Sony Cybershot DSC-P200 and alternatives

I am looking for a new digital camera and I have my eye on the Sony
Cybershot DSC-P200. The reason I like it is that it is reputed to focus
very quickly and take pictures very quickly. I am also interested in
low light perfomrance, such as what one would encounter in a restaurant
or at a party.

Before I take the plunge, I would like to consider alternatives. For
example, if there is a camera that is approximately as speedy as the
DSC-P200 but offers better image quality, please post.

I would be very pleased to read your comments!
--
David Arnstein
arnstein+usenet@pobox.com

I'm very pleased with my P-200. With my previous digital camera, I was
unable to take some pictures because of camera lag. I was bicycling on
the trail and encountered some kind of big snake, eight feet long,
crossing the trail. I stopped and hauled out my camera, but by the time
it went through its warm-up routines and was ready to shoot, the snake's
tail was disappearing into the bushes.

With the P-200, you push the ON button and by the time you can get your
eye to the viewfinder, it's ready to shoot. And when you pull the
trigger, it shoots, instead of fussing and twidding and then finally
taking the shot.

The autofocus is terrific.

On my old camera, all the controls were in the LCD display, which was
very difficult to see in daylight. All displays are hard to see in
daylight, but the P-200 has several sets of controls on a thumb wheel
so you can switch between settings for various situations without having
to squint at the display.

The main problem I had with the P-200 at first was indoor/night flash
shots in Auto mode. But I studied the Sony manual and read the Sony
forum at <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.dpreview.com," target="_blank">www.dpreview.com,</a> and learned how to pre-set the M mode on the
thumb wheel for a faster exposure time and a stronger flash.

There was a learning curve and my first set of photos of a company party
came out awful. But now I am deliriously happy with the camera and each
time I use it I am more intoxicated with the clarity of the shots and
the colors and the 7 megapixels of detail.

Colin Campbell



In article <d1jbi6$2qd$1@reader1.panix.com>,
arnstein.TakeThisOut@panix.com (David Arnstein) wrote:

 > I am looking for a new digital camera and I have my eye on the Sony
 > Cybershot DSC-P200. The reason I like it is that it is reputed to focus
 > very quickly and take pictures very quickly. I am also interested in
 > low light perfomrance, such as what one would encounter in a restaurant
 > or at a party.
 >
 > Before I take the plunge, I would like to consider alternatives. For
 > example, if there is a camera that is approximately as speedy as the
 > DSC-P200 but offers better image quality, please post.
 >
 > I would be very pleased to read your comments!<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->