Sony DSC-T77 Performance

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 Performance

Timing and Performance

Slightly slow to about average speed for a consumer digital camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	2.3 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and capture the first picture. (No lens to deploy in the T77.)
Shutdown	1.8 seconds	No lens to retract, this is the time until it's OK to remove the memory card.
Buffer clearing time	2 seconds (2 seconds buffer clearing in single-shot LF JPEG)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a SanDisk Extreme III 2 GB Pro Duo memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity also affects cycle times and burst mode performance, with higher ISOs generally increasing cycle times and reducing burst performance.

About average times here.

Mode Switching
Play to Record, first shot	1.7 seconds	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	1.3 seconds	Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	1.7 seconds	Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card.

Mode switching times are a little sluggish, there's a noticeable delay when you switch to playback mode to see your images, and the 1.7 seconds it takes to capture an image after being in playback mode is longer than average too.

Shutter Response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.35 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.43 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.008 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Continuous AF	0.34 second	This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
Manual Focus	0.34 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused."
Full Autofocus FLASH	0.66 second	Time to capture while forcing flash to fire.

Shutter response is excellent at both wide angle and telephoto, at 0.35s and 0.43s respectively, and "prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure results in a lag time of only 0.008 second. Manual focus is a little slower than you'd expect, however, and enabling the flash also slows things down. (The camera fires a pre-flash for metering before the main exposure, which takes a little time.) Even the slower shutter response with flash enabled is better than some cameras manage without the flash, though.

Cycle Time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	1.80 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	2.00 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras don't snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG	0.62 second (1.62 frames per second); 20+ frames total; 1 second to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. (The camera seemed able to continue shooting more or less indefinitely, with a fast enough memory card.)
Continuous mode 640 x 480 JPEG	0.62 second (1.62 frames per second); 20+ frames total; 1 second to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. (The camera seemed able to continue shooting more or less indefinitely, with a fast enough memory card.)
Flash recycling	5 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a SanDisk Extreme III 2 GB Pro Duo memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity also affects cycle times and burst mode performance, with higher ISOs generally increasing cycle times and reducing burst performance.

Shot-to-shot cycle times are a little slower than average, at about 1.80 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and markedly slow for 640 x 480 JPEGs at 2.00 seconds. Still, not bad for a subcompact camera. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77's Continuous modes perform about average, capturing about 1.62 frames per second regardless of the resolution. The flash takes about 5 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is better than average, but then you'd hope so, given the very limited range the flash has.

Download Speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	10,795 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High

Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are very good.

Bottom line, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 drags its feet a little in some areas, such as mode switching and cycle times, but its shutter lag is really excellent. This camera should handle average shooting scenarios adequately, but wouldn't be a good match for fast-paced action, where you need to grab a number of shots very quickly. That said, its excellent shutter response would be a real help in capturing images of squirmy kids or catching a fleeting expression in candid photography.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Slightly below average battery life.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, (CIPA standard)	220

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Battery life is a little shorter than average, though that's to be expected on a camera this slim. We recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 accepts Memory Stick PRO Duo memory cards, and includes about 15MB of internal memory.

Image Capacity with 1GB Memory Card		Fine
3,648 x 2,736	Images	253
3,648 x 2,736	File Size	4.0 MB
2,592 x 1,944	Images	402
2,592 x 1,944	File Size	2.5 MB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	645
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.6 MB
640 x 480	Images	5,996
640 x 480	File Size	171 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity Memory Stick PRO Duo at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2 or 4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)