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Sony DSC-V1 was my first more serious digital camera when I got it a few years ago. It had plenty of advanced features fitted in a compact and durable body. Of course after a lot of usage my first V1 broke, but it had more than 2 and a half years lifespan and I took over 15000 photos with it. After that I've replaced it with a DSLR camera, but then again, remembering it cool Nightframing/Nightshot mode allowing the user to take pictures in completely dark environments I had to get a "new" V1 from eBay... This time the main purpose of the camera is for taking infrared photos thanks to the Nightframing/Nightshot mode the camera has. Basically what this mode does is removing the IR filter of the camera thus making it sensitive to infrared light, because the main purpose of the filter is to block that type of invisible light (for the human eye). But if you are into taking infrared photos with DSC-V1, you'll have to consider buying the additional adapter for mounting 52mm filters to the camera, along with an a filter that passes only infrared light and blocks all the visible light. This is needed in order to take pictures only in IR light, because when the infrared filter of the camera is removed, the sensor gets both visible and the invisible IR light and the resulting pictures aren't very useful. And although the V1 is a bit slow when taking pictures compared to the latest models of compact digital cameras, and has relatively small LCD screen it is still a great camera. Mainly because of the quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonar optics and the great 5 megapixel Sony CCD sensor. Maybe the only more serious drawback is the lack of access to most of the manual modes for taking pictures when you are using the Nightshot mode for taking IR photos. That problem also has a solution - by physically removing the IR filter from the lens, but this is quite hard to do for an average person. And it will of course make the camera unusable for taking normal photos... unless it is being used with an external 52mm filter that blocks IR light, replacing the functions of the removed internal one.Read full review
I love the feel of this camera. The metal construction and chunky design feels good in the hand, much like a quality 35mm compact. The performance is very good and even though 5Mp these days is low, it is the quality of the pixels performance that counts more than the sheer quantity! As a semi-pro photographer, I know that I can easily produce 20 inch prints from a good quality 5Mp sensor and this camera is good enough for that. As it looks like a straight forward point and shoot camera, I can get great street photos with it without people looking at the camera or changing their behaviour because a camera is around. I simply look like a tourist, but little do they know I have a very good quality camera in my hands! The Carl Zeiss lens performs very well indeed and the relatively wide aperture of f2.8 enables use without flash in quite dim conditions. Again good for candids. There are plenty of manual adjustments available, although most require going through the menu system. For manual, aperture and shutter priority modes though the jog dial is very useful for changing aperture and shutter speeds. White balance is not perfect, with a tendency towards a blue cast and sometimes you have to over ride the exposure under a little to avoid blowing out highlights but that is the same with pretty much any camera with a small sensor. Battery life on this camera with the original battery is poor, but there are third party batteries available now that have a much higher capacity 1300mAh for example, that cure the problem. Just buy a couple of those and awy you go! I was looking to buy a used Canon G5, but after reading reviews on the Canon and the Sony and looking at the prices, I decided to go for the Sony. I've never regretted that decision and the Sony was roughly £100 cheaper to buy secondhand than the Canon!Read full review
It's metal, it's got an ultra high quality lens, it's a got laser, yes I said laser, flash focus system that is amazing in the dark. The quality, with only 5mb pixels is first class. i have owned this when I bought it for over £500. I sold it when i wanted a bigger screen, it's only 1.5 inches but you have an optical view finder so its not that important. I bought it again, despite owning an panasonic gf1, gh1, lx3 and various canon slrs. Its too good to say goodbye to. my kids laugh at it but i know it's true worth. an amazing camera that was unique at the time and still is.
I have used this camera now since 2004, when it first came out, and still absolutely love it. Let's talk about the cons first: relatively large and heavy, low battery live on original Li-Ion battery, 5 megapixel, no motion compensation, smallish LCD screen. On the positive side: the optical viewfinder saved my holiday when I dropped the camera at the beginning of a long vacation, and destroyed the LCD screen in the process. I could not review the pictures I had taken, but with a 1 GB card took a lot extras and was able to get everything I wanted. The night framing facility is extremely usefull in poor lighting conditions.Build quality is excellent. The overall quality of pictures is excellent due to the excellent quality lens. This is a very serious semi-pro camera, easy to use and very durable. It is one of the few digital point and shoots that can take an external flash.Read full review
I used to think that bigger was better when it came to how many megapixels the sensor contained but it's clearly not the case.The more pixels you cram on to a sensor the more 'noise' is present, it's like turning up the volume on an amplifier - you get more distortion. This DSC-V1 takes great pictures at it's 5 megapixel setting, richly saturated and very sharp. Taking pictures in the dark is a doddle, and if you buy a £4.00 adapter and a £7.00 infrared filter you can start having fun. Exposures are virtually spot on in all conditions, histograms showing an even distribution from dark to light. I think it's a very good camera and well worth buying (I've bought two!)The only down side is that the battery doesn't last long enough so it's worthwhile getting an extra one. If shooting a lot indoors this won't be a problem as the battery charger doubles up as a mains supply as well.Read full review
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