Sony Cybershot DSC-T7

Sony's digital cameras just seem to get smaller and smaller. Last year, we looked at the Cybershot DSC-T1, a 5-megapixel camera in an extremely slim body. The latest DSC-T7 doesn't have any more features than its predecessor but comes in an even thinner case.

As with the T1,the second thing you notice about this camera, after the size, is its large 2.5in display on the back. There's no viewfinder but the screen is big enough to identify out-of-focus shots and to frame photos properly.

Picture quality is reasonable but perhaps not quite as good as might be expected from a 5.1-megapixel camera. Although the pictures are sharp and the colours bright and accurate, the T7 has problems coping with poor lighting conditions because the lens is so small.

At low light levels, when the camera has to switch to a higher ISO rating to avoid long shutter speeds, picture quality deteriorates and graininess becomes very apparent. In decent lighting, when it can use lower ISO ratings, the camera performs admirably.

Although the lens is small, it is accompanied by a 3x optical zoom. The T7 includes a built-in flash but, in keeping with the rest of the camera, it is extremely small. This means it's not very powerful and, consequently, not really of much use, although the T7 copes adequately with close-by objects and when in macro mode.

One good point is the time is takes to switch on and start snapping, literally less than a second. Also, the time between pressing the shutter button and the camera actually taking a picture is very short, as is the time taken to be ready for the next shot after taking a picture.

The camera takes Sony's Memory Stick Duo memory cards which are smaller than standard Memory Sticks and a little more expensive than the SD cards found in many other cameras. A 32Mb card is supplied but to take a decent amount of pictures in one sitting you'll need something bigger.

At nearly three hours for a full charge, battery charging time is long. It's also a nuisance as the battery has to be removed from the camera and inserted into an external charger. Although poor battery life is a common problem with small cameras, the T7 still managed about an hour and a half of general use, which isn't too bad.

Because of its size and features, this is generally a very capable camera for most uses, although it struggles when lightning conditions are not ideal and suffers from poor battery life.

On the flipside, it's the thinnest 5-megapixel camera we have seen, and with a larger memory card and an extra battery this could be ideal for people out and about.

Although we gave the T1 a sparkling review 18 months ago, digital camera technology has moved on so much so that it's fair to expect a camera costing more than £300 to produce excellent pictures all the time.