Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black)
by Sony
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SonyModel: DSC-W290/B
Color: Black
Product features:
- 12.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD image sensor
- 5x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens; Optical SteadyShot image stabilization
- 720p high-definition movie capture; BIONZ image processor
- 3.0-inch (230K pixels) Clear Photo LCD; Face Detection and Smile Shutter technology
- 11MB built-in memory; capture images to Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo Media (not included)
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]
- Aperture 3
- Maximal Power Rapid Charger for Sony NP-BG1/FG1/BK1, Sanyo DB-L80, Pentax LI-88/92, Olympus LI50B/70B, Samsung BP70A Battery
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black)
Customer Review: Poor image quality ruins an otherwise good camera
Summary: 2 Stars
I used to own a Sony DSC-p10, it's a 5 megapixel camera from around 2003. The camera was great, but finally gave up, mostly due to abuse. Since I had such good luck with my first Sony camera, I decided it would be great to get another Sony over the more popular Cannon's. I got this camera around the end of June, which at the time of my writing this was 4 months ago and I've taken just over 600 pictures.
Let's start out with the good:
The display is huge, and easy to see things in. Everyone that uses this camera comments on how big and nice the display is.
Battery life is outstanding. Actually, what's better than outstanding? I'm not sure, but that's what it is. Kudos to Sony on this one, I've charged the battery 3-4 times since I've owned the camera.
The video is phenomenal, quality is better than I would expect out of a point-and-shoot but it suffers from the same focus problem as the still shots, which I'll explain later.
Feature wise, this camera has plenty... mostly you'll probably never use.
One of the reasons I got this camera is because I was familiar with the Sony menu system, so as far as I'm concerned it's easy to use but this is more opinion than fact.
The camera is fast, or at least I've not noticed it being slow which is a welcome change from my previous camera.
The zoom works as expected, nothing good or bad to report. It doesn't work while recording a video but that's not really a big deal to me.
Size is good for me, but I'm a guy and have big pockets. It's slightly larger than some other point and shoot's but it's also mostly screen. Can't have everything.
Now for the knit-picky things,
There's no viewfinder, and the screen doesn't work very well in direct sunlight. It's bright enough to be seen outdoors if you're facing the right direction, but I've found myself wanting a viewfinder a few times. Its lack of one is no surprise though, since I clearly knew this before I bought the camera.
Whenever I hand this camera to someone to take a picture of me, they are ALWAYS confused by the buttons. There's the goofy "smile detection" button on the top, as well as on/off and shutter. The shutter button is oblong and apparently confuses people. I feel it's a bit hard to push with my big paw sized hands. It would be nicer if it was a round button that protruded from the top of the cam.
The mode selection wheel often turns its self in my pocket or backpack and I find myself taking videos instead of pictures too often.
The lanyard that came with the camera didn't have the little clip that slides on it to snug it up to your wrist, which pretty much defeats the point of a lanyard in the first place. This seems like a very silly place to save $.01. I used the lanyard from my previous camera, and it works great.
This camera uses a proprietary plug to attach to the computer and requires an external battery charger. This is basically the same thing that Cannon does, but my old Sony camera used a standard mini-usb style plug and I could plug the charger directly into the cam without removing the battery.
If you've made it this far, you're probably still seriously interested in buying this camera, and I don't blame you. Most of the things I listed above aren't really that big of a deal. But honestly, don't buy this camera, and here's why:
The image quality is AWFUL. TERRIBLE. WRETCHED. This thing's supposed to be a 12 megapixel awesome fantastic camera, but my old 5 megapixel camera from 2003 took better pictures hands down. The W290's daylight performance is acceptable... not fantastic, but I could live with it. The low-light performance if this camera is really bad though. Pictures that are even in moderate light start to become grainy way before they should and the flash doesn't make up for it.
That's not the worst part though; the autofocus of this camera is worthless. I've taken more out of focus pictures in the past 4 months than the past 4 years. It's always confused, zooming the focus in and out trying to pick out whatever is in the foreground. I've tried center focus, multifocus, etc and nothing seems to help. Medium light action shots are impossible. Most recently, I tried to take a picture of my girlfriend moving her head while in the bleachers at a stadium at night with all the stadium lights on... the flash went off (it was on "easy mode") and still she motion blurred AND out of focus, this is just unacceptable. In another case I tried to take photos of dolphins off of the bow of a fishing boat at high noon (plenty of light) and the camera was unable to properly focus. I took photos in exactly the same conditions with my previous camera and they turned out perfect.
Basically, in closing, this camera is worthless unless you just want some flashy looking toy that you can maybe take non-action pictures outside on sunny days with. Good luck shopping elsewhere.
More Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black) reviews:
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Description of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 camera combines style with power and intelligence. The W290 comes in 4 sophisticated colors and has a stylish look. With the W290 taking great pictures is now easier than ever. The iAuto mode goes beyond the traditional auto mode, thinking and working for you; recognizing scenes, lighting conditions, faces, and automatically adjusts camera settings resulting in clearer images, and faces with more natural skin tones and less blur. The W290 also features HD Movie mode, recording in 720p for capturing your precious moments on video. Compose, review, and share your memories on the large 3.0? (230k pixels) LCD.Digital Cameras
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