Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Dark Blue)
by Sony
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Our Price: $239.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $79.90 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Dark Blue)
Customer Review: A Small But Powerful Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the camera for less than 2 weeks but absolutely love it. I received it two days before I left on a cruise, so I got to test it out on my vacation.
The shooting modes are plentiful. I always had one that would best suite the shooting conditions, even one for food! I loved being able to take pictures in settings that would normally require a flash but the W290 didn't need the additional light. I was taking pictures of the stage performances and not breaking the "no flash pictures" rule. The ability to "stabilize" photos is great. It even works well in pictures without flash. I am notorious for ruining photos taken indoors due to shaky hands, but this camera overcomes that.
The video recording is clear and looks great when played back. I was able to put together a great movie of my trip and didn't need to bring a digital camera AND a camcorder. The software used to download your shots and video from the camera to a PC works well.
The battery lasted quite awhile. I got 4 days of taking pictures and video before I needed to recharge. I did purchase an extra battery after my trip so I can always have one fully charged. The new battery I bought off the Sony Style web site also has the ability to show you how much use time is left on it. I haven't used that one yet but will post when I do with the amount of time it says it will last.
There are only three things I found that are minuses on this camera:
* You can't zoom in or out when using video - the shot is fixed until you stop recording. If a newer model comes out with this ability I would seriously consider upgrading.
* The button for snapping photos and starting/stopping video recording could have been raised a little more to make it easier to find by touch. A few times I find myself pressing what I think is the photo button but nothing is happening because my finger is not on the button.
* On a few of the videos there's a section of black "corruption" that pops up in the corner of a video. Out of the approx 30 videos I took, this happened on 3 of them. It's only there for a few frames but is noticeable. I haven't seen mention of this in any other reviews yet so it may be an issue with my camera.
I might have dropped my review to 4 stars because of the video glitch that happens except that it may not be inherent with the model. I am also upgrading from an old Nikon CoolPix 990 (the one with the swivel body) that is cranky and doesn't like to focus when you try and take a picture - The difference in shooting pictures is night and day between them. Throw in the ease of use, compact size, video recording, and 12+ megapixel picture quality and I gladly give the Cyber-Shot W290 5 stars.
Customer Review: Great point and shoot
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this camera back in March. I had originally wanted a pocket hd video camera like the Flip Mino HD or the Creative Vado HD. After comparing prices between the different cameras I decided my best route would be to purchase a point and shoot camera which could also handle 720p video. Then Canon and Sony released two point and shoots which did just that.
I compared the Canon Powershot SD780IS to the Sony W290. The canon was more compact than the Sony. Both recorded 720p video. Both are 12.1 megapixel cameras. The Canon has a 3x optical zoom while the Sony offers 5x. The Sony has the 3 inch lcd while the Canon only has a 2.5 inch. And finally the Canon retailed for about $30 more than the Sony. I picked the Sony since it was a little less expensive and I liked the fact that it had the larger lcd and zoom.
My wife and I took it on vacation with us to the beach in April and I was able to use this camera to take many pictures and a few hd videos. I was very happy with the quality of the stills. Not being a pro photographer, the images looked very sharp and detailed to me. The HD video was excellent as well. I wanted the video ability so that I could record video that would be uploaded to sharing sites like youtube and facebook. So watching it on a hi def television wasn't that important. It looks great on a computer monitor.
The one drawback is that you have to buy sony memory. The camera doesn't use SD cards like most other point and shoots. But I was able to buy a 4gb memory stick card for about $15 so it wasn't too big a deal. A 4gb card can hold many hundreds of photos and several hd video clips.
After 3 months of owning this camera I can say I've been very happy with the purchase.
Customer Review: Great Camera, Great Price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love the Sony line of digital point and shoot camera's. We just replaced our older Sony Cyber Shot DSC-S500 6.0 megapixel camera that we've had for years. I'm amazed at all the advanced features like the optical steady shot, all the different formats, the smile detector, burst mode (it takes several shots per second), and on and on. The picture clarity is amazing as well as the video clarity. I wish they had kept the original AA battery design, but I just purchased a spare battery from Amazon that I keep charged and with me everywhere we go. I also upgraded the memory to 4 Gig and can't believe how many pics this camera will hold! We just got back from a trip to the Carribean and took over 640 pics and 4 video's and still had 135 pics to go. Battery life so far has been great, but I would suggest to everyone to completely drain your battery prior to charging it for the first time. This is a several day process but it well worth it. Just leave the camera on in video mode until it dies. Then just keep turning it on until it stops turning on after several hours of rest. My next camera will be a Sony, but I'm sure that won't be for many years to come since these camera's are durable and reliable. Happy Shooting!Customer Review: Awesome point and shoot camera
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W290 is an awesome point and shoot camera! It takes excellant sharp, vivid and clear photos everytime! The color is very accurate! Love the bright, clear, great 3.0" color LCD screen! The menu navigation is the easiest of any camera brand. The camera in Auto Intelligent mode, is so automatic, the camera does all the work for you! Just aim and shoot! Great photos everytime. The 720p HD video recording is also great! You can playback the video and freeze frame were ever you like and make a photo copy of it. Great for active kids, just record them. Playback the video and pause when you see that perfect moment. Then save it as a photo! Looks every bit as good as the regular photos, absolutely no difference. The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W290 is also one of the coolest, most modern looking cameras in it's price range! It's very sturdy and well built. As with all Sony products! Great battery life from the included lithium ion rechargable battery! In it's price range the Sony DSC-W290 is very hard to beat! Buy one, I'm sure you'll agree! It's the BEST in it's class! Plus, you get great professional Carl Zeiss German lenses! The BEST in the industry! Plus, they are used by NASA on the Space Shuttle!Customer Review: Great Price/Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used the camera extensively for 3 weeks (hundreds of shots, dozens of videos)
Positives:
* Flexible Lens (wide angle - 5x zoom).
* bright 3" LCD.
* HD (720p) video (superb video quality for this price range, though the audio isn't great).
* Good image stabilization. Maybe not the best out there, but I took telephoto shots at dusk with no blur(!)
* Great color fidelity. The Sony-ish colors we know and love.
* Excellent user interface and ergonomics (be advised that buttons are small).
* Intelligent auto mode - determines the situation (backlit, macro, indoor/outdoor, etc.) and adjusts automatically
* Flexible focus and exposure options, plus face detection (though this is more-or-less standard these days)
* Smile shutter was a lot of fun -- but probably not something I'm going to use often.
* Blink-detected warning (Tells you if someone blinked in the photo you just took.) Quite useful.
* Easily pocketable.
* Great-looking.
Negatives:
* Won't zoom while shooting videos
For the price (it was on sale at 20% off), nothing comes close.