SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-L1

Review and photo example of the SONY Cybershot DSC-L1.

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The Cyber-shot DSC-L1 is a compact digital camera made by Sony that was released on November 5, 2004.
The camera I own is the Snow White version that was released on December 3.
The Kamaboko like shape is quite a fresh design in 2024.

The camera’s startup time and other responsiveness are good, and when you press the power button, the lens cover opens and the lens pops out to allow you to take pictures.

The lens is a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 4.8-14.5mm (32-96mm in 35mm equivalent) F2.8-5.1 zoom lens.
The wide-angle end of 32mm is F2.8, so you can maintain a certain shutter speed even in relatively dark places, so you don’t have to worry too much about subject blur or camera shake, but the telephoto end of 96mm is F5.1, which is quite dark, so the shutter speed is slower and you will take more photos with subject blur and camera shake.

Although it is a Carl Zeiss brand, it does not produce spectacular images, and flare does not seem to be significantly reduced in backlit situations. However, this is due to the limitations of the camera, including the sensor, so it cannot be said that the lens is the sole cause. It is a lens that can be used without complaint in normal use.

The result of shooting is a combination of a very small sensor from the early 2000s and 4 million pixels, so it is quite noisy even when shooting during the day, and the noise becomes even more pronounced when the light disappears.

The recording format is JPEG only, and the image size is 4 million pixels (2304×1728), so you can obtain images of sufficient quality for use on the web. As mentioned above, when zooming to the maximum telephoto, you need to be careful of blur.

The rear LCD is small, with a size of 1.5 inches and a resolution of 77,000 dots, and the information displayed is minimal. Given the resolution, the preview display after shooting is only enough to understand the composition, and it is difficult to determine the focus position, so it is not very useful as a display.

The camera has a slide switch for switching between shooting, playback, and video on the top, as well as shutter, power, and zoom levers, and a menu on the back. There is a display, a trash can, and a 4-axis stick, so most operations can be completed with buttons without going to the menu screen.

The shooting range is 0.12m to infinity, and the auto focus mode seems to focus on the intended point to a certain extent, and I feel that the focus operation is better than the previous model DSC-U30. This camera is not equipped with a macro mode.

Since the recording media is Memory Stick Duo, memory cards are still readily available in 2024, and you should be able to find some if you search the Internet.

The battery is NP-FT1, but NP-FD1 compatible with the InfoLITHIUM system can also be used. Old batteries that are not compatible with NP-FD1 InfoLITHIUM could not be used. I think it is necessary to check whether compatible batteries are also compatible with InfoLITHIUM.

About InfoLITHIUM batteries

I would personally be very happy if this camera could be rebuilt using 2024 technology with a 10MP sensor, image stabilization, and lens brightness of F1.8 to 2.8.

However, smartphones are already well covered with these specs, so even if it were released, it is unlikely to sell. Therefore, I think the possibility of such a camera being reissued is extremely low.

Specification and Competitor

Items	DSC-L1	DSC-U30	DSC-U40	DSC-U50
Focal length (35mm equivalent)	32～96	33	←	←
Number of pixels	4 megapixels	2 megapixels	←	←
Image Sensor Type	CCD	←	←	←
Image Sensor Size	1/2.7	←	←	←
Lens	Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar 4.8〜14.5mm F2.8～5.1	5mm F2.8	←	←
Min distance	0.12m〜	0.2m〜	←	←
Back LCD	1.5	1	←	←
Back LCD pixlels	77,000 dots	64,000 dots	←	←
Battery	NP-FT1	2 x AAA batteries	←	←
Recorded Media	MS Duo / Duo Pro	MS / MS PRO	MS Duo / Duo Pro	←
Camera Size W x H x D	95 × 44.3 × 25.7	85 x 40.3 x 29.7	82.8 x 39.0 x 26.0	99.9 x 40.5 x 24.9
Weight(g) 1:Only body 2:+Battery +Media	122 *1	89 1 123 2	90 *1	90 *1
Release date	2004.11.5 2004.12.3	2003.6.27	2003.11.14	2003.9.19
Body Color	Platinum Silver, Wine Red Stardust Blue Snow White	Silver Gold Orange Red Deep Blue Grey	Silver Black Deep Blue Red	Silver Black Orange