View Full Version : Any reason not to buy a: Sony DSC-N1
This 8 megapixel camera from Sony looks a superb compact camera, with a great screen, fantastic quality photo's and all you could want in a compact body.
Review here:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/n1.html
Apart from the price!
Any reason why I should NOT buy one?
Anything else come close for the price/spec/image quality of this compact?
Still interested if anyone can recommend any other compact that give better pics than this.
I find this tricky as I tend to look at Digital SLR's then back at these compacts and feel dissapointed with what they produce (clarity/detail) but I guess there's no way round this as it's all compromises with these things.
But saying that, if anyone feels this Sony can be bettered by something else you can slip into your pocket I'd love to hear your opinions :)
I was looking for a compact recently too and have to say I thought the Sony T9 was a better practical proposition to the N1.
I compared the two and realised the touch-screen was not for me, I prefer the tactile approach to feeling my way around. Plus the N1's screen is a very beautiful one but I feel it could get dirty very quickly with fingerprints. I also preferred the overall feel of the T9 a bit better than the N1.
Anyway, after all that, I ended up going for the Canon Digital Ixus 60 as it had an optical viewfinder (something the Sony's didn't have). Plus, the Ixus felt much more comfortable in the hand, and button placement was better (especially the zoom function, which on the Sony felt difficult to reach imo). Given the fact that the Canon was cheaper and the expensive prices of Sony memory cards too it was an easy choice in the end.
However, there is no denying that the Sony N1/T9 are great camera's and more stylish than the Canon (they are also a bit more ultraportable too). I don't think you could go wrong with either one, they just weren't for me. :)
I was looking for a compact recently too and have to say I thought the Sony T9 was a better practical proposition to the N1.
I compared the two and realised the touch-screen was not for me, I prefer the tactile approach to feeling my way around. Plus the N1's screen is a very beautiful one but I feel it could get dirty very quickly with fingerprints. I also preferred the overall feel of the T9 a bit better than the N1.
Anyway, after all that, I ended up going for the Canon Digital Ixus 60 as it had an optical viewfinder (something the Sony's didn't have). Plus, the Ixus felt much more comfortable in the hand, and button placement was better (especially the zoom function, which on the Sony felt difficult to reach imo). Given the fact that the Canon was cheaper and the expensive prices of Sony memory cards too it was an easy choice in the end.
However, there is no denying that the Sony N1/T9 are great camera's and more stylish than the Canon (they are also a bit more ultraportable too). I don't think you could go wrong with either one, they just weren't for me. :)
Thanks for the recommendation.
Out of interest, does the IXUS range have another name in the US/Rest of the world. Looking on Steve's Digicams there are no IXUS models there?
puddleduck
15-04-2006, 11:43
The IXUS range has a different name in the US, and is called the "Ixy" in Japan.
I think they are sold as "Powershot" in the US iirc.
The IXUS range has a different name in the US, and is called the "Ixy" in Japan.
I think they are sold as "Powershot" in the US iirc.
Thanks.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Out of interest, does the IXUS range have another name in the US/Rest of the world. Looking on Steve's Digicams there are no IXUS models there?
The Canon Ixus 60's US name is the Canon PowerShot SD600. There are no reviews on the US sites given the camera has only been released in the last few weeks. Click here (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022109canonsd600.asp) for more detail. If you are interested in the touchscreen of the Sony N1 you may want to also consider the Canon Ixus 65, it also is a very suave looking camera with a two-tone finish and 3" touch screen. However, the Ixus 65 does not have an optcal viewfinder (which is why I didn't go for it!)
If you're looking for a review of the Ixus 60, look for reviews of the Ixus 55 (the Powershot SD450 in the US) as it is essentially the same camera with a few upgrade features. Click here (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/sd450.html) for Steves Digicams review.
The Canon Ixus 60's US name is the Canon PowerShot SD600. There are no reviews on the US sites given the camera has only been released in the last few weeks. Click here (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022109canonsd600.asp) for more detail. If you are interested in the touchscreen of the Sony N1 you may want to also consider the Canon Ixus 65, it also is a very suave looking camera with a two-tone finish and 3" touch screen. However, the Ixus 65 does not have an optcal viewfinder (which is why I didn't go for it!)
If you're looking for a review of the Ixus 60, look for reviews of the Ixus 55 (the Powershot SD450 in the US) as it is essentially the same camera with a few upgrade features. Click here (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/sd450.html) for Steves Digicams review.
Thanks very much for this info.
Re my "personal" view on camera's
Perhaps I'm a bit odd here (think it's cos I always see things from a techinical viewpoint) but the way a camera works, it's buttons, screen, colour! etc etc are all of zero interest to me until I feel the picture it produces is good enough.
I like the Steve's Digicams website, and I just go direct to the sample photo's, look at them and will dismiss a camera based on that alone.
Once I have found one (or a few) which have the best image quality, only then will I start to look at the other aspects of the camera.
Cosmetics and way WAY down on my list of prioritys.
I always used to say I don't care if my computer comes mounted in a grotty cardboard box, it it's the fastest there is, that the one I want.
I know for some, looks/design are the top priority (I could be very sexist here and say women!)
Like when I ws in a TV store a few years back and overheard a woman deciding on a philips set as it came in a variety of colours, one of which matched her curtains (honestly!!!) irrespective of the screen/image/sound quality of the device.
But anyway, going back, yes, the sony touchscreen looks interesting. Esp the fact you can point to something on the screen and it will use that point for set the focus on (sounds good as bad focus can often ruin a shot)
I don't need a million manual adjustments and (apart from me occasinally playing around) it's going to be set on some kind of auto setting most of the time. But I want the sharpest/clearest image quality first of all, everything else comes second.
Of course, bearing in mind whether I'm looking for a compact or a SLR body.
Or course I want SLR quality in a compact body, but then I guess a lot of people would like that also :)
The Canon Ixus 60's US name is the Canon PowerShot SD600. There are no reviews on the US sites given the camera has only been released in the last few weeks. Click here (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022109canonsd600.asp) for more detail. If you are interested in the touchscreen of the Sony N1 you may want to also consider the Canon Ixus 65, it also is a very suave looking camera with a two-tone finish and 3" touch screen. However, the Ixus 65 does not have an optcal viewfinder (which is why I didn't go for it!)
If you're looking for a review of the Ixus 60, look for reviews of the Ixus 55 (the Powershot SD450 in the US) as it is essentially the same camera with a few upgrade features. Click here (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/sd450.html) for Steves Digicams review.
Just been looking at reviews of the SD550 (not sure where that model stands in relation to the Ixus 60) and I'd have to just give the SD550 the edge over the pics produced by the Sony N1.
Just been looking at reviews of the SD550 (not sure where that model stands in relation to the Ixus 60) and I'd have to just give the SD550 the edge over the pics produced by the Sony N1.
The SD550 is the Ixus 750 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000B5O08M/thedvdforums-21) in the UK. I thought this was a great little camera too, but couldn't justify the extra £35 given that the Ixus 60 was more than enough for my needs.
Whilst the Ixus 750 probably was slightly bigger and marginally heavier than the Ixus 60, it felt more natural in the hand.
I agree with what you're saying that it's all about picture quality, but when choosing a camera ergonomics play a huge part. As bad camera design may mean compromising being able to use a camera to its full potential.
For example, I also looked at the Sony T7 and whilst it was a very sexy looking camera and slim, the problem I had was that it was too slim (much like a credit card). I could tell stright away that trying to hold the camera steadily and taking a picture would be a cumbersome process.
Perhaps I'm a bit odd here (think it's cos I always see things from a techinical viewpoint) but the way a camera works, it's buttons, screen, colour! etc etc are all of zero interest to me until I feel the picture it produces is good enough.
I'd tend to agree with the other poster that ergonomics can play a large part in getting a great picture. What your technology has to is get out of the way so that you can capture what you're seeing - poor ergonomics, whether that's badly designed menus that bury a setting you need all the time behind several intervening layers, or controls that are fiddly or not laid out in a way you can work with will stop you getting the pictures you want.
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