Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 (Silver)
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: DSCT70S
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- Product series
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- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The ultracompact Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 packs impressive performance and image quality into a sexy little camera body, but its touchy touch screen left us a tad teed.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 (Silver) price range: $199.99
- Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
- Reviewed on: 02/13/2008
The good: Optical image stabilization; face detection; smile shutter.
The bad: Long flash recycle time; somewhat unresponsive touch screen; very noisy at ISO 1,600 and above.
The bottom line: The ultracompact Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 packs impressive performance and image quality into a sexy little camera body, but its touchy touch screen left us a tad teed.
Someone at Sony must really love touch screens. They're the interface of choice for the company's camcorders and in the last couple of years have been making inroads on the camera side of the business. All of the current T-series models have touch screens, though older models without touch screens are still available in some stores. The Cyber-shot DSC-T70 slaps a 3-inch touch screen on the back of a slim, stylish camera body that houses an 8.1-megapixel CCD imaging sensor and a 3x optical, 38mm-114mm f/3.5-f/4.3 Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom lens with optical image stabilization.
When you've got such a small camera body, there's not a whole lot you can do with design, but Sony has managed to evolve the T-series design while keeping the line's sleek, elegant look. The T70 sports a much thinner sliding lens cover than the T50 did, though it still feels solid and, as in previous models, functions as an on/off switch, though that can be disabled in the menu if you don't want it to. The touch screen doesn't leave much room for hard buttons, and indeed, the only buttons on the camera are on the top; power and playback buttons sit to the left of the shutter, while a side-to-side zoom slider is on the right of the shutter button. Not only is this zoom slider downright tiny, but its placement makes it prone to accidental nudges that can ruin your framing just as you're about to press the shutter. Sony probably should have tried to fit a zoom rocker on the back, just above the right-hand corner of the screen, or at least put the slider to the left of the shutter to help prevent accidents, though I wouldn't want them to move the shutter button too far to the right, either.
The layout and overall organization of the touch-screen controls and menus aren't bad. Sony uses the corners to give you access to deeper menus, while icons along the sides let you change commonly used settings, such as exposure compensation, metering, focus, or sensitivity (aka ISO). I was a bit miffed to find that white balance is relegated to the shooting menu even though there is room for it on the right side of the screen. Despite its nice design, the touch screen doesn't make a very nice interface. The selections tend to be too small to use your finger on them, unless you have long, well-shaped fingernails (this camera's for you, fashionistas), though Sony does include a stylus that can clip onto the camera strap. If you do choose to clip that stylus on, and I highly suggest you do, you might want to tie off a little loop on the end of the strap, so it doesn't slide all over the place. Even with that stylus, the touch screen tended to be unresponsive. I had to press hard and repeatedly to get it to accept some of my commands, which quickly became frustrating. Also, you have to confirm that you want to access certain menu functions, which slows down the entire process. I assume that this is to prevent accidental changes to these settings, but back when I had physical buttons to press, this was never an issue.
Like most cameras these days, the DSC-T70 includes face detection. Sony's version can see as many as eight faces in the scene and uses them to determine focus and exposure. The Smile Shutter feature expands on face detection by first locating a face and then waiting for that face to smile before snapping a picture. To use the feature, you have to enter the Smile Shutter scene mode, then press the shutter button, point at a face and wait for it to smile, and the camera will take a picture. The camera will wait for the face to smile again and shoot another, or you can press the shutter button again and it will exit the scene mode. Some people that I showed this feature to found it a little confusing, since the camera typically waits for the face to stop smiling and then smile again before snapping a second picture. It wasn't too intuitive to most people that you'd have to stop smiling, then smile again before the camera would take a second picture. If you find the feature unresponsive, there's a smile level adjustment in the setup menu, though I did fine by leaving it on the medium setting.
Other than those features and the ones mentioned at the top of the review, the T70 is very similar to other recent T-series models. There are a handful of in-camera editing features, including red-eye reduction, dynamic-range optimization, and various filters to add effects to your photos. You won't find manual exposure controls, but that would be rare for an ultracompact camera anyway. You will find sensitivity settings ranging from ISO 80 through ISO 3,200--more on that in the image quality discussion below.
In the CNET Labs' performance tests, the Cyber-shot DSC-T70 fared well, though its flash takes a while to recycle. The camera took 1.5 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG. Subsequent JPEGs took 1.3 seconds between shots with the flash turned off, slowing to 3 seconds between shots with the flash turned on. Shutter lag measured 0.4 second in our high-contrast test and 1.2 seconds in low-contrast, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. Continuous shooting yielded an average of 2.1 frames per second regardless of image size or quality.
Image quality is impressive, with nice color accuracy and accurate exposures that tend to preserve shadow detail at the expense of highlight detail when forced to compromise. We also saw almost no colored fringing in our test photos. The camera's automatic white balance does a good job of neutralizing color under natural daylight or fluorescent lights, but turns in overly yellow results with incandescent lighting. However, its tungsten setting impressively neutralized our extremely yellow hot lights. The camera lens showed little in the way of distortion at its furthest telephoto setting, though you may notice some minor barrel distortion at its widest setting.
The camera captures a very good amount of detail, but, as usual, noise tends to obscure that when you reach higher ISOs. Noise remains well under control through ISO 200, but becomes noticeable at ISO 400 with a gentle speckling of off-color spots and a slight erosion of finer details, such as the texture of fabrics or strands of hair. At ISO 800, details like these blur away more, some shadow detail becomes lost, and images take on a more distinct grainy look. By ISO 1,600, so much fine detail and shadow detail is lost, and the grain becomes so heavy that I wouldn't count on being able to get decent prints, even at smaller sizes. I'd suggest steering clear of ISO 3,200 altogether and stay at ISO 800 and below if you plan on making prints.
If you don't mind the idea of a touch screen, and indeed some people find them appealing, then Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T70 is definitely worth a look. For its price, it offers impressive performance and very nice image quality as long as you stick with the lower half of its ISO settings, which still gives you plenty of leeway in most shooting conditions. Add to that its optical image stabilization, various convenience features, and a very attractive body design, and you've got a nice little camera. Now if only they'd offer a non-touch-screen version, I'd be a happy camper.
(Smaller bars indicate better performance)
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Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Time to first shot | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
User reviews
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Wow! This camera is amazing.
by PTechy on December 21, 2007
Pros: Easy to use, touch screen controls, takes great pictures, takes great video, plays them directly to the TV, plays a musical slideshow on the TV
Cons: only 3x optical zoom
Summary: This camera has absolutely blown me away. It is amazing. I've been using an old Canon for the last 8 years. It was good but this camera is so ...
Summary: This camera has absolutely blown me away. It is amazing. I've been using an old Canon for the last 8 years. It was good but this camera is so far above it it's not funny. I've used it for one day and I absolutely love it. The best thing is the huge 3" LCD screen on the back where all the controls are done by touching the LCD screen. My wife was able to use it without any coaching from me. That is a testament that it is easy to use. I'll try it on my mom tomorrow. That will be the ultimate test.
The video mode is incredible. It can shoot 16:9 wide screen video into MPeg2 files and then play them directly to the TV with the adapter cable. I'm not sure if I'm going to need my camcorder any more.
The only shortcoming I can see is that it only does a 3x optical zoom. But that's pretty standard for this kind of camera.8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Sony is Brilliant!!
by glm0818 on October 8, 2007
Pros: Easy to use, touchscreen, one can hold the camera without smudging the screen (like on the T200)
Cons: None found thus far
Summary: I vascillated between the T70 and T200 for days online, but after handling both of them in person, I found that the T70 was much lighter and easier to hold ...
Summary: I vascillated between the T70 and T200 for days online, but after handling both of them in person, I found that the T70 was much lighter and easier to hold - the T200 was way too heavy and too difficult to hold without smudging the 3.5" LCD screen. The T70 has just the right amount of LCD, but with some space to put your finger on the side. The trade-off is with the zoom and 3.5" LCD - not a deal breaker for sure. I highly recommend the T70 for those people that go out with their friends and want to take pics!
8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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freekin awesome!!
by techi007 on December 28, 2007
Pros: This camera has everything from wide angle to full HD. Excellent picture quality and the touch screen is very responsive. Snaps pics very fast...power on off speed is satisfactory. Very slick ofcourse
Cons: no cons so far...excellent piece by sony!
Summary: 100% recommendation. just got this couple of days ago. this camera is a beauty. not only it looks good, but it takes damn good pics in full HD or in ...
Summary: 100% recommendation. just got this couple of days ago. this camera is a beauty. not only it looks good, but it takes damn good pics in full HD or in 16:9 wide angle. you can adjust the megapixel ratio which is standard in many cameras. touch screen is top notch. try to use the pen they gave you caz it seems to get dirty..but a light cotton cloth can clean it up and its jus like new. the picture quality is outstanding....def. worth the money!!!
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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PERFECT for my lifestyle
by pchristopher87 on January 9, 2008
Pros: size, style, options
Cons: battery life, ease of use,
Summary: You MUST have basic knowledge how to use the camera, I bought it at circuit city. Extremely stylish and size is perfect for the bar, vacations, etc. It is smaller ...
Summary: You MUST have basic knowledge how to use the camera, I bought it at circuit city. Extremely stylish and size is perfect for the bar, vacations, etc. It is smaller than my iPhone. I recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for price, style, quality, options all wrapped into one! One of the most confident electronic purchases I have ever made!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One word... AMAZING!
by smooches91 on December 28, 2007
Pros: Touch Screen, Light, Easy to use, On board software
Cons: None what so ever!
Summary: Within 5 minutes I had this entire camera figured out. I was really impressed by the ability to download music from my computer onto the camera for the slideshow. That ...
Summary: Within 5 minutes I had this entire camera figured out. I was really impressed by the ability to download music from my computer onto the camera for the slideshow. That was, for me at least, impressive. I recommend this camera to anyone. A great buy!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Unimpressive, entry level point-and-shoot
by Elan2014 on May 20, 2008
Pros: Convenient size, semi-intuitive menus, flash isn't overpowering
Cons: Picture quality, very very little in terms of manual controls, pictures look like they have soft focus
Summary: When my (third consecutive) Canon wore out last weekend, I decided that maybe it was time to go with another camera altogether. After researching online and talking to friends, I ...
Summary: When my (third consecutive) Canon wore out last weekend, I decided that maybe it was time to go with another camera altogether. After researching online and talking to friends, I opted to get the Sony T70. I can honestly say that, after an hour, it?s going back to the store.
While I did like the size and feel of the camera (and didn?t even mind the touch screen), the photos that it took were far from impressive. The colors were muted and dull and there was very little detail ? even in macro shots. While I didn?t expect it to compare to (for example) a dSLR, I did expect a bit more than it offers. Indoor photos had noticeable noise, while those taken outside were equally unimpressive. I tried to change the color settings to ?Vivid? but this made very little difference.
For example, I tried to take a head shot of my Golden Retriever. I?ve taken dozens of these before with various Canons and used these as a basis for comparison. With the T70, the picture came out alright, but the details (i.e. her eyelashes and whiskers) were just not there the way they were with any of the Canons. Overall, the pictures looked like they were taken with soft focus (to the point where I was rubbing my eyes, thinking there was something wrong with my contacts). Personally, I prefer the sharp, clear precision that my other cameras have offered.
I read through the manual, searched online, and played around with the camera for quite some time only to find the controls severely lacking. While this camera may be great for the extreme beginner, anyone seeking any sort of advanced functions or breathtaking photos will be sorely disappointed.
I did like the flash. One problem that I have had in the past is what I refer to as an ?x-ray flash? where even my black dachshund looks white. This camera did not have that problem. Subjects were not washed out the way they tend to be with my Canons. In the end, however, this wasn?t enough to make it worthwhile.
I guess basically, it is what it is: a very entry level, point-and-shoot camera. Personally, I expected more, however. And so, despite my bad experiences, I?m off to get another Canon.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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great camera for the price
by jtran15570 on March 30, 2008
Pros: big 3 inch touchscreen,ease of use , lots of features
Cons: none so far
Summary: i bought this camera at bestbuy for $299.99 and i was well worth the money. it takes great pictures and has tons of settings and features. it has a ...
Summary: i bought this camera at bestbuy for $299.99 and i was well worth the money. it takes great pictures and has tons of settings and features. it has a good auto mode for ease of use or program mode with lots of settings you can adjust for better pictures. i would highly recomend this camera for anyone that is looking for a quality digital camera at a good price.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Amazing camera
by thebeat on January 1, 2008
Pros: Excellent features, Pictures, 1080p widescreen, everything else it provides
Cons: The LCD gets dirty with finger smudges, but just get a screen protector and you will be fine.
Summary: I bought this camera for my mom and she loves it! It has amazing features, touch screen, VERY EASY TO USE, wide screen is great, and best of all, the ...
Summary: I bought this camera for my mom and she loves it! It has amazing features, touch screen, VERY EASY TO USE, wide screen is great, and best of all, the photos turn out AMAZING in both dark and outdoor situations. It is very fast (shutter lag) and reliable. Photo Quality is the best I have seen. A bit grainy at ISO 3200 but who takes pics at such high ISO settings anyways? Great camera!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My Sony camera from 1999 outpreformed the T70. :(
by steveh74 on June 30, 2009
Pros: Touch Screen, easy to use, small, compact, Full HD Video.
Cons: Slow response touchscreen, low optical zoom, average quality pictures.
Summary: I bought this camera because I was lured by the touch screen feature. The touch screen is cool but often has slow repsonse time. I am actually sending this camera ...
Summary: I bought this camera because I was lured by the touch screen feature. The touch screen is cool but often has slow repsonse time. I am actually sending this camera back because after owning it for just under 2 years...there is something wrong with the zoom motor. The camera is always vibrating and wont take pictures anymore. (Oh- and its NEVER been dropped.) That being said, when it worked, it never took great pictures. I found it more useful to film HD video. Video came out great! The pictures were average quality. But who knows.. maybe when the camera comes back, it will work and take better pictures. In the meantime, I will be buying another brand of camera.
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Sleek Camera That Packs A Punch!
by Alan6738 on July 19, 2008
Pros: Gorgeous 3" LCD Screen
Easy to Navigate Interface
Excellent pictures
Fast recycle time.Cons: Insensitive touch screen.
Lack of shutter speed settings.
No SD card slot.Summary: Great camera for the price. I looked at all the other ones in this price range and size, the Lumix, Coolpix and I found the Sony one to be very ...
Summary: Great camera for the price. I looked at all the other ones in this price range and size, the Lumix, Coolpix and I found the Sony one to be very appealing to the eye. The camera feels very sturdy, the slide mechanism is very tight- meaning it doesn't feel like it'll open and close by itself..that cheap feeling.
I love how clear and crisp the pictures are, the focus range is phenomenal, I can take breathtaking landscape pictures of the ocean and mountains, and still have crisp super close shots such as a single flower or even fine print.
As C-Net mentioned, the confirmation pop-ups for every menu button you hit makes changing settings sluggish. Pair that with a less that responsive screen and you get frustration. But, that part is vastly overwhelmed by the good parts of the camera.
Overall, if you don't mind the touch-screen, this is the camera for you.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: DSCT70S
- Description: Sony's worldwide reputation for creating unique, attractive, high-quality, advanced technology products rests on a long line of innovations embraced by people from all walks of life. With a diverse product lineup serving a variety of lifestyles and industries, Sony continuously strives to introduce new products and technologies to meet changing market needs. PRODUCT FEATURES: 8.1 Megapixels (effective); Zoom: 3x Optical, 5.1x HD Smart (16:9); 6x Precision Digital, 15x Smart (VGA); Lens: Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens; LCD: 3.0-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus; Stamina (CIPA): Up to approx. 270 shots / approx. 135 min.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 3.5 in
- Depth 0.8 in
- Height 2.2 in
- Weight 4.5 oz
- Enclosure Color Silver
- Body Material Aluminum
Main Features
- Resolution 8.1 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type Super HAD CCD
- Total Pixels 8,300,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 8,100,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/2.5 in
- Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO auto
- Digital Zoom 2 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Landscape, Soft snap, Twilight mode, Hi-speed shutter, High sensitivity, Twilight portrait
- Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Black & White
- Image Stabilizer Optical (Super Steady Shot)
- Max Shutter Speed 1/1000 sec
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom. This camera utilizes built-in Super SteadyShot stabilization to assist in taking sharper pictures.
- Min Shutter Speed 1 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Multi-segment, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Face Detection Yes
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Flash, Cloudy, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent light (daylight), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (warm white)
- Digital Video Format MPEG VX
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture MPEG - 640 x 480, MPEG - 640 x 480, MPEG - 160 x 112
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 31 MB Flash - Integrated
- Supported Flash Memory Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo
- Integrated Memory 31 MB
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage RAW, JPEG 3264 x 2448, JPEG 2592 x 1944, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 3264 x 2176, JPEG 1920 x 1080, JPEG 640 x 480
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 4 in - 10 ft
- Features AF illuminator
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6.33 mm - 19 mm - F/3.5-4.3
- Focal Length 6.33 mm - 19 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 38 - 114 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 1cm
- Lens Aperture F/3.5-4.3
- Optical Zoom 3 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 9 group(s) / 11 element(s)
- Lens Manufacturer Carl Zeiss
- Features Aspherical lens
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features Blur warning, DPOF support, Direct print, Face detection, Audio recording, Auto power save, Histogram display, PictBridge support, PRINT Image Matching, Touch-screen control, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, In-camera red-eye removal
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 230,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x Memory Stick PRO Duo
Software
- Software Driver, Sony Picture Motion Browser
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP 4, Microsoft Windows XP SP 2, Microsoft Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS 9.1, Apple Mac OS 9.2, Apple Mac OS X 10.1, Apple Mac OS X 10.4
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Included Accessories Stylus, Wrist strap, Docking station adapter
- Cables Included 1, USB cable, A/V cable
Power
- Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 680 mAh ( Included )
Product series
-
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 (Pink)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: Ultracompact, 8.1 megapixels, 3 x, 3 in LCD display, 31 MB - Integrated
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 (White)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: Ultracompact, 8.1 megapixels, 3 x, 3 in LCD display, 31 MB - Integrated
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 (Black)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: Ultracompact, 8.1 megapixels, 3 x, 3 in LCD display, 31 MB - Integrated
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70 (Silver)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: Ultracompact, 8.1 megapixels, 3 x, 3 in LCD display, 31 MB - Integrated
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Sony
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.sonystyle.com
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
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