Those aren't groundbreaking specs, but they hit many sweet spots for a . Alas, the cost-cutting measures needed to happen somewhere, and in the case of the Cyber-shot DSC-S980, the trade-off is lackluster image quality.

In PC World Test Center jury evaluations, we pitted sample images from the DSC-S980 against those from a slew of other in our . The samples from the DSC-S980 were noticeably darker and, when the flash was turned on, less evenly lit than those of the competition. Overall, the DSC-S980 earned an imaging score of Fair.

Battery life was a much brighter note, however. The Cyber-shot DSC-S980 took a whopping 379 shots on a single charge of its lithium ion battery, enough for a battery-life rating of Very Good.

Like the higher-quality ($200), the DSC-S980 has a host of convenient design elements going for it. Topmost on that list is the mode dial, which provides quick analog access to six shooting modes (Program Auto, Auto Mode, Easy Mode, Auto ISO Mode, Scene Mode, and Movie Mode).

In Program Auto mode, with manually adjustable ISO settings, the DSC-S980 performed at a decent level in low-light scenarios. Noise became a bit disruptive at ISO 1600, and was extremely visible at ISO 3200. Even so, the camera snapped bright shots at high-light-sensitivity levels.