Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 (silver)
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: DSCT77
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 is a fun, fast ultracompact, but it's almost too tiny for its own good.
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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 12/02/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 (silver) price range: $319.95
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 03/31/2009
- Released on: 09/01/2008
The good: Attractive design; useful feature set; fast performance.
The bad: Nearly too small; touch screen not for everyone; soft photos.
The bottom line: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 is a fun, fast ultracompact, but it's almost too tiny for its own good.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 is roughly the size of a closed flip phone, and its internal 4x zoom lens lets it stay that size even in use. Also, since it sports a touch-screen display with next to no physical controls, it slides into and out of a pants pocket with no effort. Its smallness, however, has an impact on usability and photo quality. It's a fairly quick camera, though, so if you can overlook its less-than-sharp photos and don't mind the touch-based interface, the T77 is one of the better ultracompact cameras around.
| Key specifications | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 |
| Price (MSRP) | $299.99 |
| Dimensions | 3.8x2.4x0.6 inches (WHD) |
| Weight (with battery and media) | 5.3 ounces |
| Megapixels, image sensor size, type | 10 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch CCD |
| LCD size, resolution | 3-inch touch-screen LCD, 230K dots |
| Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) | 4x, f3.5-4.6, 35-140mm (35mm equivalent) |
| File format (still/video) | JPEG/Motion JPEG |
| Highest resolution size (still/video) | 3,648x2,736 pixels (4:3) / 640x480 at 30fps (14:3) |
| Image stabilization type | Optical and electronic |
| Battery type, rated life | Lithium ion rechargeable, 220 shots |
Typical of Sony's T-series cameras, the T77 is quite stylish and available in multiple colors: silver, black, green, pink, and brown. The camera has an elegant feel with a full metal body up front and on the sides, and nothing but screen on the back. In fact, the only physical controls are the power and shutter buttons on top and the little nub of a zoom rocker at the right corner. The only other button is a small playback mode button at the top right of the display. To take a picture you simply slide down the flat, metal lens cover and click away. You'll want to be careful of errant fingers getting in shots and touching the lens, however, as the lens is positioned at the far left, and the camera is so small it can be difficult to hold.
If having to wipe off fingerprints is a deal breaker, you'll want to skip this camera and probably all touch-screen models, for that matter. Aside from fingerprints, you might take issue with the touch screen's responsiveness. The T77 does all right with fingers, but it's better with the included stylus (or "Paint Pen" as Sony calls it) likely because you can be more precise with your taps. It clips onto the wrist strap and lets you quickly poke around the three onscreen menus (Home, Menu, and Display) along with the in-camera retouching and painting tools (you can add stamps, frames, or draw on pictures) all while keeping the screen free of fingerprints.
| General shooting options | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 |
| ISO sensitivity (full resolution) | Auto, 80; 100; 200; 400; 800; 1,600; 3,200 |
| White balance | Auto; Daylight; Cloudy; Shade; Florescent 1, 2, and 3; Incandescent, Flash |
| Recording modes | Auto, Program Auto, Scene, Movie, High Sensitivity, Soft Snap, Easy |
| Focus | Face AF, 9-point center-weighted AF, Spot AF, Touch AF, Semimanual (1.0/3.0/7.0m), Infinity |
| Metering | Multi, Center-weighted, Spot |
| Color effects | Normal, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia |
| Burst mode shot limit (full resolution) | 100 photos |
One of the better uses for a touch-screen display for shooting is the availability of a touch-based autofocus system. Simply tap on your subject onscreen and that's what the camera will focus on. However, the T77 occasionally struggled, requiring multiple taps to get the right subject. But, you, of course, don't need to use it, and the camera otherwise has a reasonable amount of shooting options without getting bloated and overly complicated. This includes Sony's auto scene recognition called iSCN, which picks the correct settings according to what's being shot: Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Twilight using a Tripod, Portrait, Landscape, and Macro.
The T77 put up some impressive performance numbers for its class. Shutter lag in particular was excellent at 0.3 second in brightly lit conditions and 0.6 second in dim (a lag time we usually get in good lighting). From off to first shot takes 2.1 seconds and it's ready to take another photo in 2.2 seconds. Turning on the flash only drives that time up to 2.8 seconds. The T77 also has a good burst speed of 1.7 frames per second.
Considering how small this camera is, photo quality is respectable with very good color (though reds and whites tended to bloom), white balance, and contrast at low ISO sensitivities, though there's some visible lens distortion on the left side, which is common in this class of cameras. Photos printed up to 8x10 inches in size were fine quality, though all photos generally look soft. Viewed at 100 percent, we saw some chromatic aberration (purple fringing), and off-center elements of scenes look fuzzier as sharpness degrades quickly from the center to the sides. Noise suppression in the pictures becomes noticeable at ISO 400 and starts to seriously obscure detail at ISO 800; we don't suggest using higher settings.
The 640x480-pixel resolution video captured by the T77 is better than most video we see from ultracompact cameras. You also get full use of the optical zoom, and since it's internal, you don't hear it moving in and out while recording movies.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 is a very good ultracompact camera. While I like Sony's touch-screen interface, it's definitely not for everyone and can easily get tedious and frustrating some users.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Typical shot-to-shot time (flash) | |
Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Shutter lag (dim) | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test digital cameras.
User reviews
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Good photos, poor zoom sharpness, broke within the year
Pros: Small and cute. Decent pics. Lots of features.
Cons: Pictures aren't too sharp and hard to control blur. Monitor didn't work within the purchase year. No viewfinder.
Summary: I like the size of camera. Good for on the go. Lacks good zoom for travel photos. Blurry and poor resolution photos. Monitor didn't work within the year and ...
Summary: I like the size of camera. Good for on the go. Lacks good zoom for travel photos. Blurry and poor resolution photos. Monitor didn't work within the year and no view finder.
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Nice Camera, not for Professionals Only for Basic needs
by jackwilsonr on August 31, 2009
Pros: Slim, easy to carry, Good for Day Time Pictures
Cons: image stabilization not good...
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love it! best camera ever
by bigben1988 on October 18, 2008
Pros: very small, very nice pictures for the size i absolutely love it
Cons: tooooo small,
Summary: i would recomand it for someone who wants the camera for everyday use. its not a profational camera and so says the size of it.
Summary: i would recomand it for someone who wants the camera for everyday use. its not a profational camera and so says the size of it.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: DSCT77
- Description: Preserve the moment in style with the ultra-slim and colorful DSC-T77 Cyber-shot digital camera. You can also compose and review shots, navigate menus and optimize focus using the touch screen display. Equipped with Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, the T77 automatically compensates for camera shake without sacrificing image quality. You'll also enjoy other photo-enhancing features such as Face Detection and Smile Shutter technologies and anti-blink function.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 3.7 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 2.2 in
- Weight 4.4 oz
- Enclosure Color Silver
Main Features
- Resolution 10.1 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type Super HAD CCD
- Total Pixels 10,300,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 10,100,000 pixels
- 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, Gourmet, Fireworks, Landscape, Soft snap, Underwater, Twilight mode, Hi-speed shutter, High sensitivity, Twilight portrait
- Special Effects Retro, Sepia, Vivid, Fisheye, Soft Focus, Radial blur, Cross filter, Black & White, Partial color, Unsharp masking
- 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 1/4 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Multi-segment, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Auto Exposure Bracketing 3 steps in 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV steps
- Face Detection Yes
- White Balance Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Flash, Cloudy, Daylight, Underwater, 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 - 304 x 240
Memory / Storage
- Supported Flash Memory Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo
- Integrated Memory 15 MB
- Floppy Drive None
- Digital Storage Media None
- Image Storage JPEG 3648 x 2736, JPEG 2592 x 1944, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 1920 x 1080, JPEG 3648 x 2432
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 3 in - 10 ft
- Features AF illuminator
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6.18 mm - 24.7 mm - F/3.5-4.6
- Focal Length 6.18 mm - 24.7 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 35 - 140 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 3.1 in
- Macro Focus Range 1-20cm
- Lens Aperture F/3.5-4.6
- Optical Zoom 4 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 10 group(s) / 12 element(s)
- Lens Manufacturer Carl Zeiss
- Features Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features Blur warning, DPOF support, Direct print, Face detection, Auto power save, Built-in speaker, Cropping an image, Histogram display, PictBridge support, Built-in help guide, PRINT Image Matching, Touch-screen control, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, Dynamic Range Optimizer, In-camera red-eye removal, Smile Detection technology, Camera orientation detection
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 230,400 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x USB
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x Memory Stick PRO Duo
Software
- Software Drivers & Utilities, Sony Picture Motion Browser
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, Apple Mac OS 9.1, Apple Mac OS 9.2, Apple Mac OS X 10.1 or later
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Included Accessories Wrist strap, Docking station insert
- Cables Included A/V cable, USB cable
Power
- Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery Sony NP-BD1
- Supported Battery 1 x Sony NP-BD1 Li-ion rechargeable battery - 680 mAh ( Included )
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Sony
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
-
- 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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