Sony CyberShot DSC-P50Sony develops an affordable, full-featured 2.1-megapixel compact digicam with great picture quality!<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 4/4/2001 |
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, our comments here are rather condensed, summarizing our key findings: For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the DSC-P50's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the P50 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the P50's white balance system did a good job of interpreting most light sources. The P50 had some trouble with the very difficult household incandescent lighting of our Indoor Portrait, producing sepia casts in both automatic and incandescent white balance modes. We also noticed a tendency for the white balance to change with the exposure compensation setting in this shot, as a +1.7 EV adjustment produced a very reddish/orange image and no exposure adjustment reduced the color cast. Switching over to Twilight mode gave us longer exposures and better overall color. During the majority of our testing, we noticed either slightly cool or magenta results, and we typically found the automatic white balance setting to be the most accurate. Still, overall color looked pretty good in most of our test shots, with relatively good accuracy. We noticed that bright red values, such as the red flower in the Outdoor Portrait and the large, red color block of the Davebox target, were slightly oversaturated. The large color blocks of the Davebox test target looked pretty good and nearly accurate (though the cyan block is a little weak). The P50 just barely picks up the subtle difference between the red and magenta color blocks on the middle, horizontal color chart (which is a common problem area for many digicams), oversaturating them slightly. The P50 also captures the subtle tonal variations of the Q60 chart all the way up to the "B" range, though they are very faint (another common problem area for digicams). Overall, though, the P50 produced nice color, and we'd class it as a solid performer in that respect.
The DSC-P50 performed well in our "laboratory" resolution test, cleanly resolving the target detail to 650 lines per picture height in both horizontal and vertical directions, and showing visible detail all the way out to 800 lines. Overall, very comparable to other top-level two megapixel digicams.
Optical distortion on the P50 is moderate at the wide angle end, as we measured approximately 0.64 percent barrel distortion. The telephoto end fared slightly better, as we measured roughly 0.35 percent pincushion distortion. Chromatic aberration is very low, showing only about a half a pixel of coloration on each side of the black target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.)
We found the P50's optical viewfinder to be very tight, showing only 69 percent of the final image area at wide angle, and about 72 percent at telephoto, at all three image sizes. We also noticed that the final image is shifted towards the lower left corner, with a great deal of extra space on the right and top sides of the image. Images framed with the optical viewfinder are also slanted toward the lower left corner. The LCD monitor fared much better, showing approximately 97.25 percent accuracy at telephoto. Unfortunately, we were unable to measure the frame accuracy of the LCD monitor wide angle images, since the outside edges of our standard measurement lines are just outside of the final image area. Thus, the LCD monitor is just a little loose at the wide angle setting. We generally like to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, so the P50 does quite well in this respect. Flash illumination is a little dim at the telephoto setting, but quite even, with just a slight hot spot in the center of the target and very slight falloff in the corners. At the wide angle setting, flash distribution is also relatively even, with slightly more falloff at the corners and edges.
The P50 performs well in the macro category, capturing a minimum area of just 2.23 x 1.67 inches (56.67 x 42.50mm). Detail and resolution both look great, with a nice sharpness level. However, corner softness is much more evident in this closeup shot. (Some of this may be due to the limited depth of field in closeup shots like this: The camera evidently focused on the top of the brooch, putting the flat surface of the dollar bill at the limit of it's depth of field. A slight curvature of field resulted in the corners being a little soft. With a more two-dimensional subject, the focus would doubtless have been more even.) The gray background shows a moderately low noise level. The P50's built-in flash has some trouble this close, creating a hot spot in the top right corner, and a darker shadow area in the lower left corner.
Shooting with the "normal" exposure mode setting, we initially thought that the P50 had some real problems with low light conditions. Once we switched to its "Twilight" mode though, matters improved considerably. As of this writing, we're awaiting a reshoot of the twilight images before rendering our final opinion though: Stay tuned for the final results.
Overall, the P50 does a nice job in its 2.1 megapixel category, producing good color and resolution throughout our testing. The P50 captures a very small macro area, and its white balance system can handle most light sources reasonably well. Despite its limitations in the low-light area, the P50 should still be up to the challenge of most city night scenes, especially with the flash enabled and/or using its Twilight shooting mode. The availability of a 3x zoom lens, sharpness adjustments, and user-controlled ISO makes the P50 a versatile option for average consumers, and it takes nice pictures too. Overall, a nice little camera.
Conclusion
The Sony DSC-P50 should appeal to users looking for a full-featured digicam with very good picture quality at a reasonable price. The P50 isn't a bargain-basement, de-featured model, but rather a serious attempt to provide a quality camera with a full feature set at an affordable price. In our view, Sony has met most of the needs of typical consumer photographers, while holding prices in line. With this model, Sony has revised its user interface substantially, and in our opinion, in all ways for the better. If you're looking for a compact, high-quality digicam at a reasonable price, the DSC-P50 clearly deserves a serious look!
Follow Imaging Resource: