If you're a digital camera consumer who likes unique features to show off to friends and family, Sony's Cybershot DSC-N1 definitely will grab your attention, thanks to its 3.0-inch LCD that offers top-of-the-line brightness and resolution. Very few of your acquaintances will own a camera with a larger LCD.

The large LCD occupies most of this digital camera's back panel, which leads to another unique feature of the DSC-N1 -- its LCD works as a touch screen. The DSC-N1 has only a few control switches; you'll control most of the digital camera's settings through the touch screen. Even though this LCD is larger than most digital camera LCDs, keep in mind that it still only measures about 3 inches diagonally, meaning it might be a little difficult to use as a touch screen for some people. The DSC-N1 does ship with a stylus, but you cannot attach the stylus anywhere on the digital camera body, which is problematic. You'll definitely want to try this feature before you buy the DSC-N1 to make sure you can use the touch screen comfortably.

The large LCD is important as it serves as the DSC-N1's viewfinder. The DSC-N1 also can use the LCD to present an in-camera slide show, which is a rare feature for digital cameras.

Beyond the touch screen, the DSC-N1 offers many great features for a sub-$500 digital camera, starting with its 8.1 megapixels of resolution. The DSC-N1 can yield prints of film quality in sizes up to 16x22 inches. This digital camera's 3X optical zoom lens produces outstanding images in both low-light and bright sunlight.

When you consider the DSC-N1 measures only 0.875 inches in thickness, its resolution is especially impressive inside the ultra-thin digital camera market.

You can shoot the DSC-N1's first photo about 2 seconds after pressing the power button. Shutter lag is basically non-existent with this digital camera model, and shot-to-shot delays measure 1-2 seconds without the flash and 3-4 seconds with the flash.

Finally, the DSC-N1 can be a full point-and-shoot model or it can be a full manual-setting model, yet another unique feature in a digital camera in the sub-$500 price range. The DSC-N1 gives you a lot of outstanding, unique features. Depending on your perspective, the DSC-N1's touch screen might or might not be one of them. If you like the touch screen, you'll love this model.


Pros: 3-inch LCD, high-end resolution, good mix of automatic and manual features, several unique features
Cons: only runs from proprietary battery, no viewfinder, touch screen won't appeal to everyone, no slot in camera body for stylus

Warranty
1 year