N-1. i have migrated continuously from the p5 to p10 to p100, and p150 and lastly the p200 as they were released. this n-1 is pretty different from them, but yet familiar. they returned the on-camera trimming and movie editing, which i like(d). they also made this new one very light, and quick. sadly, it requires yet another docking station, since both the p100/150 and the p200 don't fit the N-1. also missing is a charging slot on the camera, so the station is more important here. but they include a wall plugin converter for the battery. the battery is also yet another new size and shape.

TOUCH SCREEN. the coolest new feature is the touch screen, which replaces all of the buttons except the zoom. the screen is large and adult fingers can navigate easily. but they give you a small plastic stylus which clips onto the leash. this operates all electronic controls except the zoom. the screen is so large that you can really review your work without downloading to a pc, and sharing with others is easier. this 3 inch screen has 9 times more real estate than the p100, which cost the same when it was new. which also means it has 4 times more real estate than the flagship f-828, also an 8 megapixel.

PAINT, or a small version of it, is in the camera, so you can edit an image on camera, then write or scribble with lines, curves and colors. there is also a stencil function with hearts, snowflakes, etc. also with colors. and the eraser, of course. saving an edited image creates a new file, preserving the original image.

BUILT IN MEMORY/ALBUM. new to sony is the built in memory which keeps a rolling 500 thumb image library for every shot, in an album. it also stores the pictures taken when the film chip is not inserted. finding my images across these two locations was confusing at first, but you can copy from/to each to the other.

DUO. unfortunately, a reguler memory stick doesn't fit the n-1. the smaller duo is not included. i bought a 2 gig sandisk for $170. from dell, and they come with a converter for a memory stick slot, so you don't need to buy that for $ 10. from sony. a 4 gig sandisk memory stick is only $ 260. at dell, and these are both the currently largest available for their respective size.

This is my first digital camera, so unfortunately I don't have much else with which to compare it. I purchased it in
Hong Kong mid-November 2005. I guess it was fairly expensive, but it seemed way ahead of anything else available at the time.
The camera boasts 8.1 megapixels and produces an extremely detailed image. It also has a huge 3 inch LCD touch screen. It takes still images as well as movies.
I find navigating the menu on the touch screen very easy and the large screen is an advantage when viewing the images.
You will get fingerprints on the LCD, but that's to be expected. There's a little stylus that comes with the camera, which you can use to add special effects to images.
The slideshow facility is excellent. You can vary how the slideshow looks - less effects, pictures remain on the screen longer, different music, etc - and, to me, it's a main feature of the camera. I don't think any movies taken will be included in the slideshows.
Software interaction with my computer is okay, but I still haven't managed to download any of my own music to the camera for slideshows - only tried once, though.
I won't go into the specs here, but images are stored on the internal memory as well as the on-board Duo Pro memory stick.
I find the camera a pleasure to use and can't really find any fault with it at this point.

My first digital camera was a Sony Mavica, remember that one? You had to use a floppy disc to store the pictures? Not a bad camera for it's time but THIS camera (Cybershot DSCN1) is nothing short of amazing!

I can't believe how clear the picture is, nor can I believe the ease of use! I find myself taking pictures of all kinds of stupid stuff just so that I can use it! I haven't tried all of the different programs on it but I'm curious about the "fireworks" feature and wondering if it works on Christmas tree lights.

We love to go looking at Christmas lights and I wonder if I can capture some of them this year. If you are thinking of getting a camera then I highly recommend this one! The only "problem" I had was trying to find this camera in stores. I went to Best Buy, Circuit City, Ritz Camera, and Sam's Club and no one had it.

They all told me that it was too new and to wait a little while... NOT! If a camera is new then that is all the more reason to get it out. Anyway, I ended up ordering it from faitful ole Amazon and got it here in two days... right before Thanksgiving! :-)

A bit expensive but worth every penny and I have yet to try everything on the camera yet. Have a Merry Christmas yall!

To make a long story short, This camera rocks my socks. I am beyond impressed by its usability, durability, looks, and excellent picture quality. The touch screen feature is going to usher in a new wave of copycats, because it is so much easier to use than having a million buttons all over the camera. The camera contains very advanced noise reduction technology and the detail clarity and color quality of the pictures will blow you away. I actually do find myself using the album feature quite a lot because I already downloaded 4 of my favorite songs onto the camera for playback. The paint feature isn't quite as useful after the novelty wears off, but it's still fine to have. The battery lasts through 250+ shots and with at least a 1GB Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo from Amazon(they have a pretty good price actually) you'll have an amazing camera to enjoy for years to come.

This is wonderful camera. Very easy to use and can carry in pocket. Though I am not a professional photographer, I can say this camera has substance and value. I took couple of pictures in bright sunlight and dark (night). I find bit difficult to focus an object in dark as there is no optical view finder. This could be because of some other settings required. I am fully satisfied with this little camera.

I've had the DSC-N1 for about a week now, and I love it. It is the best camera I've had so far, and my first Sony. I went form the Kodak DX 7440 to the Casio EX-750 to the DSC-N1. The 3" screen is tremendous, there is no other way to describe it. Not only large but clear from all angles, in almost all lighting conditions, and a very fast refresh rate and GREAT resolution and color depth. I know, it sounds over-the-top, but you have to see just how good this screen is. The touch-screen is somewhat unique. It takes a bit to get used to, and at first I wasn't sure if I liked it. Having spent a week using it now, I love it. It is pretty intuitive (although some menu placements are not). I think this may be a love-it-or-hate-it type of feature, but I love it.

The camera is very responsive, the menus are fast, and the focus has been dead-on accurate. The flash works well, and seems to evenly light the subject area.

The detail is great so far on screen and after printing. I have no complaints at all. The large screen is great for playing back your pictures (with many slideshow options with sound) and sharing with others. I have the docking station also which works great and has a remote control...

To summarize:
- AMAZING 3" large screen
- Reliable focus
- Good flash
- very good detail and even lighting in photos
- Quick response to shooting and menus
- Unique touch screen

I am in the technology field, yet never could bring myself to go digital when it comes to picture taking. I love this camera. The display and touchscreen are great. The video, which I thought I would never use, has been unbelievable. There is nothing I found that I do not like!

Sony has once again delivered another unique pocket camera. It delivers great high resolution images with good detail and saturation. When I set up the camera, in the menu system, I set the saturation and sharpness up one tick; I also set the, what appears to be a huge 3" LCD touch-screen monitor up to brighter level. What a incredible difference going from 2" to 3" monitopr size. One can really share the shot captured with family and friends... With this done, the camera produces great images from the pocket. The flash seems significantly brighter than the "T" series cameras. I purchased a spare battery and SONY's high speed 1GB data card, which will hold over 250 images at the my recommended highest resolution setting. Also set the video to "Hi Resolution Fine" 640x480 mode. The videos are stunning, vivid, and compete with typical tape video camera performance, for the casual viewer. May be over-spoken, but, the video quality is so good comming from this little footprint, the results are shockingly positive.

There are a number of sites including SONY's site, and dereview.com which describes the camera in exhaustive detail, so I will not repeat these facts here. I am an adjunct faculty member of Florida Altantic University, FAU, teaching "Principles of Digital Photography and Post Image Processing," Pearson Education, 2004. To help our students with their study of this topic I attempt to keep up with the latest releases of digital camera equipment. Go to the site address a part of FAUdigital.com site, to see images from this exciting new camera. FYI, I purchased this camera for my personal use and am delightd with its performance. I also have professional Canon digital SLRS, however I cannot put them in my pocket. There are trade-offs with a pocket camera, but this little masterpiece has what it takes to capture those pictures, when carrying a SLR is not convenient. Jim Wilson, quesitons email directly to FAU@bellsouth.net for further Q&A.

(...)

This is the second digital I have owned and I have tried a couple of others. My first digital was a Kyocera 5MP S5. I was looking for a camera the focused faster and had good low light capabilities.

The DSC-N1 has a very fast autofocus and this makes getting moving objects easy. In fact it makes getting all shots a lot easier. The autofocus is the best I have used. The low light assist lamp makes getting night shots easy and works well inside or near the subject. The DSC-N1 focuses quickly in low light.

The screen is really is easy to see in bright sun and fairly good in low light. I was sceptical about not having a viewfinder but the screen works great. The touch screen works impressively. It was easy to figure out the menu system and the touch screen works great with just a finger. I believe that a lot cameras will be going to the touch screen in the future. The touch screen makes changing settings quick and easy. The best part is that the DSC-N1 works perfectly in the auto setting.

The movie mode is easy to use and good quality. The ability to take long movies really makes this feature much more usable. I am impressed with the stability of the the photos during the movie mode. The movies play back smoothly on the 3 inch screen.

The flash is really impressive for a point and shoot camera. It will easily reach 15 feet or more. The flash gives full coverage over large groups of people. The battery life is a good as the spec's say. I have used the camera all day several times and have not came close to using up the battery. The battery stands up well to heavy flash use and the battery recovers quickly between flash shots.

The photo album is a fun feature for showing friends pictures. The 3 inch screen also helps because several people can view the screen at one time. The drawing capability is a waste of time for me but a few people may use it.

The only low point(maybe) is the thickness when you compare it to the ultra compact camera's on the market. No ultra compact can offer the pictue quality, features and 8.1 MP of the DSC-N1 at this time. The DSC-N1 fits easily in a pocket and can be carried around without catching any swithes on your clothing.

I plan on purchasing the marine pack and using this camera for scuba diving. This camera has the highest megapixals count for a compact camera with a underwater scuba case.

Sony should really have a HIT with this camera.

I spent the last 3 months researching what I should buy. I knew I wanted an ultra compact model with the best quality money could buy. It came down to Canon SD550, Canon A620, or Canon S80. The day I was to buy one of them, I learned about this Sony. The more I researched the more I came to appreciate what Sony engineers had accomplished. Sure, Canon makes great digital cameras that may even edge Sony out when it comes to picture quality, but there are so many other factors to consider. I admire Sony for bringing this product to the market.

This is great camera during daytime.At night the lcd picture is hardly visible specially when tele is used .Iwish there was a viewfinder .

I just received this camera today, and I have to say, WOW! Its a very small 8.1 megapixel point and shoot camera that incorporates an incredibly bright 3" display that is also touch-sensitive, a first in this class. The touch-sensitive screen is more than a novelty though, allowing you to navigate virtually all camera functions more easily via menus, as opposed to twirling dials and manipulating crytpic buttons on any other conventional digital cam. The slideshow feature is stunning, and also allows for background music to play during the presentation. I'm just getting started exploring this small digital marvel from Sony, but so far, no regrets on choosing the DSC-N1.

so far this camera has beaten all my expections for staters
3" touch screen,8.1 Mega picels,video and stills then theres the quality of pictures that it produces i have only had it for a week but this camera has best seller writen all over it small and high quality top marks to sony !!!! 5*

The camera is wonderful, 5 stars all the way. I have no complaints and it is easy to use and takes beautiful pictures.

MY COMPLAINT IS WITH AMAZON

The 1GB memory stick (MSX1GS) listed under accessories is the incorrect one.
The correct stick is the MSX-M1GS.
I received the incorrect stick from a 3rd party (etronics.com)
The exchange policy of etronics is that the customer is responsible for all shipping costs and a restocking fee.
Since I believe it is Amazons fault 100% that I ordered the wrong memory stick, I do not believe that I sould have to spend an additional $30 to get the correct stick.
Amazon customer service was friendly but completely unhelpful. It is going to be a huge pain to get the correct stick.
I have been a happy Amazon customer for many years, but this experience will make me look elsewhere in the future.
As a side note...the camera I ordered at the same time was listed "In Stock" but arrived long after the promised date.

I had my share of digitial cameras and received this as a gift this year (2005). It's the best digitial camera I've owned. It's light weight works great in the dark and because it's not big, my daughter doesn't think I have a camera one me. That's the best! Sony did a great job with this camera.

Having got rid of my Elph a year ago and waiting for the right
camera to come out, I discovered the right camera with the Sony
Cybershot DCS-N1.

I bought the camera in November and I can rave about how great
the LCD, touchscreen, slideshow, video are.. or I can point out
what little things I noticed that are little gotchas with the
camera. You can guess the way I decided to go.

SIZE: Overall, my expectation when I bought this was that the
camera wuld be somewhat smaller in thickness, but it is pretty
thick compared to other cybershots. It still fits in your
pocket and still is the talk of the town when you show it to
people. But it's the size of a deck of cards when most newer
cameras are the are half the width. Not a big deal, really, but
just settling your expectation and You will hear this over and
over again.

DESKTOP SOFTWARE: I have yet to truly play with the desktop
software, but it appears that most of the desktop software is
geared to the video aspect of the camera. I did like the
transfer software that came with my Elph, but this camera
interaction with the host computer seems limited to creating an
additional drive that you must grab your photos from and kinda
lame video software.

DESIGN BUGS: One thing Sony has to fix.. and I'm not sure if
this is common with all their cameras or cameras in general.
When the battery dies and you're in the middle of a shot, the
camera does not retract the lense back into the case with a
final gasp of power. The battery died on me during X-mas, and I
was stuck with an extended Carl-Zeiss lens for the rest of the
week. This is kinda a problem if you don't carry the charger
with you on extended trips.

INTERNAL SOFTWARE COMPLAINT: The camera stores its photos in
two separate areas when you take a photo. The Actual higher res
photos go in sequenced folders (named 1xxMSDCF [xx being an
sequential number for each new file]). Smaller low res
duplicates go in "albums". You can slideshow "albums" by date
and the high-res originals by folder. Most likely, you will
delete the high res when you transfer to your computer. My only
three complaints are if you rename the high-res folder outside
of the above naming convention(i.e. "X-mas_Day_2005"), the
camera fails to recognize the folder even exists anymore until
you name it back to the accepted naming convention. Also, if you
delete the high-res image, it doesn't give you the option to
delete the low-res album images as well in the same step. You
have to do this manually yourself as additional steps. Final
feature complaint is once you take the photo, the software does
not allow you to control how long the preview stays on the LCD
screen. It's either ON or OFF. That's it.
(I think the paint feature is rather stupid.. but heck it's a
gimmick I don't have to use).

PHOTO CAPTURE: This thing gives you the functionality and
flexibility of a more professional camera all wrapped up in the
easy to use touch screen. I had to play around with it a bit to
get my shots more in the range I liked, but "Auto" is the best
method by far when you don't have the time... but this features
can still generate the occasional blurry image if the camera is
not steady enough... The other Photo capture complaint is in
dark rooms where I've seen other cameras create an enhanced sort
of lighting upon the picture subject within the LCD before
taking the photo. Here, you have to settle for a weak red light
on your subject to guess if your subject is in the photo in a
dark room.
(Also, 8.1 MP is rather over the top for a camera. I readjusted
my camera back to the space saving 5 MP)

Overall, even if someone can't point out solutions to my above
critique, this camera is worth every penny. I just have to
mention things you won't hear folks mention since they're so
enamored with the product. I have yet to use the video
feature...but I do hope Sony provides better software for the
photo aspect of the camera, I do recommend downloading Google's
Picasa software to manage your photos on your desktop.

Other than that this camera is innovative. I had 5 people
say "I gotta get me one of those" in the last 2 weeks. I'm also
waiting for my cradle accessory via Amazon to come in the mail
to use as a desk photo display. So may be able to extend my
review a bit when that arrives.

For the most part this is a wonderful camera. The touchscreen makes it incredibly easy to use. My only issue is that in dim light it is impossible to see your subject in the LCD screen. This issue becomes worse when you are zoomed in. The issue is significant enough for me that I am returning the camera. I have used other cameras where the LCD brightness was increased as you zoomed in. Cameras with a viewfinder of course do not have this issue to the same extent.

First, and foremost, this is the best digital camera I have ever owned. It is very important to always have the camera mode set to "Program". After reading reviews for weeks, prior to buying the camera (Used for 3 days), two complaints stand out. The video noise, while using the playback, and the lack of a viewfinder. The noise is eliminated in the video recording mode by setting the "Focus" menu to infinity or either a lower setting (7.0m, 3.0m, etc.). I may add, the results are always better when you do not use the zoom while video recording. Since this is a 3X optical zoom, moving closer to the subject is better. When you watch professional movies, you will see less zooming because most cameras create a sound, which can be annoying. It is a must to use the pro duo memory stick, using the 640(Fine) setting. Second, the viewfinder is not an issue, when you 1.)Turn on the AF Illuminator, 2.) Set the camera mode to "Program", 3.) Increase the EV to "+2", 4.) Set the Flash Level(see the menu under the infinity setting) to "+", and set the Focus to either "Center AF" or "Spot AF". These seem like a number of steps, but believe me, it will come second-nature, when you practice, practice, practice. This camera is an unique individual. You paid for it, so, use it and it will prove it's worth. I have no complaints, that this camera's built in features cannot be remedy. This camera has unlimited possibilities.

I was looking all around for an ultracompact camera. I was on the fence between the Canons (SD400, 450, 500 and 550), Nikon S1 and the Sony DSCT1. While the SD500 and SD550 were top of the line (fantastic image quality), all of them have their shortcomings. There is no such thing as a perfect point and shoot digital camera. Just before I made my purchase though, I was lucky enough to come across the Sony DSC-N1 on www.StevesDigicams.com. My first digital camera was a Sony (DSCP1). I did love it, but poor battery performance and expensive proprietary accessories led me to jump the Sony ship. Within the following 5 years, I acquired the Canon EOS D60, the Canon S60, and the Canon S410. So let me just say, I am a Canon guy. I gave the S410 away as a gift and decided to get a new ultracompact. Enter the Sony DSCN1.

The camera sports the largest LCD (3 inches), which at the same time is a touchscreen. There are hardly any physical buttons on the camera itself. For an ultracompact, there is an unusual amount of manual control (Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance, ISO speed, Color Saturation, Contrast, Flash Levels, Sharpness, etc.). The shutter speed can be set from 30 seconds to 1/1000 of a second. Aperture ranges from f2.8 to f16. You can even compose your picture, and then touch the screen to select which object you want to be in focus.

Like many other ultracompacts, there is no viewfinder on the N1. All your shots are composed on the LCD. Some think this is a "con", but I honestly don't know why one would really need the viewfinder. Perhaps the bright LCD may be problematic in a dark theater where you are bootlegging the latest Sony Pictures release... Picture quality is excellent. Focusing is very quick and COMPLETELY silent. Macro performance was impressive. The camera itself powers on quickly so it's honestly only about 2 seconds before you get your first shot.

The camera comes with 26MB of onboard storage for pictures and supports the Memory Stick Duo storage cards (Why so proprietary Senor Sony?). It is an ultracompact, but it is on the larger side of the ultracompacts. It will drop into your shirt pocket but there will be a noticeable bulge... It's about the size (slightly thicker) of a deck of cards. The N1 sports 3x optical zoom, but an oddly diminutive 2x digital zoom. You would think it would be harder to incorporate optical zoom than digital but whatever. That should not keep you from this camera. You can easily zoom in and crop after you put your photo on your computer. 8.1 megapixels affords you great license in that arena. There is only one thing that seems pretty inconvenient. It takes hours to charge the tiny little battery. It took me about 4 hours to finish my initial charge and the manual suggests that you leave it in an additional hour after the light goes off to get it to maximum charge.

This is clearly an awesome camera. I saw a rating of 6.6 on Cnet.com and am still scratching my head over that one. Meanwhile their readers rated it 8.5 on average. Like I said, there is no such thing as a perfect point and shoot digital camera, but the Sony DSC-N1 packs quite a punch. I'm going to date this review by saying I paid $450 for mine (I'm going to be pissed in a year's time when it's going for a hundred dollars less). It retails for $499. While the price can be considered high, the value is definitely just as high. I highly recommend this amazing little gadget.

Pros:
8.1 Megapixels
Awesome Touchscreen Controls
Good Battery Life (well over 200 shots)
Photo Album/Slideshow Review
Manual Focus Targeting
ISO - 64, 100, 200, 400, 800
Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens
Good flash range

Cons:
- It takes 4-5 hours to charge the battery
- Bulky Ultracompact
- LCD gets fingerprints
- Pricy (mine was $450)
- 2x Digital Zoom

My wife wanted a small digital camera to keep in her purse, so I got her the DSCN1 for Christmas. We have taken at least 300 pictures so far and most are quite good. The camera is sturdy and well made and the screen is beautiful - it's really fun to show people pictures on this amazing screen.

We really like the slideshow feature where the camera creates a slideshow using your photos, adds some cheesy transitions and some music. Our friends and family really like this feature, and it's great to pass around the slideshow at a party.

It takes some time to get used to the touch screen, and it would have been great to have real buttons for a few of the most common features, such as turning on the flash, but overall I like the touch screen. Battery life is good, and the camera has almost no shutter lag.

The camera is missing is an anti-shake mechanism, but this is not a major issue. Overall this is a great camera.

This one does it all, vivid resolution with long battery life. Fully auto or fully manual, Many picture taking options to adjust focus, lighting, flash levels, aperture width, shutter speeds of 1/2000, even simulated film speed. A beautiful piece of machanics stylish brushed aluminum, with a bright, hi resulution rear touchscreen LCD. Internal memory can store about 150 picture at 3mp. I'm very pleased, just amazed every time I view my photos. THANKYOU SONY. I LIKE IT. I LIKE IT ALOT.

I got this camera for christmas and it was the best gift ever!!
I used to have a 5.0 MP sony cybershot and I was very happy with it except when I was shooting in the night, it was frustrating that all the night pics were dark, I tried all kind of stuff to make this work but this 5.0 Mp camera worked great only in daylight, so then the DSCN1 8.1 MP digital camera came along and I was impressed in how incredibly good was it, I took it for our holiday vacation and I hoped that finally I could take pics at night, I tried it at a night parade and with fireworks and I could not believe my eyes of how great pics it took!!! after that I loved it, what can I say about daylight pictures, WOW!!! with this camera I do not worry anymore about if it is day, night, fireworks, the beach etc... .

Let me tell a little about the features, I will start with the thing I think is the greatest idea: The touch screen, it is so practical, and easy to use and if you are familiarized with sony cameras you will not have a problem,if you are not used to sony cameras don't worry it is really easy, also the thing that it it touch screen leaves more space for the screen where you watch your pics.
Other feature is the slideshow mode to view your pictures and not only you have this but you can add music!! yes your own music!! isn't that amazing!! you just plug this camera to the TV and there you go a proffessional slideshow in less than 1 minute.

What more can I tell you please don't hesitate about which camera to buy this is the best choice, a little camera of 8.1 MP!! and I tell for my experience good shots at day and at night.

The only thing you have to buy along with this is a memory stick duo it is not included, (this camera has it's own memory but not too much) so I reccomend to buy the 1GB memory stick.

BUY THIS!

I like it very much this camera ... The photos are greats and the videos too. I love it¡¡¡

wonderful point and shoot with huge lcd and basic memory. pretty good video as well. memory stick duos, docking station and case-expensive, but cool. really customized interconnects, as usual from sony.

I purchased a Sony DSC-N1 in early December. As it is a new camera, spare battery had to be ordered from Sony. The camera did great at Christmas as it has an F 2.8 zoom lens, has a 3 inch Touch Screen / LCD and is very compact. I decided to leave the big Nikons and Canon SLRs at home for our January Cruise to Cozumel. The Sony was excellent. My wife was shocked when I put the Sony in it's waterproof Dive enclosure when I went Scuba Diving off Key West. The camera worked flawlessly at 47 ft depth. Following the dives, I took photos on surface and in town with the waterproof housing still attached. All came out fine. In total, we took 963 photos on vacation. It was useful to have a portable computer along. I dumped the accessory 1 Gig memory stick daily. BE SURE TO Follow instructions when transferring images from camera to Computer. I failed to turn the camera off before connecting to USB port and lost my photos for that day. Returning home, my wife had a knee replacement, and the trusty Sony has been there pre-op, post-op in recovery, etc, recording her daily progress including photos of her xrays, and macro shots of her sutures. In summation an excellent carry camera, with great flexibility, and well designed controls.

I have been using it since last month, and I can say that I enjoy using it. It's has many abilities, but very simplified that everbody can use perfectly.

After at least 6 months of intensive research to replace my old 2MP Fuji, it came down to the Canon SD550 - until I saw the Sony DSC-N1. I bought the Canon SD550, which was very good and had a sleek design, but I returned it because I could not get the image of the DSC-N1 out of my mind! It was like love at first sight, and I HAD to get it! So my Canon and I parted and the feeling's been great ever since I got the Sony. It's been about 3 months now, and I am addicted to this thing! So here's my review:

Likes:

Compact
3" LCD
Touch screen
Picture quality
Resize - Can easily resize pics. If you're running out of space, you change the size to VGA then later resize. A 1 GB card can take over 250 pics at max resolution 8 MP; change to VGA and you can take over 6,000 pics.

Album - The album organizes pics by date and has an index feature to easily find the pics. Also, pics deleted from the memory card will still be stored in the album, unless you go in the album and delete it too. This is the only function I love/hate - to delete you have to do it twice. The album is cool because you can always go back to your pics for viewing after you transferred to the PC and deleted from the disk. Plus, it uses minimal storage because the pics are stored as VGA.

Slideshow - Very neat transitions and you can download your own slideshow music too.

Camera modes -Auto mode works best in light. For low-light, Program and Soft Snap modes work great.


What could be improved:

Video quality is poor in low-light settings. Looks good only in bright light.
Body not sleek and smooth like Canon SD550.
Optical zoom
Paint function--just blah!
Viewfinder would be nice


Overall, need I say? This is camera is GREAT!!!

Why settle for less, when you can get a brand new original top-of-the-line Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP camera for Free! I got mine from this web site: http://urlcut.com/rebelxt

I don't know how many times I have to get burned by Sony's poor quality control before I give up on the brand. I really liked the design of the N1 and the first batch of pictures met my expectations, but the touchscreen died on me during the second day of our vacation! It turned into a bunch of colored bars like your TV does during emergencly broadcast tests. Given there is no optical viewfinder, this meant I was out of luck. Additionally, most controls are accessed via the touchscreen (many inelegantly) so when it goes, the camera goes.

The Sony DSC-N1 is weel worth its price and will amaze you with every shot. It packs a lot of action for a tiny compact cam -- stunning 8 MP resolution, high quality video, the biggest LCD screen on any camera, and an intuitive touch-screen menu system. I compared over a dozen models before buying this one, although it was the most expensive of the pack. I was especially amazed by the quality of low-light photos which puts other cameras to shame! You can take pictures indoors with candlelight, by the sea at twilight time or dawn, or beautiful lit skyscrapers at night, and you'll get every detail and color like your eyes see it. You can even edit and "paint" on photos while on the camera, by using the plastic pen on the touch screen! If you're looking for a top-of-the-line camera with all the bells and whistles then definately go for this one.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSCN1 opens a new world of shooting and sharing, with 8.1 megapixel performance and internal memory that holds up to 500 VGA images for pocket album viewing anywhere, anytime.

A huge 3.0" LCD Monitor with Clear Photo LCD Plus technology provides touch-screen convenience for controlling camera functions and searching thumbnail images -- and Free Spot AF lets you focus on a subject by just touching it on screen.

The DSCN1 also features Slide Show with Music capability, Carl Zeiss Lens, 3X Optical Zoom, 64 MB internal memory and high-stamina Lithium Ion rechargeable battery.

Specifications:

CCD Type and Size: Super HAD CCD1/1.8" (Approx 8.3MP)
Effective Pixels: 8.1 MP
Colour Filter: Primary Colour (RGB)
Scan System: Interlace Scan System
Lens Type: Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar
Focal Lengthf =(35mm conversion): f: 7.9-23.7mm (38 - 114mm)
F Number: F: 2.8 - 5.4
Optical Zoom: 3x
Precision Digital Zoom: 6x
Smart Zoom: 5MP (3.8x), 3MP (4.8x), 1M (7.7x), VGA (15x), 16:9 (5.1x)
Aperture Range: Auto (F2.8-F16) / Program auto (F2.8-F16) / Manual (F2.8-F16)
Shutter Speed: Auto (1/8-1/2000) / Program auto (1"-1/2000) / Manual (30"-1/1000)
ISO Sensitivity: Menu, Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800
Light Metering: Multi Pattern, Centre Weighted, Spot
Exposure Compensation: +/- 2.0EV, 1/3EV Step
Live Histogram Indicator: Yes
Sharpness/Contrast/Saturation: Menu, +/-1 Step
White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash
NR Slow Shutter: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Fireworks, Candle, M Mode, NR 1/6-30"
Other: Self Timer, Hand Shake Alert, Red Eye Reduction, Multi Language
LCD: 3.0" (230,400 pixel) Touch Screen, Hybrid Clear Photo LCD Plus
STILL IMAGE RECORDING
Recording Modes: Normal, Burst, Multi Burst, Bracketing
Recording Formats: JPEG (Standard / Fine)
Image Playback: Rotate, Zoom (Up to 5x Precision Digital), Resize, Slide Show (5 Modes, 4 Transistion Effects, Up to 4 x 3 min Music Clips), Photo Album
Burst Mode: 8M (fine) 4 shots / Approx 1.1s sec
MOVING IMAGE RECORDING
MPEG Movie VX Fine: 640 x 480, 30fps
MPEG Movie VX Standard: 640 x 480, 16.6fps
Video Mail: 160 x 112, 8.3fps
Dimensions (WxHxD): 96.7mm x 61.1mm x 22.7mm
Weight (without accessories): 151g
Body Material: Metal (Aluminium)
Internal Memory: 64MB (32MB for Pocket Album, 6MB for Slide Show Music, 26MB for Photo Storage)
Media: Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed)
COMPATIBILITY
Image Software: Windows 98, 98SE, 2000 Pro, ME, XP Home and XP Pro. Mac OS X (v10.1.5 or later)
USB Driver Software: Windows 98, 98SE, 2000, ME ,XP Home, XP Pro, Mac OS 9.1, 9.2, X (v10.0 - v10.4)


A quick recap:

8.1 Effective Mega Pixels
3X Optical Zoom
Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens
3.0" Touch Screen (stylus supplied)
Clear Photo LCD Plus
MPEG Movie VX Fine
Pocket Album
Slide Show with Effects and Music
Paint
Stamina: 300 shots / 150 mins

I bought the Sony DSCN1 and tried it out for about a week, but ended up taking it back. I wanted this camera to replace my 2 yr old Nikon Coolpix 3100, which is a great camera. I was really hoping for something that would take good action shots. The DSCN1 takes great pictures but they're not any better than my 3MP Nikon. I even made an 8x10 from each of the cameras and the Sony pics aren't any better than what I get from my Nikon.

The DSCN1 is a fun camera with the slideshow, music, etc. but if you're looking for a high quality picture from your camera, the price of the Sony just isn't worth it. There are too many other cameras out there that will give you as good of a picture as you will get with this Sony at a much less expensive price.

If you decide to buy a camera I do recommend that you purchase it from Amazon based on their return policy. I bought this camera at Circuit City for $475 and was charged $71 to return it. I do not recommend purchasing a camera from Circuit City due to their return policy unless you know without a doubt that you will keep it.

At first I was a bit worried as whether or not I choose the right camera. However as I learned the various features I have come to like it more and more. Two problems though minor they are. When taking photos it blanks out leaving you to wonder momentarily if you had the right shot. The second is taking photos in doors. The quality can be a lot better. Other than that its a camera I will recommend. The 30" LCD touch screen is owesome.

I had a Sony camera and no problems for the first six months. At that point, the LCD screen on the back went white, not allowing me to review pictures, access the menu, or take pictures through it. I've sent the camera to Sony repair centers twice, with no results. The camera has spent three of the past four months either in transit, in repair, or simply not working. The Sony repair centers keep sending it back to me in the same state that I sent it in. If you're going to spend any kind of money on a digital camera, do yourself a favor and don't buy a Sony.

Ok so I bought a Canon powershot about 6 years ago that was 2 mega pixels and I sold it within a few months. Bad battery life, slow to view pics etc. Then I didn't get another camera until this Sony DSCN1. I received this camera about a month ago and have taken hundreds of photos with it. I'm not a big picture taker since I remember back in the day with the film and flash that it always seemed that half of my photos did not have the correct lighting. This camera takes care of all the worries for me. I just set it on auto and it does auto everything. They should call it automatically take every picture the very best you can.

The pictures that come out this little camera are freeking amazing. They are so clear and crisp. I absolutely love this camera. The battery life is phenomenal I took well over 200 photos and did the slide show a few dozen times and the thing still had 1/4 battery life.

So here is my list of things I like.

1. Touch screen which is very cool, fast big, and easy to use.
2. Picture playback, fast it moves through the pictures on the camera in no time at all. Not like the Canons that sit there, thinking, thinking, thinking oh here is the photo.
3. Compact size and feel. Very sturdy light weight and packed with features.
4. Slideshow feature is so freekin cool. Everyone that has seen it loves it.

Ok here are the things I don't like.

1. that big nice touch screen ya well it can scratch and there are not any pre cut screen covers for the camera. I took a film for a PDA and cut it to size to solve the issue but It would be nice to have a pre cut one that could be bought.
2. The photo cd making software that comes with the camera didn't detect my cd burner so I had to save it as an image file and image files can only be burnt to a disk using Toast for the Mac. Didn't like that feature too much.

That's it everything else I love about this camera. I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for a nice camera that does it all and makes it easy for those of us whom are not photographers. Great batter life, small size, amazing pictures, and a good quality brand make this camera a 5 for me.

This is by far the nicest pocket sized digital I have used or owned. The screen size and touch screen give that Total WOW!! factor to anyone you show it to, myself included:) Takes GREAT pics and video, controles are easy to use and understand. Hard to believe you can fit so much quality and features in a package so small. Be sure to buy a small soft camera case "same day" as you will want to protect your beautiful/huge touch screen right away!

sony camera's are the worst to repair. they charge you $200.00 for a flash. That is almost the same price as a new one. Buy the other brands. they have local shops that will fix warrenty problems SONY does NOT have this. you have to send it to Texas. I don't even live in a state that touchs Texas. Please Buy a different brand of camrea you will be much happier. the parts and acc. are more as well.

I haven't owned a Sony digital camera in years. Not that Sony cameras are not good; it's just that I always ended up getting a Canon, a Casio, a Fujifilm, a Minolta, a Kodak, or a Pentax. At the moment I use my Nikon D70 for photos that I want to keep or submit for contests, and my Fujifilm F10 for everyday snapshots. But recently I had a chance to play with a Sony DSC-N1 and I was really impressed. I think I'll buy a Sony next time, now that I've accumulated quite a number of Memory Stick PRO Duo cards (for my Sony PSP and Sony camcorders).

OK, everyboby knows the N1 has 8.1MP resolution, and the price point is sweet for an ultra-slim, stylish digital camera. The 3x optical zoom is a bit disappointing; I really wish Sony had done something outside the box and gone beyond 3x zoom. (Panasonic has a compact camera that sports a whopping 10x optical zoom coupled with optical image stabilization!) 3x is adequate for most situations, though, so maybe it's no big deal for most casual shooters.

But more than the 8.1MP resolution, which makes great enlarged prints, the N1 has excellent image quality. I always say that image quality is much more than resolution; it's more about color reproduction (is red really red and is blue really blue?) and white balance (is white really white?) as well as technical factors like saturation and contrast. Older Sony digital cameras tended to give crisp but dreadful looking pictures. Not the N1. Both indoor and outdoor pictures look terrific, and as long as you have adequate lighting (or use the flash), you'll get pictures that you'll be proud to share with friends. Digital noise does kick in quite a bit at ISO 400, meaning that in dim light situations you'll notice digital specks when you enlarge the picture. But for 4x6", or even 5x7", prints as well as viewing on a PC monitor or HDTV monitor, the N1's image quality comes across as quite satisfactory. What really impressed me was the flash quality, which seemed better than most other compact digital cameras (except Canon ones).

So if you want a digital camera with excellent image quality, the N1 should be on your shopping list. Overall I still slightly prefer Canon's image quality, but not by much, just by a little bit. It's probably because my idea of "perfect" image quality matches the calibration parameters chosen by Canon's engineers. However, I know many other people who prefer Sony's crispier looks or Fuji's "scenic, natural" looks, so you may want to compare the N1 with a Canon or something else to see which camera produces the results you personally like the most. Bottomline: the N1's image quality ranks very high among compact digital cameras.

Of course, the N1 has many other things going for it, too, like the enormous 3" LCD in the back. The LCD just looks huge because 1) it is, and 2) it takes up most of the real estate of the camera's back. Its resolution is a little over 230k, twice that of most other digital camera's LCDs. This gives a sharp-looking image on the LCD. Ourdoor visibility is good as the LCD is bright. Like Sony's camcorders, this LCD is touch-sensitive, which means you can control camera functions on the LCD itself. I myself am neutral on this. Some people don't like Sony's menu-driven interface and would have preferred a few more buttons. For most casual photographers, this is probably not going to be a big deal.

The N1 is beautiful looking, and it has good shooting performance. I'm talking shutter lag here. It's quite fast. Not as fast as a digital SLR like my Nikon D70 or a Canon Digital Rebel XT, but the N1 felt slightly faster than my Fuji F10. This is a camera that performs, period.

Battery life is decent; I think the official rating is 300 according to the Japanese CIPA standard. My Fuji F10 is rated at 450 and I swear I've taken close to 1,000 photos (about 40% with flash) and I still have 50% left. I don't know if the N1's battery has the same stamina as my F10. But even at 300 shots per charge, that's pretty good.

I want to make two recommendations to any perspective N1 owner:

1) Be sure to get a spare battery. Even though the N1's battery life is good, the battery might fail (e.g., in extreme temperatures) or you might forget to recharge it before a new day starts. Always carry a spare if you can afford it.

2) The N1 uses Memory Stick Duo, and you'll most likely buy the "PRO" version. (The "PRO" designation simply means the Memory Stick Duo card is over 256MB. Sony's marketing people are nothing short of absolutely stupid and perverted.) You don't have to buy the "high-speed" (red) version of Memory Stick Duo PRO; but as a fellow Amazonian recently told me, the high-speed and regular versions cost the same, so you might as well get the high-speed one. Now comes my tip: buy two or more memory cards instead of a single gigantic-capacity one. Say you want 2GB in total. Get two 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo cards instead of a single 2GB one. Why? It's the old adage that "don't put all your eggs in one basket." As with the battery, always carry a spare. Trust me, if you don't have a spare battery or memory card, Murphy's Law will get you, sooner than you think, too.

In summary, the N1 is a terrific ultra-slim camera. It takes great pictures, is stylish, has a huge touch-sensitive LCD, has good battery life, is reasonably easy to use, and did I mention it takes great pictures? It's good enough for this camera aficionado that my next compact camera will probably be a Sony.

DSC-P200 is half the price of N1 and has almost similar features to N1. I would recommend that instead of N1. Below I have listed the features that differ between N1 and P200 and I have added my comments whether the extra features of N1 are worth the price:

Max resolution
7 MP of P200 is more than enough for home photos

Slide Show feature
Ad for N1 says it can create dyamic slide shows with transitions. Nice way of marketing. Who will want to view the slide show in camera or by connecting to TV. Its always easier to download to computer and create any type of shows you want. You can connect both N1 and P200 to TV and watch slide shows. But P200 it does not have transitions between photos. No point in paying extra money for N1 for such a useless feature

ISO
N1 has higher ISO. This is important if you want to shoot professional photos. N1 is better in this aspect.

Battery
N1 does not come with charger and cradle. You have to buy this extra. Be careful. P200 is better in this aspect as you can easily charge the camera with included wall charger

Flash
N1 is better in flash range

Weight
N1 is only slightly lesser weight. Not worth paying extra amount for the slight weight reduction

Dimensions
N1 is only slightly smaler. Not worth paying higher price just for that. Remember, if the camera is too light it will cause you to shake it more and get bad pictures

Viewfinder
P200 has view-finder. This very important especially when you are running short of batteries or when there is too much sunlight and you are not able to see through LCD properly. N1 does not have this very important features

White balance
P200 is better as it offers auto and manual control too. N1 offers auto control only.

Movie:
P200 can shoot 5 frames per second wherease N1 can shoot only 4 fps. P200 is better in this aspect.

LCD
Smaller LCD is better as it will consume less battery. Bigger LCD looks good but consumes too much battery and gets scratched more easily. N1 has large LCD that consumes more battery.

Touch Screen Menu in N1
Touch screen is a pain to use in such a small screen as the menus will be too small to touch accurately. Sony provides a stylus. That makes it an extra pain to carry the stylus without losing it. Touch screen is good only if the LCD is large and the buttons are big. Also when you are viewing through the LCD and want to adjust some settings, its a pain to keep touching the LCD for menu selection. Its much easier to select through regular buttons

Paint function in N1
Useless feature. Its such a pain to draw on that small LCD. 3" LCD is big for a camera but definitely smaller than computer monitor. Its easier to download and edit photos on the computer. Computer definitely gives more options and an option to save the original intact. If you modify the picture on the camera you lose the original. If you make a mistake in editing, the original is gone.

Still my favorite out of all cameras out there , the slide show , the music (u can download ur own),pix and flix quality 100% even in the dark . Touch screen too ...u gotta love it. Wish you good luck :)

I own the DSC-N1 since November 2005.

This is the first ultra-compact model that offers a massive 3.0-inch touchscreen LCD. The battery lasts for hundreds of pictures, anyway you will need an extra battery pack.

The shooting performance is very impressive. In Normal record mode, the shot to shot delay with and without the use of the flash is incredibly fast. (less than 2 seconds).

It offers various image adjustments for sharpness, contrast and saturation, which will allow you to "dial in" that certain look. The Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens helped produce sharp images throughout its 38-114mm (35mm equivalent) range, which are virtually free from any signs of chromatic aberration

Movie mode produce very good results. Overall the 640x480 Fine mode captures high-quality movies, with very little compression noise.

Sony DSC-N1 is a very convenient digital package that offers great image quality, speedy performance, and a very cool touchscreen LCD.

Its 8M Fine images have more than enough resolution to create stunning 13x19-inch borderless prints. Very light and small to carry in your pocket, almost the size of a deck of cards. Taking pictures is a snap when using either of its fully automatic modes

I owned 2 Kodak digital cameras and they both broke after a year or two....Was looking into another camera and after much research decided on this camera.

I love it!!!!

-The pictures come out great

-Love the touch screen, although sometimes get a little lost trying to get to where I want

-everyone I show is really impressed with the slideshows.

-I am able to keep the pictures I really want to show on the camera without taking up room on my card.

-Haven't used the paint feature much, but can see several uses for it.

Overall it is the best camera I have owned!

I never owned a Sony camera before. However, another camera company paid me a lot of money to slander the quality of Sony cameras. Don't buy Sony! They may be horrible cameras and break one day. You never know!

I'm in the process of getting my second one of these gizmos repaired/replaced. The lense will not retract after being shut off. This should not be happening. It goes off to Sony next week for warranty repair. Not even 60 days old. Not good.

My first digital camera was a Sony P9 about five years ago. Then I had a P150 and now the N1.
I can say that the picture quality was improoved, specially in therms of noise reduction. Another thing that I think it's better now is the flashlight. Indoor pictures wasn't so good with my other cameras, but with the N1 I can get great indoor pictures! No more complains!
This camera is very light and thin. You can put in your pocket.
The 3" touch screen is amazing too and I don't want to exchange it with any other feature of any other digital camera on the market.
You can also watch your pics as a slideshow with different effects and music. It's very cool to show the pictures on the camera without getting people bored. They just love it!
I did like all my other Sony cameras, but i can say that with the N1 I had a different feeling... I just don't want to change it even a bit...
Just buy it! You are going to love it as I do.

This is my second camera, my first is Konica KD220Z (2mp)it gave me awful pics so I was looking for a new one, I'd seen this N1 in an online shop but never interested it because I focus on CASIO 850 and wanna buy 850 for sure ,sadly everytime I went to shops 850 still not available to sell so I got back to my computer and seached some more while I was waiting my 850 and I got sample clips captured by 850 it quite awful VDO, my need is a compact digital camera which has LESS cons (can shot photo and VDO well both), so I headed up to SONY N1 (I'd tried it once at Sony's local shop) , the truth about my foolishness is I was about to return it since I'd seen T30's advertisement, I used to think N1 was an entertained piece but I went wrong ! It can do anything as great camera (I've compared pictures from N1 and T30 and others), Sony has just focus and advertised you on its Slide&paint function more than its real abilities, N1 gives me great pictures !!,
(In my opinion)
if you wanna buy Sony , do not fool yourself buying fashion T-cam, buy N1 and you'll love it. I've compared EVERYTHING !
Pros
-3" touch screen ,give you quickly responses !
-Sharp & clear pictures
-Slides&paint function(but these're not important to me)
-Many functions to let you fit it for your photo styles
Cons
-N1 is the most expensive camera in its class !!! (this time)
-Not suitable for taking pic in low light (The same problem for non-SLR camera I think )
-Bigger than any compact camera
-Because of it's touch screen type, it is filmsy you need to buy LCD protecter film to protect your LCD !

I have been using this Sony DSC N1 for almost 4 weeks now.

And here is summary on this camera:

Pro:
1. Compact (Though not ultra compact)
2. Very short recycle time
3. Lot of modes and settings to play and adjust your photo
4. Cool Slide show on internally stored upto 500 photos
5. Excellent Battery life
6. Beautiful video in mpeg format

Con:
1. Expensive (unless you get a great deal, it may not be worth the value)
2. Some photos look warm on LCD screen in low light condition ( but look OK when you see on the computer)
3. Need to purchase expensive memory stick pro duo
4. Touch screen looks fragile (I am looking for a protector for it)

In all this is very good camera and the 8.1 megapixle resolution is almost like 5x optical zoom on 5MP camera.

I am from the east coast; last year I discovered the southwest. I have a coolpix 4600 which takes good pix but I didn't like the dials or onscreen indicators. I went searching. I read the online reviews. They are true. The wonderful 3 inch LCD screen IS difficult to see in the bright glare of the Great Basin Desert - but so what! As a reviewer said, this camera is FREAKIN' AWESOME!!-the answer to a prayer. It is simple, yet it offers many choices, - logical - small -beautifully made. If I never leave AUTO MODE-so what again!!! With the movie capability it is a good back up for my sony mini dvd. Did I mention the "over the top" slide show with choice of music and special effects? I bought it from amazon to avoid pressure sales and for no-fuss return policy [won't need that!]. Buy the extra battery, and the memory stick pro due 2G [60 bucks!] at the same time. That is really all you need.

Went ahead and pre-ordered this camera back in September of last year, because it looked so darned good. It was supposed to be a replacement camera for my old 3MP Canon Elph (awesome camera btw), but instead it's been so much more. Now that I've had it for a while I can tell you what sets it apart from most of the cameras in its price point.

For one, it takes incredible movies (in fine mode). While a lot of cameras feature movie capture, this one really is like having a full blown DV-camera in your pocket.

Secondly, macro. I'm sorry, but this feature should be standard on a lot of comparably priced cameras out there now.

It also takes some of the most accurate photos colorwise. In my experience, Nikons made skintones look sorta ashen and the Canons were a little over saturated in the reds. This one is spot on across the board.

It also does every other positive thing the previous 50 reviews mentioned.

However, at the 5MP and 8MP settings this camera is slow in the shutter speed department. The Canon Elphs are great for taking fast, from-the-hip candid photos while this one is best suited for stationary set ups. And even in "Monitor" mode some of the pics come out soft if you try taking them while moving.

Another thing I've noticed is that is has trouble with backlit subjects when in Auto-Flash mode. You end up getting a lot of silohuetted subjects unless you reset to Forced-Flash. I don't know, but my Canon never had trouble distinguishing a low lit foreground object and applying the flash accordingly.

Something to think about.

I have the Sony 7.2MP and just bought the 8.1Mp. The pics are great and overall improvement from the 7.2.
I use a digital camera primarily for adventure travel and wildlife photos so this is perfect especially if you are someone like me who takes a lot of photos while kayaking or horseback riding or hiking. You can even buy a magnet attached telephoto and/or wide angle lens (thru another website) which really makes you appreciate the quality of this little camera.
The only complaint is that the battery does not last long so it is vital to have a 2nd battery unless you plan to recharge it every other day. The large touch screen is a great improvement and a real advantage for vision-impaired people like me who need reading glasses for upclose vision.

I've had the N1 for about a month now and have been pleased with the performance and quality of the N1. I had a SLR-like camera that was rather heavy and inconvenient to bring around. With this N1, I can bring it with me anywhere I go!

Pros:
- lightweight and compact 8 megapixels!
- 3 inch screen!
- touchscreen with easy navigation through the menus
- high quality mpeg videos. Unlike some other cameras that limit videos to one minute clips, the Sony N1 allows you to record as long as you have capacity.
- crisp and vibrant photos
- battery lasts a fairly long time. Lasted over 400 shots (with and without flash). Actual length will vary depending on usage.
- built in album/memory
- can take photos in burst mode
- has many pre-set modes to choose from

Cons:
- When recording in video mode, the N1 cannot zoom. You can only zoom before you begin recording.
- Didn't come with any cheap camera sleeve
- Didn't come with even a small memory stick (perhaps I've been spoiled by other camera manufacturers that give at least a 16MB or 32MB card).
- When shutting off the camera, the lens cover sometimes does not close completely (could just be isolated incidents).
- might have been nice to also have the old manual viewfinder when you want to save your batteries
- Taking videos drains the battery pretty quickly
- No image stabilization feature (knew that it didn't have this before I purchased. it would have been nice to have it though as many of the new high end compacts have the feature)
- uses the Memory Stick Duo (the smaller one). Many laptops come with built-in card readers nowadays, including compatibility with Memory Stick Pros. However, none that I know of have a slot built in for the Memory Stick Duos; therefore, I always have to bring along the adapter, or the included USB cable.
- LCD can get dirty with fingerprints
- Shutter lag for higher quality shots (5MP-8MP)

Recommendation:
With the prices for flash media dropping, I would recommend getting at least a 1GB card memory stick.
I've uploaded a chart showing the estimated capacity of various sizes of memory sticks.


Overall I'm happy with this, and would recommend it to anyone who can afford to spend a bit more for a point and shoot camera.

This camera has all the features I wanted. I was upgrading from an older Kodak EasyShare CX 6330. My main reasons for changing were the need for a bigger screen and for faster focus. I also wanted a smaller camera. Well, I got two out of three: bigger screen and smaller camera. However, the focus is not significantly faster. With the Kodak, my out of focus pictures were about 1 in 10. I would say my ratio has gone up to 2 out of 10. Don't get me wrong, these cameras do focus, but you have to wait for them to do so. When you are on Broadway waiting for Hugh Jackman or Ralph Fiennes to come out of the stage door, you do not have time to be focusing. One second too many and you will miss the picture. While the Sony is a little faster, you have to wait or it will really be out of focus. Also, I have noticed some graininess in some of the pictures, especially a few taken at night. I never noticed this with my old Kodak. The other shock was the date stamp. Am I the only one that uses this? The EasyShare Timestamp was yellow, very clear and professional looking. The Sony time stamp feature is HORRIBLE!!!. The numbers are sometimes not clear, sometimes they blend into the background and never look professional. Unbelievable. Also, be prepared to buy additinal memory. The memory provided with the card is not sufficient to hold all that much. Finally, sometimes linear objects have a slight zig zag effect (not good and a step down from my Kodak). Still, there are positive qualities to this camera. The menu is somewhat easier to use, I love the touch screen, and when it is in focus, the pictures looks good. The screen is large enough to show people pictures on it without having to download. I also like the videos which look ok (of course, you MUST purchase additional memory to hold any significant amout of video). Finally, I love the size of the camera--it fits in a pocket of a shirt or better yet, a cargo pant. Overall, it's ok, but at this price should be better.

I have owned this camera for four months and it is a great camera. When I bought it I was expecting just another camera, but instead I got a camera chock full of interesting and useful features. I love the paint feature, a place where using the stylus or my finger, can draw on pictures that I have taken. Also, once saved, a copy of the original still exists. I also love the slide show feature. With this, I can present my pictures in an interesting way with music. Also, I can load music onto the camera to be played while showing slide shows. There are four preset ways to show slide shows with music that matches the style. My favorite feature however is the touch screen. With the stylus or your finger, you can navigate using the screen. Since it is touch screen, it maximizes the size of the screen. Due to this innovation, this screen is the largest on the market; 3 inches.Another great thing that I like about this camera is that the controls are easy to use and simple. Even my elderly parents used this camera with ease.There are also many different settings in which you can take pictures; Auto, Manual, Program, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Candle, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, and Fireworks. Another pro of this camera is that it has 8.1 megapixels! That means that each photograph contains 8,100,000 pixels! Also, if you do not wish to photograph such large pictures there are many different sizes, and every picture comes out clear! I have not had one problem with this camera. It is a great buy. ALthough somewhat expensive, it is definitely worth it!

I love photography and I really love this camera. Takes fantastic pictures, easy to use, compact and has lot of other things you can do with it.

Love at first site. While looking for a less expensive camera, my daughter and I picked up the n1 and started playing with it. The 3 inch touch screen sold the deal. I've had the camera about 5 months).Thiscamera is fun to use and I enjoy taking it most every place I go. I've never enjoyed a camer before. It works as advertised with no problems. Buy it. I have no regrets.

This is a very good camera with many nice features! The only con i found is that the menu is very big and it kind of hinder the pictures when trying to take a look of them!

Loved the touch screen feature when I read about it the first time. Ergo- I bought it. Had a good chance to test it at a wedding I went to. It was easy to use (my level of expertise- point and shooter, I basically need an "on" button and zoom and expect the camera to do everything else) and the pictures turned out great. Until the after party started and I wanted to take some pictures at a bar. I couldn't see anything on the LCD screen- it was pitch-black ! Even my 4 year old Olympus camera was able to give me a hint of what I was shooting at in the dark. Anyway, using the AF lamp I was able to take some pictures, but then I gave the camera to somebody else it was pretty annoying- the pictures had to be taken over and over again...bottomline: I sent the camera back the next week after comparing it with other cameras. I ended up buying the Canon PS700- yes, it only has 6 MP, but what a handling and picture quality. And honestly I have not seen a difference to the 8 MP pictures.

Sorry Sony, but for the price and without an optical viewfinder I would at least expect a display I can work with. Otherwise the camera deserves 5 stars.

This is not only a very good camera, it is also easy to use. I am not very good at learning new technology (although I do manage to do it) but this was a snap. The photos that I have taken with it are awesome, even when I just print them on plain paper in my copier. Get one, you won't regret it!

utilizo una camara kodad de 3 megapixel y les juro que la definicion y el color es mejor, mas real, esperaba mas de esta camara, el software es muy malo y no tiene soporte (Kodak Easy share es muchisimo mejor). Estoy arrepentido de pagar muy caro por un producto que no llena las espectativas.

We really love our Sony Cybershot. It was purchased for the purpose of taking lots of family shots at family outings. The reasons we purchased the sony were: the small size, very easy to use, the 3 inch viewing screen, the carl zeiss lens, and of course the 8.1 mega pizels, plus the overall high quality. What I did not like was the PC software, it's not the easist to use, and on the Mac, I just use iPhoto, which works great. When we purchased the camera, we also bought the 2 GB memory stick, which I have not come close to filling, and the cybershot case, whichreally protects our camera. I would highly recommend this camera.

When I saw this camera I knew I had to have it. It was my first Sony still camera (I love their camcorders). I've owned Nikon and Canon point & shoots before, but the slickness factor of this Sony was too cool to pass up.

After playing with the camera for just 30 minutes I had to return it. While I love the simplicity of the design and the touch screen interface, it was just too slow. Compared to my Canon S70 this was a dog. I kept missing pictures because it took too long to save them. I must admit, I was using the camera's internal memory (nice feature), and not a memory stick. I don't know if that made a difference.

If speed is not an issue, this is a great camera to have, otherwise, I say pass.

This camera is fantastic. I didn't know to pick it or a canon, but any camera in this class is going to be great. The picture quality is amazing, the screen is great. Drawback is that the optical zoom is only 3x. Still, great camera, excellent purchase. Very light despite other cameras being more compact. I highly recommend