May 9, 2009

My Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9 died...

... so I bought a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900.

I've always loved my little Sony digital cameras, and I've gotten a lot of use out of them. I passed the first one along to one of my sons because I wanted something skinnier to fit in a handbag. That second one was the T9. It developed a weird error that caused it to vibrate. Searching the web, I saw that this does happen, and there didn't seem to be much to do about it. Tapping on it could sometimes get the vibrating to stop for a while, but that got less and less effective. Another option was the optimist's approach: Look for the good. See? It's a special effect!

DSC00043

That's a dilapidated barn, by the way. Cute, but not versatile. I found myself in a Sony Store yesterday, and I decided to buy what looked to be the best current Sony. Despite the malfunction of the T9, I love Sony cameras. They've served me well. I've taken many 1000s of photos with that T9 and banged it around in my handbag for years. And I'm ready to see what the new one can do. (HD video for one thing.) So I went with the Sony again.

27 comments:

rhhardin said...

I wonder if hitting the Steady Shot button would stop it, to turn off image stabilization.

rhhardin said...

I have a T9 that suffered a fall on ice and won't focus more distant than an inch.

I'm saving it for shots of grasshoppers.

rhhardin said...

Also by staying with Sony you can reuse the memory stick from the T9 in the new camera, perhaps.

Wince said...

It developed a weird error that caused it to vibrate... Another option was the optimist's approach: Look for the good.
I believe it's called serendipity.

Notice, the vibrating camera is replaced only after Meade's arrival.

;)

rhhardin said...

The mailman cometh.

Steady-handed DCS-T9.

Sully said...

this is welcome news!

i guess you won't be photographing your face anymore (you're fat and old)

American Liberal Elite said...

Please, a picture of Sully for our delectation.

Brad V said...

I like the effect - it's sort of like a later Monet-with-cataracts take on the Japanese Bridge.

srfwotb said...

I'm currently deciding between a Sony Cybershot and an Olympus...

Anyone have an opinion? Lower endish - I don't have use for more.

I've had good luck with Olympus in the past. Great interface, but I haven't seen one lately.

Must work with mac.

Sprezzatura said...

Seems like a better subject for a Tweet, than a post.

Perhaps: "Camera broke, got a new one. Then had ___________ for lunch."

Fascinating stuff.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Its a masterpiece.

I just hope is not missing from somewhere ;)

srfwotb said...

Jeez, Sully. Mommy issues much?

fivewheels said...

Isn't someone going to ask why the T900 link leads to the polar bears?

People seem to like Sony products and have a positive view of them, but my luck has been between mixed and poor. I find that there are often flaws in the details that lead to reliability issues. Kind of like Apple. But the branding is strong enough for people to overlook past failures and make repeat buys. Strange.

traditionalguy said...

We want wedding pictures.

John Stodder said...

I loved my Sony digital, too. Part of the reason is the lens -- Carl Zeiss makes great lenses.

But mine mysteriously died too. Now I have a Canon and it's fine, but I can't help but feeling the pictures that came out of that Sony were just better.

Ron said...

I have a 5 year DSC-T1 that soldiers on!

The River Otter said...

I love my Canon Digital Elph! I'd get another if I lost it.

Ernesto Ariel Suárez said...

Like I said in another post,I was out today, having fun with my trusty Nikon S550It's pretty decent, I think.

XWL said...

My pocket camera is a Sony, too (a DSC-W55, sample pic, here). I also bought it to replace a malfunctioning older Sony which I gave to my mom, since it's only the flash that's broken, and she likes daytime photography only. It takes nice pics in a variety of situations, and is easy to use.

But, I'm enjoying my new Nikon D5000, so screw the convenience of a smaller camera, I've been lugging around that baby and been taking some pretty decent pictures (I especially like this ladybug shot, on the other end of the scale, this shot of a 747 looks good, too, if you check out the full size pic, the crispness of detail is pretty remarkable). As an entry level DSLR it suits my needs as an amateur who doesn't really know what I'm doing yet. It has all the modes like a point and shoot, plus it shoots HD video (sample here), and as I learn what I'm doing, having control over all the aspects of a shot has been a fun experience.

Chip Ahoy said...

What color did you get? Show us, please. And don't forget an extra battery. Wouldn't do to have one go dead when you need it most.

Chip Ahoy said...

XWL, your pictures are impressive. Very nice camera you've got there.

Thank you for keeping open your EXIF info on Flickr. I'm learning from other peoples' pics. The lens you use gives very nice bokeh on the ladybug pic. I see you shot at 55mm focal length for the ladybug, and 18mm for the 747. May I ask why? I'd have thought you'd go close for the bug and open it up for the plane. Composition, perhaps?

I got the larger Nikon D-90 with an 18-200mm lens which handles every situation well but makes carrying it around uncomfortable, so last week I bought a 50mm f1.4D AF lens which is Nikon's ultra-fast secret weapon for low-light no-flash situations, but it's back-ordered on Amazon's prime and I'm thinking about cancelling the order and just going ahead and paying a little extra plus shipping so I can have it NOW.

XWL said...

Chip, your under the false impression that I know what I'm doing (and thanks for the compliment, but most of the credit should go to the camera and lens, I'm just turning some dials and pressing a big silver button).

For the bug, I wanted to see how close I could get and still be in focus on the object, that's why I moved in rather than zoomed in.

For the jet, I wanted to see how clear the picture would be at maximum zoom (for that lens) while tracking a large object travelling over 100 miles per hour relative to my position. So it was to see if I could, more than any sort of composition reason.

I'm a big believer in many trials, many errors, and then eventually maybe you'll figure out what you're doing.

Plus, I carry around 40gb worth of memory cards, so not like I'm going to run out of space if I take 20 pictures to get the one shot I want.

rhhardin said...

And don't forget an extra battery.

If it's the same as the T9, she's got an extra battery now.

rhhardin said...

Oh I see it's not. NP-FT1 vs NP-FD1.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

Althouse, thanks for turnig me on to Sony. I love my new cyber-shot H50. Not a pocket camerea but it does take great picutures. Much better than my old Nikon.

boardskey said...

Do you still have your DSC-T9? I fixed mine by opening it and gluing back the magnet that is attached to the lens. Apparently, sometimes it comes off which is the reason for the vibration. Mine wont vibrate anymore. Just used super glue.

boardskey said...

Do you still have your Sony T9 wth you? I was able to fix the vibration problem following the solution found here...http://www.fixya.com/support/t7200834-everytime_press_button_vibrates

quite interesting..its for a different camera but it has the same solution. Needed to glue the magnet back to the lens assembly and voila! No more vibration. Its not that hard to fix it..You just need to remember which parts you removed and how to return them. :)