Sony Cyber-shot S · announced January 2007

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700: a metal-bodied budget compact that ran on AA cells

We found no other regional name for it: Sony's announcement and every review we read use DSC-S700.¹⁴⁹

In January 2007 Sony gave its entry-level 7.2-megapixel Cyber-shot a 2.4-inch screen and two AA cells. Reviewers liked how fast it started and marked it down for noise and lost fine detail, and the 460-shot battery rating came with a condition.

Launched

January 2007

Launch price

$180 at announcement; cut to $150 by October 2007¹⁴

Sensor

7.2 MP CCD

Lens

35–105 mm, 3×

Card

Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo

Battery

AA

Specs and sources

Meet the camera

Sony announced the S700 on 17 January 2007 with the S650, which differs mainly in a smaller 2-inch screen, and two W-series cameras, the W35 and W55.¹⁹ The S700 was to ship in March for about $180, a month after the others; the S650 was about $150 and the W55, with a Zeiss lens and a lithium-ion battery, about $200.¹² Imaging Resource lists availability as 30 March and CNET's page as 15 March, and by October, Imaging Resource reported, Sony had cut the price to $150.⁵¹⁰⁴

The S700 measured about 91 by 61 by 25 millimetres and had a Sony-branded 3x lens, which Mobile-review noted was not the Zeiss glass Sony usually fitted.⁵¹⁹ CNET placed it at the rock bottom of Sony's 2007 line.¹⁰ Sony's press release called the body metal, as did Imaging Resource, Steve's Digicams and Mobile-review, yet Sony's Asia support page lists the material as plastic, and also gives a body weight (130 grams) and depth (26.5 millimetres) that differ from the US figures; we could not resolve that.¹⁴⁸⁹¹² Quoted weights run from 149 grams for the body alone (Steve's Digicams, quoting Sony) through 178 (Mobile-review) and 191 with batteries (Imaging Resource's data page) to 198 with battery and a Memory Stick (Steve's Digicams, quoting Sony), a figure Sony Asia gives "with accessories" and Imaging Resource's launch table also lists.⁶⁹⁵¹²¹

Why this one was interesting

Two AA cells, and a number with a condition

Imaging Resource noted that many cameras share one compartment between battery and card but use latched lithium-ion packs, and that Sony had not latched the S700's AAs.⁴ Mobile-review listed AA power among its pros, and Imaging Resource called its above-average performance on AA cells in an ultra-compact body an intriguing alternative.⁹⁴ The headline figure is where sources part, and the cell type decides the answer. Here is what each one says:

Read together, they say the 460-shot rating was for rechargeable NiMH cells bought separately, and the alkaline figure Steve's Digicams quotes from Sony is about a fifth of that.⁷¹

Quick for a budget camera

Imaging Resource ranked start-up (2 seconds), shutdown (1.5 seconds) and autofocus lag as above average; its data table lists shutter lag of 0.48 seconds with autofocus and 0.23 pre-focused.⁴⁵ CNET found it powered on and shot in just under 2 seconds and focused and fired in 0.8 seconds in good light.¹⁰ Steve's Digicams measured 2.3 seconds to the first picture and 1.1 seconds between frames without flash.⁸

Where it sat in the 2007 line

Imaging Resource said it lacked features of Sony's W, T and H series, such as face detection, but called AA power with above-average performance in an ultra-compact body an intriguing alternative.⁴ The W55 announced beside it cost about $20 more;¹ we wrote that one up as the DSC-W55 retrospective. For an earlier AA-powered Sony see the DSC-P72, and for Sony's bigger-sensor 7.2-megapixel compact of 2005 the DSC-P200.

What was lost

There was no optical viewfinder, as Imaging Resource, CNET and Steve's Digicams all said, though Imaging Resource's spec tables list one.⁴¹⁰⁸⁵ The table shows no image stabilisation, and the movie mode was 320 by 240 only, which Steve's Digicams called a disappointment and Mobile-review called more than modest by today's standards.⁵⁸⁹ Mobile-review found no autofocus assist lamp and no histogram, and Imaging Resource's table lists no assist light, though its review text mentions a focus assist lamp on the front and Sony's Asia page lists an illuminator.⁹⁵⁴¹²

The dark: its weak point

Sony sold ISO 1000 as a way to shoot birthday candles and city lights without flash.¹ Imaging Resource found colour held at ISO 1000 but with a good deal of noise and vanished detail, and said noise suppression changed simple objects "even at the lowest ISO settings".⁴ Mobile-review judged that noise was low only at ISO 100, that colour noise was visible from ISO 200, that ISO 400 was the practical limit and that dynamic range narrowed from there.⁹ Steve's Digicams called the noise "horrible" at ISO 1000 indoors but found the pictures more usable than ones ruined by shake.⁸

Four photographs taken with this camera at high ISO (read from each file's own data). Credited under each picture.

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The little wins

How it drew the picture

Imaging Resource found the colour natural but detail thin, with blown highlights on a white wall and purple fringing it called disturbingly noticeable.⁴ Steve's Digicams found most outdoor pictures sharp, well exposed and well saturated, with some noise visible at 100 percent even at ISO 100.⁸ Mobile-review saw barrel distortion at wide angle, weak fringing (the opposite of Imaging Resource's finding), flare in backlit scenes and a tendency to underexpose.⁹ Imaging Resource suggested it only for 4 by 6 inch prints,⁴ and CNET's summary spoke of issues with photo quality; its image-quality section was on a page we could not read.¹⁰

Photos taken with this camera, from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each picture. We chose them by looking, and confirmed the camera model in each file's data. Most of the free photos of this model come from a single uploader, so we picked from the rest.

Where it let you down

The batteries were not latched, and Imaging Resource warned that they fall out when you open the door for the card, so it advised turning the camera upside down first.⁴ Three reviewers found the screen hard to read in bright sun, and Imaging Resource said its low resolution made exposures look worse than they were; Steve's Digicams, alone, said it works well outdoors though reflective.⁴¹⁰⁹⁸ The buttons were a split verdict: small and hard to press for Imaging Resource, flat and sometimes unresponsive for CNET, but well made and pleasant to press for Mobile-review.⁴¹⁰⁹ Flash recharge was another: Imaging Resource ranked its flash cycle above average and CNET timed 2.5 seconds between flash shots, but Steve's Digicams measured almost 8 seconds and called it ridiculously slow, and disliked the plastic tripod socket at the far edge.⁴¹⁰⁸

What the reviewers said in 2007

The timeline

• 17 January 2007Sony announces the S700, S650, W35 and W55; the S700 is about $180.¹
• March 2007Availability: 15 March (CNET) or 30 March (Imaging Resource).¹⁰⁵
• 30 April 2007Steve's Digicams publishes its review.⁶
• 8 June 2007Mobile-review publishes its review.⁹
• 25 October 2007Imaging Resource publishes its review; the price is $150.⁴
• 7 November 2007CNET publishes its review.¹⁰

Should you buy one now?

It suits someone who wants a basic 2007 snapshot camera on ordinary AA cells that starts quickly and shoots outdoors in good light; the reviewers' complaints about high-ISO noise and a screen that is hard to read in sun argue against asking more.⁴¹⁰⁹⁸ It launched at about $180;¹ what it sells for now is a question for the sold listings, not for us. We have not tested a unit. Before you bid, check these:

• The name. The S650 is a near twin with a 2-inch screen; the 2.4-inch screen marks the S700.⁹¹
• The batteries. Plan on rechargeable NiMH, which Sony rated at up to 460 shots against about 100 for alkaline;⁷ the cells are not latched, so check that the door closes firmly.⁴ See rechargeable AA cells on Amazon ↗.
• The card. Memory Stick Duo or PRO Duo; Sony's release named 4 GB cards as the expansion option, and Imaging Resource noted that no card was included and that many readers need an adapter.¹⁴ See our Memory Stick guide and the glossary.
• The screen and lens. The screen is the only viewfinder,⁴¹⁰ so check it for scratches, and check that the lens extends and retracts cleanly.

If you are wondering why cameras like this are being hunted down again, we tell that story once, in Pictures that never left the card.

See recent sold prices on eBay ↗Shop on eBay ↗AA batteries ↗

Sources

1. Imaging Resource news, Sony: Four new Cyber-shot digicams by Mike Tomkins (17 Jan 2007), with Sony Electronics' press release of the same date reproduced on the page
2. Reviewed.com, Sony Launches Cyber-shot S700 and S650 by Karen M. Cheung (17 Jan 2007)
3. The Register, Sony opens shutter on 7.2Mp compact digicam quartet by Tony Smith (18 Jan 2007)
4. Imaging Resource, Sony DSC-S700 overview and user report by Mike Pasini (25 Oct 2007)
5. Imaging Resource, Sony DSC-S700 specifications and timing data (availability 30 March 2007)
6. Steve's Digicams, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700 hands-on review, introduction page (posted 30 Apr 2007; read through the Internet Archive)
7. Steve's Digicams, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700, features and controls page (Internet Archive copy)
8. Steve's Digicams, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700, Steve's Conclusion page (Internet Archive copy)
9. Mobile-review.com, Обзор фотокамеры Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700 by Dmitry Kalyada (8 Jun 2007, in Russian)
10. CNET, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700 review by Lori Grunin (7 Nov 2007; first page of the text, Internet Archive copy of Dec 2008)
11. CNET, editors' rating explained for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700 (7 Nov 2007; Internet Archive copy of Mar 2008)
12. Sony Asia Pacific support, DSC-S700 specifications (read 22 Oct 2026)

Photographs are credited under each one, all via Wikimedia Commons. Links to eBay and Amazon are affiliate links.