Measurements

Dimensions (Approx.) : 3-3/4 x 2-1/4 x 15/16” (95 x 56.5 x 23.3mm)

Weight (Approx.) : 4.6 oz. (130g) Body; 6.2 oz. (170g) incl battery & media

Convenience

Burst Mode : 5 Shot at 1.11 fps (7.2 MP JPEG fine), 100 Shot VGA at 1.3 fps (Fine)

Color Mode(s) : Black & White, Natural, Vivid, Sepia

Date/Time Stamp : No/No

Erase/Protect : Yes/ Yes

Media/Battery Indicator : Yes/ Yes

Memory Stick PRO™ Media Compatibility : Tested to support up to 4GB media capacity2; does not support Access Control security function

Red-Eye Reduction : Yes (On/Off)

Self Timer : Yes (10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off)

Still Image Mode(s) : Auto Bracketing, Burst, JPEG (Fine/Standard), Multi-Burst

White Balance : Automatic, Cloudy, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent

Hardware

Docking Station : N/A

LCD : 3.0" (230K pixels Touchpanel Hybrid TFT LCD Screen)

Lens Construction : 11 Elements in 9 Groups, 3 Aspheric Elements, 1 Prism

Lens Type : Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar®

Microphone/Speaker : Yes/Yes

Viewfinder : N/A

Power

Battery Capacity : CIPA standard: approx. 400 pictures with supplied NP-FR1 InfoLithium Ion battery3

Battery Type : InfoLITHIUM® Ion (NP-FR1)

General

Imaging Device : 1/2.5" Super HAD™ CCD

Megapixel : 7.2 MP

Recording Media : 56MB internal Flash Memory, Memory Stick™ DUO Media, Memory Stick PRO Duo™ Media

Convenience Features

AF Illuminator Light : Yes

Histogram Display : Yes

Movie Mode(s) : MPEG VX Fine with Audio (640x480, 30 fps) (MPEG VX Fine Requires Memory Stick PRO™ media), MPEG VX Standard with Audio (640x480, 16.6 fps), Video Mail with Audio (160x112, 8.3fps)

Multi-Pattern Measuring : Yes

Multiple Language Display : Menu Languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (complicated)

PictBridge Compatible : Yes

Power Save Mode : Yes (after approx. 3 min. of inactivity)

Real Imaging Processor™ Technology : Yes

Scene Mode(s) : Beach, Fireworks, High Sensitivity, High Speed Shutter, Landscape, Snow, Soft Snap, Twilight, Twilight Portrait

SteadyShot® Image Stabilization : Yes


Optics/Lens

35mm Equivalent : 38-114mm

Aperture Range : f3.5-f10

Aperture : Auto, f3.5-8(W), f4.3-f10(T)

Digital Zoom : 0-2.0X (Precision)

Exposure Compensation : �2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps

Filter Diameter : N/A

Focal Distance : 19 3/4" (50cm) (Minimum), 3 1/4" (8cm) (Minimum Macro W), 9 7/8" (25cm) (Minimum Macro T), 13/32" (1cm) (Minimum Magnifying Glass Mode)

Focal Length : 6.33-19.0mm

Focus : 5 Area Multi-Point AF, 5 Step Manual Preset

ISO : Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000

Optical Zoom : 3X

Shutter Speed : 1/4 to 1/1000 sec. (Auto), 1 to 1/1000 sec. (Program Auto)

Smart Zoom® Technology : Up to 3.6X (5MP), 4.5X (3MP), 5.6X (2MP), 14X (VGA Resolution)4

Total Zoom : 6X

Software

Operating System Compatibility : Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional, ME, XP Home and Professional, Macintosh® OS 9 (v9.1 - 9.2) OS X (v10.1-10.4) (OS must be installed at the factory)

Supplied Software : Windows: Picture Motion BrowserVer.1.1, USB Driver, Music Transfer; Macintosh: Music Transfer

Operating Conditions

Flash Effective Range : Flash Effective Range : ISO Auto: 4” to 11.2' (0.1-3.4m), ISO 1000: 4” to 19' 8" (0.1-6m)

Flash Mode(s) : Auto, Forced Flash, No Flash, Slow Synchro

Inputs and Outputs

Accessory Terminal : N/A

Audio/Video Output(s) : Yes (via Supplied Multi-connector Cable)

Input(s) : Yes (DC Power-in via Multi-connector cable, Note: optional ACL-S5 AC adaptor is required. No in-camera battery recharging function)

USB Port(s) : Yes (via Supplied Multi-connector Cable, Supports USB 2.0 Hi-speed5)

Service and Warranty Information

Limited Warranty Term : 1 Year Parts & Labor