Like other Sony touch-screen cameras, the 10.1-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 looks gorgeous, takes beautiful photos, and features an intuitive interface. What's more, tightly integrated Wi-Fi and a built-in Web browser let you upload pictures and video directly to photo-sharing services. There's even support for the up-and-coming DLNA protocol, whereby the camera can act as a networked media server that streams photos to other DLNA-enabled devices. Unfortunately, slow data-transfer times and poor battery life detract from the total package. Also, at $499.99 (direct), the DSC-G3 is one of the most expensive point-and-shoot cameras you can buy.
The DSC-G3, which measures about 4 by 2.3 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.7 ounces, has a build unlike that of any other Sony pocket camera. Its sleek style is similar to that of the Cyber-shot DSC-T500 and T700, with a body of black brushed aluminum and a 3.5-inch widescreen touch-screen LCD on the back. But where the T500 and T700 require you to slide a small panel over the front of the camera to reveal the lens, the G3's entire body slides open to provide access to the lens and the zoom controls. The only other physical controls on the camera are the large shutter release button and small Power, Playback, and WLAN buttons, the last to activate the wireless features.
When the camera is powered on, the lens never extends outside of the G3's chassis, but it still manages a 4X optical zoom, with a focal range of 6.18mm to 24.7mm (35mm equivalent: 35mm to 140mm), with corresponding maximum f-stops at f/3.5 and f/10.
The 3.5-inch LCD screen contains 921,000 pixels. In playback mode photos look extremely sharp, as do text and icons in the menus for the wireless features. Oddly, the menus for the other functions look identical to what I've seen on the lower-resolution screens of the T500 or even the 230K-pixel T70. In those cases, the text and menus don't take advantage of the screen's higher resolution and look pixelated. At least the touch screen is very responsive when you're using camera functions.
This camera's big sell is its robust wireless capability. We really liked last year's Wi-Fi–capable Nikon Coolpix S610c, but the G3 adds more functionality. It lets you easily upload video to YouTube and still images to photo Web sites such as Shutterfly, Picasa, and Photobucket at their full resolution (the S610c downsized images before sending them), then send notification e-mails (with URLs) to friends and family. You can also jump onto any Wi-Fi network, even ones that require you to accept agreement terms through a Web browser (since the G3 has one), which the S610c couldn't handle.
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