The autofocus system is exceptionally fast good light, and barely slows down in low light. In continuous shooting mode it is even quicker, maintaining a brisk 0.6 seconds per shot with no apparent buffer limit. It starts up in just under 2.5 seconds, which is about average for a compact camera, although the shot-to-shot cycle time in the highest quality mode is an impressive 1.6 seconds. Overall performance is normally a strong point for Sony cameras, and the T77 is a prime example. There are also several slideshow features such as automatic subject detection, colours and transition effects and a selection of fairly cheesy music tracks. It has multiple image editing options, including useful tools like automatic red-eye removal, as well as a fun effects using the touch screen, such as radial blur, starburst effects, vignetting effects around a selected point, and even a face-detecting warp feature that can make any glum-looking people in your shots appear to be smiling. What it lacks in shooting features, the T77 makes up for with its huge list of playback features. There are several other shooting mode features, including face detection, a smile detection mode with adjustable sensitivity, and Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimiser, which helps to preserve shadow and highlight detail. The camera also has a number of scene programs, six fairly standard ones in the Scene mode, plus landscape, night portrait, soft snap and twilight modes. As well as this there is an even simpler Easy mode, in which everything except number of shots remaining and focus confirmation are hidden from the user.

In Auto mode these disappear and the camera handles scene mode selection, macro focusing, exposure metering and pretty much everything else automatically. It has three main shooting modes a program mode in which all menu functions are available and functions such as metering, focusing, ISO and EV compensation available via on-screen buttons. It is possible to turn the icons off, but this does rather defeat the point of a touch-screen interface. If I have one complaint it is that in program mode the screen is very cluttered, with buttons obscuring the bottom edge of the frame. However with practice and a long sharpened fingernail it is possible to operate the T77 quickly and smoothly, although the focus point selection proved to be unresponsive and awkward to use. The touch-screen interface works well, but as usual the touch areas are quite small, and anyone with large fingers is going to find it a bit fiddly. It doesn’t appear to be a stepped zoom, so it is possible to frame shots accurately, but the tiny control does make this a bit tricky. Despite its small size the zoom control is exceptionally smooth. The large touch-screen interface replaces most of the camera’s external controls, leaving only the shutter button, the playback mode button, a slightly redundant power button and the tiny and rather fiddly zoom control, which is a miniature rocker switch on the top panel. The sliding front cover is solidly mounted and feels very secure, and when closed it provides good protection for the lens and flash. Despite its low weight the camera’s body is made of steel and is exceptionally well built. It is available in a wide range of colours including silver, black (shown here), pink, brown or bright green.

Everyone to whom I showed it was impressed by its slim body, elegant styling and solid build quality. There’s no denying that the T77 is a very cool looking gadget. It also sells for around £250, which actually makes the Sony look reasonably priced at £210 The S60 has a 10MP sensor, a touch-screen interface and optical image stabilisation, but has a 5x zoom lens. A better fit is the new Nikon CoolPix S60. Perhaps the closest match would be the 10MP, 5x zoom IXUS 970 IS (£210), but that camera is much larger and heavier. It shares a lot of its features and functions with the earlier Cyber-shot T70 an 8.1-megapixel, 3x zoom model, launched late last year and currently selling for around £150.Īny high-spec luxury ultra-compact will inevitably be compared with something from Canon’s IXUS range. Like all of the models in Sony’s style-conscious T-series it has a sliding front panel that serves as both a lens cover and the main power switch. Launched in August this year, the T77 is a 10.1 megapixel, 4x zoom ultra-compact that features optical image stabilisation and a 3.0-inch touch-screen monitor. At just 15mm thick and with a shooting weight of 151g it sets a new benchmark for ultra-compact cameras. Today I’m taking a look at the slimmest camera I’ve seen so far, the new Cyber-shot DSC-T77. Like mobile phones, music players, PDAs and other modern high-tech gadgets, compact digital cameras tend to get slimmer and lighter with every passing year.

Dsc touch timer test feature