I got my Sony DSC-P73 within 1 week of landing in the US. And that was 2 years back. The main reasons for my buying it were:
1) I wanted a 4MP camera.
2) I was a SONY fan.
Based on my experience with this cute little masterpiece for the last 2 years, I present to you the things that you should know about this guy.
The main features of this camera are:
1) It is a 4.1 MPixel camera.
In lay-man terms it is an excellent camera for an amateur or a mid level photograph enthusiast.
2) It has 3x optical Zoom (38-114mm equivalent in 35mm photography)
The lens is protected by a built in lens barrier - so there is no cap to lose!!
Advice: ALWAYS ignore the digital zoom. It serves no purpose other than distorting the picture and tricking you into believing that there is more zoom.
3) It takes pictures in the following sizes: 2304x1728, 2304(3:2), 2048x1536, 1280x960, 640x480 which translate to 4.1MP, 3.2MP, 3MP, 2MP and 1MP respectively. So yes, you can take a smaller size picture if you happen to run out of memory space (which is very common on long trips!).
4) It takes pictures in the following modes: AUTO, Program, Manual, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Candle and Beach
In the night mode, you MUST have a tripod.
5) It records MPEG movies in 640x480 size. The movie quality is pretty decent. If you feel that a camcorder is not in your plans/budget right now, then this can serve as a replacement.
Some pros:
The camera controls are logically arranged so that they’re never accidentally activated. At least it has never happened in the last 2 years with me! It has a 1.5-inch LCD which is used as a live viewfinder, to review images, and to access the camera’s menu system. It utilizes 2 NiMH batteries to provide an amazingly long life despite using the LCD for the various functions as mentioned above. You can use the AUTO mode and let the camera click each picture in the best possible way or select any mode and decide for yourself. In either case, the results are outstanding. In the manual mode, you can program the camera in every which way possible so if you are an avid photographer, it’s a great help. If you are interested in hard copies then you get more than your money’s worth. This camera is ideal for 6X8 size snaps so a 4X6 or 5X7 size picture is extremely sharp.
Advice: Upload your pics to yahoo photos and order from there. It’s pretty cheap and the quality there is the best as compared to other sites I tried (like kodak, snapfish)
Some cons:
Law of nature: Where there are pros, there have to be cons!!
As compared to some cameras it is relatively bulky. Meaning if you keep it in your shirt pocket, people will know that there is something there! Also, this camera uses only SONY memory sticks which are costlier than most other storage devices. So you have to be on the lookout for good deals to purchase them (unless your last name is Mittal/Ambani!)
Finally...
The picture quality of SONY is far far superior to other brands. I had gone with my friend (who had a canon) to visit Taj Mahal and we were astounded on seeing the pictures. The Taj was whiter, the grass was greener and the sky was bluer in the SONY version. The Taj looked the Taj only in the pictures taken from SONY. So if you are just interested in the best quality, there is no doubt. This is the best.
Note: Purchase it from ebay if you can as you get rechargeable cells, charger, camera cover, small tripod, memory stick(128mb/256mb) and memory card reader for a very small increase in price. In my case , the camera itself was $240 but in ebay I got the above deal for $290!!!