Sony Cybershot DSCP200 7.2MP Digital Camera 3x Optical Zoom

 "I changed to good for better!"
My first digital camera was the Sony DSCP100 which I consider it's very good, but I decided to change this one and I'm sure that was the best desición. It is a great camera for the whole life and the quality of image is much better than the other one.

I like The large 2 inch LCD on the P200 also makes it much more user friendly than smaller 1, 1.5 or 1.8 inch displays. The turn on time for this camera is one of the best, probably somewhere around a second between pressing the power button to being able to snap a picture. The higher image resolution allows her to significantly crop her photos and still display excellent final print clarity.I think this is one of the best Sony cameras.

I am very satisfied with all its presentations it's an excellent value and pleasure to use.

 4 1/2 stars
i hav a camera like this and its about4-5 years old. works really well but the flash doesn't work well anymore. but that's not bad for 5 years of constant use.

 A go anywhere camera for the digitally conscious
This was the camera I upgraded from the DSC-P150. The size makes it convenient to tote around on trips, both casual and longterm. The photoquality of the camera makes it worthwhile to capture special moments.

The 7.2 megapixel captures enough detail for cropping, resizing and digital editing. The camera has a balanced weight in hand. The 3X zoom is ample for most applications as well.

I have taken this camera on three trips to europe, photographed the progress of my garden over the past two seasons and taken many animal photos. The camera does well in daylight, reasonably good in low light situations as well as higher shutter speed action shots (taken of my dog playing).

This is my 7th digital camera and i honestly haven't considered any other cameras since i purchased this one.

Pros:
Fast start up
nifty operating soundeffects (which can be disabled).
large bright lcd screen (slightly larger than the p-150)
long battery life
compact size to fit in jean pocket
Video recording limited to available space on memory stick
Indent on top of metal case for firmer grip.
Can control zoom while recording video.
Circular Green light around power button (tasteful upgrade from P-150)

Cons:
does not come with protective carry case (must be purchased separately)
Silver shell looks like every other digital camera (i would purchase in red or blue next time)
Reliance on sony memory stick. (forced to use proprietary memory format)
Menus cluttered, could have been better organized.

 Absolutely great for adventure travel as well as everwhere else!
I travel around the world so I need a digital camera that is small with clear pictures as I often am in a kayak or boat or small aircraft. This is the best camera I have ever used considering the small size. Sony now makes an underwater housing for this camera which is great if you do a lot of water sports as well. I have beautiful underwater pics recently taken in the Florida Keys.
I'm not sure what is causing the complaints of some stating the photos are blurred as I have not experienced that.

 After extensive research...
We spent a long time researching the purchase of a new digital camera. My Nikon Coolpix 880 was great when I bought it in 2000, but it's been dropped a few times, and it was a bit heavy/big. I wanted a camera that took great pictures, was light weight and small enough that I could comfortably carry it in my pants pocket.

The Sony Cybershot 7.2 has everything I wanted. It's small, easy to carry in a small purse or pocket, and it takes amazing photographs. The image quality is excellent. I do a lot of scrapbooking and crop a lot of pictures before I print them, so it was important to me to have 7.2 megapixels for enlargement.

The camera is easy to hold - I have fairly small hands, and it doesn't feel awkward or big.

As far as construction goes, the Sony Cybershot 7.2 is user friendly. The battery, memory card and charging outlet are behind the same "door". The buttons are aligned so that, for a right-handed person, it's possible to hold the camera and manipulate the image (ie. zoom, change menu options, etc.) with one hand - but do use the wrist strap! The LCD resolution is very good, definitely better than my old Nikon, and I was thrilled to find that the pictures look even sharper on the computer! One major problem with my Nikon was that the on/off button could easily be triggered by putting it in the case, so the camera would stay on and eat the battery up. On my new camera, the on/off button is slightly recessed, so it won't turn on accidentally, and the battery life is exceptional - 300+ minutes. The turn on speed and the time between shots is very quick - about a second. The zoom is excellent as well and gives me a lot of detail.

I didn't buy this camera for the video, but I played around with it to see what it was like, and would seriously consider leaving my other video camera at home now! The microphone is located where you would put your thumb if you held the camera with two hands (unless you were paying attention) and sound quality isn't exceptional, but it definitely works well. If you wanted to narrate, I'd suggest speaking close to the camera.

Drawbacks: Personally, I need to hold the camera with two hands to keep it steady. This is not a big problem at all, but I thought I'd mention it - unless I'm trying to catch something on the fly, I don't have a problem keeping the camera steady.

In scene mode, when you bring up the menu, your setting choices (snow, candlelight, portrait, etc.) are represented only by icons, and I find it difficult to remember what each is.

Neither of these problems are (in my opinion) significant, but I thought I'd bring them up in case they are for you. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

 After over a year of research, I made the right decision.
I've had this camera for about a month now. It has all the features I needed and a few I still haven't tried. Some people mentioned problems they had, but I didn't have any. I love that you can buy lenses to expand the features of the camera. If you are unfamiliar with using a camera like this, you may want to see if your cable provider has free videos explaining the features. We have i-control here and there are several videos that can help you get the most out of your camera.

 Amazing Digital Camera, Incredible Value
The DSC-P200 is an amazing piece of technology that demonstrates how far digital photography has come. With a 7.2 MP resolution, 3X zoom, lithium ion battery and a 2" LCD screen squeezed into a tiny package, this camera is truly amazing. The output is no less impressive with quality superior to that of any other camera I have seen.

One of the advantages of a camera this small is its ability to be carried in your clothing without relying on an external carrying case. While this is a great attribute that allows you to bring it to parties for impromptu photos, its apparent fragility is a cause for concern. It would be nice if Sony provided a glove-like camera case or entirely different, ruggedized housing. Of course, many third-party camera cases are available along with what Sony offers, but even the smallest of these will be too large to fit in a shirt or inside sport coat pocket.

In addition to its diminutive size, the camera's portability is also fostered by the lithium ion battery which lasts for nearly two hours. Moreover, with a larger memory chip, you will have everything necessary for a day or more worth of shooting. At the full seven megapixel resolution, photos average about three (3) megabytes each. This means you can store only about ten photos on the included 32 MB Memory Stick, making memory a necessary upgrade. By comparison, my 512 MB Memory Stick allows me to take over 150 maximum resolution 7.2 MP photos. Fortunately, it can be purchased for approximately $55 at Amazon.

Even though I am not a professional photographer or artist, I can definitely appreciate the picture quality. I had the opportunity to directly compare the Sony DSC-P200's quality to that of a Minolta 5 MP camera taking the exact same photo at the same distance. The pictures of a friend and me were taken by a waiter in an upscale restaurant with relatively low lighting. At first glance, they appeared to be of comparable quality. After closer inspection, however, it was clear that the Sony image was superior. In one striking example, the shades of my burgundy shirt were more accurate with less pixilation.

For the amateur photographer, be aware there are many features to be deciphered. As a former engineer and gadget enthusiast, I consider myself a quick study. Yet, I had to spend a couple of hours reading the manual and still have some learning to do. So, don't buy this camera on the way to your daughter's wedding and expect to use it (besides, the battery will be dead anyway).

Many casual photographers may question the need for seven megapixels as this exceeds the resolution of even the largest monitors. For example, a high-end WUXGA (1900 x 1200) wide format monitor only has 2.3 megapixels. However, the camera's superior resolution provides a hidden benefit. Even if you don't want to create large format photos or posters, it does allow for a convenient "off-line" zooming. So if you are at sporting event or show, you can take photos of scenes even too far with 3X magnification. When editing the images on your computer, you can crop the part of the photo desired to effectively zoom into the image you wish to save or share with you friends.

As a Sony Vaio owner, I have the added benefit of being able to slip the Memory Stick directly into my laptop without having to worry about cables or additional drivers. It would be even nicer, though, if Sony provided some sort of wireless connectivity, such as Bluetooth or WiFi. I can see why Sony would skip this feature as current wireless technology would not be sufficient for transfer of several high-resolution photos.

The video capability is a nice frill even though it would not be a key reason for purchasing this camera. I was quite surprised that it produced quality video AND sound recordings. The latter was far crisper than I ever expected. With two gigabyte chips available in 2005, you could record full motion video for nearly 80 minutes. This sounds great, but the camera doesn't record moving scenes very well. Presumably, this is due to internal bandwidth limitations. On this note, it would be nice to provide HDTV video recording, even at a lower frame rate. This would be quite a stretch due to bandwidth limitations/data write speed as HDTV cameras, geared for the professional market, are very expensive.

In summary, the Sony DSC-P200 is an incredible piece of technology that provides tremendous picture quality in a small package. I can't imagine wanting more out of a camera other than a ruggedized housing or high resolution HDTV video, which is quite unrealistic given its size and cost. Given the camera's intended purpose, Sony has done an amazing job. For still photos, the DSC-P200 should be good for a decade or so.

Pros
7.2 MP
Incredible picture quality
Lithium Ion battery
Compact

Cons
No glove-like case
A bit complicated for recreational photographers
Delicate (potentially)
32 MB of standard memory
No Bluetooth

 An awesome digicam!
Finally decided to upgrade my old Sony 1.2MP digital camera. Wanted something small that could fit in my pocket and take easy, quick shots, but still allow for manual manipulation of the images. I also wanted a digicam that had a view finder in addition to the LCD panel. I have found all this and more in the P200 (red, of course!). It has met or exceeded all of my expectations -- great picture quality, long battery life, fast shutter speed (time it takes to snap the photo and then take the next photo), easy transfer of images to PC, large LCD that has a protective coating, ease of use, etc. I can't say enough good things about this camera. One of my relatives went out and bought this after I got mine and he loves it, too. You won't be disappointed.

 Astonishing pictures
Bought this camera in June with a planned July trip to Alaska in mind. We have just been back a week and my pictures are amazing. The clarity, color and detail look professional. I am so happy with this camera. It was the right size to stick in my pocket yet large enough to feel secure in my hand. I bought the 1GB memory stick and took all my pictures on high (3.2) resolution. Took over 400 pictures on this memory stick and still some space left. Also the battery charge lasts over 2 hours so I could go on excursions with just my little camera. No need for batteries or extra memory sticks. HIghly recommend this camera

 Awsome Camera!!!
I bought this for my mom and she loves it! It doesn't say this but if you are wondering if it has a time/date stamp for the photos, it does and you can turn it on/off. She was very concerned with this because she wanted a time/date stamp. I took a picture of my fan on FASTEST SPEED and it looked like the fan wasn't even moving in the picture. This camera is amazing. It is also soooo fast. It turns on in like less than a second and it takes pictures fast without delay. Great quality pictures and good video too. Also you will NEED to get a bigger memory stick than the one it comes with because it will only hold 9 pictures with the one it comes with. Also if you are concerned it does not have enough zoom, don't be. Because of the high MP, you can just crop the picture and it will look like it is zoomed and still be a big picture. The battery has a very long charge, too! This is just an all-around great camera.