To measure and compare the Sony Cyber-shot DCS-T70’s resolving power we photographed the Enhanced Digital Camera Resolution Chart with it and a number of rival compacts, each using their best quality JPEG and default image tone and sharpening settings. Each camera was tested at every aperture setting and the best result selected for this page.

The crops are taken from the original images, saved as High Quality JPEGs in Photoshop CS2 and presented here at 100%. Each number represents 100 lines per picture height (lpph), so a figure of 20 means a resolution of 2000 lpph.

In terms of resolving power, the Sony Cyber-shot DCS-T70 delivers 1850 lpph of horizontal and vertical resolution which places it slightly below the best 8 Megapixel compacts we’ve tested. Both Canon’s Ixus 860IS / PowerShot SD870 IS and Panasonic’s Lumix FX33 deliver measurably higher resolution in this test, although this may not translate into that big a difference with real-life subjects. We’ve included Sony’s W200 here to show the kind of resolution possible with a 12 Megapixel compact under controlled (and ideal) conditions.

Of course studio resolution is one thing, but how the camera handles across its sensitivity range with real-life subjects is another, so now let’s check out our Sony T70 noise results.