Sony Cybershot DSC-S950 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Pink)
August 24, 2009 by Bruce
Filed under Electronics
From the Manufacturer Take this fashionable camera with you wherever you go. The Cyber-shot DSC-S950 brings you a variety of intelligent features in a compact, easy-to-use design. Face Detection technology automatically detects up to eight faces and optimizes focus and exposure settings while a 4x optical zoom lens and 10.1-megapixel resolution deliver crisp, clear images. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 Highlights 10.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD Image Sensor A powerful 10.1-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch Super HAD CCD image sensor helps you capture gorgeous images with superb contrast and clarity down to the finest detail. With 10.1 megapixels, you can create stunning, photo-quality prints up to A3 size, or crop your images and still come away w (more…)
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My rating doesn’t reflect the fact that the flash bulb in mine was doa, because that could just as easily happen to any camera… It’s just a little annoying that their QC department didn’t catch it. Anyways, Amazon is sending me a new one, and letting me use this one until the new one gets here.
The quality is great overall. Using ISO100 mode with a quick shutter speed produces an awesome quality outdoor scenery shot. For indoors, I found that using the automatic shutter settings worked best, and indeed worked well. I took a photo of a $5 bill (fitting the whole bill in the frame), and was able to clearly read the little “united states of america” written in the border around Lincoln’s portrait. In fact, I could even see the ink bleed on each of the little letters. For outdoor shots, the 4x zoom doesn’t seem to cost the photos any quality, and could even show some details better than i could see them with my own eyes, and I have perfect vision.
With that said, there are a couple points which i don’t like about the camera. First, the quality of photos drops dramatically when you use an ISO setting much higher than 100. Don’t even bother with the ISO3200, it looks substantially worse than a cell phone camera. I also don’t like that it’s one of sony’s only cameras that doesn’t have a Carl-Zeiss lens. I was so used to Sony cameras using one, that I was surprised to find out that mine doesn’t. The Sony lens that it uses seems to work very well though, it may not even be noticeably different. I also don’t like that you have to remove the battery to charge it. You can buy an additional charger that plugs directly into the camera, but why wouldn’t they just give you one in the first place? If i wanted to pay another $20 for that, then i would’ve just paid an extra $20 towards a more expensive camera to begin with.
Overall I really like this camera, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a very cheap, but decent quality camera. I am using mine with an 8GB Sandisk Memory Stock Pro Duo, which holds 1900 photos at full resolution, or 5.5 hours of video.
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Update: Amazon was out of this camera, so they refunded my money, and I got a Sony DSC-W290 instead, which I am much happier with overall. It’s double the price though, so I guess you get what you pay for. I don’t think the S950 is the level of quality where you could expect to be happy with the camera for years to come; it’s more of an introductory camera that you’d probably plan on replacing a year later. I would change my rating to 3 stars if amazon let me.
I am one of those typical Sony loyalist but I am very disappointed by this camera. The noise on most photos was terrible especially in lower light. Close up photos in bright sunshine was fine but I could not get a decent photo (with Flash). Surprisingly, I had an issue with the Flash too since its coverage was very less and did not light up the subject(s) well or even uniformly.
It’s a great price but poor quality. I am returning this product for another camera.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great camera..!
Til now the camera looks great, works great, easy to carry on, and blash feautures in it…!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Brand is not all
An OKish performing camera. I bought it mainly because of the expectations associated with a Sony product. The quality is not what I expected.
2.0 out of 5 stars
CAM
This product has some problems, when you zoom something, the cam freeze and you have to take out the battery ant turn it back in, and then it loose the malfunction, so i dont…
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing First Sony Cybershot
I unfortunately agree with the other reviews. My friends had this brand so I purchased this camera as a preorder.
An excellent camera. Easy, understandable directions. Takes beautiful pictures. An excellent price.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Waste of money..
This camera sucks,no calrity,response time is too bad,odd kind of flash,
No clarity in pics,it says 10MP but can not even cleary see my home furniture 1o feet away…
5.0 out of 5 stars
My daughter loves it
I purchased this camera for my daughters 12th birthday. It is simple enough for her to handle and yet produces very nice pictures.
5.0 out of 5 stars
cybershot love
I really love my little cybershot. It was well worth the wait (ordered in early February, with a late March release date). I have the camera with me always.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good price
The price is great, the camera is also great
100 % recommended
2.0 out of 5 stars
Get what you pay for
This camera has everything that it said but the picture quality is substandard. The color was dull and the sharpness wasn’t there. I returned it the next day.