Sony DSC T700 Digital Camera Review

Why Buy the Sony DSC T700?
There are two main attractions of the DSC T700. The first is its dashing good looks. The second is the touch controlled LCD screen. It is also one of the slimmest digital cameras around.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom) The DSC T700 gets off to a promising start. Colours combine together to create an attractive shot. Light is also used well and the photo has a bright feel to it. Sharpness is fair without hitting the really top level.	Outdoor 2 (No Zoom) Smaller prints should look fine, but if you are considering blowing prints up to an extra large size you may notice some jagged pixels and also some purple fringing. Focusing in this shot is inline with the levels I am used to seeing from small compacts.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom) Similar issues show when the lens is fully zoomed in to when zoom is not used. A number of jagged pixels appear in the sky and water. This leads to a loss of detail in some areas. Focusing drifts towards the right hand side of the shot where the scene becomes more distant.	Outdoor 4 (Building) I like to see crisp looking photos and although it would be unfair of me to be very critical of the DSC T700 I would like to have seen a set of outdoor tests that were that bit sharper. In fairness the camera reaches a similar level to many small, point and shoot cameras, but taking the price tag into account I think it should offer pin sharp photos. The problem is that is s big ask for such a tiny lens.
Colours The colours produced by the DSC T700 and other Sony digital cameras work well. They make contrasting colours stand out while retaining a more natural look than some brands manage.	Macro I'm pretty happy with the macro shot. It is sharp and clear. If you are serious about close up photography then it is unlikely that this is the type of camera you will be looking for. If on the other hand you are looking for a camera to take the occasional close up snapshot then the DSC T700 should cope well with that.

Outdoor Portrait This shot is my favourite out of the three portrait tests. The colours look very natural to me. The skin tones have plenty of pink to them. The DSC T700 also manages to bring out a good level of details.	Indoor Portrait without Flash For this shot the DSC T700 is produces more well balanced colours. The problem here is that although the light was decent it was still not enough to ensure the camera was able to lock onto the subject properly and produce a sharply focused photo.
Indoor Portrait with Flash There is nothing wrong with this shot apart from some red eye creeping in. This does not mean that red eye will be a problem in every portrait taken with flash, but the proximity of the lens and the flash unit suggest it could prove to be an issue.

Sony DSC T700: Overall
The DSC T700 does well considering the small size of its lens. I would like to have seen a bit of extra quality owing to the price the camera carries.

Sony DSC T700: Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
Shutter delay times were in line with some of the better point and shoot cameras. A single photo took 0.32 seconds and five took 9.92 seconds. Turning flash on only added a small amount of time to the delay. With flash a single picture took 0.4 seconds and five photos took 11.12 seconds.

The time taken to turn on the DSC T700 and take the first picture was 2.79 seconds. Again this is a standard time.

Sony DSC T700: Style
This is one of the most stylish cameras on the market. It is exceedingly slim. In terms of looks this is my favourite digital camera, It is available in grey, silver and pink.

Sony DSC T700: Dimensions
95 x 58.4 x 16.4mm

Sony DSC T700: Weight
135g

Sony DSC T700: Batteries
Lithium (NP-BD1). Sony estimates the DSC T700 is capable of 200 shots in between charges.

Sony DSC T700: Memory Cards
A massive 4Gb of storage has been built into the camera. This enough for hundreds of photos. The DSC T700 is also compatible with Memory Stick™ Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo™. Memory Stick PRO Duo™ High Speed, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo memory cards.

Sony DSC T700: Ease of Use Rating
Very good. The touch controlled LCD screen is sure to attract a lot of people. Although it does not necessarily speed up the process of finding features many people are likely to feel at home with this type of interface.

Sony DSC T700: Points I Like
Style and design - touch screen - large internal memory

Sony DSC T700: Where it Could Improve
Picture sharpness could be that bit better

Sony DSC T700: Alternatives
If you are after a camera with similar looks, but at a lower price then try taking a look at the Sony DSC T77.

Sony DSC T700: Verdict
This is one of the more expensive pocket cameras on the market. It looks great and will appeal anyone who is style conscious. Looking at the price tag I expect outstanding picture quality. The Sony DSC T700 does not quite hit those heights, but is still more than capable of decent snapshots.

Review courtesy of cameras.co.uk

The Sony DSC-T700 costs around £199 and is available from Warehouse Express here:

Sony DSC-T700