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Camera Review: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1027242698475Sony CybershotDSC-T10I admit it -- I'm an equipment pig. When we go on vacation, I bring tons of my gear- 600mm f/4, 300mm f/2.8 and a full complement of other lenses, DSLR bodies, flashes, filters, tripod, monopod and other gizmos. I've even packed my studio lights before because I like to be prepared for any situation! So, much to my wife's chagrin and surprise, on our most recent vacation to Disney World I didn't bring any of that gear with me. Instead, I packed just two Sony cameras -- the Cyber-shot DSC-H5 (which will be reviewed in the coming weeks) and the small, pocket sized Cyber-shot DSC-T10 (Street price $306). The T10 is a 7.2MP camera with an iPod-like size and finish that incorporates a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens (a 35mm equivalent 38-114mm f/3.5-8 (wide angle) -f/4.3-10 (telephoto)). The T10 is Sony's entry into the subcompact category and it sports a nice feature set -- including high quality video and stunning image stabilization rolled into a stylish design. At .8 of an inch in thickness, the T10 fits nicely into your hands and pocket. The camera has a contemporary look and features a large bar on the front. The bar is more than cosmetic though, and when pushed down, reveals the lens and turns the camera on. The advantage of this is that even in dark locations, you can turn the camera on and off effortlessly without having to search for the small power button located at the top of the camera. At first, I thought this was a strange way to turn on the power, but after using this feature, I really like it and now prefer it to the traditional power button, which on the T10 is small and hard to use.

I admit it -- I'm an equipment pig. When we go on vacation, I bring tons of my gear- 600mm f/4, 300mm f/2.8 and a full complement of other lenses, DSLR bodies, flashes, filters, tripod, monopod and other gizmos. I've even packed my studio lights before because I like to be prepared for any situation!

So, much to my wife's chagrin and surprise, on our most recent vacation to Disney World I didn't bring any of that gear with me. Instead, I packed just two Sony cameras -- the Cyber-shot DSC-H5 (which will be reviewed in the coming weeks) and the small, pocket sized Cyber-shot DSC-T10 (Street price $306). The T10 is a 7.2MP camera with an iPod-like size and finish that incorporates a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens (a 35mm equivalent 38-114mm f/3.5-8 (wide angle) -f/4.3-10 (telephoto)). The T10 is Sony's entry into the subcompact category and it sports a nice feature set -- including high quality video and stunning image stabilization rolled into a stylish design.

At .8 of an inch in thickness, the T10 fits nicely into your hands and pocket. The camera has a contemporary look and features a large bar on the front. The bar is more than cosmetic though, and when pushed down, reveals the lens and turns the camera on. The advantage of this is that even in dark locations, you can turn the camera on and off effortlessly without having to search for the small power button located at the top of the camera. At first, I thought this was a strange way to turn on the power, but after using this feature, I really like it and now prefer it to the traditional power button, which on the T10 is small and hard to use.

The top center of the camera has a switch that allows you to move from review to shooting still images and video. I have to say that this was one of the most used features on the camera because you're able to go through the different functions without using a menu or turning a dial. It's quick and very efficient. I turned the auto review feature off and simply moved the switch over to review if I wanted to see my images. The advantage of this is that if you're shooting more than one frame at a time you don't have that interruption between frames but still have the ability to go back and review all of the shots when you're ready.

Inspecting the back of the camera shows a 2.5 inch (230,000 pixel) LCD screen that's both the viewfinder and reviewing/function screen. The images are sharp but dark in both daylight and surprisingly, in dark conditions as well, even when set to the "Bright" LCD setting.

Next to the screen is a host of other buttons that improve efficiency as well. Depress the monitor icon button once and it will show the battery life, shooting resolution and number of images shot and available for shooting to your Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro Duo media. If you're in review mode and press the same button once more it shows all of the above information and ISO settings, flash status, white balance status, exposure setting and histogram for the active review image. In shooting mode, it shows the histogram. If you press the lower right button, you can set the EV settings between -2 to +2 in full view of the histogram. Depress that same monitor button a third time and all of the information goes away, showing only the image. Other features that can be activated at the touch of a button include flash mode, macro settings, self timer and a toggle switch between active shooting mode and the last frame shot.

If you switch the camera back to review mode and select the same button that shows the EV settings in shooting mode, you'll see a slide show of all your images -- complete with a cool techno-style bed of music and transitions that make some of the full feature video editing programs look second-rate. Sony also allows you to upload music into the 56MB of internal camera memory if you don't like the supplied music.

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