Editorial Review:Product Description:The Cyber-shot DSC-P71 takes all the technology and ingenuity that made its predecessors great and adds to that an even more impressive zoom and the great-looking, compact design that makes the Sony Cyber-shot family the choice of savvy photo enthusiasts all over the world. Clip Motion Mode captures up to ten 160x120 or two 80x72 frames and creates a GIF animation. Low light is no match for the DSC-P71. Neither is motion. The DSC-P71 takes it all on and delivers the most stunning digital images you've ever seen, hands down. Let the digital fun begin!
Amazon.com Product Description:Sony's DSC-P71 combines compact dimensions with a high-performance 3-megapixel sensor and affordable AA battery power. If you're looking for a take-anywhere camera that's easy to use and produces crisp, detailed images, the P71 is worth a closer look.
Optics and Resolution The DSC-P71's 3-megapixel sensor captures ample detail for sharp prints at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches. For a serious amateur photographer, 3 megapixels is a great resolution, providing enough detail to perform some cropping and still have crisp prints.
A 3x optical zoom lens (39-117mm equivalent) helps you to capture exactly the picture you want, and an additional 2x digital zoom (6x total) further magnifies your image. Remember, however, that digital zoom tends to reduce the sharpness and detail of your image, so it's best used 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.
To compose your images, either use the traditional camera viewfinder or the 1.5-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 The P71 is designed to be a simple point-and-shoot, so it doesn't have a huge assortment of manual settings. However, more advanced photographers will appreciate the manual focus mode, adjustable ISO, and white-balance settings, and well as the exposure compensation and the ability to shoot black-and-white, sepia, solarized, and negative images.
Power The P71 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 always be ready for action, we recommend getting a second pair of rechargeable 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 the P71 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 16 images at the camera's default settings. Memory Sticks are reusable, but if you tend to take more than 16 images per outing, then you'll want a bigger card. A 128 MB stick is a great size for this camera, storing around 130 images. To transfer images to your computer, simply attach the included USB cable between your PC and your camera--your computer should automatically recognize the camera and let you move the pictures to your hard drive. If you own a Sony desktop or laptop, your computer may also have a built-in Memory Stick reader, which makes transferring as easy as reading a floppy disk.
Size At 5 by 2.3 by 1.75 inches and 10.4 ounces fully loaded, the P71 is a very compact and portable digital camera.
Contents and Recommended Accessories The package includes the DSC-P71 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.
--Shane Burnett Pros: - 3-megapixel resolution provides ample detail for most users
- Compact dimensions make it easy to bring this camera along on outings
- Point-and-shoot operation makes it easy for even beginners to get great results
Cons: - Movie mode lacks sound
- Proprietary Memory Stick memory card format less common and more expensive than other formats
Accessories:
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Okay camera but memory not available anymore
I just want to know where I can purchase a memory stick that will work with this camera. I've had it with phoney Sony.
Rating: 
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Nice camera but...
I have had this camera for about 2 years. It's been great all the way. But recently one of my friends dropped it. The lens is having a hard time retracting back into the camera, and the LCD screen only works sometimes. It does power on and off though. I was wondering if anyone had experience in this field and could tell me if it was simply broken for good or if it could be repaired some way. If you could email me at lafever5@hotmail.com or post a review I would appreciate it.
Rating: -
A very good consumer grade digital camera
If you are just an amateur photographer that is either finally switching from analog to digital or just want a decent camera to take on family vacations or school projects, this is a great camera. It is small, lightweight, and does just about anything you could possibly need it to do. It won't take pictures of hummingbirds feeding across a forest bed, but it will take a decent photo of the grand canyon. The quality of the 3x optical zoom is really good, but the picture is sacrificed slightly as you try to artifically enhance it with the digital zoom. The battery life is good enough to take on extended trips from your hotel or on a hike without having to carry around a charger or spare batteries. If you plan on taking lots of high quality large photos, you will need to get a larger memory stick (64 MB will work, 128 MB even better), but the memory stick it comes with will be enough to photograph your child's birthday party as long as you download the photos onto your computer afterwards. At 3 MegaPixels, this camera will pick up individual hairs on a persons head, but you won't be able to clearly define the flea sitting in the hair. There are 5 MegaPixel cameras out there, but at the consumer level there is really no point in spending the money on one (5 MP won't come in handy unless you are student taking pictures through a microscope or a telescope) All around, while Sony's camera lenses may not compare with Canon or Olympus, Sony makes up for it with their superior knowledge of how to make a great consumer digital device and turn it into a decent digital camera. It is a great value for the price.
Rating: 
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Decent camera... has its drawbacks...
Sony has just about infiltrated every electronic marketplace possible and the digital camera sector is no exception. When I was researching to buy a camera, it came down to the Canon A40 vs. the Sony DSC P71. I went with the Sony because it was smaller and I didn't want to carry around the larger Canon. I wonder now if I made a mistake as Canon cameras are constantly being raved about.
The P71 being my first digital camera it would be unfair to say I was disappointed. It has a decent zoom 3x Optical and 2x digital. The form factor of the camera is a huge plus. It's very small and light and easy to carry in a jacket pocket. The LCD is 1.5" more than large enough to see images clearly. The 3.2 megapixels has allowed me to develop beautiful, clear 5 x 7 photos. Even the 8 x 10 pictures come out very well.
The strength of Sony digital cameras lies in taking outdoor pictures. The colors in natural sunlight are vibrant and clear. The pictures taken outdoors always come out beautiful - especially in areas where flowers, trees, and grass are present.
I have seen very few digital cameras that take nicer outdoor pictures than the Sony P71.
The navigation is very intuitive even if the buttons are a little small. Sometimes I find it hard to find the center "ok" button - I often accidentally slip my finger to the right or left. When going through pictures taken already, the preview images render very quickly on the LCD. The camera offer a plethora of options for shutter speed, contrasting, picture quality and resolution, as well as view.
Battery life is good. I can go through a 64 MB memory stick at high resolution on one set of batteries (and flash). Sony also provides a free set(2) of rechargeable batteries and a charger with this camera. This is a very very nice addition and accessory for this price. I bought an extra set of rechargeable batteries to keep as a spare (one set always charges while the other set is being used).
Also provided is a USB cable to hook up to your computer to download images. This is an extremely easy set up with Windows XP - just plug the USB cable into your computer and camera and XP automatically recognizes your new hardware. You don't need to install the provided software if your computer already has a default picuture viewer.
Now the reasons this camera received just 3 stars:
1) Remember how I mentioned that this camera takes great outdoor pictures? Well as great as the outdoor pictures are, the indoor pictures are as equally horrible. I don't know if it's the flash or Sony's interpretation of artificial light, but every single indoor picture is dark with an orange tint. They are clear, but the coloring is always off. It's like I'm looking at pictures through sunglasses.
2) I wish Sony would have configured this camera to leave the flash on when I turn it on. The default setting for the flash is always "off" so when you turn the flash on and the camera is idle for a minute, it turns itself off and sets the flash to the off position. This wouldn't be annoying if it didn't take the camera so long to re-initiate the flash. It takes a good 5-7 seconds to re-initiate. Furthermore, what would make most sense would be if the camera just sensed when the flash was needed and turned it on itself. That's what most cameras do.
So there you have it - a layman's review of the Sony P71. I'm not a hobbyist or a professional photographer, I just use the camera for fun to basically record memories. The Sony P71 is an decent camera. If you take a lot of indoor pictures, stay away from it, otherwise, it will serve its purpose.
Rating: 
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Great Product
This is my first digital camera & I have been using it for over one year. I use it for both my business & vacations. It is very easy to use (especially for beginers). It is also great because there is never any film to develop (for those of us who forget to drop it off or pick it up). It has some wonderful features like color or black & white, the buttons are easy to use & the instructions are great. The viewfinder on the back is very clear & choice of image size is great.
In addition to the camera I would purchase a tripod and an additional memory stick (128MB is a great price at amazon.com). If it is still available the starter pack with case, battery charger, etc... is also a good choice.
