Sony MVC-CD300 Digital Camera Review - PAGE 2
Neumann Lim - Thursday, January 31st, 2002

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-- Article Quick Nav -- 1 - Introduction, Features & Specs2 - Box Contents & Usability3 - Camera Modes4 - Photo Quality & Conclusion

Box Contents

Box contents: Owner’s manual, NP-FM50 battery pack, AC-L10 Battery Charger/Adapter, 8 cm CD-R x1/RW x1, CD clip-on adapter, AV Cable, USB Cable, Lens cap and attachment strap, Camera shoulder strap, Software CD-ROM (MGI Photosuite, Videowave, USB driver)

The manual is only about 100 pages long, which in my eyes is a good thing because I hardly ever read the entire manual. Flipping through the manual I found the information layout quite simple and easy to read even though the font size was 8/9. The manual explains how to use a particular function on the camera in point form or short paragraphs which makes reading quick and easy. This is sometimes proves to be annoying because it doesn’t explain what a function can be used for, or if it can manipulated to do other things. My biggest dislike is the lack of decent glossary that could make finding solutions to simple problems easy and for people like me who don’t read the entire manual a detailed glossary is important.

The 8cm CD-R and CD-RW provided allows the user to get started right away. Also included in the package is a 12cm CD clip-on adapter in case the your CDROM doesn’t read 8cm CDs. As far as I know, only 1st and 2nd generation CDROMs cannot read the 8cm CDs so almost all CDROMs today should read the 8cm discs. With 156MB per CD, the user can take several photos and create miniature home movies and import them to a computer through one of 2 ways, USB cable or direct transfer via CD. The USB cable is an alternative way of connecting the camera to a computer without a CDROM. While this is method is slower than a direct CDROM transfer it provides users with laptops to download images from the camera on the go.

The InfoLITHIUM NP-FM50 battery pack recharges using the AC-L10 Battery Charger. This is a pretty standard package for most digital cameras. The rechargeable options allow users to make full use of the camera and then recharge for more use later. The big NP-FM50 is required to power the heavy power requirements of the camera. The downside to this is the weight. The NP-FM50 is a big battery evident in the picture above.

Usability

When I first took the camera & gripped it with my hand, I found it comfortable & easy to hold. I really like the clean design. The smooth edges allows for comfort when gripping the unit. Although the camera was heavy, it fitted well into one hand. Although the handgrip was a good size for my hand, I can imagine that it wouldn't be sufficient enough for someone with a larger hand. While I managed to hold on easily with my small hands, I found the weight of the camera made things awkward. I believe that people with larger hands will find this even more so. Unfortunately, this is a right-handed camera; a left-handed person would not like this design. All in all, the design is solid and has a satisfying feel.

This menu controls are well positioned within reach of the thumb for quick configuration changes. The buttons respond quickly to my touch and my changes show up on the LCD screen immediately. The top controls are very similar to those found in a SLR camera. The knob controls several photography functions and with a quick twist you can turn on the camera or change the exposure. There are several exposure settings that you can choose:

	Automatic Exposure mode – Camera chooses the best aperture and shutter speed.
S	Shutter Priority Exposure mode – You select the best shutter speed and the camera automatically selects the best aperture and exposure time.
A	Aperture Priority Exposure mode – You select the best shutter speed and the camera automatically selects the best aperture and exposure time.
M	Full Manual Exposure mode – You select the best shutter speed, aperture and exposure time.
SCN	Special Scene Exposure mode – You select 3 different exposure modes and the camera will adjust the exposure to the best possible setting based on the scene mode.
	Movie Mode – 2 settings: 320x240 MPEGHQ and 320x240 Normal. The MPEGHQ standard allows you to feature longer movies with shorter write times.
	Playback Mode – Plays the last recorded movie.
SETUP	Setup Mode – Allows you to change camera settings

next: Camera Modes »

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