Sony Cyber Shot DSC T700

At the outset let me accept that I am a Sony person. Most of my electronics are Sony. Its one of the things that’s important to me when I buy electronics. Honestly though, I think Sony may not be the best in technical features on all products but overall it understands customer needs and comes close no. 2 on most electronic categories. To me, having all products from the same brand lets me connect and network them to each other easily. The Sony items I have are listed below (my opportunity to show off):

1. Television – KDL52W4500
2. Music System – CM1 UBT
3. Playstation 3 – 60 GB
4. Playstation Portable – 1^st Gen
5. Camera – DSC T700
6. MP3 Player – NSWS205F
7. Portable DVD Writer
8. Dictaphone – ICD P620
9. Portable Radio – SRF-S84N
10. Had the P1i mobile before I got the iPhone

With the above caveat, let’s now move to the review of the current product in question – The Cyber shot DSC T700.

Another caveat: I am not a technical expert on photography but I have an eye for good photographs. I also have a good understanding of practical usage of a camera and that’s the perspective that I will be providing in this review. It’s for people who are looking for some opinion on the product from people who have used it because I was looking for such a review when I wanted to buy this camera. Without any further delay, let’s start.

The DSC T700 overall, is a very stylish camera. Again not 10 on 10 on technical features but if you want something that looks stunning and is 9.5 on technical features then this one if for you. I must also tell you that you do pay a premium for the brand and the style that comes with this camera. I paid £240 but the prices have come down now.

In a nutshell, the quality of pictures is great, it’s sleek, the screen is big and the automatic recognition works well. If you like shooting short videos from your digital camera then it shoots in VGA which looks descent on a 52” LCD and an enhancement from the previous version let’s you zoom in and out during the recording.

Let’s review its main features (the ones that I understand):

10.1 Mega Pixel
I rarely print my digital photos but the high resolution captures more detail which is clear when I watch them on my 52” LCD screen.

4 GB Internal Memory
Depending on how you see it, it might either be a plus or a minus. If the memory was not inbuilt, the camera would be much lighter and sleeker, however, with the built in memory you don’t have to worry about a memory stick till about 900 pics in the highest resolution.

4x Optical Zoom
Not a lot but you have to keep in mind the fact that this camera is only 16 mm wide. I wish it had more though.

Intelligent Scene Recognition
This feature recognises your photo, adjusts the settings for the best shot and then categories it on the hard disk so when you are going through them its easy to find pictures with people in it or only landscapes etc.

3.5” inch screen
This one feature will get you the most complements. It’s great for looking at your photographs on the go and has some interesting features built in.

Optical steady shot
While this is much better than other cameras and does make your pics steady, I saw another canon camera which had commendable steadiness.

This is the final verdict on a review website and I totally agree with it:

“The Sony Cyber-shot T700 has excellent build quality, respectable performance and image quality that will be more than sufficient for most casual snapshot situations. It has some useful and entertaining features, but its primary feature is its style. It is designed to appeal to a very specific kind of person”.

That specific person is clearly me and I was looking for a camera that  not only took great shots but looked great itself, could be stashed in your pocket for city shoots and for holidays too.

Going forward I do plan to buy a SLR, use that as the primary photography camera and this one as a secondary point and shoot (as it is rightly called) camera.

Tips in case you have/buy this camera:

1. The camera can be switched on and off by sliding the lens cover without using the button. This is a better thing to do because sometimes you forget sliding the cover back up after switching off using the button. This lets dust into the lens. I learnt this after 300 pics. You’ve got a head start.
2. Invest in a good screen protector for its screen at the time of buying this camera itself. It’s a touch screen so you will end up staining and scratching it otherwise.
3. Buy a pouch because it does not come with one and you need a good pouch to keep it cleaner for longer.
4. Getting on of those little flexible tripods is a good idea, especially if you are travelling alone. The camera is really sleek and it never stays on anything for a timer shot.
5. An extra battery is a must if you think you will shoot more than 200 pics before you can charge it again.

Here's the link to the pictures and videos from this camera.

So, what do you think? Worth the effort? Anything insightful not covered on the internet already? Waste of time for you and me? Let me know your thoughts by posting your comments below or writing to me at itchynav@gmail.com.

Victorinox – Traveller Lite (1.7905.AVT)

I lost my last swiss knife 6 months ago. I feel incomplete without having a swiss knife in my kit when I am travelling. So you can imagine I was devastated to have lost this important instrument in my kit. On the positive side, if not for that incident, I would never have bought this fantastic, new & improved, ready-to-take-on-the-world swiss multi tool (that’s what I would call it coz it’s just so much more than a knife).

It’s the first swiss multi tool with digital functions and that’s what makes it special. It has 27 other regular swiss knife features which all of you must be well aware of and hence the features worth talking about are the digital features, the led light and the pressurised pen.

The digital functions include time, alarm, countdown, timer, thermometer, altimeter & barometer. The smooth bit about it is that all these features are set and viewed with just one button that does not even look like a button. The button is the victorinox logo. You can’t think how cool that is till you see it, live.

Digital Features
During my first trip with it, I pretty much used all the digital functions except the countdown & timer. You would expect Egyptians to be surprised by such a nifty tool but my fellow travellers were pretty amazed at the device as well. Again, within the digital function the time and alarm and a no brainer and you will use it often so the functions worth discussing are the thermometer, altimeter and barometer. I used the temperature function a lot because the weather kept changing while I was in Egypt and temperature is also something that’s just good to know when you step out in the morning.

Now since the weather kept changing it was a good opportunity for me to use the barometer to reassure my fellow traveller that the whether will be just fine while we were enjoying our full day felucca sailing and also when we went into the desert for 2 straight days (go to Travelitch for more…). Infact, the weather at the start of my desert trip was pretty bad but my barometer here seemed to tell a story that did not match. Because it was the first time I thought it does not work. Guess what, couple of hours of drive later, the weather turned out to be as predicted by the swiss god and we were happy and climbing on the Desert Mountains.

That brings me to the next feature – altitude. Every time we climbed a mountain I could tell my fellow mates the height that we are at. Also when we were in the oasis and I was showing off this tool to the hotel owner I went to altitude and it showed negative. I thought I had screwed up the tool. But the bulb lit up bright when the hotel owner told me that oases in Egypt are a depression in the desert and hence below sea level and that’s why they are able to harvest water in the middle of the desert.
So, there you go. Enough reasons to prove that the digital functions are not just for show but have real uses even in a regular travel experience. Obviously in an extreme/off the beat travelling this piece of equipment means serious business. Add to that, the fact that the digital display is backlit.
Light
This little LED is not gonna help you find your way if you’re lost but it will help you find things in your pack. It will help you place your feet in the right places when you want to go to the bushes from the felucca or your camp. It will also help you search for something in the dark (light switch, your bag, water bottle, etc) when you don’t want to bother other people sleeping around you. What I am trying to say is don’t expect this to replace your flashlight, it‘s not even close. However, it’s a very nice piece of addition as your personal way finder in the dark.
Pressurized Pen
The third noteworthy feature is something I did not use too much for the fear of running out of it. I was not in an extreme situation so I did not need a pressurised pen. But, it gives me great comfort that if I am in such a situation then I have a pen that does not leak, has a shelf life of 100 years, writes in a vacuum, any angle even upside down, under water and in extreme temperatures, in freezing cold and bitter heat. Some of you might have a separate pen that does the same thing but its not part of your swiss knife, and that’s what’s cool about this. Now, don’t give me the boring “use a pencil” comment on. Save it for when you meet the victorinox engineers.
Conclusion
If you re buying a swiss knife in the 21st century then you have to buy the one that’s made for the 21st century traveller. Oh, and all this is just 150 grams.

Victorinox Traveller Lite Multi Tool - £80. The look on peoples faces when you can forecast weather, tell the temperature and altitude – Priceless.

Did you find this review useful and/or interesting? Why don’t you let me know by adding your comment below? Or send me a mail at itchynav@gmail.com.

Link to the official Victorinox page