Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 First Thoughts

We're currently working on our full review of the 8.1 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 and wanted to give you a few initial impressions. The T100 is the latest flagship of Sony's slim and stylish T series. With the T100, Sony has increased the optical zoom to 5x and given the cameras HD output capabilties. The large 3 inch LCD provides plenty of space to frame your shots and review them later. The new T cameras also feature the Bionz processor that was first seen in Sony's Alpha A100 digital SLR.

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People are always excited to see the next slim camera from Sony - not only do they look good, but Sony also has that brand recognition worldwide that gets people going. The spec sheet for the T100 is definitely impressive - plenty of resolution, large LCD, 5x optical zoom, image stabilization (Super SteadyShot), and it's available in red, black, and silver. At this point, I've had the camera just long enough to form some opinions, some good and some not so good.

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As has been the case with all of the T series over the past few years, the T100 is still slim and stylish. The camera is constructed very well, with a nice solid feel. The sliding front cover on the camera unveils the lens and powers the camera on. The LCD is very nice, but the smooth surface is very prone to smudges. Camera operation, in general, is pretty snappy. I'm very impressed so far with the macro capability - at the "super macro" setting, you can focus on something as close as 1 cm.

With their latest generation of cameras, Sony has reworked the user interface to look a little more polished and friendly. So far, I'm not a big fan. It's definitely pretty and streamlines the number of buttons on the camera, but seems a little sluggish and navigating the menu is not always intuitive. As the review goes on, I'll see if it grows on me at all.

The other thing that may stop some people in their tracks is the close to $400 price tag. Granted, Sony is targeting the hip, fashion-conscious gadget enthusiasts and will get some takers, but for your "everyday" user looking for a slim camera that takes good pictures, the price may not be right.

So far, I'm pretty impressed with the little T100. In our full review (coming soon), we'll cover all the features and aspects of this camera, so stay tuned.