Product Description

Pick up this digital camera and keep your friends and relatives updated on your family's current events. The 3x optical/6x precision digital zoom lens catches close up shots that are stored on an included 8MB Memory Stick«. Download shots onto your computer via the USB connector with cable and driver. The 3.21 mp effective CCD image sensor (3.34 mp gross) captures clean sharp details in every photo opportunity. The intelligent flash and high-speed scan Autofocus are other great features.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54619 in Camera & Photo
• Size: Medium Size
• Brand: Sony
• Dimensions: 2.58" h x 5.00" w x 1.88" l, 1.50 pounds
• Memory: 4MB
• Display size: 1.6

Features

• 2-megapixel sensor captures 1,600 x 1,200 images for prints at sizes up to 8 x 10 inches
• Autofocus lens with 2x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom
• Includes MSA-16A 16MB Memory Stick® media
• Connects with PCs and Macs via USB port
• Uses 2 AA batteries (rechargeables included)

Amazon.com Product Description
Sony's affordable DSC-P51 combines a 2-megapixel sensor, 2x zoom lens, and AA battery power in a pocket-sized package. If you're shopping for a family point-and-shoot that's easy to use, versatile, and small enough to take anywhere, the P51 is a great choice.

Optics and Resolution
The DSC-P51's 2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail for sharp prints at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches. For the typical family photographer, 2 megapixels is a great balance between price and performance. If you want a camera with even more resolution, you'll need to step up to a 3- or 4-megapixel model like the DSC-P71 or DSC-P9.

The autofocus lens features both a 2x optical zoom and a 3x digital zoom. Remember, however, that digital zoom tends to reduce the sharpness and detail of your image, so it's a good idea to use it sparingly. In low-light situations (a particular weakness for many digital cameras), a focus-assist lamp sends out a small patterned beam to help the camera accurately determine distance, and special circuitry automatically reduces the "static" that typically plagues nighttime digital shots.

To compose your images, either use the traditional camera viewfinder or the 1.6-inch LCD display (which is also used to review the shots you've taken). Having both types of viewfinders offers the best of both worlds: if you're used to using a film camera or want to conserve battery life, use the viewfinder. If you want to see exactly the picture you'll be capturing, use the LCD display.

More Features
Though the P51 is designed for point-and-shoot simplicity, there are several options for more adventurous photographers, including manual focus with macro, adjustable ISO and white-balance settings, exposure compensation, and the ability to shoot black-and-white, sepia, solarized, and negative images.

Power
The P51 uses two AA batteries--a pair of high-capacity nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeables and charger are included. The benefit to using standard AA batteries instead of a custom proprietary battery is that AA batteries are widely available, so missing a once-in-a-lifetime shot due to dead batteries won't be an issue. The downside is that a digital camera will kill a set of alkaline batteries extremely quickly, especially if you're using the camera's LCD display. To ensure you'll be ready for action, we recommend getting a second pair of batteries so you can always have one set in the camera and the other set in the charger.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the camera captures silent video clips. Most digital cameras' movie modes are limited to 15- or 30-second clips, but in EX mode, the P51 can keep shooting until you've filled the memory card. The limited resolution of your movies guarantees that this feature won't replace your camcorder, but it's perfect for when you just want to capture a quick movie and e-mail it to a friend or relative.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Memory Sticks, Sony's proprietary memory-card format. The included 16 MB stick holds approximately 24 images at the camera's default settings. Memory Sticks are reusable, but if you tend to take more than 24 images per outing, then you'll want a bigger card. A 128 MB stick is a great size for this camera, storing around 200 images. To transfer images to your computer, simply attach the included USB cable between your PC and your camera. Your computer should automatically recognize your camera and let you move the pictures to your hard drive. If you own a Sony desktop or laptop, your computer may already have a built-in Memory Stick reader.

Size
At 5 by 2.4 by 1.75 inches and 10.4 ounces fully loaded, the P51 is a very compact and portable digital camera.

Contents and Recommended Accessories
The package includes the DSC-P51 camera, two rechargeable NH-AA-D1 rechargeable batteries, BC-CS1 charger, video and USB cables, wrist strap, 16 MB Memory Stick, and software on CD.

Everything you need to get started is included in the box, but we recommend these accessories to make the most of your camera: a carrying case, a spare set of NiMH rechargeable size AA batteries, and a higher-capacity memory stick. Compatible accessories for this camera are listed near the top of this page.

Customer Reviews

Good deal for a great camera!
First of all - the information that...is showing is incorrect. I have my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P51 sitting in front of me - it DOES have a 2x optical zoom as well as a 6x digital zoom.

We bought this camera mostly to take pictures of our kids to e-mail to family overseas. Something it does very well. The pictures look great - the features the camera offers are even better!

The features - (as listed on the box)
2.0 mega pixels
6x digital zoom
2x optical zoom
mpeg movies (without sound)
multi burst

Also in the box are the following -
battery charger
size AA nickel metal hydride rechargable batteries
video cable (to connect and view on TV)
memory stick (16mb)
USB cable
CD-Rom

Overall this is a great camera - at a good price. I would recommend going to a store to look over your options though!

A great point-n-shoot camera with some advanced features
To begin, I'd just like to say that I am very happy with this camera. It's suits my needs as a beginning photographer very well -but it is by no means a 'pro-consumer camera.' I believe that the camera is solidly constructed (even though it is a plastic body). It feels very sturdy and well constructed. An aluminum body like the P9 would obviously be more appealing, but I can't expect much more than high-grade plastic from a sub-300 dollar camera.
I'd rate the feature set of the camera as its weakest attribute -keep in mind that i rated the features as 'good.' This is clearly a point and shoot camera with enough options to produce excellent pictures in nearly every situation. Keep in mind, to attain excellent pictures in difficult lighting conditions, you must learn the menus and how the features like Twilight mode. The only features I would like to see on this camera is the ability to manually adjust the aperture and shutter speed. I think the camera does an excellent job of automatically choosing, but the option of manually choosing would be nice. Also, the 2x optical zoom is a little paltry... 3x optical zoom would be nice. I guess I'd have to spend an extra $100 dollars for the P71 to get those features and 3Mp resolution. Oh, and the lack of sound while recoding videos is a little annoying, but I think that shooting videos with digital camera's is rather gimmicky and useless. This feature, or lack there of, means little to me.
I felt the image quality was very good...excellent for 4x6 pictures and perhaps slightly larger, but you can always have a higher resolution:) I really am very please with the picture quality and I'm rather amazed at the clarity for such a low budget camera.
The menus are very intuitive and I have only glowing praise for the user interface of the camera. I felt all of the menus were well designed. Please take the time to learn the menus...it might really help your picture quality. Overall, an excellent user interface.
Lastly, I felt without a doubt, that this camera was an excellent value. It comes with everything you need to get started. You can fit 30 pictures at the highest resolution (standard compression) on the bundled 16MB memory stick. This may seem a little small, but it's equivalent to one roll of film (and of course reusable). Also, I've seen prices for 128MB memory sticks for around $60-$70 so the prices are very comparable to SmartMedia and other types of camera memory. I'm very please with the included recharable batteries and charger. Sure it takes 13hrs to charge the batteries, but I still think it's an excellent value for the money. There are no additional costs with this camera -unless you want a faster charger or more memory. Oh, and the batteries last an exceptionally long time. Mine haven't even come close to running out yet, so I don't know quantitatively how long they last, but I already pleased with the battery life.

Overall, this a good buy for consumers looking for a point-and-shoot camera for 4x6 prints (and occasionally larger). I think this also good for someone just beginning to learn photography because it does offer some primitive manual adjusts, like adjustment of the film speed, and of course all the benefits of digital photography. Namely, instant feed-back of pictures and no film development costs.

I'm pleased with this camera....a good buy.

Solid Point and Shoot Camera
I've owned 35mm SLR and point-and-shoot cameras for almost 30 years and have to say I'm very pleased with this camera. The high points:
-- 30 flash pictures so far and no red eye
-- Size. The DSC-P51 slips easily into a jacket pocket but feels substantial in your hand.
-- Image quality. I've used online photo services to have my images printed professionally with excellent results for 4"x6" prints. The pictures are acceptably sharp and the color is very good.
-- Flexibility. I can easily set-up the camera so my wife and son (who don't like messing with the control menus) can simply grab it, turn it on, and shoot. On the other hand, I appreciate the simplicity of the controls and the range of available features (including the ability to raise or lower the intensity of the flash)
-- LCD viewfinder. Clear and sharp--even outdoors.
-- Extras. A charger, 2 rechargeable AA batteries, a carrying strap, a 16 mb memory stick (enough to get you started) and a USB cable come with the camera.

Things I'm less crazy about:

-- Lag time. Call me old-fashioned, but when I click the shutter button I want the camera to take a picture immediately. Like most digital cameras, this one has to think it over for a second or so before it actually takes a picture--an eternity if you're shooting candids. While this is annoying and it's easy to blame the camera, the fact is that only 1 in 4 of the candid shots that most people (including me)take on film cameras pan out anyway. In practice I find that I can still get good shots if I just stick with the shot and don't freak out when the camera goes through its gyrations. If I don't get a good shot, I delete it and snap another.
-- Recharging the supplied AA rechargeables. How does 13 hours sound?
-- Using regular alkaline batteries. While having the ability to use off-the-shelf alkaline batteries sounds great and can work in a pinch, I've found that the camera draws a lot of juice quickly--especially when taking flash photos. Sometimes this can cause the camera to shut down after I take a shot--a problem I've never had with the supplied rechargeables.

Re. accessories, consider buying a Lexar memory stick reader. I have Windows XP on my PC and no additional software was required to use it. Also consider a 128mb memory stick and the optional Sony accessories kit (with fast charger, 2 extra batteries, and case).