Sony DSC T7 Review

The Sony DSC T7 is an incredibly slim, five megapixel digital camera. It measures just 14.7mm across at its widest point. It is the slimmest digital camera I have reviewed to date by some way. You will certainly have no problem slipping the DSC T7 into your pocket.

In terms of features it is a fairly standard camera. It is easy to use and is basically a very stylish point and shoot camera. It is likely to appeal to someone who is looking for a digital camera they can take anywhere with them and they can simply turn on and start taking photos without any fuss or bother.

Overall I was pleased with the image quality produced by the DSC T7. The stand out photo was taken indoors in low light. In fact it was a photo taken in complete darkness. It is well lit and the focusing is incredibly sharp considering the conditions the photo was taken in. Although this suggests the camera will perform very well in lowlight situations you do need to be aware that the range of the flash unit is limited compared to the majority of digital cameras. The maximum range is 2.6m.

Outdoors all the pictures came out well. The first test shot taken of some boats has a very warm feel to it. You may like the look of this or you may feel it is slightly overdone. The level of detail showing in darker and lighter areas of each shot is in line with most digital cameras. This is an area where many cameras struggle and you can see areas where more detail would enhance the picture. This is more of an issue on the lightest, white areas.

There are plenty of deep colours on view and the dedicated colour test was handled well by the camera. Another test that produced an impressive result was the macro shot. There is just the slightest hint of a bluish tinge around the edges of the watch. Otherwise the photo is sharp and clear.

I am happy with both the indoor and outdoor portrait shots. The indoor shot shows a very good degree of detail in areas where other cameras have hit problems. This is balanced out somewhat by the levels of red eye showing in the shot. The picture was taken with the red eye reduction setting being used, but it was unable to remove it completely.

The DSC T7 managed to take a single shot in 0.19 seconds. That is a fast time It was also very fast when it came to being ready to take the next shot. It took 5.03 seconds to take five consecutive shots. This works out at a rate of one photo more or less every second. This is one of the fastest cameras I have tested. This is an area where I have come to expect a good performance from Sony digital cameras and the DSC T7 upholds their reputation.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The three times optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 38-114mm in 35mm format. This is supported by a 6x digital zoom feature and 12x smart zoom. For macro photography the camera can focus within 1cm of the subject.

The simplest way to take a picture is to leave the camera in automatic mode. This is the default shooting mode. All you have to do is point the camera at your subject and press the shutter button. In addition to automatic mode there are also a number of preset scene modes. These help the camera to take the best possible photo in a variety of different situations. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene. The scene modes are Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Snow, Beach, High-speed shutter, Fireworks, Candle and Magnifying Glass.

For composing images there is a 2.5" LCD screen. This size is becoming the standard size on ultra compact cameras. There is no viewfinder unfortunately. The LCD screen also displays a number of useful indicators including memory stick remaining, battery level, histogram, hand shake alert and exposure warning.

The built in flash unit is controlled by a button on the back of the camera. You can set the flash to automatic, always on, always off and slow synchro. There is an option on the Setup menu that allows you to turn red eye reduction on and off. The maximum range of the flash unit is 2.6m. This decreases to 2.1m when the zoom lens is fully extended. To further help the camera in lowlight situations there is an AF Illuminator. This helps the camera to focus.

You can shoot movies. These are only limited in duration by the capacity of the memory card. The highest resolution available is 640x480. The top speed is 30 frames per second. This combination should provide you with TV quality movies. You can also fire off short bursts of still images. You can take up to nine shots at a rate of one every 0.7 seconds.

Among the more advanced features are multi pattern and spot metering, white balance settings of Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent and Flash, exposure compensation +/-2.0 EV, 1/3 EV step, shutter speeds 1/8 - 1/1000 seconds and ISO settings of Auto, 64, 100, 200 and 400. You also have access to controls to fine tune sharpness, saturation and contrast.

Sony supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the DSC T7 to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible printer.

Overall the DSC T7 is easy enough to use. It uses the standard Sony menu system. This is one that I find easier to use than most others.

One design issue I do find irritating is that the LCD screen is positioned on the right hand side on the back of the camera. Therefore the natural position for holding the camera has my right thumb on the LCD screen itself. This covers up part of the scene and also leaves the screen covered in fingerprints. This also means that the buttons to control flash, access to the menu, macro etc are on the left hand side. Perhaps this camera was designed for someone who is left handed!

You can pick up a Sony DSC T7 for around £260. This compares to around £220 for a Canon IXUS 50, £215 for a Fuji Finepix Z1 and £200 for a Pentax Optio S5z. As you can see you have to pay a fair bit more for this camera then for others with a similar specification.

The most striking feature of the DSC T7 is without doubt its extremely slim design. Aside from that it is a typical shiny, sliver rectangle with a sliding lens cover. Owing to its size some of the controls could be fiddly for anyone with larger hands. For example the zoom lens is controlled by a very small slider on the top of the camera.

If you wish to attach the camera to a tripod you will need to use the cradle Sony supplies with the DSC T7. This is because the camera is so slim. You can lock the camera into the cradle for this type of shot. This is a big help in making sure the camera stays still and makes it easier to handle. One disappointment is that the cradle has a small mark on the front of the camera. This looks unavoidable to me.

This model has dimensions of 91.7 x 60.2 x 14.7mm and weighs in at a lightweight 114g.

A rechargeable lithium ion battery is used to power the camera. Sony supplies both a battery and a charger with the DSC T7.

Images are stored on Memory Stick Duo cards. There are two types of Memory Stick available. It is important to make sure you buy a card with Duo it the name. These are smaller cards that fit the Sony range of ultra compact models. Standard Memory Sticks are too large for this size of camera. A 32mb card is supplied with the camera. I was able to take 15 images before the card became full. As you can see it is a good idea to buy a high capacity card to go with the camera. Click here to save money on SD cards.

Super slim design
Good overall picture quality
Excellent in lowlight
Minimal shutter lag

Red eye on indoor portraits
Cradle leaves a small mark on the camera

The Sony DSC T7 is one of the best ultra compact digital cameras I have tested. Picture quality, especially in lowlight is impressive. It is the slimmest camera I have reviewed to date and you will hardly notice carrying it around. The lack of shutter lag is another major plus point. I do have a problem with the price though. At around 20% more than other similar digital cameras I am not sure that I can justify the extra outlay.

Sony DSC T7 Front View

Sony DSC T7 Back View

Sony DSC T7 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Sony DSC T7