Gordon Laing from Digital camera Labs and Dino Bytes takes a have a look at the Sony Cyber-shot P1 to see the way it has held up over the greater than twenty years because it was first launched.
Initially launched in September of 2000, the Sony Cyber-shot P1 contains a 3.3-megapixel sensor and 3-times optical zoom and retailed for round $800. Whereas he reviewed the digital camera when it first got here out, he acquired this explicit mannequin second-hand from eBay for simply £25 ($33).
Laing explains that the P-series cameras confirmed off Sony’s “miniaturization abilities,” with this explicit mannequin sporting what customers preferred concerning the Cyber-shot S70 — which Laing additionally reviewed in 2021 — however packed in a physique virtually half the dimensions.
Modern, Miniature Design
The P1 has a particular curved edge across the lens housing, a design function that grew to become attribute of the P-series. A lot of the design was carried ahead from the sooner S70 mannequin, besides the P1 switched the fastened lens housing for an extendable one which gave the slim issue when the digital camera is turned off.
On high of the digital camera, the P1 has an LCD data display, energy slider, shutter launch, and a three-position mode dial to modify between films, stills, or playback. Laing notes the digital camera’s LCD annoyingly solely exhibits the variety of images taken not what number of are left earlier than the Sony Reminiscence Stick is full.
The P1 has a primary optical viewfinder, which Laing factors out is just not dependable for framing images, significantly at nearer distances. As an alternative, the digital 1.5-inch and 123,000-dot decision display on the again can be utilized for extra correct compositions. The lens that comes with P1 affords a three-times vary equal to 39-117mm with an aperture of f/2.8 to f/5.6.
The digital camera captures photographs with a most decision of 2480×1536 pixels or 15-second video clips at as much as 320×240 pixels at 15 frames per second. Sony additionally supplied some primary picture controls like 4 image results, picture high quality and kind adjustment, and guide adjustment of sharpness and white stability.
One other Take a look at Shoot 22 Years Later
Testing it out alongside the bigger S70, Laing discovered that the S70 delivered barely finer element, particularly within the corners, which was additional higher seen on a portrait photograph shot at each cameras’ most zoom.
Experimenting with a macro shot on the closest focusing distance of every digital camera and utilizing their most aperture of f/2.8 and f/2 for P1 and S70, respectively, Laing concluded that neither lens has a “significantly engaging rendering.” Though, S70 was in a position to ship a bigger topic and better blurring within the background.
Total, the P1 was ground-breaking on the time of its launch and twenty years later it may possibly nonetheless work as a compact general-purpose digital camera. Had it been out there when Laing purchased his personal S70, he thinks he would’ve picked it over the seemingly extra refined S70 due to P1’s compact measurement and automated cowl which is extra sensible for photographers on the go.
Laing’s full retro overview is obtainable on CameraLabs, and extra movies that have a look at the cameras of the previous might be discovered on Laing’s Dino Bytes YouTube Channel.
Picture credit: Images by Gordon Laing.
