electronics Sony DSC Cyber-shot S80 opinions and reviews

Sony DSC Cyber-shot S80

Sony DSC Cyber-shot S80 integrates a 4-megapixel sensor as also a 3x optical zoom and 2x digital zoom. While it is fit for beginners thanks to the fully automatic modes, even the professionals can make good use of the S80 courtesy the manual modes.

Design wise, S80 isn’t the most attractive around. On the contrary, it has got very much the feel of a traditional camera. It weighs a hefty 200 g and the size of 96.6 x 64.4 x 40.1mm means it won’t sit into a normal pocket.

Glance at the camera top and you will locate the mode dial from where you can access the auto, scene, movie, image review modes. Further at the rear are seated controls for zoom, flash, self timer and macro mode.

S80 incorporates all the standard features of a digital camera and a bit more. There is a 3x optical zoom with a range of 39 - 117mm (35mm equivalent). And that’s not all, you can utilize the 6x digital zoom and a 10x smart zoom feature too.

The macro mode facilities close up shots from a distance of 10 cm.

Exploiting the scene modes (Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Candle and Snow) you can try out different settings in different conditions.

Shutter speeds in this digital camera range between 30 and 1/2000 seconds while the exposure compensation is +/-2.0 EV, 1/3 EV step.

Moreover, S80 encompasses the white balance feature and ISO sensitivities between 80-400.

Metering modes feature the multi pattern and spot modes.

Further, in the burst mode, it is possible to capture four shots at 0.7 seconds frame rate.

While the embedded flash function has a maximum range of 3.8m, you can also employ different flash settings like auto, Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Synchro, and Flash off. Red eye reduction is also present in S80.

Video capturing takes place in S80 at the max resolution of 640x480 with speeds of 30fps.

Another impressive feature includes the facility to add conversion lenses to this camera.

The general image quality of S80 is sharp with accurate colour reproduction. Moreover, it is equally impressive in both bright and low lighting conditions.

Shutter lag of S80 is exceptional at 0.12 seconds. Recycling takes approximately 1 second.

S80 runs on 2 AA type batteries and it also encompasses a 32 MB internal memory which can save approximately 15 images. For more storage you’ll have to purchase Memory Stick cards.

Overlooking the extra burden of the camera, S80 performs well with features better than those on a point-and-shoot capability camera.