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Photograph: Rick Rizner
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1
- Spec Navigator
- Image Processor
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Dimensions
- Lens Features
- Video
- Connectivity
- Warranty
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1
Cyber-shot DSC-W1 Review, by Tracey Capen June 28, 2004
Were it not for its LCD, the Sony DSC-W1 might look like just another one of the many small, brick-shaped digital cameras on store shelves. But the monster, 2.5-inch screen on the back of the W1 clearly sets this camera apart--and it could make optical viewfinders obsolete. Composing your shots on a screen this size is a heck of a lot easier than doing so on the 1.5- or 1.8-inch panels, or the tiny optical viewfinders, most digital cameras offer. The larger screen also makes seeing and navigating settings menus easier.
But the truly compelling argument for a big LCD is playing back your photos in camera. No more squinting at images that are little bigger than a postage stamp. Your handiwork appears in a size that's truly pleasing, especially when you turn the camera over to friends and family to show them what you've recorded.
Lightning-fast startup is another of the W1's virtues; about 2 seconds after pressing the power button, you're ready to go. Shutdown is equally fast. The camera is great for those travel events where getting a great shot is reduced to stopping, tripping the shutter, and then moving on again quickly.
We were delighted with the test photos the W1 produced; we gave it an overall image-quality score of Very Good and above-average scores for exposure and color accuracy, sharpness, and distortion. All of our test prints had bright, accurate color, with or without flash. Outdoors, the W1 handled our high-contrast city scene nicely, maintaining details in both a dark-brown wall and a bright-white brick wall. It also reproduced blue sky and soft clouds in smooth, consistent colors.
A competitor to Canon's popular Digital Elph models, the W1 is slightly larger than Canon's diminutive cameras but has the same solid, well-machined feel. And it one-ups the Elphs by adding a threaded mount for optional accessory lenses--an unusual but very attractive feature for a pocketable (but not quite shirt-pocketable) camera. Sony didn't send us these lenses, but early samples we've seen elsewhere looked well made and, like the camera, fairly compact. The two telephoto lenses and one wide-angle lens cost $100 to $130, a reasonable price, though you also need a $30 lens adapter tube. In addition, Sony offers a $70 polarizing filter kit that threads onto the adapter tube.
Like other Cyber-shot models we've reviewed, the W1 has a simple, easy-to-navigate menu system for changing settings. Because of the 2.5-inch LCD, the text-based menu labels are large, easily decipherable even when you've forgotten your reading glasses.
As you spin the camera's typical top-mounted mode dial, a replica of the dial's icons shows up briefly (way too briefly) on the LCD. These on-screen icons may help when you're choosing a setting in very low light, but they could have been more useful for novice photographers if Sony had added text descriptions for them.
The camera's focus control is comprehensive for a point-and-shoot: You get a manual focus (with five stepped distance settings); a center-spot automatic focus; and a multipoint autofocus that displays green markers in the LCD to tell you exactly where in the scene the W1 is focused--especially useful for macro photography or in other situations where you want to ensure that the primary subject does not end up blurry.
Shutter lag, the bane of digital cameras, seems negligible in this Sony. It fired flash shots immediately after we pressed the trigger, and, once we had autoexposure lock, natural-light shots were equally quick.
Sony gave the W1 two forms of digital zoom: Smart Zoom is designed to minimize the image deterioration that is common with digital zoom by trading image size for zoom range. For example, when the camera's resolution is set to 1 megapixel, you can use up to 6.1X digital zoom; at 3 megapixels, you get 3.8X zoom. And at the camera's default 5 megapixels, Smart Zoom is switched off, leaving you with a 3X optical zoom to play with. Precision Zoom, on the other hand, works like most digital zooms: It crops the image in the camera, which, just like cropping on your PC, limits the amount you can enlarge a shot before it is blurred beyond all use.
It seems a little odd that the camera comes with a full-manual exposure mode, but neither aperture- nor shutter-priority mode. The W1's full manual is limited but easy to use: Pressing the top and bottom buttons on the four-way thumb pad sets the shutter speed; the right and left buttons let you pick between just two f-stops, which change as you zoom from wide angle to telephoto. Still, the arrangement gives you an extra level of control above the standard exposure-value compensation.
Sony included an on-screen histogram for fine-tuning exposures. It may be useful to advanced photographers who know how to interpret it, but it's overkill for a pocket camera. Missing from the W1 are features that people could get more use out of: a panorama-assist mode and white-balance calibration. And you get no way to adjust the camera's automatic power-down time.
Sony's Picture Package, bundled with the W1, seems bare-bones. You use it to download images and view or archive images, but you'll find almost no image editing tools. The software CD includes an animated tutorial on the basics of photography and using the camera that will be useful only for novices.
Upshot: Sony's DSC-W1 has most of what you could wish for in a fairly compact, easy-to-use point-and-shoot--high resolution, great imaging, a durable feel, and an oversize LCD that makes viewing your creations a pleasure.
Tracey Capen
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: dadanation
Strengths: takes great pictures; hard to mess up; camera makes sense; lightweight and pretty loaded with stuff. plus the gigantic lcd screen is the GREATEST!
Weaknesses: while supposedly easy to understand, i found the screen with the various settings, etc. very confusing at first.
Overall: i have had a nikon swivel, canon powershot (a80 and g5), a fujifilm s3100 and even a mavica -- this camera by far and away if the best digital i have ever used. i use digital photography in my art, so i am a bit picky about the quality of the shot after i download it from the camera to my PC. seriously, once you master the settings (it isn't as hard as i make it sound) this camera becomes like a second skin.and i kid you not, the gigantic lcd screen is a godsend. it really does make a differnce both in setting up a shot and in reviewing it. i also really dig the zoom options (safe, none, precision). it takes good night shots -- not panoramas at night or anything like that but nice moonlight shots in the park kind of photos.this is a great digital.
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Reviewed by: davidxzebra
Strengths: Small and lite enough to fit in shirt pocket. Fast shutter speed. Excellant in low light (with tripod). Cheap batteries that last 200-300 pics. Very sharp and clear pictures in P mode.
Weaknesses: Soft pictures in all full auto modes (but great pics in P and M modes)
Overall: I have used this camera extensively and have used all its features. I was worried at first by reviews of blurry images and soft pictures. I've read professional reviews stating similar weaknesses. So then why do my images turn out so great. Well, because all magazines reviews only evaluate the full auto settings. This camera has great sharpness but in auto (A) and other auto modes the default sharpness is set to normal instead of sharp. If you are the kind of person that will use auto settings most of the time don't buy this camera, buy the cannon A95 5M instead. It has great auto settings. But really, you can buy a cheaper camera that has no manual settings. Why spend money on manual (advanced settings) if you never use it?Well program (P) mode is where you can easily take great sharp pictures. Set the sharpness to "+". If you are taking landscape shots change the contrast and saturation to "+". You will take beautiful shots. Now with increased contrast you may (as expected) experience white out if the picture contains a lot of white. In such cases turn contrast to "-" to eliminate that effect. The auto settings have a default (unchangeable) contrast of "+" so you may experience the whites being washed out. Sony does this to (rightly so) give their pictures better colors then most camera's.In (P) mode you can also select the ISO setting. You should do this because the auto settings tend to pick the lowest ISO setting for you to give you the highest res possible. The downside is that a low ISO setting (say ISO 100) will also force a lower shutter speed?thus produces some blurry pics. If you are indoors set the ISO to 200 to eliminate this problem. As it will double your shutter speed. If it is low light conditions set the ISO to 400. The grainier pics won't be noticeable in a 4 x 6 printout.I also like the no limit high res video mode at 30fps. Wow, it looks great. I went to a robot expo and captured some great video. I captured about 20 min in 15 fps. Something you could not do with a cannon. They limit the length of your video to 30sec.In conclusion, I am really happy with this camera. Its small size means I can put it in my shirt pocket. And as long as you use (P) mode you will get great pics. Luckily this camera is so easy to use that you will want to try out various settings for fun.
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Reviewed by: kz9qr0
Strengths: Size, battery life and features
Weaknesses: Picture Quality is poor for such an advanced Camera
Overall: I was very excited to find out about this camera. It had everything I needed plus more. The excitement ended very quickly after taking picture after picture and about 85% turned out dull and lifeless. I returned the camera and purchased another one as the sales person said they have had some trouble with the W1 model. The second was no different. I did everything to try and get good consistance pictures from a W1 and had little luck. My old Kodak DX 4900 beat the W1 handsdown....It was amazing to me. I returned the second W1 and I'm now waiting for the W5. I hope Sony has fixed the picture quality as I truly think the W1 or W5 has eveything a photograher needs in a digital camera except the most important part...THE PICTURE!!! Here's to hoping Sony hits a home run with the W5.
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Reviewed by: pls5263
Strengths: "BIG" LCD screen, ease of use, endless feature options, close-up photos, and of course PRICE
Weaknesses: small memory card, difficult battery release door
Overall: My first purchase and use of a digital camera. This is one great camera for the price and what it has to offer. I was up and using it in no time at all. The movie option is great as long as you have a large memory card and record in standard mode otherwise the download to a device to play is quite large. Only thing I noticed when the batteries are low is that the lense motor slows down to a crawl and acts differently than with fully charged batteries. Sony has made a great little camera in the DSC-W1.
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Reviewed by: j2c2
Strengths: Size, controls, ease of use, features
Weaknesses: Only 3x optical zoom; placement of speaker (extremely minor)
Overall: This is my 2nd digital camera. It is one of the best purchasing decisions I have ever made. I call it a hidden gem. The quality of the pictures is excellent & features, including manual control, is great. What really sets it apart, though, is that there are additional lenses available. The menu structure is easy to follow & even when I haven't used the camera for a few days, the camera remains easy to use. I am only a "middling" photographer, but, because of its tremendous versatility, I have captured far better pictures than I could with my previous camera. I have already recommended this to several other people and one of my clients went right out and bought the DSC-W1 and is equally ecstatic with her purchase.
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