Digital Trends

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9

February 1st, 2006 | by David Elrich

Performance

I've said it before and will repeat myself again: the days of slow response are gone, especially with new digicams from top brands. Slide down the front door and in less than two seconds, the LCD springs to life and you're ready to shoot. The quality of the LCD is quite good and the lack of a separate viewfinder was no problem at all even under different ambient light conditions. There's a backlight up switch in case it's too dark and the screen handled direct sunlight well. I did find there was a bit of blur as you moved the camera from one scene to the next. It was annoying but not a deal breaker.

One of the key new features of the T9 is Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization, a technology found in better Sony camcorders. Besides cutting down on blurry shots (it's never entirely eliminated), it lets you shoot in available light with a better chance of getting a good, in focus image. I tried a number of interior shots with the system on and off with the camera set on “no flash.” The results with it on were quite good. The camera also has a higher ISO than previous T series cameras (640 versus 400). There's noise galore at 640 but the 400 setting is decent, not great. Again this helps you with available light shots and won't be a problem unless you make 8.5x11 prints or larger. Note: as a trend for 2006, manufacturers are upping ISOs and improving noise reduction. We haven't handled the others yet but in theory this is good news. An example is the new Fujifilm FinePix V10 ($349, due March) with an ISO of 1600; it doesn't have image stabilization though. And Sony's new point-and-shoot 6MP DSC-S600 is rated 1000 ISO.

There's also another issue with super thin cameras that is very important; there's nothing to hold onto in order to steady it. You have to use four total fingers from both hands, sort of like a praying mantis and shaky images are the result. The OIS cuts down on this noticeably.

The DSC-T9 was used in a variety of situations (indoors, outdoors, in Auto and various scene modes). I found the camera to be a pleasure to use although occasionally there was focusing delay and the LCD screen went black while saving the image. The flash was strong but not overwhelming so faces tended to look more lifelike. Since the camera has an AF Illuminator lamp, low-light exposures were quite good with a minimal amount of grabbing. This lamp is really a must-have feature in my book, no matter what size or shape camera you're considering. As with almost all really compact cameras, there are red-eye issues but that's what good editing software is for!

Also realize the camera has a good movie mode so you can take a quick clip. The MPEG Movie VX setting using Memory Stick Pro Duo cards records 640 x 480 pixel videos at 30 frames per second, basically VHS levels.

Taking the card out, it was time to make some prints to see how this 6MP camera performed. I'm a big believer in card readers since they make transferring images very simple. I'm an even bigger believer after using the supplied Picture Package software. It just amazes me Sony continues to use this junk. The interface is bad and if you need help, the onboard help is almost a parody of poorly-written Japanese-to-English owner's manuals. I guess the folks at Adobe are happy about this. Better yet, just download a free copy of Kodak's EasyShare software and you'll be in business. One of the reasons I'm complaining is the fact I tried to download music to the camera for the slideshow background music. I'm no Ray Ozzie but I can use software. I couldn't get it to work so I used the four sound tracks supplied with the camera. They're O.K. not tunes from Mariah Carey or Sheryl Crow. The slideshow mode is fun so if you take a bunch of shots at a party, you can pass the camera around and everyone can see them.

I made a number of 8.5x11 prints on a Canon MP780 printer using files straight from the card (no tweaking). Even so I was impressed with the overall quality. Colors were quite realistic with no over-saturation or sharpness. They simply looked good and much more than acceptable for the vast majority of photographers.

Image Courtesy of Sony