Sony Cybershot DSCP93A 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I BOUGHT THIS FOR MY MOTHER ON CHRISTMAS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. SHE USES IT EVERY WHERE SHE GOES. EASY TO USE AND MAKES REALLY GOOD PIC'S

As of November 2009, I have owned this camera for several years and I am -- well, I WAS -- very happy with it. About two months ago, it started eating batteries. I install fully-charged batteries and within 24 hours, with the camera turned off and not in use, the batteries are dead. I've tried several different sets of batteries with the same result. Can't figure out the problem and I don't want to send it back so Sony as I'm certain it would cost more to repair than a new one. In fact, I think I'll buy a new or used one.

I received my Sony DSC-P93A roughly 5 years ago, after my previous Sony Cybershot of a former model, was stolen. Over the past 5 years, until recent months, this has been a great starter camera for me. Other than not being sufficient for my needs anymore (dislike the lack of optical zoom, adjusts poorly in some lighting conditions, short flash range), my only complaint now is that it seems to want to misread battery life. I have always taken care of my camera, so I'm not sure how to explain the why, but within the past 6 months it will shut down in picture-taking modes, when there is still enough battery power. If it doesn't shut down after attempting to take a picture, it will turn on when powered on, the lens will extend, then the camera will die. I have attempted recharging the batteries, changing the batteries altogether, and every time whichever batteries are in, as soon as they are 50% exhausted, the camera fails, which was really frustrating on my honeymoon.

I bought this camera a couple of years ago in amazon, and it work fine for about five months. After that, it didn't turn on, or it worked for a while and then turned off when you took the picture, leaving the lens outside. Too bad I couln't return it, but it was definitely a waste of money. Don't even bother.

Strange to find a sony product this bad.

The quality of the photos produced by this camera is outstanding. Absolutely no trace of purple fringing on high-contrast scenes. No jpeg artifacts to hide the details. Most of the 5 megapixel cameras I have used produce photos that look good when they're reduced to 1280x1024 pixels or so, but when you look at them in full resolution you see blurriness in the details, or fringing around objects. There is absolutely none of that with this camera.

Add to that the ease of use and the wealth of exposure controls (full auto, shutter and aperture priority auto, and complete manual, along with a few programmed modes). This may not be a top end camera for the professional photographer, but it is well suited to beginners to serious amateurs.

The only caveat I can think of is the digital zoom. This works by effectively cropping the photo, thereby reducing the final image resolution. It's probably best to let the camera use its full resolution and then do your cropping at your leisure with good photo editing software on your computer.