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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500 reviews
You can find here the most interesting reviews / ratings from the well-known expert sites about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500 Camera. Here are the reviewers:
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- 04 March 2009 - |
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- 3.5 |
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- 15 February 2009 - |
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- 3 |
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- 13 February 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 20 January 2009 - |
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- 3.5 |
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- 07 January 2009 - |
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- 3.5 |
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- 18 December 2008 - |
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- 4 |
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- 15 December 2008 - |
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- 0 |
PhotographyBLOG 's conclusion / rating - 04 March 2009 |
“ Given that its suggested list price is below £300, Sony's metal-build Cyber-shot T500 feels fairly priced if not quite an outright bargain buy now you can pick up a 10 megapixel alternative for as little as £100. Still, it is a small object of desire that will in truth tempt more the monied or fashion-conscious snapper than it will the photo enthusiast, or anyone wanting a cheap-as-chips intro to digital photography.
Given that, as with the previous T300 model, 95% of the Sony Cyber-shot functions are accessed via the T500's screen, having a larger than average display proves both a boon initially, and, in the final analysis, a necessity. The 3.5-inch screen is larger than that usually found on a pocket compact and very responsive – as we've noted it can occasionally feel too responsive, and apart from the strange doubling-up of some functions via the Home and Menu options, is intuitive to use for the most part. You will however be constantly wiping it clean of smeared thumb and fingerprints, readily noticeable when the screen is inactive.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500's image quality is perfectly adequate if not quite awe-inspiring, with inevitably the best results achievable when there is plenty of light around. But if what your camera looks like matters to you as much – or probably more – than how its images look, then the Sony T500 represents a fair compromise between output and form factor... ”
PhotographyBLOG's rating: |
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- 3.5 |
Complete review here
CNET 's conclusion / rating - 15 February 2009 |
“ On most cameras, movie modes are secondary features, an extra. The opposite is true for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500. The photo quality takes an obvious backseat to the video quality, which is fine to a point since Sony's very upfront about this camera's movie abilities. However, with its comparatively high cost you really have to decide what's more important for your needs... ”
Complete review here
DPInterface 's conclusion / rating - 13 February 2009 |
“ The Sony Cyber-shot T500 is a 10 megapixel compact camera with a larger than average 5X stabilized zoom lens and huge 3.5 inch touchscreen. The screen takes up just about the entire back of the T500 and there are precisely three buttons on the entire camera (and that includes the shutter button!) With such a big screen, ergonomics have unfortunately been compromised as there’s very little room on the back for your fingers to go when holding the camera (also remember to not block the lens with your left hand’s fingers).
The Cyber-shot T500 is mainly point-and-shoot with no manual controls but it does have a nice playback mode and 720p movie mode which records stereo sound though. The camera takes pictures quickly but don’t get performance mixed up with usability. The camera’s usability is rather crummy with lots of pages to go through, the ever-confusing Sony XMB menu (why can’t we just have the OLD menu system back?!). Did I mention battery life kinda sucks as well? Sony, what happened here? The Cyber-shot T-series battery life has been on a rollercoaster ride over the years from worst-in-class to best-in-class to below average, yet again.
All-in-all, the Sony Cyber-shot T500 takes a step forward with more bells-and-whistles (aka fancy features) and 720p recording compared to its predecessors but also a few steps back in other areas like battery life and usability. Image quality was just decent with some issues. Unless you’re one of those people in the “huge touchscreens are in” and/or “bigger is always better” crowd (where the T500 would probably be good as an expensive fashion accessory to showoff), you’d best take a look at other compact cameras instead... ”
DPInterface's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
Pocket-lint 's conclusion / rating - 20 January 2009 |
“ We got about 100 shots from the camera before being met with the first flat battery. At times you’ll find you get less, especially if you are taking pictures, showing them off, or standing waiting for the right moment with the camera on. Filming full quality video, we found that about 20 minutes (filmed in 3 bursts) got through half the battery.
This is a concern, because you probably wouldn’t make it through your average wedding without changing the battery. Stupidly, the docking station doesn’t charge the battery either, even with USB connected, which is really irritating, as the camera will stay on when docked and just run itself into the ground.
There is plenty packed into the T500 to get involved with, but the camera really revolves around several factors, the touchscreen being the main one. On the whole we found it responsive and easy to use with easy access to all the settings, but for the more advanced setting you will have to dig them out.
Imaging is something of a mixed bag, with noise a real problem unless you take back control from the camera. That said, feed it light and you’ll get the results you want without too many problems. Focusing is a pleasure and easy to touch focus on the fly. Indoors you need to take care to capture the image you want.
If you want to record regular video diaries for viewing on a large screen, then the T500 works nicely without needing a dedicated camcorder.
Overall a nice compact camera, but with limitations that need to be considered... ”
Pocket-lint's rating: |
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- 3.5 |
Complete review here
TrustedReviews 's conclusion / rating - 07 January 2009 |
“ The Sony T500 it is an extremely well-made and attractively styled ultra-compact snapshot camera with good handling, superior performance and some useful features. The HD video mode with stereo sound is superb, and the touch screen interface is one of the best on the market. Image quality is good under most normal situations, although it does suffer badly from high-ISO image noise, and its hefty price tag will limit its appeal in these straitened times... ”
TrustedReviews's rating: |
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- 3.5 |
Complete review here
PCMag 's conclusion / rating - 18 December 2008 |
“ The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500's $399 sticker puts it head-to-head with Canon's PowerShot SD990 IS. Along with its sibling the Cyber-shot DSC-T700, the T500 boasts great image quality, as does the SD990. The latter, however, is also a better camera altogether; it gives users more manual controls, produces bigger images, has a better screen, and operates faster. The Sony T500, on the other hand, is a fun toy thanks to its touch screen, huge display, and HD video... ”
Complete review here
DigitalCameraReview 's conclusion / rating - 15 December 2008 |
“ When Sony announced that it was building a small camera with huge video capability for power users, we were interested to find out exactly what the finished product would be like. While the T models have always been snappy performers, it's always been the feeling around here that they were better suited to casual shooters. But although the T500 does offer a more refined high-performance experience than its forerunners in some respects – and its 720p video capability is really excellent – what you're getting here is really the same basic package that the novice-friendly T700 offers up. Maybe we'd define the needs of those "innovation enthusiasts" to whom this camera is allegedly marketed differently than the folks at Sony, but without improved noise performance and a better optic, I can't see a lot of dedicated "techies" getting on board with the T500. A few model cycles back, the touch screen would have been appeal enough to lure this crowd, but with lots of players joining that game of late, the T500's ace in hole doesn't play as strongly as it once did.
The bottom line on the T500 is that it's a solid camera, with quick performance and a high fun factor. Its size is hard to beat, and its movies look great and even sound alright to boot. Even considering its high price point, the T500 delivers an awful lot – probably more that's useful, on balance, than the T700, unless storing lots of images on your camera is your thing. It's certainly not the camera it could have been with a better (probably retractable-design) lens, a more powerful battery, and some manual exposure controls, but respecting its limitations and shortcomings, the T500 works reasonably well as a total package as it is... ”
DigitalCameraReview's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
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