Digital Camera Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Sony Digital Cameras > Sony DSC-S70

Sony DSC-S70 Sony makes a compact 3.3 megapixel digicam with full movie/sound capability and a razor-sharp Zeiss lens! Select a topic 13. Reference: Datasheet 14. DSC-S70 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, Software Review First Posted: 5/5/2000

Video Out
US and Japanese models of the S70 come with an NTSC video cable for connection to a television set (because there is a PAL setting on the camera, we assume that European models come with a PAL cable). Once connected to the TV, you can review images and movies or record them to video tape.

Power
The S70 is powered by an NP-FM50 InfoLITHIUM battery pack (M series) and comes with an AC adapter and battery charger. The InfoLITHIUM battery packs actually exchange information with the camera, reporting approximately how many minutes of battery life are left, an exceptionally handy feature(!) This information is displayed on the LCD monitor and the smaller information display window with a small battery graphic. Because so many of the S70's features, menus, and settings require using the large LCD monitor, we highly recommend keeping a second battery pack freshly charged for times when the AC adapter isn't convenient. Because of the way the battery pack and camera exchange information, we couldn't perform our usual power measurements, so insteand will just report here the indicated battery life in the camera's two main modes (capture and playback) with a freshly-charged battery.

Operating Mode	Battery Life
Capture Mode, w/LCD	128 minutes
Image Playback	162 minutes

The AC adapter for the DSC-S70 just plugs into a small socket on the camera's back: It can run the camera without a battery inserted, or charge the battery when the camera isn't in use. The photo at right shows the power socket, located at bottom right of the camera's back panel.

 

Included Software
The S70 comes with a USB cable for quick connection to a PC or Mac. Also included is a software CD loaded with MGI PhotoSuite SE (with English, Italian, Japanese, French, Spanish and German versions). The application is compatible with Windows 3.1x, 95, 98 and NT as well as Mac OS 7.5 and higher. MGI PhotoSuite SE retrieves images from the camera in a very organized manner, allowing you to view them through a slide show or an album and then set them up for printing. In addition to the traditional editing and manipulation tools, PhotoSuite offers a variety of templates to help you turn your images into mock magazine covers, sports cards, greeting cards and calendars. Combined with the camera's own internal picture effects menu, MGI PhotoSuite SE allows quite a bit of creativity with your images.