Sony Cyber-shot Pro DSC-V3

The Sony Cyber-shot Pro DSC-V3 is a solid, full-featured digital camera with a Zeiss f/2.8-to-f/5.4 34- to 136-mm (35 mm equivalent) 4X optical zoom lens and Sony's exclusive NightShot mode for viewing and shooting in total darkness. While on paper it might seem to satisfy the wants and needs of the most discerning serious amateur, the camera has a tendency to underexpose images, produce color shifts, and sometimes blur fine detail, reducing overall image quality.

There's a lot to admire in the all-black V3's design. On top of the camera, just above the automatic pop-up flash, is an intelligent hot shoe to accommodate external strobes. That's in addition to the PC flash connector on the side (which, like the other ports, is well protected by tight-fitting rubberized flaps) for hooking up studio lights.

All the controls are easily identifiable and well placed, though many buttons are small and may be difficult for large or arthritic fingers to push. On the battery grip and camera side is a sculpted nonslip covering, and a subdial is lined up directly behind the Select dial on top so they can be turned simultaneously. The V3 is powered by Sony's intelligent InfoLithium battery, which displays in minutes how much juice is left. The optical viewfinder doesn't have a focusable diopter for people who wear glasses, but this is offset by the large, bright 2.5-inch LCD.

Under the hood, the V3 is one of the few consumer digital cameras with 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion, which theoretically produces greater detail in the shadows and highlights. It has the same lens as its predecessor, the 5MP DSC-V1, but goes one better by offering RAW support. Other important advances include a longer burst mode (eight frames at 2.5 fps rather than five frames), the ability to shoot 640-by-480 video at a full 30 fps instead of 15 fps, and the option to save to either Sony's Memory Stick or Type I CompactFlash. Other features include noise reduction, aperture and shutter priority, and manual mode, as well as color, sharpness, and contrast controls.

Generally, the DSC-V3 is a fast shooter, capable of taking pictures at a sustained rate of one every two seconds. It's easy to move the focus point for zeroing in on an off-center subject, and using the subdial for changing exposure settings is fast and convenient.

Where the camera loses some of its luster is image quality. Although it has great resolution—at 1,600 lines, it's the second-highest 7MP camera we've tested so far after the Canon PowerShot G6—its pixel-transition ratio averages dead last at 3.5 percent. This seemingly contradictory state was visible in our test images, in which rows of white pixels appeared along contrasty edges. As irritating as that is, however, it's much less significant than the notable underexposure and magenta color shift visible on our daylight test shot. While our flash shot was livelier, with better color reproduction and much more accurate exposure, we noted some clipping in the highlights, and the fine details in some objects were indistinct.

The Sony Cyber-shot Pro DSC-V3 is a lot of camera for the money, but it may have trouble producing top-quality pictures without some tweaking in image-editing software.

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