I was given the Sony Cyber-Shot 20.1 Mega Pixel camera to review recently. After looking through the menu on the camera, which was easy enough to navigate with only a few options, I started snapping away. The camera is very simple and easy to use, and features 20.1 Mega Pixels with 5 x zoom lens. But here is the conundrum… why buy a camera, which retails for about R999, when most people nowadays have smart phones, which may not have 20.1 mega pixels, but can take really good photos nevertheless? The screen size of the Sony Cyber-Shot is also rather small in comparison to the screen size of my iPhone 5S. I took the same photo with both the Sony Cyber-Shot and my iPhone 5S and could not spot the difference in quality, even though the iPhone 5S only has 8 mega pixels.

iPhone 5S camera pic 1

iPhone 5S camera pic 2

Sony Cyber-Shot Pic 1

Sony Cyber-Shot Pic 2

Now that I look at the photos back to back, it seems that the iPhone pics are actually brighter.

Other features of the Sony Cyber-Shot include what is called “Easy Mode” which has bigger fonts and allows the camera to do most of the work, so that one can merely aim and shoot. There is also a Movie button, allowing you to record 1280 x 780 high definition video in 29 minute segments at a speed of 30 frames per second to achieve high quality.

All in all, if you just want a simple camera, and don’t want to bog your mobile phone down with too much photos, then this would make an ideal replacement for when you are on holiday and want a non-complicated device, that is small enough to slip into your pocket.

Happy Snapping!