Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T200 Review

Sony's T-series has spent the last three or four years consistently exceeding all our expectations. And our expectations, believe us, are tremendously high.

The T200 happily continues that trend, packing more tech into its stylish little body than it has any right to, and still executing its prime directive – taking photos – with aplomb.

LCD good, LCD bad
It's hard to know where to start, but perhaps we should get the bad things – for there are but few – out of the way. The LCD round the back is quite smeary, dull and not particularly hi-res. The T200 is also, perhaps, a little expensive. Maybe.

Okay, that's it. Now to the cool stuff – that slightly iffy screen is also a massive 3.5in and touch-sensitive, with all the useful menus popping up to be prodded. Even cooler, you can poke your finger at an area of the frame on screen and that's the point the T200 will focus on. Nice.

Impressively for an ultra-compact camera, the T200 has a 5x zoom lens – and they're internal periscope-style optics, so there's not frontal protrusion. Heaven forbid. Sliding down the hefty lens cover, there's a satisfying thunk and the camera automatically switches on.

Peerless photo quality
Now, as we've alluded to, this isn't just a big bundle of gimmick; it can take a darn fine snap, too. The 8.1MP images are much crisper and punchier than any of its competitors', brimming with colour and detail.

Review continues after the break...

Even at high ISO – and it manages up to 3200 – the quality doesn't make you want to scratch your eyes out, and flash performance is very good.

The VGA movies aren't too bad, either – okay, it won't compete with Panasonic's Lumix FX100 in that department, but neither does it disgrace itself.

Aside from the shortcomings of the screen – and it isn't that bad, in all honesty – there's little to fault with this incredibly little picture-taker. Now go buy one.