Customer Reviews

Sony Cybershot DSC-W7 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I've read all the previous reviews on this site and it seems that people are upset at this product because it can't widthstand being dropped??? or that customer neglect isn't covered by their warranty... either way the blurry pictures are purely user error, if one bothers to read the manual it can be clearly found in either the how to section or trouble shooting section if one is trying to take what would amount to be a high speed or possibly in my own experience a tightly zoomed in shot it would benifit that person to set the camera to manual and adjust the shutter speed. I've played with this setting and can take a picture of a ceiling fan at high speed while moving my hand back and forth and it comes out clean and clear. This is an excellent camera for a novice like myself or anyone who wishes to have a high quality piece of equipment to learn with. But with most digital cameras nowadays taking the picture with the camera is 75% of the process i'd recommend becoming comfortable with a digital photo software program (I prefer Adope Photoshop) yet paintpro and others are just fine. So my final thoughts on this camera are that I've owned it for almost a year, taken shots from the mountains of alaska to the reefs of maui and the keys (with the underwater case) to just random college parties and never had a major problem or a minor problem that was due to anything with the camera... mostly my own ignorance of the equipment. Either way i'm no professional yet i've been complemented by folks who have $1,500 plus set ups by just learning how to use the settings and playing with the software. This is a great piece of equipment for learners if you are willing to learn yet also a good simple point and shoot camera

After much research and putting my hands on virtually all Digital Cameras in the $200-$400 range I settled on this one at around $250. Best web site for research is imaging-resource.com. There you can see real tests and photos from every camera currently on the market, not a bunch of dumb opinions from idiots who won't read manuals and can't figure out how to use the camera. I found this camera easy to use, with a super, large and clear LCD screen. I tried photos in all modes and noticed no blurry pictures.(check web site noted above for sample test pictures) the menus were fairly easy to navigate and easy to see on the monitor. Here is what I like and don't like:
Pro: 2.5" LCD, easy to use, nice size and form, Good shots in all modes. takes 2 AA batteries not 4 or a expensive LiIon that needs a charger....and battery life is great
Con: Small optical viewfinder... I had to have a optical viewfinder because no matter how bright the screen is you will find a time that you cannot see the picture on it.
Memory Stick. Guess Sony still hasn't learned the BetaMax lesson . would have a SD card instead.
chose this over the Canon A620 and Casio EXZ750 right now I am pretty happy with the selection

I got a Sony DSCW1 camera about two years ago. It's been a really great camera.

So I thought that it might be time to get another, with my kids hogging this camera so much.

That was when I discovered that Sony seems to have stopped making this, the latest version of their line of point and shoot digicams that still use AA batteries.

All of the new DSC-W line of cameras, the ones with double digit numbers, now use only proprietary lithium batteries.

AAAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Will somebody please explain to the idiots at Sony that the main advantage of a camera that uses AA batteries instead of a proprietary rechargeable lithium battery is that AA batteries are ubiquitous, i.e., you can find them anywhere and everywhere at almost anytime.

Once, with the DSCW1, the batteries ran out while I was at a big family gathering. I literally ran out to a drugstore and bought some AA batteries, and everything went just fine. Try, oh try doing that with a proprietary lithium battery.

That's right, lithium batteries are NEVER charged when you want them to be. Leave the camera or battery on the charger, and the battery gets killed off much faster. Buy an extra, spare battery, leave it on a spare charger, and you end up killing off this spare battery before it ever sees any use. Or, you forget to bring a spare with you. Or you bring it with you, don't use it, and you forget to recharge it, and the next time you need the camera, none of the proprietary batteries in your collection work. Every one of these scenarios has happened to me with my camcorders, which have always required rechargeable lithium batteries.

I just absolutely HATE proprietary lithium batteries! Especially for an otherwise extremely handy, easy to use, point and shoot camera that is ideal for spontaneous family photos. Rechargeable proprietary lithium batteries and "spontaneous" are complete oxymorons.

So get the few remaining ones left of this camera now, before the dwindling supplies completely run out.

P.S. - one of the Spotlight Reviews that Amazon unfortunately chose for this camera makes several very uninformed and misleading statements. The reviewer simply has not read the manual and made adjustments to the default settings for this camera. It is very easy to turn off all the annoying sounds that this camera makes. The camera focuses much better if set on "Center Focus" rather than the default multifocus mode (especially in complicated scenes). If you use the manual mode and set it to ISO 400, the camera speed will be much faster and there is less motion (default is ISO 100). When using the flash mode, make sure that the "SL" flash mode is not turned on, this invariably produces blurry pictures - best to leave the camera on Auto flash mode. All three of these tips will sharply reduce the number of blurry pictures taken with this camera.

The camera is very small and it is fairly easy to accidentally hit and activate one of these buttons, and change the settings, so you have to always check your settings regularly. When the camera is set properly, the shutter always goes off very quickly after pressing the button - delays happen mainly if the camera senses a need for a flash and the flash is still charging. There is also a "Timer" mode which is VERY EASY to hit accidentally with your thumb, and this will, of course, start the timer, and produce a delay in when the shutter goes off. So, repeat, ALWAYS check your settings and make sure you're not in one of these oddball modes. Finally, if you really need to capture a series of shots that fast, this camera comes with two multishot modes - one that takes a very rapid series of shots, and one that takes a slower sequence.

Bought this as a replacement for the dreaded Nikon L1, for my fiance, with a 1Gig MS Pro and couldn't be more happy. The pictures are VERY clear, colors perfectly saturated and the processor is pretty darn speedy! The only reason I rated this a 4 star instead of a 5 is the 3x zoom is still a little short for a camera in this price range. The camera is also not too bad on batteries, although not as power-savy as the Canon, you can expect about 125-175 photos on a set of 2000mah NiMh batteries and about half that on Alkalines(NOT reccomended). This camera also has a GREAT video mode and the AF assist lamp makes pictures taken in "less than optimal" lighting conditions darn near blur-free! 7.2MP photos(I leave mine on 5MP as not too many people actually NEED 7.2MP) and the Mpeg Movie VX take a LOT of space so make sure you get a Memory Stick Pro with at LEAST 512mb of storage. If you can afford to do so, the Gig card should be the minimum. Although a little pricey a GREAT camera for the novice-advanced user!

In researching 7 megapixels cameras it came down to the Canon SD550 and this camera, the Sony DSC W7. The Canon got better reviews but was considerably more expensive. Having already had a Sony camera previously I preferred sticking with the same brand (I was very happy with my Sony 2 megapixel camera) but this camera (W7) has several negative reviews here on Amazon (lense retract breaks easy, poor support from sony, etc...). So, what to do? I decided to take a chance and get the Sony DSC-W7 anyway... and spend an extra $30 for a 2 year warranty. After doing so and using the camera for a couple of weeks now I must say that I am very pleased with it. It takes very nice looking photos, sharp and with good color. I've had no problems with the camera but even if I do I can get it fixed for FREE... and I still saved $120 over the cost of the Canon SD550 even with the extended warranty. I guess I'm writing this review to tell others who may be apprehensive like I was that it's a good camera at a great price. If you're worried about it breaking, do like I did and spend $30 more to get an extended service contract on it.

Great camera - you won't be dissappointed!

The things I want:
1. Use this camera as is (point & shoot) and just put it in your pocket. The hard print instructions were generally prepared to conforme to a "layman's" ability to read and follow directions.
- OR -
2. You can enhance it's capabilities by purchase of detachable lenses (upgradable to a hybrid digital). So far I acquired the 30mm (wide angle) for shots in "tight" spots or limited room to move back, where you don't tell someone to squeeze in or stay in front or he won't be in the picture. I believe there are a total of "3" lenses + an adaptor available for this upgrade (about $250).

3. The LCD is large and the icons are vivid. In addition, when you select a "shooting" scene, such is shown on the LCD.
4. Use of a "NiMh" rechargeable battery that has a long life. We were at Universal Studios the whole day. On & off, I have taken about 100 pictures, several movie shots, and was able to view the captures. We went home late afternoon, the battery was still almost full. Just in case, I had ready alkaline batteries. Also, to mention, I just bought another pair of SONY NiMH rechargeable batteries for around $10.00.
5. The camera has a "sturdy" and a classy built and it is Made In Japan. In addition, the size is just right to the hand, not too big and not to small.
6. Lastly, vivid and sharp pictures even at the lowest resolution (VGA email image size).

What I am missing:
1. Sony should have considered adding a "hot shoe" pad for a detachable flash.
2. On the CD ROM supplied, I wish that the "movie maker" application software was enabled to make longer movies. I wanted a movie for about 248 pictures, however, the program limits the number of the images to be displayed based on the "lenght" of the background music. I find this very cool, have your images/movie saved in a CD (MPEG1, VCD format) and playable in most DVD players with background music and special panning effects.

This camera takes excellent pictures, some of the best I have ever seen out of a digital camera. I can shoot from across a field and read the text on the tiny road signs on the otherside if I zoom in on the computer. That is how good the resolution is. To the people who get blurry pictures, you must understand that this is the case with any camera. If you don't hold the camera still you will get blurring. The same thing happens with a non digital camera. The auto mode on the camera works fairly well but if you have shakey hands you can get blurry pictures. If you are shooting shots with a really slow shutter speed then use a tripod or make sure that you hold the camera very still. Also the camera has multiple types of focus and a small warning that flashes on the screen that alerts you to the possibility of a blurry picture.(If the camera is shaking or focused on something very far away etc. with a low speed) Focusing the camera on what you want is really easy. Press the shoot button lightly and the outline of the focus area will turn green, then you can move the camera to change the composition of the shot. In doors and at short distances an amber light is shown upon the subject and a green dot appears on the screen. The screen also has a histogram view which allows you to see the light composition which can be very helpful. The movies that the camera takes are also very very good, and it does have a mic for audio.(Something some Sonys lack). Although the point and shoot mode is good, the true power as always lies in the manual settings and I encourage anyone who buys the camera to learn how to use them although it isn't completely necessary because of the 7 auto modes.

All these 5 star reviews make me wonder if this is a Sony sponsored site. Trust me..I WANT to love this camera, but I just can't. It takes blurry pictures. I have been taking pictures a long time with manual SLRs and I have an idea about shutter speeds, apertures, etc.

Even when the pictures appear to come out great on the camera slideshow, I cannot guarantee that this will translate to my computer monitor. Often a picture will have acceptable light levels on my camera viewscreen and be almost entirely black on the computer (Yes i have turned up my monitor's brightness and tried this on different monitors).

Back to blurriness. Even shooting this camera at 1000 at 400iso, I often get a blurry picture. For those who say "HOLD STILL"--like everyone who has poor results is raving, arm-waving lunatic--I have been holding still, but there is a limit to how still a human can be. Regardless, even moving and shooting at a shutterspeed of 1000 should yield a clear result--which I am not achieving.

I have no doubt that many people have had good results with this model. Perhaps there is just a bad batch out there? I for one have not had generally good results. Some good pictures, yes. But when only 20 out of 150 pictures are acceptable to my standards, I have to take issue with that.

I have experimented with this camera extensively and I truly want to make it work--I don't have the expendable income to go out and buy another model. I believe I am a competent photographer, and being vexed by a point and shoot is doing little to boost my self-esteem. A point-and-shoot, by definition, is supposed to be easy to operate and achieve acceptable results. This camera does not meet those requirements.

I warn potential buyers to be be wary of this camera. I wouldnt spend the extra cash for this 7.2 mP camera, it doesnt focus accurately enough to take advantage of this resolution.

It's compact but not too small. I was looking at Canon SD500 and Sony W7, and chose the W7, as the SD500 was just too small in physical size and really needed to hold it with both hands to feel secure. W7 is easy to use and picture quality is great. It would have gotten 5 stars if it had shutter and aperture priority mode built in. 1Gb memory stick, 15 minute charger and extra batteries should be considered must have accessories with this camera.

I first used someone else's DSC-W7 to take engagement photos for my daughter last summer. The pictures were so good that I printed them using my laser printer (plain old black & white on cheap copy paper) and used them for table decorations at her wedding. I'm strictly point & shoot, but everyone thought a professional had taken the pictures. Our guests took all those pictures with them for souvenirs. (Yes, they did ask first!)

So, I wanted one of my own and Santa brought it to me. I have the black one and it looks great. The instructions are clear and I'll probably never read the whole manual, but it's there if you need it. It was easy to hook up to the PC and download pictures, too (even for me). I will most likely never use most of the features on this camera, but I have used the zoom and the "red eye" reduction option.

I haven't had the problem with blurry pictures except for a few rushed shots and I'm sure I was moving. Most of the pictures are extremely clear and detailed. I anticipate that as my skills improve, my pictures will, too.