Sony Digital Camera

The feature-rich Sony DSC-S75 digital camera presents a very plausible replacement for a traditional 35mm film camera. It features a 3.3-megapixel CCD, a superb Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 3x optical zoom lens, 2x digital zoom (for a 6x total zoom), and other extras such as movie mode and voice recording for annotations.

The DSC-S75 is larger than most of Sony's other Cyber-shot cameras, but it's nicely weighted and benefits from the rubber grip to the left of the lens. The DSC-S75 shares many features with the Sony MVC-CD300, including a variety of modes, such as simultaneous recording of both TIFF and JPEG images, a voice mode that records an audio file of between 5 and 40 seconds together with the still image, and the ability to record both short MPEG movies with sound and animated GIFs. However, unlike the MVC-CD300, the DSC-S75 has only a two-image burst mode and no exposure bracketing feature.

Sony has added some useful features for reviewing and editing images on the camera before they have been uploaded, including a 5x LCD zoom, a slideshow feature, and the ability to enlarge and trim images. You can also divide MPEG movies into two separate files. The DSC-S75 also records the exposure, shutter speed, and aperture setting of each image for later reference.

Playback of images is either via TV by use of supplied AV cable, through a Memory Stick reader (such as the Sony MSACUS1A), or by attaching the camera to the PC via the supplied USB cable. In this last case, the camera is mounted as a new drive on your Mac or PC's desktop, allowing easy transfer of images to the hard drive.

The camera is supplied with an AC adaptor, rechargeable battery pack, 8 MB Memory Stick, AV connecting cable, shoulder strap, a rather short USB cable, and software on CD-ROM. --Nick Baxter

Pros:

• Good replacement for 35mm SLR
• Superb Carl Zeiss lens
• Useful preview options
• Nice extras, including audio file annotation and MPEG movies with sound

Cons:

• Only 3x optical zoom
• Limited to two-image burst mode