It was my son's 4th birthday today and our other camera was on the fritz. So I grabbed this one for the party.
I took about 60 pictures in a gym and maybe 10 are clear. The autofocus is terrible. The light sensitivity doesn't seem to adjust well.
I'll be returning this one and going back to Canon.
I'm usually happy with Sony products but this is very disappointing.

I've had this camera for about 6 months and I've never been able to to get a good closeup on detailed small print as I am an Ebay Power Seller. This is by far the worst I've used to date.

The first 6 months were fine, camera is sleek, lightweight and used to make good pictures. From one day to the next it started to make terribly blurry pictures - unfortunately — the last fotos of my mother before she died. I paid $500+ for the camera shortly after it came out. A complete waste of money and a huge lack of responsibility on Sony's part that they did nothing to accommodate customer's with this well known problem. I would not buy another camera from Sony.

I love this camera for traveling and scuba diving but it has a SERIOUS problem with dust getting on the objective and CCD. The Zeiss lens is over rated... as it has to be the source of the dust entry to the CCD. Too bad Sony has not fixed this long standing problem with all these.

For now when I travel I carry my Nikon D70s and keep the Sony P100 inside the underwater housing which keeps dust away from the camera.

While it fits neatly into a pocket, the lint in your pocket will soon find its way into the lens complex.

www.pbase.com/alwayssomewhere

Still takes good still pictures but the video, which operates solely in autofocus mode, goes in and out of focus continuously (as others have reported here), especially under low light conditions. This did not happen for the first 1.5 years that I owned it, but has happened persistently for the last six months. There was a recent Sony acknowledgement of CyberShot defects, but this camera was not included in the list of those for which free repairs could be obtained.

For the money, this camera sucks.
1. Dust in the lens.
2. Lens cover stays open when I shut the camera off.
3. The camera shouldn't take a picture if it's not in focus but it does! I thought auto focus means the camera focuses automatically. Silly me. (My last one did.)
4. The lighting is so touchy I have to change the settings several times before the picture will come out right, if at all. Sometimes I just give up. I've lost more good, once in a lifetime shots because of that.
5. Most importantly. I will never buy another Sony camera again. Companies should stick with what they know. Sony, stick with music. Leave photography to the professionals!

Never let me down. Top quality!

This is a great camera appart from the dust problem. I love the size, the speed and the manual controls. Now when I discovered how to open the camera for removing the dust, it's no problem anymore.

If you are interested in opening the camera for dust removal, you should take a look on this:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=19895748
There you can find detailed instructions for taking appart the Sony P100 for dust removal. P100 is in practice the same camera as P150 but with less megapixels.

I want to say abt the dust...When 70% of people are talikng that there is some problem in camera then why sony is not taking any step or should give some free relacement warranty.Its a big compnay....Everuone is accepting it becoz of brand name.If this problem continue then it will hurt the brand name of sony.I expect someone will take step.

Thanks

I Have to addmit I liked this camera for it's size, speed, asthetics, great reviews, and under water housing, however, after a year and a half of travelling with it in some of the dustiest countries know to man, the inside of the lens is almost completely covered. Most of the stunning pictures in my collection are ruined by large black blotches from using maximum zoom where the sensor is closest to the lens. After reading all the other peoples problems with sony warranty and being stuck on the side of a mountain for the next 6 months i have decided to take it apart myself and see if its possible to clean it with a screw driver and patience. I will do my my best to keep those who are interested posted. Wish me luck. Oh and by the way, the underwater pictures are fantastic.

I've had this camera for a little over a year now. I was pretty happy with it for a while. The only thing that frustrated me terribly was that the red eye reduction never worked despite rave reviews about it being wonderful and occasionally blurry pictures. Other than these minor things, it took some pretty nice pictures, especially outdoors. Just recently, however, my camera froze when I tried to turn it off. I would have to pop the battery out and put it back in for it to unfreeze and turn off. Then the zoom stopped working altogether. Now, a few days later, the zoom is working but I hear a grinding noise and I wonder if maybe dust or sand has gotten inside the gears and is ruining my camera. Since the camera is past the one year warranty Sony will only fix it for the more-than-it's-worth price of $200. I might as well buy a new camera - and I plan to! I also plan to never buy a Sony again, between this problem and the CD issue which affected me and others I knew last year. Don't buy a Sony - there are much better cameras out there!

This was my first "real" camera and it's been a bit frustrating. The power button is too sensitive. And there is a delay between the time I press the button to take the photo, and when it actually takes the picture. I also have had the problem with the video mode not being able to stay focused. It's almost impossible to shoot any video. And from day one the red eye function has never worked. And last, Sony doesn't make a remote control for their cameras. It's not worth the money!!

I had the well-known dust-in-the-lens problem. Sony gave me a complete run-around with attempting to get a warranty repair and was generally useless in resolving the problem. Other than that, and the low-light flash issue, it's a fine camera.

The Sony DSC-P150 has a lot of nice features. But I won't go there. In a year's time, it was sent to Sony for repairs two or three times. Each time the problem was dust inside the lens and or on the sensor and lens lockup.

The last time this happened my warranty had expired by a few days and Sony charges a $181.00 (US) flat rate fee just to look at it.

It's cheaper to buy on on ebay than to get the little sucker repaired. I did get great satisfaction in dropping (ok, throwing) the camera onto the ground, kicking it across my living room and also slamming it onto the wooden surface of my computer desk.

This ensured that I will never have to use this piece of junk again! Yay! I think this is the best thing you can do with a Sony DSC-P150, although smashing it with a large hammer would probably be gratifying also.

Some photos I have taken with this camera are posted here:
http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/92337.html

Dust inside lens is a common problem and after a while the lens stuck. Neither international warranty nor Sony admissions about that to minimize the extra money for a repair. Very disappointing.
Apart from this, the camera can produce random results in "auto" mode, some will look really good others crap. You must switch in manual mode (p-mode, for me, is almost useless) most of the time.
Not a great score for a point-and-shoot, don't you think?

I'm very happy with my cyber shot! It makes fantastic pictues and I've never had problems with not lasting battery or pictues being too dark or something! i think it's great that it takes the pictures immediately, not just after 5 seconds pressing the button!
great weight, great format, excellent design

I can't believe the average rating for this camera is so high. The features are good for a compact camera, but light sensitivity is poor and DUST in the lens makes it useless. No international warranty.

The only reason that I have for not giving this camera a great review is that I ablsoutely hate the location and sensitivity of the power button. I use this camera in the automatic mode as I have no need for any advanced features, and the images captured are great. In my experience, no matter if I have the camera in a soft case, in a pocket, or any way other than in a hard case I keep hearing the chime of the camera being turned on. If you just brush a feather over the power button, which is in my opinion unprotected and too easy to get to, the thing turns on. I recommend some kind of harder shell case as no matter how I carry it, it keeps getting turned on by accident. Other than that I have nothing to complain about as image and video quality are excellent in my opinion.

i see its a common problem for dust on the inside lens. does anybody know how much it will cost to get it fixed/cleaned.

too many people think "point and shoot" without researching certain functions and give cameras poor reviews. . there is NOTHING this camera can't do! Macros, vivid color, beatiful sepias and b&w. . . .crisp every time - people need to read their manuals or LEARN a piece of equipment that costs this much and the reviews would be far better!

Very disappointed by this camera - have had to send it back twice to remove dust from inside the lens. After checking the web I realize that this seems to be a frequent problem with these series of Sony cameras (P100, P120, P150, P200 and what ever they call them).

What good is all the other functionality of the camera if your pictures get big dark fields smack in the center?

Even more disappointed by Sony's poor and slow warranty service. This time I had to send it right back after service because the lens did not focus and they had not even noticed! I now have it back after more than one month in service and transit. The lens has been replaced, I can only hope that this will solve the problem.

But bottom line, my appreciation of the Sony brand is much lower than before. I am probably not alone - at the moment Sony is downsizing by 8,000 people. They are doing something seriously wrong.

I am by no means an expert photographer, but a tournament grade fisherman. I find this camera takes great action shots (fish jumping) on the water which is fast paced. You have to read the manual a couple of times to get the ease and operation of the camera to sink in.I found no problem taking pictures inside and low light if you change some of the settings.Going in and out of the dark taking pictures may pose a hassel, but who does that?

this camera has to be the worst camera i bought. i took about 80 pictures inside a gym...and all the pictures came out blurry. i have cybershot 3.2 its so much better. dont waste your money on this camera

It is very difficult for me to give this camera such a low rating because the Sony DSC P150 was by far the best non-SLR digital I have owned. I say WAS because about a month ago I saw spots on some of my pictures. I attributed these spots to dust on the front of the lens, but it turns-out that the dust is INSIDE the lens. An internet search confirmed for me that this is a prevalent problem with the Sony P100, P150 and P200 cameras. It also occurs with their W series cameras.

Disregarding this problem, I have nothing but praise for the P150. I use it for all types of photography, including digi-scoping (taking pictures through a spotting scope) and the results are fantastic. It is telling that when reviewing my pictures, I can't readily distinguish those taken with this pocket-size camera from those taken with my larger pro-sumer style cameras.

Unfortunately, this dust problem is a serious issue. I am returning this camera for service to have the dust removed, but from what I've heard from others who have experienced this problem, dust will likely come back. This appears to be a design flaw for these cameras. In my opinion, Sony should not sell this camera until the problem is resolved.

Some photos are great, others poor. Shooting inside with flash results in blurry photos most of the time due to slow shutter speed.
Two large black dots (like dust on the sensor)in all photos with light area in the shot, like sky.
Very disappointed with this product.

i was very happy with the cyber-shot 7.2 mega pixels i bought in the USA about 3 months back , about few weeks back i saw a black spot on my lens and as i zoomed in it became darkerNow i have come back to India and the service centere here told me that its a lens problem and it will take 7 to8 thousand. Or i have to ship it all they way back to N.J (usa) to get it done as its under warranty. I am very worried and angry as its such a problem for me now. I don't know what to do , i thought its a sony and i will have no problems with it. I have put so much of money into it too.

i notice nobody has mentioned a problem i had with the camera (i say 'had' because i lost it). in movie mode, my camera continuously focused and refocused, so all the movies are blurred then clear... blurred then clear. i assume maybe it was a defect in my camera since no one else has mentioned this problem. as for the pictures, they were clear as a bell. i did notice that i shot a lot of blury pictures though. this wasn't a problem with my older 3 mp sony camera. the colors with kodak cameras seem more dead on. i've always had to take yellow out of all my sony pics using photoshop. anyway, i'm trying to decide what camera to buy now... same one or a different one. what i want is a compact camera that takes crystal clear photos and full size movies. email me if you have any suggestions!

I bought the camera about 6 months ago and loved it. It takes beautiful photos, fits in my pocket, turns on quickly, and I like the menu system. I haven't had any of the focus problems people are describing.

A few weeks ago black spots started showing up in my photos when I'd zoom in. Cleaning the lens did nothing. A couple of days ago the lens started making noise when it retracted and then finally got stuck in the extended position.

After talking to my friend who'd recommended the camera to me, I found out that he'd had the exact same problem (black spots then the lens stuck).
Looking at the reviews for the P200 (
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/sony-cybershot-dscp200-reviews.html ), a similar model, and I see the same problem. I hope Sony will just acknowledge it's a problem with their cameras and warntee it.

What's up with the focus??? Have always been able to get things figured out so for with digital, but my old 2.0 kodak takes much clearer pictures. The least amount of movement creates blurring. I'm frustrated and ready to just give it up. If anyone has got the focus issue figured out, would love to know your thoughts.

Excellent camera,small and robust,I have taken some fantastic pictures with this little diamond,many of my friends have purchased other brands for more money and have wished they had chosen the same,unfortunately iv'e just had it stolen,one thing i'm sure about,if the thief uses it he or she will be delighted.

I "upgraded" from a previous Cybershot that I had purchased about 3 years before (3.2 Megapixel model). The DSC-P150 is much better most of the time. However, it could do with having a manual focus then it would be 5 stars!

For the first few weeks we were quite impressed by the results. Was a nice upgrade from our old DSC-P90 (almost 3 year old). The best thing was the improvements in speed, and all in a light and compact case. Well, 5 months later, the DSC-P90 is back in service, with the DSC-P150 on the shelves (and maybe soon in the trash-can unfortunately).

Why did I switch back to the old one (pending buying a new camera)? Let's start by saying that image quality was not impressive at all, definitely below average when the sun is not shining bright. I expected better than that from Sony, but eh, fair enough, what can I expect from a $400 camera?

No, the real reason is simply that it cannot be used anymore: the on/off switch does not operate properly. Press on it, nothing happens, start pressing a little bit the top of the camera body, and then, suddenly the lens would come out. Then hold the camera differently, and the unit would shut down... Needless to say that having the camera power up randomly in your bag, or sutting down when you are about to take a picture is not exactly what you'd expect.

By the way, 3 years ago, the DSC-P90 costed me $600. It always gave quite good pictures (of course if I want very good quality, I'd take my SLR out, but for day to day and family picture, it was just perfect). It even fall on the floor(including concrete from up to 5 feet) many times, the metal body has bumps, etc. and the camera still operates perfectly!!! Man, did I praise Sony for that!

But this new one,... well obviously there have been some serious cost cutting on Sony's side. Maybe you get simply what you pay for, no?

I love my camera, however it would have been nice if provisions were made to attach a filter directly to the camera lens without the bulky adapter which looks like an after thought.

Not really but being a shutter bug, I can take this anywhere with me on my motorcycle. Not to say my 7hi fits nicely in my tank bag but lugging it around is a PITA. With the canned settings, a monkey could shoot a great picture for the web, which is what I wanted it for. Being a webtographer and on heavy demand for instant party web albums, photoshop goes hand-in-hand with this baby! Dudes, it aint the best camera for printing and action but I can say this. The feature rich with the high res capability and under 500 bucks allows us commercial guys to have the damn thing pay for itself in one outing. :D

GREAT JOB SONY !!!!!!!

NOW GET THAT MEDIA CENTER GOING OR MS WILL BURY YA!!!

This is a follow up to a previous review. After talking to Sony tech support several times I finally got someone to be honest with me. "The only way to get consistent results with this camera in low light or indoor photography is to put it on a tripod, use only manual focus controls, force the ISO to 400 or higher and hope that no one moves " This is a direct result of the camera having a flash sync speed of 1/30th sec rather than the industry standard of 1/60th. That is their quote, not mine. He went on to say that this is true in all but the most ideal lighting situations. However, they do not consider this a product failure, just a shortcoming. Thanks Sony, I guess I am a Canon customer from now on.

At first I hated this camera. It was never in focus! I didn't feel as though it wouldn't even perform as a point and shoot, never mind high quality images.
I then used the manual setting. Brilliant! The focus is always sharp as I can control the shutter indoors and out without the fear of camera shake. I can balance indoor light perfectly on the flash shots.
If you want a point and shoot beware as you may be confused. If you want control. BUY, BUY , BUY!

I used to have a DSC-P9, and I made the idiot's typical mistake, provided all advices that you have always heard: if something works, do not change anything ,specially in digital devices!
I have the same opinion as the last two reviews: "random results" and "too dark"... you can expect an awful picture, and, half of a second picture later, the best... something is wrong. I went to the Sony Center in Barcelona, Spain, and they agreed (first) that something was wrong, took ten 10 days to repair, and when I got it back, nothing had changed. When I complained again, they refused to take it back, arguing that "it was my fault, and the camera was doing its job perfectly well".... disappointing, very very disappointing!

I bought this camera after reading the reviews and hearing about it. BUT! after I got it home I wasn't impressed at all! I could not get a clear bright picture to save my soul! every time I took a pic. inside it was to dark no matter what setting I put it on! I worked with it for 2 weeks before giving up. I went out and bought a dsc-v3 and I'm waiting for it to come in as we speak (or type) I will tell you how I like it in the future. Doug

Great shots every time! SLR quality with out any bulk!

I've been very happy with the photos from this camera. It's easy to use (short learning curve). My daughter (3yrs old) takes really cool pics with it. It was much cheaper than anything close to it when I bought it. The screen is a nice size. I take it to more places because of it's size. I catch more cool pics of my children because it is sooo quick to start up. There are a lot of lenses and even an underwater accessory for it!

I'm very pleased with it. Can you tell?..

I have used this camera for two weeks now with questionable results. First I must add that I am used to using my Canon 20D and I purchased this to replace a dead Nikon 4300. I have never been so disappointed with the random occurrence of image noise and autofocus problems in a camera. It seems to be independent of ISO, aperture or speed. Three successive shots show severe image noise in two of them but not in the third. Go figure. I had very high hopes for this but I now know why it was only on the market for four months before they came out with a new model.

I have many digital cameras, and do a lot with digital photography. This camera, for its small size, is amazing. I use it 80-90% of the time now. I love it!!

Incredibly crisp resolution, compact size, packed with features, idiot proofed interface, great computer software, what else can i say about a camera that is as close to perfection as i have ever seen?

I've owned Sony digital cameras since 1999. Their latest, small-sized, 7.2 MP DSC-P150 is a wonderful combination of all the good things you can get in a really small camera. It offers an excellent alternative when you are strapped for space and can't lug around their larger, DSC-F828 (which is also an excellent camera.) Easy to use, offering all of the options of larger, more complicated and more expensive cameras, the resolution and clarity of the photos make it a perfect choice for people on the go. Since I've sold quite a few of my photographs I was a little leery about the performance of such a small camera, but I needed something easily packed and very convenient for using in freezing temperatures; I'm really glad I picked this camera. I took it on the ski slopes in Colorado and got some magnificent shots of the Rocky Mountains! Hands down the perfect choice for an all-around camera!

Having read all of the other reviews on this site, I can only add that it is apparent it is of quality workmanship when handling this camera. I also agree that the pictures seem extremely crisp (thanks in part to the Carl Zeiss lens). I only wish for more optical zoom but I'll probably be using a different camera when shooting long shots outdoors. Don't let the small size of the camera fool you. It's loaded with options. This will be my pocket camera until something better comes along! Way to go, Sony!!!

My requirements are that the camera be pocketable, produce crisp photos that have a 'wow factor' and is able to take very good low light photos. I currently own a Pentax 550, which is amazing for crisp and excellently exposed pictures. The only problem is that the flash is weak and the size it just a little too big for front pockets. That said, I embarked on a journey to try out as many cameras that were 5mp and above, yet meeting my requirements. Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Abesofmaine.com all have a return policy with no restocking fee. In fact, the manager of one local store encouraged me to purchase 3 at a time! I tested: Pentax S5i, SV, 750s & 550; Canon G6, Nikon CoolPix 8400 and 5200, Casio EX-P600 and Fujifilm FinePix E550 and Sony P150, all at or above 5mp. I own the Pentax 550, which except for the weak flash and missing slow sync flash feature produces the crispest pictures of all. Go figure! It's just a little too big for my front pocket. Think about it....if you don't have your camera with you, you won't get the picture. I've taken more candid, great priceless shots of my family because the camera was in my pocket. Typically, I don't want to go to a concert or dinner with a camera hanging from my shoulder or bulky pack on the belt. That said, I took a dozen various shots with each camera making every attempt to duplicate the shooting conditions. Of all the cameras, only the Pentax 550 and 750 and Sony P150 yielded very crisp, sharp pictures. Even the Canon G6 was disappointing when compared to the P150. A shot of a graveled parking lot revealed the best comparison by looking at how detailed the rocks were. I was very disappointed with the Canon G6 performance. After MUCH effort, and floating thousands of dollars in purchasing and returning cameras, I am a satisfied owner of what is nearly the perfect solution for me. Besides all that, there are many accessories available for the P150 including a grip with an external flash for large room situations. Hope this helps. Many others have been waiting for me to decide since I have a reputation for doing good research. It is nothing for me to spend 20+ hours researching on the Internet. By the way, I found a site, zipzoomfly.com, which seems very trustworthy, has great reviews and good prices.

This is a brilliant fast easy to use camera. I have been looking for a digital camera for over 12 months now and just recently went o/seas and was able to purchase the Sony after reading several reviews. I have to admit it is actually better than I thought it would be. Not 1 complaint to date.

I can't say enough about this camera. I am in the Graphics Art business & I made a few test shots with a friend who has a Canon 8meg camera. We both agreed that my pictures looked crisper. Enough said...now go buy it, you won't be sorry!!!!

Excellent camera, great resolution, sharp photos, vivid colors, low noise. Easy to use and very compact. Very low power consumption (battery lasts an average of 3 hours). The flash could be a bit more powerful (its range is 3.5 m), but is sufficient for most indoor situations. Good white balance (unlike other sony cybershot cameras that may produce reddish cast pictures under incandescent light. I've taken more than 400 photos and I'm very satisfied with the camera. It's one of the best options in the market.

Excellent camera, great outdoor shots in direct sunlight, great size and fantastic resolution, very fast in operation.