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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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: Fantastic camera!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love the camera!!! Super easy to use, great picture quality, and looks sharp!!!Customer Review: great camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I am very satisfied with this camera. Easy to use and very good picture quality.Customer Review: Like it a lot
Summary: 5 Stars
It is a great first camera. My wife loves it because is very easy to use.Customer Review: SOME OBSERVATIONS ON REVIEWS OF SONY CYBERSHOT W290
Summary: 4 Stars
(I am UPDATING this review after about six months of use, so I am better able to assess my still-positive comments.)
Bottom line: exceptional value and without the image-quality issues I've read so much about
I didn't rate this product 5 stars because of the shutter release button being tough to depress, which will cause problems for me perhaps forever but at least for a while. The LED screen smudges very easily, and the selection buttons on the back are very small but manageable. I think 4 stars is a very good rating and I probably would not find another similar product worthy of more than that. I like the fact that there is a video feature, but that is not important to me, so I don't care that there is no zoom feature while recording. Would be nice, but....I am writing about the still-photo features.
Since my teal blue Sony Cybershot W290 arrived only 2 days ago, I am giving a review of my short-term experience with my first point-and-shoot digital camera. I do have decades of amateur experience with photography using several SLR models, so I appreciate the sophistication of the many advanced features which are simplified for the user in this model. Effects that used to take lots of study, practice and skill are now manageable right out of the box. I am far more impressed than I had ever expected to be. I think that this product is an exceptional value for the money. I did a lot of research~~before and since making my selection~~and in that process I've made some observations that might be worth sharing with those folks who are trying to decide on a purchase.
First, I noticed after repeated visits to this site that there seem to be more reviews and a higher dissatisfaction rate here depending upon the color of the Sony W290 camera body. I don't know what that might suggest, but it is of interest to me. I point it out because initially I did not realize that the reviews are organized by the specific details listed in the product description. I have read all the reviews on all available colors of the Sony W290. Very few of the reviews are duplicated, so there are actually many more total reviews~~and what appears to be a much higher satisfaction rate overall~~if you add all Sony W290 reviews together and take a percentage of that total for each of the criteria evaluated.
Second, it seems unreasonable to me that such wide variation in satisfaction with picture sharpness and indoor lighting can be a result of production quality control. If that were the case, Sony would have been driven out of business long ago. I've read many comments on "soft edges" and clarity "only in the central focus" which are normal characteristics of a short "depth of field." If all long distance photos have "soft" or blurry edges, that may indicate a faulty lens. Otherwise, that softness is more likely related to the mode/setup the user selected. And I took hundreds of indoor shots with no difficulty at all.
Third, I've seen no difference between the LED image and my high-resolution computer screen after directly uploading with the USB cable. I use a Mac with OS 10.4, which can't use the PMB image software on the CD. It seems to me that the PMB program could account for image discrepancies many have described. I had a few pics printed at Costco today to check for consistency, with no problems to report.
Fourth, while I have lots of experience at steadying shots on my SLRs, I noticed immediately that the shutter release button requires more pressure than I prefer, probably to avoid inadvertent picture taking in your pocket, given the portability, as others have mentioned. At least the "steady shot" and the 2-second self-timer (using tripod or other support, like roof of car, etc.) features can improve some of those situations, unless there is motion in the subject. But I anticipate that this will be an adjustment. Personally, I am willing to work at that until I have the technique down~~as a tradeoff for all the fabulous features in the total package. (UPDATE: I am not noticing this tough shutter release any longer; I may have adjusted to it!)
Fifth, the charger that came with the camera charged the battery in 90 minutes rather than the 5 1/2 hours stated in the manual; but I followed the suggestion in the manual to leave it charging for an additional 60 minutes to get a "full" charge. I have taken hundreds of shots using the flash and in various higher resolutions, deleted lots of pics and uploaded about 50 shots to my computer, and the battery seems to have about 1/4 of the life left. (UPDATE: The battery does not last very long, especially when shooting at higher resolution. I recently had to change what had been a fully charged battery after about 100 outdoor shots, set at 8x10 resolution.)
Sixth, I bought some accessories that are probably a very good idea (suggestions I took from others in earlier reviews): an NP-FG1 extra battery, two 4GB Sony Mark II Pro Duo memory sticks (not eBay knockoffs), an LED anti-glare protection film, and a slim case. I also bought some that are probably not at all necessary: a travel charger pack which is supposed to charge much faster than the one that came with the camera but which actually charged in the same 90 min., and a media memory stick reader/writer because I didn't realize that the camera kit came with the USB cable to upload. Since this item can write to the memory stick, it will probably come in handy down the road. (UPDATE: This item can not write to the stick as I had thought.)
(UPDATE: I carry this camera and the extra, charged battery and memory stick with me all the time due to the convenient size. So I take more of those shots that I always missed before. I am still amazed at the picture quality from this lens and all the tricks it can do without operator skills!!)
Happy hunting and may you be at peace in your decision....
(ADDENDUM: It is August '10 now and I took some sunny backlit shots which the camera automatically corrected. They came out great. Also, I cropped and enlarged head shots out of larger photos and had them printed. The quality was fine. The camera had been set on 8x10 resolution. Needless to say, I am very pleased once again!!)
Rennie
Customer Review: Comparing the Sony DSC-W290 to the Canon SX110IS.
Summary: 4 Stars
NOTE: IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT, SEE WARNING BELOW!
My wife and I are planning a long vacation trip and needed a compact, but versatile, alternative to a full blown DSLR. I've owned this little camera for just 20 hours, but can offer some first impressions. We bought a Canon SX110IS at Christmas for our daughter. Compared to the jewel-like Sony, the Canon's build quality seems substantially less. However, it has a 10X optical zoom compared to Sony's 5x, but 9 mega pixel resolution compared to 12.1 on the Sony. I doubt that the image quality difference will be notable, but I will update this when I can make a valid comparison.
One of the main reasons I picked the Sony over the Canon is that it is truly compact. While the Canon is small, the Sony is flat - less than 1" thick - and hardly shows in a pocket (although I have ordered a case). Comparatively speaking, its LCD screen is huge and bright (but does not swivel like some Canons). BTW, neither camera has a viewfinder, so I am not confident that either will be easy to see in bright sunlight.
This model does NOT employ a touch screen (which I did not value), but the controls (though small) are simple and generally intuitive once you learn Sony's ops language (different from Canon's). I will admit, if you happen to be a bit ham-fisted, you may not be willing to struggle with such tiny controls which are suited more to a child's hand than an adults. Also, because they are so small, the two adjustable dials are hard to read - not so handy when your eyes start to fail as are mine.
The special features (many on this camera) all seem like they may be useful, but the "smile" feature seems a bit useless to me. The facial recognition works great - even when I pointed it at a TV image. It takes longer than I am used to to auto focus (I normally shoot with a Canon full frame 5D that uses focus motors in the lenses - hardly a fair comparison).
Also, if you plan to use this camera to record full 12.1 mega pixel images, you will have to buy plenty of Memory Stick storage, although it will shoot at much lower resolutions, it has limited internal memory. I bought two 16GB Sony brand Pro Duo sticks on eBay for $21 each to be able to do so. BTW, that is much cheaper than Amazon, say. Also, since this camera shoots HD (720P) video in MPEG4 format - one of the features I plan to exploit - you'll want plenty of extra storage anyhow.
I'll have to reserve my opinions on picture quality until I can do a real world test, but the images I shot indoors with the built-in flash were crisp and noiseless at 12.1 mega pixels, less so, of course as I tried lower resolutions.
And did I mention that the Sony's "anodized" blue finish trimmed in "black chrome" is elegant and stunning?
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
Shortly after writing this review, I decided to double-check my "cheap" memory purchase. What I found was disturbing. It is very likely that the Pro Duo memory sticks I bought on eBay are FAKES! I'm telling you this so you won't make the same mistake I probably did (my Memory Sticks have not yet been delivered). If you will check out this eBay link BEFORE you buy memory for your new camera (or other Sony device), you may be able to save yourself a lot of trouble (and $$$).
http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-Sony-Memory-Stick-Pro-Duo-MagicGate-Cards-Exposed_W0QQugidZ10000000001236041
Like they say, "If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is". I know better, and now, so do you. I will confirm the results after I have had a chance to try them out. Incidentally, just shot some outside images of our flowering crabapple blossoms. Pictures look great and I could see the LCD in "cloudy bright" afternoon sunlight.
4-28-09
As promised, an update. The Memory Sticks from Hong Kong did indeed turn out to be bogus. They look exactly like Sony products, including the very detailed packaging, but they simply didn't work. The Sandisk Ultra 4GB version I bought at Staples works great, even when recording "HD fine" video. Playback looks beautiful (considering the source) on the computer, but not nearly as sharp on an HDTV when using the composite cable that came with the camera. I now have no qualms about substituting this for my miniDV camcorder on the next trip, however.
The "smile" function actually works, but I could live without it. The camera makes it really difficult to mess up exposure. I've even tried fooling it with extremely harsh back lighting and it still exposed faces properly. 12.1GB images are not as sharp as I'd like when I carefully examine the detail, and there is some noise present. Keep in mind, however, that I typically shoot with a Canon full frame DSLR. I will, however, compare it to a Nikon Coolpix I used a couple of years ago. The Nikon was substantially sharper in similar situations. If the ultimate picture quality is high on your priority list, look at the comparably priced Nikons and Canons. For the features I wanted, this Sony remains the best choice for me. Finally, Sony make two affordable underwater housings for this camera. One for snorkeling and one for diving.