There
are a number of things that I love about this camera. First is the small size,
there's certain activities I want to photograph when a small point and shoot
form is the best. I also find the new tilt screen to be very handy for low or
high angle shots. The images produced are super sharp, some vignetting is
visible but its easily correctable in software. The overall color production is
very pleasing as well, producing neutral colors that serve me well. The option
for showing a level guide in the display is cool too.
There
are of course a few things that bug me. The most glaring is the power on/off
button. You can quickly turn the camera on, but to get it to power down you
have to carefully press down perfectly vertically. So about ¾ of the time it
doesn't work for my stubby fingers. As I tend to use this camera while engaging
in active shooting situations this is a bigger pain for me than for most folks.
This 'feature' is helpful I'm sure for those times when you mistake the power
off button for the shutter (potentially turning off the camera when you thought
you were using the shutter button).
Another
small complaint is in regards to the on-screen graphics that 'explain' each
mode selected when you turn the shooting mode dial. They can be easily turned
off by slightly depressing the shutter, but after awhile even that is annoying.
(perhaps this 'feature' can be shut off and I haven't figured it out yet.)
The
screen is easy to scratch up, so be careful. Given the rest of the camera is so
robust it's a bit of a surprise that some tougher material isn't used. I may
invest in one of those stick-on screen protectors that people get for the cell
phones and things soon.
Although
its not Sony's fault its probably worth mentioning that if you use Adobe
Lightroom 4 you're out of luck in using this camera in RAW mode. I was able to
update my Photoshop CS5 ACR to accommodate the camera, but there was no upgrade
available for LR4. I then downloaded Lightroom 5 and it worked fine. No big
deal, but I do hate getting a new camera then find myself having to shell out
more bucks for software upgrades because older versions are no longer
supported.
The
number one question people would likely have about this camera is whether you
can use it to replace your DSLR. No, but if I have to forgo the weight, size
and intimidation factor of a DSLR this camera is a great choice.
Here's
some sample photos below.
