Copyright © 2012 Sony Digital Camera Review.
- 12.1 megapixel Super HAD CCD image sensor
- 4x optical zoom lens
- Large 2.7″ lCD display
- Face Detection technology captures faces naturally
- SteadyShot image stabilization
Product Description
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 detects faces and capture them naturally And has digital image stabilization and High ISO (3200) to prevent blur, specially on low light. Also comes with seven scene selections to adjusts settings to shooting conditions… More >>
May 19, 2010 at 15:52
This camera is great for still pics, they are very crisp. The sound for the camera, however, leaves much to be desired. Even up close, you can barely make out what is being said when in play-back mode. When hooked up to my TV you have to turn the TV sound way up to hear it. This was definitly disappointing. Again though, the still pics are good, I’m a nanny for 3 young kids and get great pics of them with it!
Rating: 4 / 5
May 19, 2010 at 17:02
The DSC S980 is the 2nd Cybershot I’ve purchased. The first one lasted 4 years before it was time for an upgrade. I tested the camera on a Disney World vacation before writing this review.
The camera itself is light and compact. It lacks a view finder (great for sunny days) but compensates with an above average sized LCD screen. It runs on a series K Sony lithium ion battery (included). I got about 250 pictures on the initial charge. The camera requires a Sony memory card (not included), which is not the same size as an SD card. Accessories include photo software (not yet tested), a USB cable to connect to the computer, a video/mono audio RCA cable to connect to the TV, and a battery wall charger.
The face recognition and image stabilizer work well. The camera has a number of user friendly settings ranging from an easy mode to somewhat more advanced settings for distance and lighting. I used the movie setting once – decent picture quality, mediocre sound quality.
Overall, a great camera for the price that withstood the rigors of a Disney vacation and gave me hundreds of good pictures.
Rating: 4 / 5
May 19, 2010 at 18:47
This is the second Cybershot we have owned and continue to be impressed with. It is easy to use (point and click as I am a technophobe), compact and lightweight. The pictures we have taken so far have all been good quality and even when zooming the quality does not appear to be affected. Would definately recommend it.
Rating: 5 / 5
May 19, 2010 at 20:41
Our history: A few years back we spent over $400 on an HP camera with 8.1 mp and 10x zoom that we really loved and was treating us well… Then last year we saw a camera when were were at a show in Vegas that was to be the next greatest thing – so we laid down another $500… Well, even with the stabilizer on, that new camera couldn’t take a clear shot so feeling a little burned we put our HP back into operation. Recently, our 18month old started to get her hands on the HP camera and it suffered abuse that quickly put it out of commission. With the holiday upon us, we needed to quickly get a new camera.
I had done a little research in anticipation but… by the time you compile your info, new stuff is always out…
THE REVIEW: That said, we wanted to get a camera that would live up to the standards set by our HP but didn’t want to buy another $500 camera. So on a 20 minute shopping spree in Target, we compromised and got this SONY Cybershot DSC-S980 camera for $150 + 2GB memory card for $25 (Memory Stic Duo). The memory card is a must as the camera only holds a few photos.
It does not have a view finder but we are not concerned – the display is actually larger than our HP display was…
1) It was pretty easy to just pick up and use without looking at the manual… but we did skim it to make sure we didn’t miss anything.
2) This was said to have a faster regeneration speed than others in it’s class which was very important to us… we are not disappointed but it is certainly not faster than our HP which had a 3-5 second delay.
3) This camera has a 4x optical zoom – our last had 10x and we definitely notice when taking shots from further away.
4) The steadyshot feature is decent but we still get blurry pics when trying to take many shots quickly.
5) It has a self timer – which was a mandatory feature for us.
6) It has a video mode – another mandatory feature for us…
7) It is small enough for my husbands pocket or my purse…
9) The batter charge is a compact wall unit – no cords.
10) The battery lasted well over 200 pics/1 week the first time we fully charged it. (The manual indicates 330 still images on one charge)
11) The photo software (Picture Motion Browser) seemed to take a long time to install on our computer but works well.
12) Comes with dedicated USB cable and dedicated A/V cable.
13) Red-eye correction works but doesn’t catch them all.
14) It has other “standard features” like Black & White and Sepia modes, Burst mode, scene selection… but not panoramic mode as our HP camera had…
15) The 12.1mp has not proven to be a great improvement over our 8.1mp HP
All-in-all – the is a great, portable camera for the money – but don’t expect professional results.
Rating: 4 / 5
May 19, 2010 at 21:11
I bought this camera last week after getting frustrated with the ultra-short battery life with NiMH batteries on my Kodak cameras.
- The camera is slick! Very small and very smooth operation
Goodies like on screen live histogram helps you capture better images
- Very Long battery life – I took the battery out of the box and used it without charging it. Captured about 80 shots so far (most with flash) and it still is showing about 3/4 battery available. I have read other user stating that it really goes all the way up to about 380 shots on a SINGLE charge. This is what I love about this camera.
- Large LCD (no view finder) makes taking pictures easy)
- Easy and intuitive controls on the camera back
- Efficient power management (like lens automatically withdraws when reviewing pictures, auto shut down when idle)
- Photos are good (I am a casual photographer – not professional). I would not rate them excellent – the Kodak had better pictures
- The camera does not like very bright light sources in front of it. The LCD as well as the picture taken has pink/purple streaks on it when bright light sources are present. Not very good
Overall – a pretty good camera given what you pay for it – under 150$ and reliable quality from Sony!
Rating: 4 / 5