Sony CyberShot DSC-S60 Review

Overall Rating

Super-long battery life (and uses AAs)
Large yet decent LCD monitor
Fast AF and writing speeds
Fully manual exposure option
Value for money

Lens is too long on the wide end
Poor close-focusing ability
Limited aperture range
Special connector for USB cable
Competition

My sister wanted to get a camera for below US$275, and within this range one can find many a camera model to suit one's taste. However, I insisted that she at least settle for a camera with some form of manual controls. Within this price range, found the Canon PowerShot A510, the Konica-Minolta Z20, and the Sony Cybershot S60.

A quick glance down the specifications noted that the KM-Z20 gave the best value for money (5 megapixels, 8x optical zoom). However, my sister at that time, decided that she didn't want to bring around a camera of that size, so we had to choose from the A510 and S60.

Between these two models, it was a bit of a compromise one thing for another. The A510 had a 4x optical zoom lens, but was dreadfully slow to operate while the S60 was quick to use, and had one million more pixels but had a more limiting lens. In the end, the price closed the deal. For about the same money, the S60 gave an additional 4x AA rechargables + charger and a 128MB MemoryStick while the A510 was just the box kit.

The exposure on the S60 is quite reliable, with a preference to slight underexposure to try to maintain some highlight detail. Dynamic range is limited, as with all cameras using such small sensors. Autofocus operation is very very fast under good lighting, and still respectable under darker conditions - the AF assist lamp seldom comes on. The autofocus operation was a welcomed improvement over what the A510 was doing, but wasn't significantly ahead of the KM-Z20.

The lens is of just average sharpness, and gives a little bit of chromatic abberation. What is problematic however, is the lack of wide-angle coverage, and poor close-focusing capabilities. These two limitations make landscape and architecture photography difficult to achieve well with the S60, and the limited close-focusing ability of the lens unit also makes it hard to take pictures of insects and flowers.

The experience of using this camera is generally good, the controls are easy to operate and get around with, with no major ergonomic problems to overcome. The long battery life is a blessing for a traveller/tourist, as a pair of AAs can last reasonably well for a week's of shooting. For normal use, automatic and program exposure should suffice.

The 2" screen is large and has the same number of pixels as the S90's 2.5" screen, so the previews appear sharper, as does the UI text. The screen needs an anti-reflective coating, but is generally usable in low and bright light.

As for manual controls, the S60 lacks a real manual focus option, but has several preset focus distances. One compensates for this by moving oneself or the camera slightly. White balance options are enough, but a custom white-balance metering option would be great here. Fully manual exposure control is also useful, but the lens aperture has only two settings for a given focal length. Overall, enough for a casual photographer.

At this price range, the KM-Z20 is a stronger product, but it is also larger and heavier. It also needs twice as many AA batteries to get going. But for the casual photographer looking for a responsive pocket camera, there is no mistaking the S60.