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I did months worth of research before purchasing a camera. I was excitied when the S60 model came out last month because it had all the features I was looking for at just the right price. However, after a week of using it I am not so happy with the quality of the pictures and video it takes. To help you decide here are my main likes and dislikes:
Likes
- Video limited only by memory size
- Carl Zeiss lens
- In-camera photo editing (what a great idea! in theory you don't even need a computer; just edit, save, and print in store from memory stick)
- 2" screen
- Viewfinder (for bright settings when you can't use the screen)
- Easy to hold (my 4 yr old had no problems holding this camera
- Uses AA bateries
- Fast, fast, fast (no problems catching the kids running around)
- Built-in lens cap
Dislikes
- Weight (heavier than my 35mm point and shoot)
- Red-eye (even with the red-eye feature just about everyone had red eyes)
- Picture quality (the skin tones just don't look right and many of the picutres look washed out)
- Video quality (I used this feature to capture my daughters open house and the quality is very grainy and blurry, even at the 640 standard mode.)

Even with all the features I like, I'm returning this camera because of the poor picture and video quality. Back to more researching.

If you are just an amateur photographer that is either finally switching from analog to digital or just want a decent camera to take on family vacations or school projects, this is a great camera. It is small, lightweight, and does just about anything you could possibly need it to do. It won't take pictures of hummingbirds feeding across a forest bed, but it will take a decent photo of the grand canyon. The quality of the 3x optical zoom is really good, but the picture is sacrificed slightly as you try to artifically enhance it with the digital zoom. The battery life is good enough to take on extended trips from your hotel or on a hike without having to carry around a charger or spare batteries. If you plan on taking lots of high quality large photos, you will need to get a larger memory stick (64 MB will work, 128 MB even better), but the memory stick it comes with will be enough to photograph your child's birthday party as long as you download the photos onto your computer afterwards. At 4.1 MegaPixels, this camera will pick up hairs on a persons head and it will even be able to define a flea in the hair. 4.1 MP is just barely enough to make clear 8x10 prints. There are 5+ MegaPixel cameras out there, but at the consumer level there is really no point in spending the money on one (5 MP won't come in handy unless you are student taking pictures through a microscope or a telescope, it is more of a prosumer level) All around, while Sony's camera lenses may not compare with Canon or Olympus, Sony makes up for it with their superior knowledge of how to make a great consumer digital device and turn it into a decent digital camera. It is a great value for the price.

This camera seems to be a solid performer for the few days that I have owned it. I have taken many types of pictures with this camera. The digital quality is impressive. To begin, the LCD screen is very, very sharp. Viewing shots taken are easily and clearly seen on the 2.0" screen. This camera has an excellent flash for taking pictures in low light and other various conditions. The optical zoom feature at 3X is adequate for this size camera. Viewing the pictures taken on your PC or TV is where the quality of this camera comes into play. The pictures are very sharp. Distortion and blurred images are almost a rarity with this camera. I have made photo prints of some of these pictures and have enlarged them to 8" x 10". The quality of the pictures were impressive. I could not believe how clear and crisp these pictures came out. I have tested many digital cameras in the past, and this one by far is the best camera I've seen to date. Sony has marketed a great product with the release of this camera. This one is sure to be a great seller and will give other manufacturers great competition.

As stated by many others, digital cameras use a lot of energy to process a picture. When you add up all of the features this camera has and enable every option there is, battery life will be shortened. Purchasing rechargeable batteries with a charger is a wise investment. I have taken over 200 pictures, with many of them using the flash feature, and battery life is still nearly a full charge. I highly recommend Duracell or Energizer rechargeables with a minimum battery charge capacity of at least 2050 mAh. The higher the rating, the longer the batteries will last in the camera before a charge is needed. The reason I state this is because I initially purchased a generic charge kit with batteries, charged the batteries and the batteries lasted no longer than a standard alkaline battery. With the name brands listed above, a difference was seen immediately in the length of battery life.

I bought this camera to replace my earlier Sony, to see if it was better. It was worth the upgrade, but it still doesn't have a big LCD.

But, besides that, this camera is an excellent choice, and is affortable.

PICTURE QUALITY: Like most Sonys, the picture quality is excellent. The pictures are clear and crisp, however somewhat distort using size zoom. However, the digital zoom is great. I have taken picture of moving things, and the pictures still come in clear.

FEATURES: This is basiclaly what Sony is all about. Depsite it lacking a big LCD, this camera is full of features. It's has manual settings inside, instead of the Canon only having auto mode. The flash is bright, and ups the photo quality a lot. The video mode is a nice feature, and works well too.

LAG: Short lagging, if there is lag at all.

BATTERY LIFE: The battery life is around 10-15 hours. As some cameras have more battery life, this is good enough for me. If I'm going on a trip, I will probably need to bring a charger and spares though.

DESIGN AND DURABILITY: The design is great. It's not as flimsy like the older version (DSCP73, though it wasn't too bad) and could take up some beating.

Overall, if I would do it over again, I'd still choose this one. It has features, excellent photo quality, and a good design, along with a smiling price tag.

P.S. To the earlier review (MSG RCJ), I don't know what you're talking about 18x zoom on an HP. Only Olympus does those cameras (they're a great comp.). Unless you bought a future HP model, you're talking about size zoom, not optical.

i don't own this camera. my friend does, but with my experience using it, it is horrible.

first off, the screen is tiny.
only 3x zoom! eek!! (my hp m407v is 18x)
confusing feature wheel. at least my hp has buttons.
expensive
confusing menu
no printer dock,yet
recharger that doesn't attach to camera

why would you waste $250 on this piece of junk? at least get something a little bit worth the money, maybe not my hp, but something bettter than this camera for a five year old.

Positive:
+ 4.1 Megapixels
+ 3x Optical Zoom
+ Crystal Clear Photos
+ 2" LCD
+ Barely Any Shutter Lag

Negative:
- Medicore Battery Life
- Only 32MB Memory Stick Included

Check this one out, but you might just wnat to do some more browsing.

Just got this camera and it seems great so far. It has little shuttter lag and a good flash. For 50 bucks more you can get the dsc-s90, and it has a bigger screen, but i was more than ok with the 2 inch screen provided. The picture quality is good as long as you focus first. Great camera.

The camera has very good software to manipulate it, it's very very easy to use. Because I didn't read before I buy this camera i didn't see that the box don't bring rechargeable batteries and of course the charger neither. The camera takes very good pictures but you can't move because the picture don't see very well, it's very annoying in a good time to see your photos move it. I always buy sony and I would like to say that this camera it's very good all the time, but no, for me it's better spend more money and to buy, for example, the Sony DSC-W5, until now this is a very good camera for me. I hope this opinion help you people.

I just bought this Sony Cybershot DSC-S60 after reading many good reviews about it but after only a couple of hours of happily using it, it stopped working properly and became extremly glitchy. Every time I tried to power it up, the screen would come on but then it kept turning itself off (unless it was in review pictures mode). If I tried switching it to any other mode it would turn off again. I checked and tested the batteries and they're still full power. I'm returning this camera ASAP and going for the more reliable Canons which I've never had problems with in the past. Oh well, another disposal camera bites the dust!

I bought this camera for my families first trip to Disney World and let me say this.......it was GREAT! Not only did the batteries last all day, but the extra memory card I bought held all of our pictures. I didn't have any problems with the camera, it even took great pics of the fireworks!!!! I highly recommend!!!!!

The two things that prevented this camera from getting a 5 star rating are:
1. The Sony Memory Stick prices.
2. 3x optical (would have been nice with a 4x).

I compared this camera to the Canon and Nikon 4.1MP and even the 5MP cameras, and purchased this camera instead. This camera edged out the Canon and Nikon comptetitors.

1. More shots with 2 AA NiMH batteries (up to 500 shots in proper lighting). You are lucky if the Canon or Nikon gives you over 125 shots. There's no need to ever use an AC adaptor. Four fully charged NiMH AAs will give you 1000 shots.
2. 32MB interal memory.
3. Underwater case for snorkelling (under $90 for up to 9ft)
4. 35mm Lens adapter with 30mm to 49 or 52mm ring adaptor and Polariser and (sepia filter for underwater pictures)under $60.
5. Excellent sharp shots up to 8x10, Very Good at 11x14.

After a long bit of review, I purchased a DSC-S60 from Best Buy. I liked the short shutter lag and 4MP resolution. Those two things, however, didn't hold me for very long.

The day after I purchased the camera, it stopped working on me. I would turn the camera on in 'review' mode. As soon as I turned the dial to any of the photo modes, the camera would power off. If I tried to turn on the camera in any of the photo modes, the screen would turn on and report 'Accessing', the lens would extend, then the camera would power off. Strange, I thought, but just to be safe, I returned it the next day to a completely different Best Buy in a different state (don't be alarmed, MD and VA are pretty close together) and I picked up another S60. The very next day, the same behavior happened.

Now, Best Buy lets their Geek Squad folks look at something before you can just return it on a whim. Believe me, they were all stunned (both times) when I could pop the camera up on it's box, run through the scenarios above, and watch the camera just peter out and die. I was disappointed, mainly because I have several other Sony products (TV/Camcorder/Receiver), all of which have worked flawlessly. Based on my experience with these two cameras, I decided to stick with Canon and picked up an A510. Not as many megapixels, mind you, but it is reliable, solid, and takes a darn good picture.

I think Sony put this range of cameras on the market as a hold-over for their next line, and it showed.

I bought this camera today from Fry's because it was on sale. The battery life is HORRIBLE, it only lasts about 30 mins to an hour if you're lucky, I've gone through 16 AA batteries today. I'm going to see if the "magical" Sony batteries and charger kit are better. But it's already seeming like a money pit. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone, Sony's quality in products have dropped so much in the past years.

I got this camera for around 163 at dell's site on the summer of 2005, a few months back, a time when it was goin' for a good 230 elsewhere, so i see it as a bargain deal.
summary:
-The resolution is okay and although its not an 8.0 megapixel one, its decent and sufficient for the light users like myself. The Carl Zeis lens are great and the pictures come out clear, although leaves and greenlife seem a bit darker and more shady.
-I like the flash which beats every camera ive ever owned and its sensors for light detection are top notch.
-It has good focus and macro mode is good.
-I experienced the malfunctioning problem as well at least 2 or 3 times, but this was all fixed in a matter of seconds.
-the battery life is excellent, especially with my 2300 mah nimh batteries and it seems to go on literally forever! I can easily shoot at least 200 photos and probably 300 continuous ones, which is pretty impressive.
-It seemingly has no lag and is very speedy.
Overall it is a great camera but my only complaint is the fact that sony only supports memory stick as its memory storage card. These are noticeable more expensive than sd cards, and I will have to spend around 50 percent more to buy them. With this in mind, I would recommend the canon a520 which is going around for the same price and virtually has all the same specs, the most importance difference being its support for sd. If I had waited for another month I could have gotten the a520 for 159, but its okay since both are great entry to mid level cameras and you can't go wrong with either companies.

I just wanted to inform anyone purchasing this camera that you should not use the batteries that come in the package. I guess because I had to turn the camera on and off several times, plus taking 8 pictures, the batteries wore down quickly. I was worried because when I would turn the camera on in review mode, it would power up with no problems. Whenever I moved the dial to shooting mode, it would turn off (I was experiencing the same problem that someone else had mentioned on this site). Turns out that after replacing the Sony batteries with new ones, everything worked fine.

Other than this, the camera is awesome! The features are numerous (I especially like the black and white, and sepia features). It also takes great video as long as you have the Memory Stick Pro. I ordered some powerful NiMH rechargeable batteries from Duracell, so I'm looking forward to when they arrive (several reviewers mentioned that these batteries work the best).

Purchased camera with high expectations, but had to return two of them with exactly the same symptoms. Installed enclosed sony alkaline batteries and after about ten shots the cameras would unexpectedly shut off when I turned on in still mode. Also, both cameras would shut off unexpectedly when 1) turned on in playback mode 2) switched to still mode. I might have expected this behavior with dead batteries, but the enclosed sony alkalines were brand new.

After second unit failed with same problem, I returned and received refund.

Do not buy standard batteries for your digital camera's, you will be disappointed, (15 to 30 min of battery life).
Walmart sell four AA NiMH Nickel-Metal Hydride bateries and a charger (brand Energizer) for about $15.00.
You keep two batteries in your camera and two charged in your camera case, and battery life will never be a problem.
Dont forget your charger on trips.

Well, I had a Sony digital camera before, and since my cats liked to play with its lanyard, they pulled it off the table and broke part of the lens mechanism. So, from then on, my camera would keep telling me to turn it off and then turn it on. It would never stop telling me that. So, after being without a camera through some times i really wished i had one, i splurged on myself for Christmas. I went to Wal Mart, but they didn't have anything on display that was cheap enough. I didn't need the super high end camera. Everyone loved my old camera anyway. So, she find this camera. And since, they had no space for it on the powered display, they just had the box out for display. So, i got the last one, and with another 10% off, i got the camera for $145.00. I got a good deal, at least.

Then, I opened the box. I was slightly disappointed at first to see that there was no rechargeable batteries nor charger. But, at least i kept the one that came with my old camera. So, after about a week of using this camera, here are my thoughts.

cons:
1. my biggest complaint is the fact that the memory stick and the batteries now use the same door. You have to be pretty quick to not let the batteries fall out while you take the stick out to plug into your computer.
2. maybe it's just me, but a lot more pictures are coming out blurred. it does have a lot more features than the old one, so who knows?

PROS:
1. speed between pictures sure has speeded up.
2. I like the new zoom capabilities and the ability to place another lens on this camera, even though i probably never will.
3. this camera isn't as bulky as my old one.

Well, a question for anyone out there. How can i change the time from military format to normal am/pm time? i read the booklet but i must've missed it.

have a good day.

I bought this camera in August. It is really well made and the controls are easy to navigate. I think it takes really good pictures, inside and outside. Who cares about video quality? Its a Camera, not a camcorder,lady. I think it is a really nice camera. Its really durable too. And it looks nice. I would buy it again. I researched a bunch of cameras before this one and I chose the Sony in the end. Its one step up from just taking everyday pictures. They look really pro. I'd buy it again.

I purchased this camera for myself for christmas from Best Buy because I had $70 in certificates for them. The Carl Zeis lens is great and it takes beautiful pictures up to 8x10 and 11x14 are good. It has so many features and the battery life is great. It came with a charger and two sony batteries, but I use regular Duracell Alkaline batteries and can fill up a memory stick (256K) without changing them. A big improvement over the old one I had. I used it in Hawaii and found the video to be good as well and it also records voice. For the person who has a problem with the batteries and memory stick in the same compartment, just turn the camera upside down to remove the memory stick and your batteries won't fall out. I would recommend the camera and plan to buy another for my son. Buy your memory sticks on Amazon.com and the price is good. I paid $30 + for my 256 memory pro and at the rate I take pictures that is the equivilent of four 4packs of 400asa film. Not so bad when you think of it that way.

3 points to mention.

1) AA battery dies out within no time.
2) When battery dies the camera shuts down with out closing the lens.
3) Newer model S90 available for a cheaper price.

I really enjoy this camera; mine has the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens. It works grewat- be sure to use the Memory Stick PRO media. A great reasonable priced camera.

I bought this camera back in September when it was new for $200... Now I see that the price is a mere $140. Wow! Point and shoot cameras go down in value quickly! I originally wanted to get a film SLR camera but I didn't know much about cameras and I needed something quick and easy to pick up and learn. And at that time the cheapest film SLR was also $200. I figured I'd probably be spending more on film and developing in the long run so I just got this camera instead. It came with 2 regular AA batteries, an AV/USB cable, a thin cotton sleeve, carrying strap, instructions, warranty info, and a cd rom.

At first it was pretty easy to use. All I ended up photographing in the first few days were just simple little things around town or around the house or whatever using auto mode. The first picture I took was of my dog. A few days later I had to buy some rechargeable batteries because lets face it, regular alkalines will not last long for high-draining devices. I started taking more and more pictures in the following weeks experimenting with different scene settings and learning about adjusting to lighting and focusing and my camera did it's job without any problems. It was very easy to use and that's what I liked about it. And it's decent in size also. I could just put it in my bag and I'm off to wherever.

Once I filled up the 32MBs of internal memory I went out and picked up the largest capacity memory stick Best Buy had which was a 512MB MS DUO for around $60 and it was well worth it. I wanted the DUO because I like to view my photos on my PSP! In the following months I also picked up the VAD-PEB lens adaptor, a wide angle and telephoto lens and also some filters and basically maxed out this camera to its full potential.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with this camera. It's simple to use features make it easy for anyone to pick up and take great photos. Over the months that I have had it I've definetley seen improvements in my photography skills and I've basically learned all its' features and mastered this camera. Before I was just pointing and shooting here and there... I just got back from a trip down on the Oregon Coast and I've taken some breathtaking photos that even people with DSLRs are impressed. I've also used it to record me riding bmx too. Seeing that I've learned a thing or two about taking amazing pictures I am more than happy because I never knew anything about photography before I picked up this camera and now it's my second favorite hobby.

To see that this camera has gone down in price-- well I can't recommend it enough for you beginners. But don't be fooled by the fact it's only a point and shoot. Give it some time and be creative because you will eventually learn how to take amazing pictures. If you want the best out of this camera though, be sure to pick up the VAD-PEB ring, a 512MB memory stick, and a bunch of lenses and filters and you will have one of the finest 4.1 MP cameras on the market for sure.

Eventually I will end up picking up a Nikon DSLR camera because this little Sony camera is only the beginning of my passion for photography. But I will not be sad when I lay this camera down! It has taught me the basics with ease and for that I am thankful.

And the reason I give it only 4 stars is for the following reasons below.

1. If you get the VAD-PEB ring adaptor, your flash will be blocked.
2. Zooming really far increases the chances of blurred pics. But it's nothing a little ISO 400 and tripod can't fix.
3. Night pictures take awhile to process and will normally come out blurry if you can't hold your camera still. Otherwise, back to the tripod.
4. Focusing only on certain subjects takes awhile to learn. But like I said, give it time!

Reasons to buy it:

1. Cheap, a mere $140.
2. Packed with features. From complete auto mode (point and shoot) to fully manual mode. 4MP and 3X optical zoom good enough for most situations.
3. Picture quality is good. It's better than the other two cameras I own (Olympus C720 UZ and Sony DSC S600).
4. Compact. It's smaller than it looks in the stock photo.
5. Fast. Switches on and is ready for the first shot within about 1.5 seconds.


Other things I liked about the camera:

- Good ergonomics. Fits nicely in my hand, all the buttons are well placed and easy to access. I can even switch on the camera and take pictures with one hand.
- Powerful flash. Enough to fill up a moderate size room.
- Great video mode with sound. It also comes with an audio video cable so that you can connect the camera to your TV and watch the vidoes and pictures on your TV.
- LCD is decent size and is fairly bright, which means it's even visible outdoors in the daytime.


Things I didn't like about the camera:

- Manual could be more detailed. There is a bsaic manual and sort of a quick start guide. But there was no 40 page booklet which explained each and every feature in detail.
- The auto focus illuminator (for help in focussing in low light) is a little bright and can be annoying sometimes. But the upside is that you get good focus even in really low light conditions.
- Does not come with a battery charger. I bought rechargeable batteries and a charger separately.


I have owned the Olympus C720 UZ and the newer Sony DSC S600, but I think this camera is better than both of them.

This is a great, easy to use camera. I have had this camera for a year and it has seen alot of use. The only drawback I have had with this camera is that it eats AA batteries. I bought rechargeable AA's and they seem to last forever! Problem solved. I am about to purchase a second one for my son for Christmas. Great camera!

This is a surprisingly very good camera. Though it is a 4MP camera, the picture quality is so much better than other 5 or 6MP cameras. We had the chance to do the comparison when we (with a group of friends) took a lot of pictures in the park using different types of cameras. The pics from the DSC-S60 was so much brighter and clearer.

I guess the only problem with the DSC-S60 is that it is quite bulky (compared to similar models). It could be quite a pain carrying this around for a whole day.

I've owned two of these Sony DSC-S60 cameras. They are great performers for a low price (I bought both used). It is a little bulky, but the good part about that is, this camera holds up a lot better than many other "pocket" or subcompact cameras (which this isn't). Super-easy to use, easy-to-learn menu, and mostly razor-sharp pictures are a plus. Movie mode is also very good, and the images on the LCD display are much sharper & brighter than found on other small cameras such as Casio. And this camera can take a few bumps and keep working fine, unlike most! A worthy, solid performer.