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77 of 79 found the following review helpful:
 Outstanding ValueOct 03, 2004
By Maggie's Mom
"School Teacher"
I purchased the Sony DSC P73 a week ago for $235 at a local retailer. I have an older 2 megapixel Sony digital camera, also, that I have been pleased with. I wanted this camera because it has a higher resolution than my old camera, and it also has a viewfinder, which was lacking on my 3-year-old camera. After using this camera for a week, I am very happy with my decision to purchase it. It has many features that make it an outstanding camera for a very low price.
I am very pleased with the performance so far. My pictures have been very crisp and clear. I like being able to snap pictures rapidly, which is a big improvement over my old Sony. I especially like the zoom feature, which is much improved over my old Sony, whose digital zoom was worthless. Pictures taken with the digital zoom on this camera are very clear. I did a close-up of my cat using the digital zoom, and every individual hair can be seen in the photo. I also tried the macro feature, which allows for close ups as close as 10 inches. I photographed a page of the user's manual, and every word in the photo is clear.
I was worried about using rechargable AA batteries, but I have taken many pictures and videos this week, and I have not had to recharge yet. I plan to buy the rapid recharger and two more batteries, so I will always have charged batteries on hand.
I loved the video mode on my old camera, so I wanted that feature on the new one. I haven't tried the fine mode, because I don't have a pro memory stick, yet. I'm using the 128 mb stick that I used with my other camera. I like being able to record for a longer time than my old camera. And I also like having the larger image size of 640 x 480 for playback, but I do miss the option of a 320 x 240 image size. I think that this would allow for longer recording with good playback resolution. I don't think Sony allows for this option on any of its digital cameras anymore. I also have used the email mode for recording video. This is great for sending movies to family, or for posting video on web pages, as the file size is small. This camera also has a video editing feature that allows you to delete sections of unwanted video before downloading. I have found this a very useful feature.
Multiple folders can be created in the camera to keep photos of different events separate for ease of organizing for playback or downloading.
I installed the Picture Package software that came with the DSC P73, but I probably won't use it. With it, you can create slide shows, and you can view thumbnails of all your pictures. I can already do this using Windows XP, but I think Windows 98 users would like this software.
Overall, I think that this is an excellent camera at a very reasonable price.
29 of 29 found the following review helpful:
Overall, a great cameraDec 25, 2004
By Person
"qazwsx34651"
As about two or more reviewers got this for the holidays, and so did I. I have to say, this camera is great. I'll just break down pros + cons because it's an electronic device
PROS:
- With the 4.1 megapixels, picture and video quality is clear and crisp.
- Easy menus.
- Overall easy to use if a beginner.
- Many different ways and styles to take pictures.
- Very durable, as Sony products are mostly all trustful.
- Love the zoom in and zoom out features.
- Easy to delete videos and pics.
- Easy to connect to a computer or a television.
CONS:
- The memory stick that came with this is only 16MB which is only 8 pictures and 42 secs for video. Luckily, I also got a 256MB memory stick seperatly and I can take about 120 pics and 11 min for video.
- The batteries were not charged up when I recived the product.
- Sound on the videos are sometimes weak.
Overall, this camera is great, but make sure to buy a seperate memory stick or you will only have 42 seconds of fun with the video and only 8 pics.
37 of 39 found the following review helpful:
pretty cool for what you payJun 04, 2004
By ZenSurfer
I just bought the p73 and I am pretty content with it. altough bulkier than the exilims of casio, I like the fast cycle times between shots, which often caused me to loose nice pictures before with my old digital camera. The video is quite good considering it's just mpeg, and good for those moments when you wished you had brought your camcorder. I am using the mem stick pro 256 meg so there is alot of room for short videos as well as pictures. The preflash works pretty well in low light, an added benefit is that it catches the attention of my baby so all our shots have her looking straight at the camera. I havent tried the more advanced features yet, altough I am saving up for a wide angle lens to attach onto this toy. It is a bit heavy for a small cam, but then I realized that it was the battery which was accounting for much of the weight.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Everything you might need... and maybe more!Dec 10, 2004
By M. Fallas
When Sony made this camera, they were thinking of people like you and me, who were looking for a good camera, with a good resolution, enough features, and of course, not to spend too much.
The camera 's 4.1 mp resolution allows you to get perfectly detailed 8" x 5.33" prints, if you want them.
Other features, like manual exposure, and scene modes, allow you to get more pro, so this isn't a simple point and shoot camera if you want to do some tweaks to yor photos. The P73 helps you to take pictures like a professional without having to be one.
The P73 takes about 1 second to power up, and for continuous shooting, you only have to wait about 1 second between pictures.
PROS
- Low price / Great features
- Easy to use
- Good battery life
- Optical Zoom
- 6 Scene modes
- 3 Additional modes: Manual / Program / Auto (point + shoot)
CONS
- LCD fonts are tiny and hard to read
- Smart zoom only works at low resolutions (1mp - 3mp)
- Included 16MB MemoryStick is not enough (only 8 pix @ 4.1mp)
- Included "Picture Package" doesn't have any edit capabilities
- Picture Package Software crashes sometimes causing damaged JPGS
Sony should give away larger MemorySticks with their cameras, but I guess that's their strategy... if you buy a camera, you will need another MS.
If you buy the CyberShot DSC-P73 consider buying at least one 128MB MemoryStick (holds 64 pix @ 4.1MP) but I'd reccomend a 512MB that holds about 242 photos @4.1MP, so you can go on vacation and take enough great pictures without having to worry for the MS capacity.
A spare set of batteries and a carrying case would be a great companion as well.
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Quality purchase!!!Jan 21, 2005
By Ryan B.
I just bought this camera after a few weeks of research and am very pleased. It is my first digital camera (and first camera that I have actually bought that you didn't throw away after 24 pictures!) I wanted something that had optical zoom and I could not justify 5 megapixels for my use. In addition I have seen 5 megapixel cameras that took 3 megapixel-quality pictures. Some cameras claim the high megapixel as a selling point but often lack optical zoom (a must), fine tuning to light changes, and just take poor pics. That being said I wanted something that I didn't have to have a degree in photography to take quality pictures. I wanted enough features to play with in case I the urge. I also required durability and a camera that came with a recharger and batteries (otherwise plan on spending $20-$40 more down the road). Here's the deal:
Pros:
Great, easy to take pictures.
Easy navigation through the menu.
Price for value is outstanding. (I paid $200 + 69 dollars for a 512 sandisk card)
Sony-like feel in terms of quality (but I've never had a sony ANYTHING fail on me so I am biased)
Movie mode is excellent, seems much better than the HP, Vivitar Cannon competition at this price point. Not as good as a a real video camera but still quality sound and video.
LCD screen is easy to see in all light conditions and you can even dim it.
Did I mention it came with rechargeble batteries and charger?
Cons:
I realize no cameras come with big memory cards but at least they can give you 32 or 64 mb as charity (instead of less than 10)
Software is a little weak. I expected something a little better than paint, but instead it just reads from the software and transfers it to paint for editing.
Size, kinda bulky but you have to cut cost somewhere and it is certainly competitive against the competition.
USB 1 transfer with camera but I just ordered a USB 2 reader so...
Thats it.
Overall this a good purchase if you are looking for a reasonably priced camera that will (hopefully) take a little abuse and take great photos. 4.5 rating for the worthless standard memory card.
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