This camera gives you the power to take great pictures under a variety of conditions. It features a 3x optical zoom lens and high resolution True Zoom optical viewfinder in addition to a whopping 3.2 megapixel effective resolution.
The fun, easy-to-use Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P72 digital camera packs in more pixels and more features than its predecessor. With its 3.2-megapixel resolution, the Cyber-shot DSC-P72 produces stunning images in a diverse range of conditions. The Cyber-shot DSC-P72 bumps up the optical zoom to 3x from the DSC-P52's 2x rating, helping you bring distant subjects closer. It's also one of the first Sony cameras to be compatible with Memory Stick Pro.
Step-up Value
Here's a Sony feature that adds value to this digital camera and differentiates it from other models in the Sony lineup.
 | AF (Auto Focus) Illuminator: Briefly lighting the scene in low- or no-light conditions, AF Illuminator insures a positive focus lock, allowing you to accurately establish and maintain focus in difficult situations. |
Optics and Resolution
The 3.2-megapixel resolution creates images large enough to print 11-by-17-inch enlargements. The 14-bit DXP system plus Super HAD CCD combine to produce excellent image detail and stunningly smooth contrast and color rendition. The Cyber-shot DSC-P72 offers a 3x optical zoom and 3.2x digital zoom for a 9.6x total.
Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Memory Sticks, and a 16 MB Memory Stick is included. The Cyber-shot DSC-P72 is also one of the first Sony cameras to be compatible with optional Memory Stick Pro media, which can extends data capacity up to 1 GB.
Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.
Movie Mode
You can capture far more than still images with the MPEG Movie VX function. Most digital cameras' movie modes are limited to 30- or 60-second clips, but the Cyber-shot DSC-P72 can keep shooting until you've filled the memory card. When used with Memory Stick Pro media you can shoot approximately 22 minutes of video.
More Features
- 1.5-inch LCD monitor and true-zoom optical viewfinder for more accurate framing at eye level
- The three-area multipoint autofocus can intelligently focus on the subject and avoids mistakenly focusing on the background
- A multi-burst mode captures 16 images (320 x 240) as part of a single 1,280 x 960 image and plays them back sequentially in the camera
- The Multipattern Measuring feature establishes a maximum exposure value, independently light metering 49 points of the frame, even where pronounced highlight and shadow are not centered
- Five scene modes: twilight, twilight portrait, landscape, snow, and beach.
- Built-in flash with red-eye reduction, auto, forced on, forced off, and slow-syncro modes
Power, Size, and Contents
The camera is powered by the NH-AA-DA rechargeable NiMH battery (included). It measures 4.7 by 2.3 by 1.3 inches and weighs 7.9 ounces. This package includes the Cyber-shot DSC-P72 digital camera, 16 MB Memory Stick, battery and battery charger (BC-CS2), USB and AV cables, wrist strap, and CD-ROM with imaging software and USB drivers for Windows and Mac.
1 Overall a good camera but blurry shots drove me crazy.
This was my first digital camera purchased in Jan. 2004.
I've had it over a year and have taken hundreds of pictures with it. The camera has functioned well and is very easy to use. The main problem with it is blurred pictures. Very annoying. Out of the last 20 or so pictures we took with it almost half have been blurred. The LCD is too small to tell, so get ready for some disappointment when it comes time to review and print your pictures. At first I thought it was user error and that they weren't waiting for the AF to finish, but it happens to me, too. The default shutter speed indoors is 1/30th /sec. which meant a tripod in my old SLR days. After looking at the last batch of blurry shots on the Memory Stick I hung it up and bought a DSC-W1.
The DSC-P72 is also very slow between shots, frustrating when trying to capture an unwilling subject, such as a small child.
2 Beautiful Photos.
It's priced well an gets well lit photos.
It doesn't focus as well shooting indoors. The more light there is for focusing the better. The focus assist beam helps. Outside photos have no problem.
Also, with no flash, photos indoors can appear shaked, but not that bad.
Video capabilty to good for the price. You can start recording an image quicker even if its 60% of 1mp for video. Helpful when you have limited time and cant take a photo.
Useful modes, effects and beutiful photos make it a pleasing camera to have.
3 Stay away from Sony Digital Cameras
Don't buy a Sony. Period. Sony may make some great electronics but they suck when it comes to digital cameras. I bought a Cybershot DSCP72. The pictures were ok except at night or in low light. At 6 months, the flash stopped working. Now I can only take pictures when there is ample light. What good is that?
I had the worst experience with customer service. They kept trying to evade the issue and kept telling me it was the batteries. They told me that only parts were convered by the warrenty and it would cost me $139 just to get it looked at to see what was wrong with it. I wonder how much it would have cost to fix it on top of the $139. Sony was very unaccomodating. I am never going to buy another Sony digital camera, if any electronic gadget at all. I did not get any response when I sent an email complaining either. I am so disappointed with Sony.
So in summary do not buy a Sony digital camera. And if you do, do not expect to get much out of customer support when things go south with your camera. I know many people who own Nikon or HP and they all seem to be happy with their cameras.
4 Bad Buy
My wife bought this camera for me. Within a year it has broken, i.e. it only takes pictures that are an undecipherable blur. Obviously something has gone wrong with the lens. Minimun cost of repair is $139-00 through sony.
Even when it worked it was useless in low light conditions. Slow shutter speeds made pictures fuzzy even with the steadiest of hands. Don't even try taking a moving image.
Very slow between pictures.
I think I will try the Canon next.
5 Excellent starter, please get extended warranty
This is my first ever camera, and in comparison to my relative's and friend's cameras, it fares very well. Comparatively inexpensive against other cameras in its class.
Sony makes it very easy to just take photo shots on a whim and still comes out with great pictures. Of course, I had to teach myself to hold the camera still, but maintains excellent picture quality. I love the movie mode which allows for awesome pictore movies, great if you want to take family videos, but don't want the hassel of a huge camcorder. Or, just to capture that moment.
But, as wtih many things, it's advisable to get an extended warranty.
6 Great Camera!!!
This camera is great. Especially for beginners. It has a lot of advanced features that are easy to use. It makes great photos that are crystal clear. It allows you to zoom in onm a shot and crop it and select a mega-pixel level (which some cameras don't do) This is a great camera, but the new 4 mega-pixel is better.
7 Great for beginners and advanced users alike
The Sony DSCP72 is my first digital camera after getting a lot of use out of my old Canon Elph APS camera. I was looking for something with the features of the higher-end cameras but the form (and price!) of the middle-range models. The P72 delivers in this sense. It has enough features to satisfy the Ansel Adams in all of us, while still being extremely simple and intuitive to use.
I'll elaborate on some pros and cons
PROS:
- good size and weight
- includes rechargeable batteries and charger that give the camera great battery life
- movie mode is one of the best I've seen (and unlike other cameras, you can record a movie until your memory card runs out or your battery dies, which ever comes first! On my 256 MB card, this means about 10 minutes of large video and 2 hours 40 minutes of e-mail-size video)
- gives you good control over what you want to be automatic, and what you want to control
- excellent picture quality
- good zoom
- crisp LCD display
- fully compatible with Mac OS X and iPhoto (fast transfers, too)
CONS:
- dismal battery life with standard AAs; bad if you're away from your charger and those are all you can get your hands on
- only 2 picture quality settings; Fine and Standard
- slow to load after taking a picture with the flash
- slow to turn on/off
Overall the P72 is an excellent choice, as someone's first foray into digital photography or as a step-up from an entry-level model.
8 Awesome.........WHEN IT WORKS!!
I too, as another reviewer , "mrs oliver" says:
Loved it too, when it works.
BEAUTIFUL DAY PICTURES.....BLURRY DARK/DUSK PICTURES
After about 6 months for me, at Christmas, the camera started turning off unexpectedly. The camera won't turn on at all when its acting up. When we try to turn it on, the power light blinks on, and the lens extends inward and closes, but then the camera turns off again. And vice versa, when we turn it off the lens extends outward and stays put....Ive had trouble 3xs and lost chances taking pictures in Disney & a wedding recently. We've changed the batteries from new in the package to new recharged type, Best Buy told me to ONLY USE EXPENSIVE ALKALINE, LIKE DURACELLS.
It has been sent out thru Best Buy 3xs and every time its a lens issue.....IM TIRED OF IT! ATLEAST I BOUGHT A 3YR WARRANTY
PLEASE BE CERTAIN B4 YOU BUY,,,,,,SONY ''USUALLY'' IS AN ELECTRONIC LEADER, BUT NOT EVERYONE IS FAULTLESS
WISHSLM@AOL.COM
9 Excellent point and shoot outdoors, Indoors is tricky.
Works very good outdoors. Even better with automaticly summoned flash.
In a shady location, image looks better if you:
---Press Menu, go up to program, go right, pick ISO 100.
If you're aiming outside and it's dark near where you're shooting:
---Go to Menu, go in program, and choose spot, choose low flash, and exit menu. Then press the Up button until it's SL-.
Indoor shooting is easy with flash and slow without. The steadiness of an image in Auto is quite optimal. Advanced settings in Program like Center AF, Spot Metering, ISO at 400 can make it better. (If you need a little brighten spreadon the image from Auto choose burst2.)
Any darker place, you will need to set it somewhere so the camera can capture an image with no blur.
Burst2 lets you wait as little as Auto mode on, because of shutter speed priority. But the Program indoor brightening
is taken away. Big negative there.
10 Very good - Point and click. (slower when darker w/o flash.
Works very good outdoors. Even better with automaticly summoned flash.
In a shady location, image looks better if you:
11 Great, until it broke
Good camera, working fine until it...umm...stopped working. Lens does not fully extend, it clicks / whirs / retracts and then comes up with the hint of 'turn the power on and off'. I could make it work (through a combination of screwing the lens back in, removing the batteries etc) for a while, but now completely defunct. Hoping that my insurance agreement with Pixmania.com will entitle me to a new (non-Sony I hasten to add) camera.
Not recommended.
12 Not at Target!! Dont buy this camera at target!!
This is a great camera but at this site you dont get anything with the camera so you will have to buy all sorts of things just to make it work without a problem. If you go to circut city they have this camera for 229.99 with all the accessories!
13 Sony does not stand behind their product!
I will never purchase a Sony product again! I have not even had this camera for 6 months and already it's useless to me. The flash no longer works (I found out when I was in the hospital having our first child and do not have any pictures. My husband had to go out and buy a $10 disposable camera that took better pictures and the flash worked!). I called Sony hoping that they would stand behind their product and cover the part and labor since it wasn't even a year since I purchased it. They told me they'd cover the part, but I'd have to pay for the labor - $139!!! They said I should've purchased an extended warranty and that there is nothing they can do for me. My problem with warranties - they never seem to cover what you want them to and why should I have to pay extra to insure that a product works the way it should've worked when I bought it??? I'm very disappointed in this camera and the company (Sony) and will never purchase anything with their name on it again. Since I've been telling everyone I know about my problem with the camera and Sony's customer service, I have heard nothing but great things about Kodak digital cameras and their customer service. I wish I purchased a Kodak. Too late for me...but not for you.
14 Stopped working after 8 months...
We loved this camera... when it worked. After about 8 months the camera started turning off unexpectedly. Now, the camera won't turn on at all. The power light blinks on, and the lens extends, but then the camera turns off again. And yes, we've changed the batteries.
The worst part about this is that Sony will not repair or replace this camera. They said I will have to pay $150 labor fees to get it fixed. I know Sony is known for its quality, and I am certain this camera had a defect when I bought it. But now I have no choice but to buy a new camera.
15 I love my DSC-P72
Sony DSC-P72 is my first digital camera. I am writing this review four months after buying the camera because I have been busy--busy taking a lot of pictures. The magic of the digital camera still enthralls me. You press the button, a lot of things happen inside the camera, and a jpeg file, comprising the photo you took, is stored on the memory card. No need to worry about buying film or spending money in developing it. I wonder what took me so long to switch to the digital technology.
Well, I think I should move beyond my encomium of digital photography and give you some information about DSC-P72. I believe DSC-P72 is the right camera for beginner to intermediate level photographers: for beginners who don't have any experience with digital cameras, and for intermediate-level photographers whose first digital camera was a paltry 1.2 Mega pixels or thereabouts and lacked any maneuvering capability. The DSC-P72 can take up to 3.2 Mega pixel pictures (it can take lesser resolution pictures too) and has a lot of features you can play with. You can make this normally-color camera to take black and white, negative, solarize, or sepia styled pictures. In its basic mode it is very easy to operate. Just click the button and take a picture. And if you want to go for more sophistication you can always press the menu button or go to the `set up' and change the settings there. Its slight weakness is in taking pictures using the in-built flash. You can't just take pictures click click click. After taking a picture with a flash the screen goes blank for a few seconds and a little lights keep flashing. You can take the next picture when the camera recovers and the screen starts showing the view. The DSC-P72's metallic silver body looks sturdy and I believe it can take a little abuse. This workhorse is small enough in size to be slipped into a picket.
The DSC-P72 can even make movies, in three modes. The easiest to use mode is that of making a motion picture. Unlike many other digital cameras (purportedly preset to take movie clips of 30 seconds or shorter) the DSC-P72 can make a movie of as long a duration as the space on your memory card. This camera can also make animation clips, though I neither understand that feature nor have used it.
Once you become proficient with the camera you can start making folders on your memory card to sort the pictures as you take them. The camera let's you make folders but won't let you delete them from the menu; to delete the folders you would have to reformat the memory stick--something I do after each transfer of the pictures to my computer.
The 16 MB memory card that comes with the camera is obviously small in picture-storing capacity. A normal picture, at 3.2 Mega pixels, would take 800 kbyte to 1.3 Megabyte space. After realizing that the best use of the digital camera is to take several pictures of the same shot (and later decide which ones you want to keep) I bought a 256MB memory card over the Internet. I can now store over 120 pictures on that card.
Transferring pictures from DSC-P72 to computer is a breeze. I just hook up the digital camera to my Apple computer via the cable that came with the camera, turn the camera switcher to `preview', and turn on the camera. The Apple senses the presence of the camera, opens up iPhoto, and asks me if I want to import pictures from the camera. I am sure transferring pictures to a PC is equally simple. I have found a very effective way of obtaining prints of my choicest pictures. Once the pictures are on the computer I upload them for free on Ofoto.com (a Kodak subsidiary) and order prints at 30 cents/each of the selected pictures.
The DSC-P72 comes with two NiMH rechargeable batteries and a re-charger that you can connect to a standard wall outlet. It is a good idea to buy an extra pair of batteries. I have an extra set. I have made it a habit to put one set in the re-charger and put the re-charged set of batteries in the camera, after each session.
I don't have a lot of experience with other digital cameras, but I am pretty happy with my DSC-P72 and I'll highly recommend it.
16 NICE AND COMPACT!
I BOUGHT THIS CAMERA ABOUT 6 MOS AGO LOVED IT! TAKES GREAT PICS CRISP AND CLEAR. I PUT ADDED ACCESSORY OF SNAP ON ZOOM LENS BECAUSE I TAKE PICS OF MY KIDS AT THEIR CONCERTS AND THE REG ZOOM WASNT STRONG ENOUGH. VERY EASY TO USE. MY ONLY PROBLEM NOW IS WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT IT -WHEN I CLICKED A PIC -TOOK THE PICTURE RIGHT AWAY. NOW HOWEVER I DONT KNOW IF I MESSED UP THE SETTINGS (I KEEP READING BOOK AND CANT FIND OUT HOW TO FIX IT) WHEN I TAKE A PIC AND PRESS THE BUTTON IT TAKES LIKE 5 SECS FOR PIC TO SNAP??? BY THEN WHAT I WAS TAKING A PIC OF MOVED. ITS VERY ANNOYING AND DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX SO I CAN JUST SNAP A PIC?? OTHER THEN THAT I LIKE THE CAMERA. WILL HAVE TO CALL SONY AND SEE IF THEY CAN HELP ME BECAUSE ITS VERY ANNOYING AND WHEN U WANT TO TAKE ANOTHER PIC REAL QUICK AFTER ONE U JUST TOOK U CANT TAKES FOREVER.....
17 It meets my expectations.
Sony is good. I bought this camera before Christmas and for the last 6 months, its been working very good.
The pictures shot in daylight are flawless, I havent compared it with any other camera, but they look very good.
In the night, putting the camera on Night mode makes it work good. However the night is not as good as the day ones(obviously).
The zoom is good, the camera came with 4 rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. Had to buy a memory card and a camera case.
Worked good.
Pros:
1) Nice screen.
2) Good point and shoot camera in good light.
3) Zoom is good enough for most photographs.
4) Sturdy, Dropped twice, nothing happened(luckily).
Cons:
1) Not so good during low light.
2) Battery Consumption is very high. Cannot go without the charger and the extra pair of batteries.
3) Stabilizer not effective on full ZOOM.
18 Worked for me
Got this a few months ago. It is a fun camera to have. Taking and deleting pix is a breeze. You quickly learn, however, that you must hold fairly still when taking some of the pictures (depending on mode you are in)as action shots can be blurry. I am sure I need to learn more about it to improve on that tho. Camera has an auto mode as well that works good. The memory stick that comes w/ it is poor-- buy one that has 128 MB and you are set. Took this camera on vacation (9 days) and stored over 120 pictures and two small movies without having to download for more space or change batteries.... Software is not great, better stuff out there. Takes wonderful pictures of flowers, colorful things. I have yet to learn all that it does, but it is a great buy for me and my family.
19 Solid in its class
Prior to purchasing the Sony DSCP72, I was using a 5.0 megapixel camera from a not-so-good manufacturer, a camera with confusing and complicated settings and a camera that got dropping by an enterprising young nephew. Still working, but somewhat battered and still hard to use, I replaced it with this Sony.
If you want to buy a digital camera for fun use, for amateur picture-taking, for ease and for a good value, this is a great camera for you. The camera body is neither too small nor too big, and can fit in your purse or small bag for everyday use (I keep mine with me all the time). The menu is simple, the settings easy to master, and there's still quite a variety to work with. I found the shutter lag to be minimal, though slightly longer when using a flash. Zoom isn't exceptional, but it's standard to this class of digital camera. Last but not least, the video function is nothing short of phenomenal for a digital still camera: you get 640x480 video with sound, with clips as long as your memory card allows. Let's put it this way: the quality is just as good as an old home movie's. Perfect for someone who wants to play around with digital video a little.
Of course the camera only comes with a 16 MB Sony memory stick; it's pointless to mention this as a detraction so *no* digital camera comes with much more. You have to buy memory for cameras; it's the price you pay for not having to buy film, and that's all there is to it. Memory sticks are certainly readily available, and the new Sony Memory Stick Pro series holds a lot of pics.
But now for the only negative comment I'll make in this review: I mentioned at the beginning that I was using a 5.0 megapixel camera before this. As I needed to replace that, I went for a better brand and lower MP, thinking it wouldn't be that noticeable. Sadly... it was. I miss the higher resolution. The pictures were so crisp and clear, and bumping down even to 3.2 has been a disappointment for me. My advice, then: stick with the Sony Cybershot line, but go for the higher resolution.
20 recommended camera
This is an excellent camera. It takes beautiful pictures & is very easy to use. It's also resilliant! A friend accidentally threw it in a pool and after six days of drying out not only does it work like before but the memory stick still had all the pictures on it! I chose this camera for the macro capabilities, for which it is very good. I do wish it had some sort of steady shot & the original memory stick is too small, but a larger one isn't too expensive. It's not the newest camera these days, but its price is dropping, making it a great camera for the money.
21 OUTSTANDING
Cyber-shot P72 has taken outstanding pictures. In all cases, the pictures taken with Cyber-shot were of better quality than my standard camera (during day light hours; I have yet to shoot pictures during low light conditions). I have taken pictures two ways. One without a tri-pod, and one with a tri-pod. The tri-pod made a significance difference in picture quality; similar to professional grade pictures. Picture details were great.
22 Beware before you buy
This is a nice little camera but beware warranty for labor is 3 months and the cost of repair is $150 , I am not sure why Sony warranty term is so less when all other competitors are offering one year warranty on parts and labor. So better take a extended warranty if you really want to buy this one.
23 Awesome
I love my Sony P72 Digital Camera. I love that I can take pictures and not have to worry about how many I take because I can delete the bad ones and I have a memory stick that holds more than 24 pictures (a normal roll of film). It's also easy to get prints nowadays even without buying a photo printer. The only complaint that I have about this camera is that it takes a couple of seconds to "come back" after taking a picture that uses the flash. Really though, this is a small complaint and its something you get used to.
24 good camera
this is a great camera. The software that comes with it is horrible, like all sony software, so if you have windows XP dont install it and use the automatic driver. only bad thing is that the batteries dont last long.
25 great camera
takes great video and pictures and produces great quality pictures and video on computers as well
i've seen my friend with the same camera print out pictures from this camera and they came out perfect
26 I used to like it
We used our camera for a couple of months, and liked it a lot, before we noticed battery life degrading. Thought it may be the rechargables but regular alkaline batteries didn't last long either. Sometimes freshly charged batteries would be put in the camera and they would go dead without any / many pictures being taken. Camera appears to have a power drain even when "off". Sony was willing to pay for parts if we payed for labor - labor started at $150.00.
27 Not as great as I thought
We purchased this camera just before our daughter was born in order to catch all her moments. Within a short time of purchasing this camera, we started having trouble with the batteries staying charged for any length of time. Sony wanted to charge $150 to repair my camera! There is also an issue with the delay between the time the button is pushed and the time it actually takes the picture. Try getting a baby to hold a pose for 3 seconds while the camera decides it is ready to take the shot!!!
28 Flash became intermittent
After a few months of light use the flash became intermittent. You never know when or if it will work. Called Sony and they wanted around $150.00 for repair. Ridiculous! I do not recommend this camera.
29 Almost a great camera
Overall a very good camera. Outside photos look great. Indoor photos just ok. My biggest complaint is that too many indoor shots come out blurry. Sometimes I take 2 or 3 of the same shots with same settings and yet one will come out blurry.
30 Great digital camera
This is my first digital camera and it has been great. Easy to learn and takes great pictures. I have yet to have a bad picture, although bad hair days don't count. I would recommend to any new digital camera owner.
31 Couple of tricks
Can't say much that hasn't been said about the camera itself so I will mostly just mention a few tricks for dealing with some of the issues many people have brought up regarding this camera.
One note.. the video with sound capability is underated if anything. While it is deffinatly not a replacement for a cam corder, its portability makes it far more practical and less obtrusive for capturing 'moments'. With 256mb you have about 12 minutes of recording. Quality is around 15-22fps at 640x480
( think webcam ). Additionally if you drop it to the lower quality you have more than 2 hours of recording time. However, while the sound quality will be the same, the image will be pretty pixilated.
Many have complained about the slow shutter speed ( as in the time between pushing the button and the picture being taken ) but there is at least one way to get around it in certain circumstances. Provided you have enough light to forgoe the flash you can hold the button partially down and it will spot autofocus, then once it locks in it will immediately take the picture when you fully depress the button. Practice by trying to capture shots on the TV... sporting events are geat for this, especially when they do replays. It will give you a good feel for the timing of the camera.
It sounds tricky but the button sensitivity actually makes this very easy, To engage the spot autofocus you basically just need to rest your finger on the button, then actually pushing it requires a deffinate increase in effort. Additionally, using both single point AF and spot metering will make the process even faster. Not perfect but an improovement over the general performance if you are trying to catch fleeting moments.
In low light indoor shooting you can up the ISO to 400 and increase the exposure to attempt some flashless shots using this technique. Taking the time to steady the camera in some way will help immensely. If you think tripods are expensive try some of the table top versions, there is one at Bestbuy that goes for a whopping $11 and does a great job.
When the flash is being used I have yet to find a way around the delay completely, however if you turn off the red eye feature the amount of pre flash will be decreased which will lessen the delay. Red eye can be manipulated on the computer with a little effort.
I would never bother using the digital portion of the zoom. Just keep your image setting at the highest quality and you will have all of the same information anyway and more freedom in choosing how you want to crop the image later as there will be more image to work with. Even if you use lower quality to preserve memory I would suggest switching to the high quality to take any shots where you start zooming beyond the optical 3x max. Again you will have all the information you would have had using the 'smart' zoom and will have more options when editing later or even on the camera itself... the same goes for the solarize,bw, and sepia functions. All of those effects can be done later from the full color picture, full color pictures however can not be regenrated from pictures taken with these effects selected on the camera. A negative can be turned into a normal shot by filtering it using a negative image editing effect to get the negative of the negative.
32 Broke within 100 days
A terrible product. It broke -- would not turn on -- about three months after receiving it and about a week after seriously using it. Repair cost (Because after 90 days parts warranty expired): $150.00 -- over half the cost of the camera.
33 a solid good buy
I have this camera for close to a year now and never regretted this buy. It's a hardy camera that works well, the buttons are well-placed and easy to learn, making stuff like deleting and viewing photos, adjusting image size, using the timer a piece of cake.
I especially love that you can take good quality movies with this camera, it doesn't restrict the movies to 30 second short films like some other cameras, the only limit is the storage space in your memory stick. The movies have good sound and picture quality.
Another good pt is that it uses rechargable AA-size batteries, making it easy and cheap to replace the batteries when it dies. I bought a pair of spare AA batts and use them alternately. The batteries are dying now that it's been a year but considering the usage, I think it's reasonable to replace the battaries once a year.
the only complain I have is that the LCD screen tends to black out whenever I use the flash. In fact, the flash seems to eat up alot of the batteries, a couple of shots using flash kind of clean up most remaining battery life. But if you switch the camera off for a few moments, it might return to normal. As I rarely use the flash, its never been much of a problem for me.
All in all, its a good camera for people like me that uses it for touring and family events. It's a good camera size too. I originally liked the Canon Ixus and thought that size was perfect. But after trying my friends' Ixus, I find that such a small size is not suitable for me, as I have weak hands and my photos with such a small camera tend to come out blurred. No such problem with this camera though, the weight is just right to steady my hands. However, it's a compact camera that's easy to bring around.
In one line, I really like this camera. It took alot of good photos for me and helped me preserve many precious memories.
34 A Good First Camera
This is my first digital camera, although I've used others. I've been pleased with my purchase. The price is reasonable for the features compared to the rest of the field. It would be nice if there were more manual features but this is designed more as an entry level camera so the feature set follows that. The image quality is good but it could be improved. The auto mode often takes pictures at ISO levels that result in a lower quality picture so it's best to try a few different settings to get comfortable with how you want the pictures to look.
The included software, I feel, is lousy. I tried using it for image transfer but I ended up uninstalling it and just using the included software in Windows XP.
35 Ignore fake review
Do not believe what "barbara carroll" says about this breaking when her warranty expired. Sure there could be an occasional "lemon," even from Sony. But if you register the camera you get a one-year warranty, and this is a relative new product. So if what she says is true she only has herself to blame. This camera is a solid buy and the picture quality is amazing. Because I have a large collection of (cheap) SD cards I prefer a camera that uses SD card, but I've used the Sony many times (my good friend has one) and I really like its quality.
36 Make sure you have an extended warranty from the dealer...
I have been recommending this camera up until three weeks ago, precisely the week the warranty expired, when my camera malfunctioned. Sony wants a flat rate $150 to repair. Goodguys.com did not offer an extended warranty on the item, which should have been a tip-off for me. If you are considering purchasing this product (aside from the malfuntions worked wonderfully for me), ensure that you have some sort of extended warranty.
37 Happy customer.
Overall, I'm very happy with this camera. I shopped around for several weeks for a camera in this price range and I ended up choosing this one. Interface is intuitive and has just enough options to let you experiment, but not so many that you need a degree in photagraphy to understand them all. 3MP seems to me to be a happy medium in the cost/performance category. Obviously, 16MB is not enough memory, you will have to buy more. With 128MB, I can get about 80 pictures or 6 minutes of video at the highest resolution. The only downside is that memory sticks tend to cost more per MB than CF. I love the fact that this camera comes with 2 rechargeable batteries and a charger. In case you haven't heard ... do NOT use standard batteries in digital cameras. Battery life is more than acceptable, but I always carry a spare pair. I only use Linux and open source tools to edit my pictures. I can happily say that my camera worked the second I plugged it into a usb port.
38 Good multi-purpose camera
I got my camera in December of 2003 and I've been using it almost every day since. I am a graphic design student with not much cash, so I wanted something around the 300 dollar range that was at least 3 megapixels and could do video. I got my P-72 for 270 bucks, and it was definitely worth it.
Cons:
-Some low light shots take a while to snap and pics sometimes come out slightly blurred when flash is not used.
-Bundled memory stick is only 16mb. I recommend getting a 128mb or 256mb.
Pros:
-Geat quality images in ample light or when using flash
-The software bundled with the camera is useful, and the camera has very high connectivity for easy and quick transfers.
-Video mode is very handy and movies transfer easily into computer.
-Has many shooting options including macro and multiple shots and frame by frame.
-Batteries last for quite a while, I use it every day and only have to recharge once every 2 weeks.
-It's VERY durable. I recently fell while skateboarding and had the camera in my hand. When I fell my hand hit the the cement and it basically pounded the camera into the ground. Any other camera would have definitely been smashed to pieces, but the only damage done was one of the hinges on the battery lid broke. The battery compartment still shuts fine even with the broken hinge, and the camera still functions perfectly.
All in all the DSCP72 is a solid camera for a decent price.
39 A good camera for starters
I purchased my camera about 4 months ago, and most of the time, it doesn't dissapoint me at all. It's built like a tank (made in japan), I dropped it on hard surfaces for a few times, and it still works great, except there are some scratches. For stalkers it may not be a good buy since the pictures come out blurry with the flash turned off, but I get sharp pictures with the flash, which you can adjust the level. I haven't used the software that comes with it, since I use a Mac, and just had to install the USB driver onto my computer, so when I just plug the thing into my computer, the pictures are right in front of you. The menus are very user friendly and easy to understand. You can program the camera in the way you want to take pictures. The pixel quality is also adjustable, ranging from VGA to 3.2 million pixels. The MemoryStick in the box is only 16 MB and can save about 10 pictures in 3.2 million pixels. I would recommed a 128 MB MemoryStick, which you can take about 80 pictures in 3.2 (148 in standard quality, which there is a very small difference between fine quality) It takes about 6 hours to charge the batteries but the battery life is more than satisfactory. The movies I recorded seemed better on the camera's screen than in my computer, but still they look good on the computer.
40 Nice pictures. Cool gadget
I bought the camera 2 months ago, never failled. It takes very good pictures, good quality, EXEPT at night
CONS:
1 the shots come up blury and with a low definition. I actually couldn't recognize myself in a picture that was taken at night.
2 The memory stick that is included doesn't have much storage room (about 10 pics in 3.2 mp)
3 Zoom is not that great.
4 In pictures taken with flash, takes to long to reactivate for use again. AND the long time between the pressing of the botton and the actual picture being took makes the "moment" you want to preserve not possible.
5 I don't like the software that's included, but is user friendly and VERY easy to use
PROS:
1 Very good quality pictures (with daylight)
2 Very easy to use
3 battery life is amazing
4 High conectivity PC (UBS) or TV (very easy to do so)
I would recomend to buy this camera if you are not professional, 3.2 is MORE than enough for the size of pictures you would need-
41 Don't Buy Sony Products.
I own this particular model in addition to a DSC-P32. I also own other Sony products including two more digital cameras, a Wega TV, and a Viao computer. I purchased the DSC-P32 for my children at Christmas. After one week it failed to turn on. The reapir estimate to repair it was $ 725.50! That ammount was confirmed by Sony over the phone. Don't buy any Sony products and expect to get repair service. The DSC-P32 is worth $199.95!
42 I highly recommend this camera, the movie mode is the bomb!
I've always found these customer reviews very helpful when trying to make a purchase decision so, here goes.
Bottom Line: I highly recommend this camera. If however, you can afford the 5MP Optical (Sony P92 Cybershot) purchase that instead. That is not to say, in any way, that the 3.2MP Optical is not a good purchase. It is. The difference is a slightly better image quality and higher price. The P92 will allow you to zoom in a little closer and provide more detailed images. Specifically, the P92 provides 3X optical with 4X digital for a total of 12X or quality prints up 20 x 30", while the P72 provides 3X optical with 3.2X digital for a total of 9.6X for quality prints up to 11 x 14". Currently (January 2004) the price difference is about $70.00. The extra money might be worth it if you're the type to say, "I wish I could have gotten in just a *little* closer ..."
Specifics: The P72 has all the standard bells and whistles that come with higher priced cameras such as auto focus, auto exposure, night mode, etc. (click on the PDF link for the manual if you have specifics you're wondering about). At the time of my purchase (September 2003) I had three main requirements for a digital camera: at least 3.0X optical, a movie mode and it had to be around $300.00 or less. There were many good, even excellent, quality digital cameras that offered all three including this one. However, the movie mode for this camera is the bomb!! It was the final thing that sold me on it. Again, at the time of my purchase, most digital cameras only allowed for about a 30 second movie mode without sound. The P72's movie mode is only limited by the size of the memory stick used *and* it records with sound! Really good sound! (The sound quality actually surprised me a little.) A 128MB memory stick can record up to 5+ minutes (10+ with a double sided 128MB) and a MSX-1G memory stick (if you can afford one) can record up to 44+ minutes! Unless you need long uninterrupted recording time (say for an entire wedding or graduation) who needs a camcorder?! This is smaller and lighter to carry and the image quality is just as good. In addition, Sony includes a cable that allows you to plug the camera directly into your VCR or DVD recorder's audio and visual jacks allowing you to record/copy your movies directly to VHS or DVD with full screen image quality. Or, you can plug the camera directly into your computer via USB connection on the back of the camera (again Sony includes a cable) to burn images to a CD or DVD. How cool is that?! But wait there's more. Sony has a 1.7X telephoto lens and adapter (Item numbers VCL-DH1730 and VAD-PEA respectively) that work on both the P72 and P92 (as well as the P8 and P10) that takes the total zoom times even higher! I highly recommend these additional accessories especially since with the purchase of the camera Sony will probably provide at least one discount coupon you can use towards their purchase.
In general: The camera is easy to use - especially if you read the directions and manual *before* you use it like you should with anything. (Often people gripping about problems haven't read their manuals. You know who you are.) :) It's compact and lightweight. It's great for trips or just to have at the ready. I didn't want to go over my budget but I wanted a really good quality camera. So, I researched many different digital cameras before making a decision. Almost every overall review for this camera received a very high mark whether it was from an expert or a customer. I love it and I feel certain it was worth every penny I paid for it.
43 It's strictly point-and-shoot
I've bought this camera about 3 month ago. it's a great point & shoot camera (you cannot control manual white balance and shutter speed) and it has very good photo quality. the problem is that some of indoor photos are noisy, also shutter speed is too slow indoors, making it impossible to capture anything that moves. but it do a pretty good job with outdors.
if you are looking for a point-and-shoot camera, DSC-P72 is one of the best but if you are interested in more manual control I recommend Canon powershot A70 for the same price.
44 Good starting camera
I bought this camera back in the summer of 2003, primarily for my trip to Europe. The camera didn't dissapoint.
My only gripe is that some of my pictures from the beaches of france are a little grainy...may have been the humidity(as it was really hot in all of europe that summer) that messed things up...and I was on the beach with my camera... all day.
While those photos aren't bad...the quality isn't up to par with the rest of my photos from the trip and back at home.
One other gripe I have about the camera is the "zoom" sound the thing makes...it gets annoying and only draws attention to you in quiet areas(like the beach or a museum).
Sometimes the color wasn't what I had hoped it to be either...maybe I didn't have on the right settings but I didn't think it caught the colors of the sky too well. Eh.
Enough with my whining...this camera is pretty darn good. The ability to zoom in with the optical...and zoom in with the digital is great...you can never take a bad picture. If you're taking shots from any distance...it is good to zoom in all the way with the optical...just so you can zoom in again closer with the digital and take another high quality photo from that.
This camera is also very strong. I got sand in it...and the shutter eye was kinda [messed up] for a bit(which may have to do with why some pictures didn't turn out so well)...but after awhile it kinda just fixed itself. The shutter protecting the lens began to open all the way again and works great.
I also dropped my camera once and my memory card went flying...thankfully the camera still worked great...and I was able to find my memory card(in the dark no less)...and the camera doesn't even have a scratch on it from the instance. The camera is very strong.
What seperates this camera out from the less sony series...the p52 and p7 is it's ability to take movies with audio. The quality is pretty darn good for a digital camera. Playing movies I've taken on my computer...they are in excellent quality from like 4 by 6 inches or so...distorted quality when you put it on full screen...but hey...if I want full screen I'll save my pennies for an actual camcorder, right? The audio is pretty good too from my experience...not as crystal clear as if you were actually there...but decent enough where you can understand clearly what is being said.
Overall, I'm pretty darn happy with the camera. Are there better camera out on the market? yeah...maybe...Canon's are supposed to be pretty good and some people I met travelling had those and they were cool...but the P72 is pretty good from my experience.
This camera is cheaper from when I bought it...and it's bigger brothers are fairly cheap too. So if you're set on getting a camera, and this one in particular, ask yourself what kind of money you're willing to spend...(this is fairly affordable now) and do you want 2 more megapixels(this camera's original price for 2 more megapixels).
This technology just keeps getting cheaper and cheaper though too. So that is something else you wanna figure into your purchase...do you need a digital camera now? I felt I did for my vacation(how many times does one get to go to europe?).
So I'll finish my review saying that this is a good starting digital camera...a few bad photos here and there(could be blamed on the weather) and some trouble with colors in the sky but some great things about it too such as the video with audio and durability of the thing not to break by the forces of gravity or sand.
I'll give this camera a solid 4 stars. There's better out there...do you want to pay for it though?
45 Excellent camera, excellent price!
December 24, 2003
(...) ANYWAY, I just got this camera yesterday and I can't put it down. This user-friendly camera has everything you could think of for an average person who just wants GOOD PICTURES. The image quality is superb, providing you with crisp, smooth, clear pictures. The menu and navigation is easy to use and best of all...this little camera can take videos! It's not just an "added bonus"; the video quality sure is acceptable for a camera like this and the video feature is ideal for any short clips you wanna take when you're out with friends. One of the features I love on this camera is the "night mode" (thats what i call it) This is a feature that allows you to take a picture OUTSIDE IN THE DARK! I sure couldn't do that with my old one. Of course, some light source is DEFINITELY necessary, but it deals with especially "dark" conditions and actually "brightens" the picture so that when you see it on your computer, it looks the SAME way as we humans actually see! Last but not least, the camera brings a video cable so that you can SEE THE PICTURES YOU TAKE ON YOUR TV!! This goes for the VIDEOS TOO! I mean, could there be ANY BETTER WAY to show the pics or videos to all your friends at a get together?? Unless you're willing to hook up a projector, this TV-compatibility feature sure beats anything else. Finally, for the price that I got it ($269.99 at Best Buy), this little techological marvel is sure worth every penny. I WOULD recommend, however, to buy the 128 MB memory stick for it, since the 16 MB one that the camera brings can only fit about 10 or a few more pics on the HIGHEST quality (3.2 megapixels). They're not expensive (...) (...)
46 not so great for the price and sony brand
I got this camera two days back. I took a few indoor pictures with flash and without flash (note, there is plenty of light through my balcony glass doors). The pictures with no flash came blurred. Also took another picture in less lighting. I found lot of green , red color spots. I had KODAK DC3200 which I gave it to my brother(so far more than 2500 pics taken by that). I love those pictures. I don't think I had this problem in that camera. I have sony miniDV which I use sometimes to take digital pictures which seems to be better than this though pixel is less.
47 great camera great price
I just purchased the canon dscp72 camera and could not be happier,the initial set up is very easy and although I did not read the manual and this being my first digital camera it worked excedingly well. My first time use with out any experience was at my daughters Christmas concert and the picture quality is great. The video quality was also great, now we dont have to lug arround 2 cameras. This works great as a still camera and a video camera. after weeks of research we couldn't be happier
48 Not that great of a camera
Hi, I bought this camera about three months ago and have taken about 200 pictures with it.
Pros - excellent battery life even when using the LCD - I'm able to get over 50 pictures (about half with flash) easily. When the pictures come out, they are of good quality. I've printed many of them and they look great.
Cons - Many of the pictures don't come out, and they often end up blurry. This is especially true in low light conditions. The LCD does not have good enough resolution to tell if your picture is blurry or not. The camera is already starting to fall apart even after a few months - I feel as if the joints of the camera are coming undone.
In the end, you may be one of the people who gets an untarnished camera, but if I were you, I would stick to more reliable manufacturers
49 Breaks easily
Four months after I purchased it, this wouldn't turn on one day. Sony refuses to stand by its products, and it sticks to a $150 flat rate labor fee since the warranty is only three months. I greatly enjoyed this camera for a few months and recommended it often, but when I called Sony, its own technician referred to it as "fragile."
50 Great Digital Camera & Great Pictures
I brought the Sony DSC-P72 a few days ago. I can't complain. It's a great digital camera. It's small and lightweight. The image quality is great. The features are excellent. The control buttons are easy to use. The LCD screen shows your sharp and crisp pictures that you have taken. You can add special effects when you take your pictures. You can take pictures in Solarize, Black & White, Sepia, and Negative art mode. There is a self-timer feature in this digital camera. The picture will be taken after 10 seconds. You are also able to shoot mini movies. The mini movie quality is good, because the sounds and images came out clear. The Sony DSC-P72 comes with 2 Sony Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries, battery charger, power cord, CD-ROM software (Image Mixer), 16MB memory stick, and A/V connecting cable. The A/V cable has to be connected to the digital camera and the TV, in order to view your pictures on TV. By the way, if you are planning to take plenty of pictures with this digital camera, you should buy a memory stick that is higher than 16MB. You should also charge the supplied batteries for about 6 hours before you use it.
51 Blurry picture problem and only 3 month warranty !
I noticed that all my pictures where blurry on the right side. I got the camera in june 03. Warranty Labor is only 3 month! I e-mailed customer service to complain ... The response was a 'predefined' answer. around 140$ repair no matter what . That represents half the price of the camera.... So be cautious before choosing this camera. Most competitors offer 1 year warranty...
52 EASY DOES IT!
I love this camera! I had bought another brand and had to take it back. I bought the Sony DSCP72 and found it easy to use and it takes GREAT pictures. I was able to download to my computer with no problems and have been very pleased with the quality of the pictures. I have been so impressed that I bought my Son a Sony DSCP52 for Christmas.
53 Great
I use both a Canon A70 and this camera. There seems to be a lot of debate about which is best. After many hundreds of photos on both I can't tell any difference in photo quality. Pick whichever camera looks best. I lean away from this camera purely because memory sticks are more expensive.
54 Powerful camera!
I must say that I agree with everyone else. This camera is nice, and you will need a larger memory card. Something that wasn't mentioned by anyone else is that this camera also has special effects (such as sephia, b&w pictures, and a few others). I thought that only the higher priced Sony cameras had these effects and almost purchased one because of it.
The camera takes beautiful pictures and is a nice compact size. The one thing I don't like is the software that comes with it. In my opinion, it's just too confusing and clunky. Image transfer is a breeze, however. I also noticed that the finish of the camera seems to have smudged off even though I use the camera very lightly and gently. Nothing too noticable, but something I spotted.
I haven't printed any of the pictures yet but I do think that once I do, I will be pleasantly surprised.
55 Lens won't open
I got this camera for 4 months and all of a sudden the lens won't open automatically when powered-on.
As it is out of the 90-labor warranty, the repair will cost $150.
Therefore, if you haven't done so, maybe you should consider a extended warranty.
56 Nothing Better !!
The best Digital Camera I have come across. My friends who have been using other brands, Canon, Minolta & Fuji have decided to sell their camera to get this one. Its the best for the price you pay. Excellent photographs. Never had the need to shoot at 3MP. I get excellent pictures at 2MP. Transfer of images are quick, and it has sufficiently long battery life. Doesnt come with a carry case, which is something Sony should think about. The ability to be used with normal AA batteries makes life simpler. I would recommend this camera to all. Its the best!!
57 Really Bad Picture Quality.
This $300 sony DC really disappointed me!
All images I take show color spots, a lot of background noise
on the photo.
I own a 2 years old Nikon DC and compare with the sony stuff I can
only say that sony sucks on photo technology.
I think the DC is a weakness for all sony product. I have a
sony digital camcorder(TRV27), the still photo taken by it shows
many color noise points, too.
Suggestion: Don't buy it. Read journal's review about
DV and buy good-rated products( Like Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus).
58 Great All Around Camera, mediocre software
I've had the chance to review a few 3 MP cameras since I've bought three for various people. Among the 3 contenders was the FujiFinePix A301, Olympus 520D and the Sony DSC-P72. Each has their nice features but the Sony was by far the most feature rich. The MX MPEG movie format by far the best movie format that I've seen on these digital cameras. The Sony has full sound and 640x480 resolution (great for displaying on the TV) and will record for as long as you have Memory Stick space. I've made numerous little movies that were spur of the moment that I certainly would not have thought to bring out my camcorder. The photo's are excellent and the menu system very intuitive. Navigation is nice but like other cameras, the nestling of the file directories is somewhat tedious to navigate through. The biggest disappointment was with the included software. The Imagemixer is a mediocre software at best, not that easy to use and very limited features. Sony does not even provide a image browser for those folks that just want to see the pictures and maybe put up a quick slideshow. Cannon at least has the ZoomBrowserEX software, Sony doesn't give anything. I can't rate the value of this camera since I got it through points but I would have definitely paid the going rate to get this camera vs the others.
59 This Camera is Awesome!
This camera fulfilled every need i had for it, and at the price, after a Sony rebate, it was very affordable!
The best feature i have found on this camera is the "voice photo" option, which allows the user to take a still picture, and attach up to 40 seconds of audio to it. Since i use the camera for recording memories, it's an excellent way to have more memory than just a single picture, you get an audio clip of whatever was happening at the time as well.
it also records full VGA quality mpegs, with sound, and outputs directly to the TV!
the still pictures are excellent quality as well, anot to mention the physical design of the camera. it's great!
60 My First Digital Camera
I have always put off getting a digital camera because I did not have much faith in the current "at home" printing technology. But I changed my mind when I discovered I can have digital pictures printed profesionally. I bought the Sony DSC-P72 in August this year and have not regretted my decision. This is my first digital camera. I like that it takes clear and crisp pictures. It's flash and AF illuminator are powerful. Allows some manual control over the settings to give help me get better pictures. Menus are very user-friendly. It took me only less than 2 hours to figure them out. I also like the rechargeable batteries that came with it. But if you're planning to go on trips better have an extra pair or two ready. It also takes normal AA batteries. Only two things I didn't like, the measly 16MB memory stick and the "slow" battery charger. Get a 256MB memory stick and you're on your way to taking tons of pictures and a (fast) travel charger. For those who are complaining that the camera cannot take multiple shots in quick succession, read the camera's instruction manual again. You can either shoot in clip motion, multi-burst mode, or burst mode. However, the picture quality will suffer if you use one of these modes. Better shoot with a film camera since we all know that as of now, film cameras are still faster than digital. Overall, I like this camera and I'm glad that I got this one as my first.
61 Poor customer service
Screen has loose connection, will go blank so nothing can be seen, customer service says it si a 150 dollars to repair, owned camera for 3 months.
62 Great Digicam
I've researched digital cameras until bleary-eyed and finally decided on this one. I have a Sony camcorder so the memory stick is interchangable with both camcorder and camera. The battery was charged only once (initial charge) and so far I've gone through a 125mb stick (using the highest clarity mode) and more. 3.2 megapix is sufficient for my use, although I would like to eventually upgrade to a 5.0 when their prices fall. I read somewhere that if you do a lot of cropping, a 3 megapix will start to lose its clarity. Nonetheless, this is a remarkable point and shoot camera, easy to operate and the rechargable AA batteries are the best. In a pinch, if your rechargable batteries die, you just need to pop in fresh AA's from energizer or duracell, without having to worry about recharging the batteries.
63 Very good digital camera with video/audio
This Sony is my first digital camera and I really like it. I did a lot of research to figure out the features I wanted (1) at least 3 MP, (2)video with audio and (3) at least 3x optical zoom. The camera is very easy to use. I got it while I was on vacation and didn't really read the manual, just started taking pix. When I got home I used the Lexar USB to transfer the images/movies on the memory stick. (BTW, the Lexar worked great.) I was very pleasantly surprised at how sharp and vivid the pictures are, and how easy it is to transfer to the computer (I had also considered a Kodak and the Canon). I love having the movie w/audio, which actually took some nice clips of a family ping pong game. The movie length is limited only by memory, unlike Canon which has a 3 min. limit. Also, unlike Fujis and Nikons, the Sony has audio. I didn't experience any slow "shutter" -- except in very low light situations -- and even then I thought it was tolerable, considering I didn't expect much based on what I heard about earlier dig. cameras. It also comes w/batteries and charger which is nice. 128K memory stick is a must. I did buy the Sony brand sticks just because the first one produced such good color that I've stuck with it, but may try the Lexar stick bcz that has gotten good reviews too. For my next camera, I will probably get a 4x optical zoom, because it would be nice to have a longer zoom function, but all in all this is a good camera at a good price.
64 Great little camera
This was my first digital camera. Having used a 35mm, I was amazed with the features. I really like being able to review the pictures and delete the ones I don't like. I was suprised with the clarity of the dusk and night time shots. I bought a miniDV camcorder at the same time but the P72 has been more useful.
A few recommendations when purchasing this camera or any digital camera - If you plan to upload pictures to your computer, upgrade to USB 2.0 if you have USB 1.1 since it's 40 times faster (each picture is around 1.8mb). The 16mb memory stick only holds 10 quality pictures. The 256mb Pro stick is a good option for the casual user.
65 Slow for inside shots
Just bought the Cybershot DSCP72 from Best Buy. The features and style are great. The pictures appear to come out nice and the menus are pretty easy to navigate through.
Supplying a 16 MB card with the camera is a crime (10 highest resolution pics). Be prepared to buy a 128 MB card right from the start. This model should ship standard with at least 32MB and most likely 64 MB. But cards are relatively cheap these days [money amount]for 128 MB so not a big deal.
However I have to agree with PC World magazine this camera is too slow especially when taking photos in lower light conditions. The action that you want to capture will be long over before this camera takes the shot. It takes a pre-flash and then 1-2 seconds later takes the actual shot with another flash. I couldn't even get a shot of my Lab trying to take a treat out of my wife's hands and I tried 3 times. Never had this problem with my last camera which was an Olympus. Also when preview the pics on the LCD the photos start out blurry and then after a second or so they focus in.
So I will be returning this camera in a day or two and going possibly with a Canon Powershot A70, which is a top rated camera for the same price. The Canon according to PC World has better quality images and fast snap speeds. Still researching a replacement so not a 100% sure on the Canon.
66 3 mp, 3x optical, 300 bucks.. not bad
I bought this for my wife, I own the 707 model. Takes very good pix, 3 megapixels and a 3x optical lens ( stay away from the digital zoom cameras ), you'll need 128 card (lexar brand is good). The only negative thing is the plastic housing that the camera is encased in.
67 fantastic camera
This Camera is everything that we needed from a digital camera and more. We originally bought a Nikon, but that didn't record sound - we decided that being able to make soundless movies was pointless so swapped it for this Sony and are really pleased with it. It makes taking good photographs very simple and enjoyable. The various modes do make a difference to the quality of some pictures but the auto mode is perfect - all the photos we have taken have been excellent quality and we have printed many pictures as A4 size with no drop in the quality. Contrary to what we were told in the shops, the batteries last for ages - on a sightseeing weekend, the batteries lasted 2 full days and still have some charge left - we had the LCD screen on the whole time, used flash and zoom and took over 100 photographs and made several short movies. The best thing about the camera is that you can take as much movie footage WITH SOUND as your memory card will allow. The only thing that put me off buying this particular camera was the size and shape -others are slightly smaller, but this is easy to hold and light to carry as it uses ony 2 AA batteries, which are easy to replace.
This is our first digital Camera... great pictures and lots of fun - we would thoroughly recommend it to others!!
68 just recieved today. very happy
I recieved my P72 today and have been really happy with it. This is my first digital camera. I think the one feature that no one has mentioned is the ability to take *very* nice pictures in a room that is completely dark. To look at the pictures, you would never know that the pics were taken in a room completely dark. The image quality rivals my 35mm camera. The size and feel are just what I expected.
69 Very satisfied with Photos and Videos from this Camera
This is my first digital camera ([$$$], July 2003). I'd have to say it exceeded my expectations, but I can't really compare it to other models. One pleasant surprise, among several, for me is that the camera can take quite serviceable MPEG videos with sound. This fact has rolled back my schedule for acquiring a a digital camcorder. Most 3 megapixel digital cameras can take video but often with restrictions on length or without sound. The P72 will take video as long as there is memory stick capacity. (I have a 256 MB memory stick ([$$$], July 2003) and can probably get more than 10 minutes of video on it. BTW, resist the temptation to rotate the camera 90 degrees to take "portrait mode" videos; while it is generally easy to rotate still pictures with the included software, this does not seem to be the case with MPEG. The P72 comes with two AA formfactor NiMH batteries and a charger, something to keep in mind when doing price comparisons. I've also successfully used AA alkalines, which exhaust much more quickly than the NiMHs. I think my main disappointment is the Pixela software; I struggled along with it and got some use. However, I recently put an HP photo scanner into service and started using its bundled software, instead, and find it much better for organizing and navigating a collection of photos.
I can definitely recommend the P72 as a combination point-and-shoot/short-video camera and, as a beginner, I've found
digital photography to more rich than expected, and I expected it to be good.
70 The camera is great but it comes to be more than 329
I didn't base my choice on the reviews about it on this site I simply saw the pictures my friend took with DSC P72 and I was amazed by it's quality... I think this $$$ were well spent.
71 Love It!
Lots of cool features to keep you learning. I would say that is the biggest problem for most who may not have enjoyed this camera... learn how to use all it has to offer and your pics will look great.
72 Love It!
Lots of cool features to keep you learning. I would say that is the biggest problem for most who may not have enjoyed this camera... learn how to use all it has to offer and your pics will look great.
73 Only Lasted One Year
I bought a Sony Cybershot a little over a year ago and it just stopped taking pictures. Everything works fine but the picture will not snap. Called Sony. They were no help. They wanted me to send the camera to them with $117 and they would take a look at it. Advise is to steer clear of this camera. Sony will not support it.
74 Better as mini video camera than as still camera
I purchased this as an upgrade from a 2 mega pixel fixed lens DSC-P31. It fits in a shirt pocket with room to spare. It does short video snippets with sound well. And the corner vignetting is an improvement over the P31. But the light metering sometimes saturates (burns out) parts of pictures, it does not focus for macro imaging (the P31 does a great job with this) and waiting for the lens to move is slow. Also, you need to carry extra batteries because this eats power, but, fortunately, rechargeable AAs are cheap. Having a real physical zoom is an improvement, but this camera doesn't zoom in that close. And 3 megapixels really aren't that much better than 2. In summary, go for a lightweight snapshot camera like the P31 (with which I've shot more than 18,000 pictures!) or go all the way to the top to a 5 megapixel high resolution system.
75 Better as mini video camera than as still camera
I purchased this as an upgrade from a 2 mega pixel fixed lens DSC-P31. It fits in a shirt pocket with room to spare. It does short video snippets with sound well. And the corner vignetting is an improvement over the P31. But the light metering sometimes saturates (burns out) parts of pictures, it does not focus for macro imaging (the P31 does a great job with this) and waiting for the lens to move is slow. Also, you need to carry extra batteries because this eats power, but, fortunately, rechargeable AAs are cheap. Having a real physical zoom is an improvement, but this camera doesn't zoom in that close. And 3 megapixels really aren't that much better than 2. In summary, go for a lightweight snapshot camera like the P31 (with which I've shot more than 18,000 pictures!) or go all the way to the top to a 5 megapixel high resolution system.
76 Better as mini video camera than as still camera
I purchased this as an upgrade from a 2 mega pixel fixed lens DSC-P31. It fits in a shirt pocket with room to spare. It does short video snippets with sound well. And the corner vignetting is an improvement over the P31. But the light metering sometimes saturates (burns out) parts of pictures, it does not focus for macro imaging (the P31 does a great job with this) and waiting for the lens to move is slow. Also, you need to carry extra batteries because this eats power, but, fortunately, rechargeable AAs are cheap. Having a real physical zoom is an improvement, but this camera doesn't zoom in that close. And 3 megapixels really aren't that much better than 2. In summary, go for a lightweight snapshot camera like the P31 (with which I've shot more than 18,000 pictures!) or go all the way to the top to a 5 megapixel high resolution system.
77 A OK camera
The pictures looked very good on the LCD, but after you uploaded them to the computer, their quality is just so-so. Even those taken in good light out-door conditions and using super fine are very blurry, after you zoom them to 100%. The camera is so.. slow in low light environment, and needs at least 5 seconds time to take one single picture.
Overall, this camera's OK if you just want to print it out to 4x6. If you want a really good camera, turn to Canon powershot serial.
78 Doesnot Stream
Disappointed when I cannot use this digital camera as web cam. The only function that USB can do is copy from the memory stick to your computer.
Also when reviewing the clicked photos the photos remain hazy for more than 10 seconds. Donot know why but very annoying.
79 Great Buy
For years, I've been meaning to buy a digital camera. Finally, because I was sent on a business trip, I broke down and bought one. This Sony model was my choice, and it was a great one.
I have used it extensively for two months now and have never had a problem. It is very easy to use for anyone who has ever taken a picture before. It captures very nice pictures and video, with easy playback features.
The USB connection is great, and it's even better having a Sony laptop where the memory card can be inserted directly. This model also comes with a battery charger which is necessary for any digital camera.
80 A First Time Digital Camera Buyer
This is the first digital camera I buy and I really like it. It's very easy to use for a novice like me. Picture quality is good, movie mode is really cool. Price is reasonable especially because I got this camera with a free 32MB Lexar memory stick promotion and free shipping. Only downside is that the LCD screen will go off for a second or two if you use a flash. Other than that, I couldn't find anything that I don't like. A perfect for non-professional photographer.
81 Very pleased with my P72!
I recently bought this camera and I must say I'm really impressed, it takes great pictures (I was personally impressed and 3.2MP is more than enough for me) and besides the pics, you can take very long movies as well! But of course you would have to use a bigger capacity memory stick (cause as everyone says, the supplied 16mb MS is just not enough) and record your movies until the card fills up. And the beautiful thing is that you can edit (divide, cut, delete the parts you don't want) your movies on the spot, so you can still save some more space by getting rid of those unwanted moments in your videos and still keep the good ones. There are so many good specs to this camera, yes it's true that it doesn't have the most extensive manual control options, but it certainly has much more than you would expect from a "point and shoot" camera. I simply love it, and I'm so happy for the day that I waved goodbye to 35mm cameras and film processing costs. I'm more than happy to keep all my photos on my computer and just print those which are special. This baby is full of pros, but the only con as I mentioned before, is that the supplied memory stick is just a tactic to make you buy a bigger one. 16MB doesn't do it (unless you only take lo-res pictures and no movies!)
I also would like to add a comment to bpm003's review, about the LCD being off when the flash is charging. Despite what bpm003 thinks, this is definitely not a con, it is just the factory default "battery saving mode" which you can always change. This way it turns off the LCD to make the batteries last longer (also the camera activates the auto focus only when you half-press the shutter) whereas if you turn the battery saving option off, you can enjoy the instant playback of the images (by simply pressing the quick review button) and not worry about the LCD turning off, plus the camera focuses more quickly even when you don't press the shutter, so you can take quicker shots. Just wanted to make this clear.
The bottom line is anyhow, you'll like this camera very much if you're looking for a P&S camera. I simply love it!
82 Nice camera for nice price
I have been shopping for a digicam for a year now. I have been waiting for the right marraige of price, features, size, etc. When the Canon S30 got discontinued, I had to start looking all over again. Other cameras were either $$$ for similar features, and/or had proprietary batteries - a feature I don't care for. (If I'm away on vacation and my batteries die in the middle of a tour, I want to be able to throw some throwaway AA's into the camera as an emergency.)
The DCS-P72 has a relatively low price, rechargable AA's, a nice compact size, and some nice point-and-shoot features.
I hate when people put a camera like this down because it doesn't have enough manual modes. I take pictures of family & vacations. I'm not doing weddings. I need a camera with basic features (this camera has some really nice settings) that takes nice pictures. This camera meets all my needs. Only word of caution: don't trust the automatic ISO setting on indoor low-light shots. Set the ISO to 400 manually and your pics will be perfect.
83 Plenty of features... best in daylight
Pro's
1. Has all the desirable features like video out, only 2 AA batteries, decent movies w/sound etc.
2. Nice build quality, the battery compartment door is the best I have seen so far.
3. Bundled rechargeable batteries and 4hr world charger are excellent.
4. Smart Zoom is useful feature and works much better than digital zoom on other cameras.
5. Fast shooting time (with option to take a burst of 2 pics), if you turn flash off.
6. The lens retracts itself when you are in view mode for a while, very sensible feature to protect the lens.
7. Very good battery life inspite of bright LCD.
Con's
1. Not really pocketable, thick/bulky/long. Included errata says the correct thickness is 37mm. Sony P8 or Nikon 2100/3100 or Canon S200 are smaller in size.
2. Only a superfine 1.5MB size available in auto mode for 3MP images.
3. Proprietary MS/MS Pro is 2 to 5 times cost of CF cards. And still can't be used even in many Sony devices which need MS MagicGate or MS Duo version.
4. White balance and colors for indoor/flash pics are bad.
5. Very less control over what camera will shoot. No action mode for fast shutter. Most flash or low light pics are blurry because camera chooses 1/40 sec or slower shutter speed.
6. Lens is noisy and a bit slow to startup/zoom/shutdown.
7. Colors are very saturated and many pictures are not crisp.
If lens was brighter and took low light/flash pictures better it would have been a superb camera. Every digital camera has its limitations, choose the one you like the best and enjoy!
84 Terrific value for digital camera
I have the predecessor P71 version of this camera. I thought hard about buying the FUJI with the 6X zoom but am very glad to have bought the Sony instead. In comparison to my buddy's FUJI, it takes TERRIFIC PICTURES IN LOW LIGHT SITUATIONS. This is key- the picture doesn't black out at parties/indoor graduations/weddings, etc. As an experiment, I took several pictures of my girlfriend's dog in near-complete darkness. They turn out beautifully- the illumination feature for this camera's autofocus/rangefinder is very powerful. Very few cameras in this price range have this capability (I checked). Also- this camera has a TERRIFIC BUNDLE, making it a great value. I figure the charger itself is worth $.., and it uses standard-sized AA batteries. They are interchangeable with the rechargeables on your walkman, meaning that you're not stuck with buying $.. "battery paks" that don't fit anything else in your house. Only two minor quibbles: the camera automatically defaults to a "no flash"/energy saver mode every time it is turned on and off. This feature is irritating and you will probably miss some good shots because of it. Also, the shutter speed is slow. But this is true of all digital cameras. If you want a quality digital point and shoot for a great price, this is the camera. No doubt!
85 Great Camera!!!!
I just bought this camera and have been extremely impressed with it. The camera is very easy to use and takes great pictures. It has a nice compact size that can easly fit a loose pocket. I think it's great buy!! Only con memory stick only takes 11 pictures at high quality, I recommend an upgrade.
86 yup a must have yall!
Hey first i was looking in the canon cameras, especially those sexy and small ones. But surprisingly i saw this new model from sony called the sony p72. The reason i gave this a shot was because i saw reviews said the canon have a problem with purple fringing which means sometimes theres a purple outline around images such as tree branches. it was a minor thing but i want a perfect camera. the sony p72 has the best image quality out there! its 3 megapixels which is all you need if you don't plan to print a picture bigger than 8x11, which most people don't. It also as a AF illumintor which helps measure the light so it knows the perfect ammount of flash. the AF illum. is usually on expensive/higher end cameras, but guess what? its on this cheapo camera. haha. Yeah it also has movie mode (w/sound)which is above average. Its not like a camcorder but the movie mode satisfies those who need to catch those moments when you don't have your camcorder. Another great feature is it uses memory stick pro. Memory stick pro is a new design that allows high capacity memory card. I suggest a 256mb one, which can take 160 high quality photos. Theres also those cool modes such as black and white and etc.
pros:
good quality
good zoom (3x optical) and smart zoom (digital)
nice movie mode
AF illumantor
good battery life (uses nice sony AA batteries/rechargeable)
cons
not much except no manual controls so you can't get the brightest night shots.
87 Picture quality not the best
I bought this camerata yesterday on the strength of the other customer reviews here, but today it went back to the store. My picture files had lots of pixels, but mediocre contrast and only so-so sharpness. I have owned both a Fuji Finepix 2400 and 2800, and both of these cameras took much sharper pictures than this Sony. My guess is that the culprit in the Sony camera is the lens -- all the electronics seemed to work OK.
Update, May 17
Since writing the above I have purchased a Canon A70, which is comparable in size and price to this Sony...with the same number of megapixels.
The Canon gives the photographer a lot more potential control, including, if one wishes, the ability to set f stops and shutter speeds manually. Most important, the lens is much better than the Sony's, and my pictures are much sharper, with excellent definition and contrast. So in my opinion the Canon A70 is a much better value.
88 Solid camera for a good price...A must TRY!!!
After searching for months and reading many reports I purchased the Sony DSC-P72. The camera was a snap to use for this first time digital owner. Menu is excellent, focus does a terrific job, and the download to my computer was instint. Picture quality after I enlarged to 12 by 14 was superb. Sony supplies you with ni-mh batteries and charger, plus can use regular AA batteries.With Optical zoom, 3.2 megapixels, charger the $329.00 was normal but with sony quality. Memory stick media is getting cheap too, I purchased 128 m for $40.00 and 256 is available. I don't need more functions or 4 or 5 meg after using this camera!
I also compared with our Canon A-70 to her Sony P-72 and I still love my A-70 though. Her P-72 was the same price and takes great shots as well. It just lacks manual aperature control and shutter control against the A70's ability to do so. However, the P-72 takes sweet shots too for the person who just wants the camera to do all of the work. Sony is top quality as well. But hey, this is a camera, not a camcorder! What are you waiting for? Get it now!
89 Not just because I bought it
Usually the best reviews come from those indivduals that just bought something and haven't found the bad news, or are unwilling to accept that they made a bad decision. I had read the reviews on almost every 3-5MP digital cam on Amazon.com, and had several in the final running for my actual purchase. This camera won the contest because of its high quality user interface, low light performance, and most of all its video mode capabilities. Its the only camera I've seen that does a reasonably high quality video mode, with no time limits other than what your storage capability is. Also the resolution of the video mode, and the fact that its in a very compatible format sealed the deal for me. This camera is very intelligent when using the "auto" settings, and could definitely help anyone take better pictures. For those like me, most of the features are manually controlable as well, in addition to saving manual settings to your own program. One thing that didn't get mentioned in previous information about this camera is that it saves the settings information as part of each picture, so that you can go back later and compare which settings are working best for you and your picture taking styles. I already recorded several movies and was astounded at the audio/video quality that I was presented with, I was able to connect it directly to the T.V. and the frame-rates and resolution were just fine for home-movie quality recording. If you get tired of only having a camera, or only having a camcorder, and never both. You have to take a look at this thing. Also, this camera comes with 4 effects like Sepia, Black and White, Solarize, and Negative. I was very pleased to find out that these effects can be used in BOTH the camera mode and video mode. I was also amazed to see that in video mode that the zoom is available for use, and that the camera utilizes an auto-focus, much like your average camcorder. For what I do, I did not need 5 megapixel. I mostly print images smaller than 8x10, and much of my work ends up on my websites. So I wanted to trade extra megapixels for features. This was absolutely the right choice for me. Also, the camera came with 2 nickel metal hydride AA batteries as well as a charger, USB cable, and television intervace RCA cables. That is a lot of toys for the over-all price. This camera has also gotten great marks for battery performance, and I wasn't able to kill them after playing all afternoon and evening on about half of a full charge. I ended up having to put it on never-ending slide show mode to drain the batteries all the way down. It took over 4 hours even then.
90 Great feature set quality for the price
This is my second digital camera - my first was the Fuji FinePix 2800 which by the way was a fine camera - very good picture quality and unmatched optical zoom. I was unhappy with the overall size and more importantly the shape of the Fuji. I do a lot of traveling and found that there were few pockets or compartments in my bags to accommodate it's odd shape...
In buying my new camera, I had three "must have" features I was looking for:
1. Must fit easily in my jacket pocket
2. Must run on AA batteries
3. Must have some type of focus assist lamp
The DSC-P72 fit all of my requirements. I also considered the Canon A70 and the Canon S50. Both the Canon's had a focus assist, but I didn't like the size and shape of the A70 (grip was kind of big) and I couldn't get past the proprietary battery on the S50.
Picture quality thus far on the P72 has proven to be outstanding. Low light focusing, with the help of the orange colored focus assist lamp, has really allowed me to take some great indoor pictures that previously I wouldn't have even bothered to attempt with a digital camera.
The only complaint I have so far is that I don't like how the LCD goes dark a second or two after taking a picture with a flash - this makes it impossible to do an instant review of the picture. I am guessing that the camera is drawing a lot of juice from the battery at that instant to recharge the flash and probably doesn't have enough left to power the LCD being that the camera runs on only 2 AA batteries. That said, overall battery life has not been an issue for me yet - I get around 70-100 pictures per battery set, depending on my use of the flash
Finally, I recommend that anyone who buys this camera also purchase a 128MB memory stick - 3MP files are quite large and chew up the space on the included 16MB memory stick after just a handful of pictures.
