Customer Reviews

Sony Cybershot DSCW150/B 8.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot (Black)

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Let me start with stating that most point and shoot cameras are compromise on various basic performance parameters. I bought this camera for my wife for whom any feature beyond the basic auto mode is unnecessary. For a point and shoot it has lots of very advanced features typically available in dslr or prosumer cameras. I am talking about things like bracketing( takes pictures at different exposure level), dynamic range optimizer and my favorite live histogram. Let me summarize its positives and negatives:
- Wide angle lens 30mm to 150mm (5x zoom)
- Image stabilizer is very good, I have taken very good pictures at 1/4sec & iso 100. Basically it will let you take good pictures at low iso(to avoid noise), where you can not use flash.
-DRO (dynamic range optimizer): Autmatically adjusts for a balance between highlight & shadows, two different levels of DRO available
- Live histogram: I have this feature in my nikon 8400 (prosumer camera)and is very useful for adjusting exposure in extreme lighting conditions e.g. daylight scenery in Yosemite, Bryce. Metering systems of most cameras can not keep up with such extreme lighting conditions.
- Three levels for flash. Soft flash for closeups, standard, flash+ for far away objects.
- Colors: It has very bright and saturated colors even in basic color mode. If you are mainly going to use it take pictures of kids, you may like prints from it. I am used to subdued colors of Nikon.

Now the negatives, some of which could be a problem for someone.
- In auto mode, it pushes up the iso to 400 therefore producing grainy pictures.
- Flash is underpowered, stated range is 4.3m. I would stick to half that distance for decent pictures.
- You can restrict the iso to below 200 to keep noise low. I have found that even at iso of 100 the detail in pictures is not that good. My theory is that it has a very strong noise reduction algorithm at all iso's. If you are mainly going to take 4x6 pictures this might not be an issue for you.

I hope this review is useful in your decision making.

I purchased this camera as soon as it was made available April 28, 2008.

I think this camera is perfect. It takes great pictures all on its own. There is no need for you to know about the aperture, focal length, lighting, ISO settings, etc. Simply put the camera in easy or auto mode and shoot to your heart's content. The picture colors are amazingly accurate and vibrant.

The smile shutter feature is pretty cool also. Simply put the camera in smile mode push down the shutter once and wait for your subject to smile. You'll be able to take six smile shots without having to press the shutter button.

Another cool feature is the in camera editing. Say a subject did not smile as big as you had hoped, you are able to go into the editing feature in the camera and make the smile more evident. To me, that's cool! You are also able to remove redeye, sharpen the picture and crop the picture all by using the camera. You no longer have to upload them to the computer to do these fixes.

The battery life is very good and you don't even need a memory stick to shoot up to 10 pictures because of the installed 15 MB of memory. It's not a whole lot, but it helps if you are in a pinch for a shot and a memory card is not handy.

The screen is very clear and very large. The colors are accurate and very bright. The camera is lightweight yet not flimsy. It feels like a solidly built camera.

I really haven't seen anything to complain about. I think everything this camera offers for the price is well worth it. I am very happy with the black color as well. I think Black goes with everything and that's why I didn't choose a different color.

If you are on the fence about this camera, I can just say that my experience has been very positive and I think yours will be as well.

This camera is great compared to many many many similarly priced cameras I tried out. It takes pictures really fast and is ready for the next one very quickly too. These were big considerations when I was shopping around and this one is the fastest. The camera takes great pictures with the automatic settings compared to others that didn't seem to know when flash or other adjustments should have been necessary/unnecessary. The smile shutter is cool but I don't think I'll use it often. The 5x zoom is great. The in camera image alteration is neat too, especially the feature to make people appear smiling. Good for a lot of laughs. The rechargeable battery seems to be holding up well. I love the deep red but the sheen makes it appear pink in some lights. It looks bigger than other cameras but really is at most only 2-3 mm wider than the canon elph sd1100/750.

Before I decided to buy the Sony Cybershot DSC W150, I really looked into many cameras and models. The big factors I was looking for: compact in size, optical or electronic viewfinder, 5x or more optical zoom, adjustable LCD display (LCD screen that folds out and can be adjusted to be viewed from different angles or closed towards the camera to protect it).
This camera is comparable in size to the Canon elph series, which is great for factor 1.
A basic optical viewfinder is present on the camera which although doesn't have any special features (it's not an EVF and is on the small side) is great to have for shooting in bright sunlight and saving battery power. I can't stand cameras that don't have a viewfinder and absolutely refuse to buy a camera without one, which unfortunately ruled out many compacts currently on the market. Factor 2 good enough to me.
Camera has a 5x Optical zoom which as of this review is starting to get more popular with the compacts for many companies. There is a 2x Digital zoom also, which I felt would have been better as a 4x or higher Digital zoom but not too big of a deal since the Optical zoom is what really matters. Factor 3, check for the Cybershot.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a compact that had an adjustable LCD display, which is disappointing because I've gotten so used to having one on my Canon Powershot A95. The only thing that might be sacrificed with an adjustable LCD display is the screen size, which unfortunately so many camera makers seem to be focusing on having huge energy draining screens. So I compromised on this factor and went with the Cybershot DSC W150 with it's non adjustable 2.7" screen.
As for shooting modes, they're not too different (if at all) than other typical point and shoot cameras on the market, and more or less function the same. The in-camera editing features are pretty cool and can add some style and effects to your pics.
As usual, there are many accessories that don't come included such as a telephoto lens (VCL-D2046), a wide angle lens (VCL-D0746), the adaptor ring for these lenses (VAD-WE), a silicon camera jacket (LCJ-WA) and even more such as a better not included battery and battery charger, adapter and camera protective cases. I think they really should have included the silicon camera jacket with the camera instead of selling it for around $25-30 each, it is just a protective case of silicon, after all...
Overall, I'm satisfied with this camera and enjoy using it, but I still think there is a lot of room for improvement within the compact point and shoot camera line for all companies, and hope that not all companies will continue to go the path of bigger LCD screens and getting rid of traditional camera features such as a viewfinder.

We own two-a silver and a red cybershot, so that my wife and I will be able to take the photos we want particularly on an upcoming Galapagos cruise. The large LCD screen is bright in near-direct to direct sunlight, something that is completely lacking in my 2-year old Pentax Optio 6mp and one reason for buying this camera. Continuous shutter speed is fast for moving objects-again something totally lacking in the Pentax which has very slow shutter speed and produces nothing but blurs for moving objects. The large optical zoom is another plus. So far, nice pictures are produced in low light with and without flash and the Smile feature is interesting and works. It has 2 menus. The "Home Menu", which is not the easiest to navigate, provides options like varying iso, smile, continuous shutter, etc. The hard copy operating manual that comes with the camera provides the basics; the software CD manual provides sufficient detail tho it would have been nice to have that in its 130-page hard copy version. Battery takes about 4-5 hours to recharge which is about the same as my for my Pentax but the charger is more compact and plugs in the wall rather than requiring a bulkier cord attachment. Cost downsides are the proprietary memory stick-duo--a 2gb which my camera onscreen indicates will be good for 800+ pics at the third or mid-range pixel setting good for 4X6 and larger, typically runs $20-25 and proprietary battery which in its o.e.m. version can be bought for about $15--about the same cost as aftermarket lithium batteries for my Pentax and more costly than the AA batteries used in a 1-year old Casio ExLim7mp that stopped working for no discernible reason and was not worth repairing. A U.K. camera review for the Sony says that this sony will take more than 2x the pics of an equivalent Canon elph before the battery has too be recharged-we'll see. I went with an extra proprietary battery becuase an aftermarket battery,costing a few dollars less, produced a "no signal" message" on both cameras despite its being advertised as compatible with this model.

Purchased this from Amazon almost a month ago. I used it and compared it to a Nikon 5200 and Canon A610, both of which were 5 megapixel. What is shocking is the low quality of the pictures, which on close examination turn out to contain a high amount of digital noise and other signs of poor image processing. The Nikon has noisy images, but the Sony is noticeably worse than even that. The Canon is phenomenal in that area, with no digital noise and excellent shading in dark areas. The poor picture quality persisted even after setting the Sony's resolution to 5 megapixels (along with other parameters) to match the other cameras.

Even though the Sony has 8.1 megapixels, it doesn't show or matters. I can not imagine cropping and blowing up a section for printing (which might at times be the whole purpose of taking a high resolution image to begin with). The issue here seems to be another case of a camera maker cramming too many megapixels into a too-small sensor, resulting in poor images.

The camera looks very nice, is solidly built with a metal body, and is easy to use. It's actually one of the best looking cameras I've seen. But the picture quality is a huge negative. I'm not sure if the firmware is upgradable, maybe alleviating some of its problems, but even so, I've never found Sony to be too responsive in releasing upgrades in response to customer complaints.

I tried to like the camera, but unfortunately it's going back to Amazon.

For those who might be interested in some of the technical details:
The Canon A610 has a 1/1.8 CCD sensor with total size of 58.08 sq. mm., while the W-150 has a 1/2.5 sensor sized at 24.71 sq. mm. In short, the Sony is cramming approximately 35% more pixels into a sensor which is 57% smaller than the Canon's. Even though the W-150 touts its sensor as a Super HAD CCD (meaning it has an optimized proprietary on-chip micro-lens system resulting in better sensitivity), it can't overcome the problems caused by its higher pixel density here.

I've owned this camera for several months now. It's mainly my wife's camera. She carries it in her purse most days.

I'll start with the negatives and then get to the positives:

The charger requires you to remove the battery to charge it. You cannot operate the camera from any power supply in the meantime. Rarely did I ever do this with my old Sony, but I did do it a few times. This gives you no option other than buying more accessories from Sony, which is where they always get you.

The charger is unreliable. If you put the battery in and you walk away, there's probably a 30% chance that it won't charge. Rather the light will blink identifying some problem. I jiggle the battery in and out, and it starts working again. This has left us with a dead battery on more than one occasion.

The lens cover that automatically closes to protect it - very flimsy. Ours broke after a short time of my wife carrying this in her purse. I'm sure it had makeup and stuff bouncing off of it, but the old Sony stood the test of time for 3 years of the same abuse. In fact, that camera still works if you're careful to make sure the shots are in focus (remember I mentioned half the shots are bad these days - thats if you don't concentrate)

We asked someone to take a picture of us and they dug their fingernail tip into the button. The silver covered plastic is now permanently dented. Again, I know this isn't regular usage, but the old Sony has had dozens of random people snap our picture without fail.

The size of the camera - for a really compact camera, this is not very compact. It's actually larger than our older Sony (which had almost all the same features). I expected in three years of development that they'd miniaturize more of it, or at least reduce its weight. It's actually heavier, too. This need for more space may have led to the off-board charger.

Classic Sony accessories game - The Memory Stick required for this always costs more than the comparable SD cards used in many other brands. If it wasn't for the overall quality and features of Sony stuff, I'd avoid it due to the ridiculous accessory prices.

And now what I actually like about this camera:

5x Optical Zoom! Wow, that's a lot in the world of compact cameras. I never turn on digital zoom (as that's just a waste of pixels) so this 5x was a major selling point for me. It is noticeably different than 4x.

It takes great pictures most of the time. With my last camera, I started getting bad shots about every other pic.. so we upgraded and that problem is gone.

The features are easy to handle. Any moron could operate this camera in Easy Mode. Even the same person could handle the auto modes with a little light reading. This camera is easy to use.

Looks - It looks really good. A lot of people have complimented us for having a cool looking camera. (I believe the black helps that) I realize the point is not the looks, but these colors sure seem to influence sales.


Summary: This is a nice camera. Take care of it, and it should serve you well for a while. I will have to send mine in for repair, and then it will be treated as a fragile item for the rest of its service life. I can't assume that this camera will be nearly as tough as the old Sony I had. In this age of Chinese produced crap, this camera is a shining example of lack of durability. You're working backwards, Sony.

I bought this to replace my lost Canon A510. This camera takes pictures fast. The images are clean and crisp outdoors. But again indoor shots will always get screwed under low lighting with all the point and shoots. The LCD is bright and sharp (thanks to the big, high resolution display).

Pros:
1. Clean and crisp outdoor images.
2. Very fast auto focus.
3. Decent image quality indoors in good lighting.
4. Menu and settings organization is good.
5. Lots of retouch options.
6. DRO works awesome.
7. Macro mode is too good for a point and shoot.

Cons:
1. Need to press too much buttons for a simple task.
2. Playback is slow and starts up very slowly too.
3. Purple streaks in the LCD when viewed against a bright light source. They don't appear in the pictures, but still viewable in video.
4. Noisy indoor images under average/ low lighting.
5. Buttons are tiny and mode dial looks cheap.
6. Proprietary USB connector.
7. White balance is not effective.

Purchased the DSCW150 at a big box reseller based upon research and reviews. Looking for a nice compact point and shoot for my wife. Ease of use and picture quality were top of the wish list and the Sony went 1 of 2. Ease of use is very good on this model but the kicker was picture quality. The camera I had was extremely inconsistent on picture quality. Outdoor shots looked great but indoor shots (with and without flash) were very poor. The problem ranged from out of focus (at any zoom level) to washed out colors and pixelated prints. The inexpensive Samsung L73 I purchased for my father takes much better pics at half the price. The picture quality is the primary reason for the low rating. Exchanged this for an Olympus FE-340 and will hope for a better result.

I had a Sony W90 and got it stolen. Then waited for this one to be available on the market and Sony seems to keep impressing and improving their line of point and shoot cameras.

I had my old camera for 1 year, and I take pictures quite often. This camera focus very nice and takes sharp pictures on all occacions. Extra zoom (I had the sony W90 and P200 just with 3X) is great. Controls are easy to use, easy to understand and it comes packed with lots of pictures, including "smile detection" tech. I tried it and it works just fine.

I can keep going and going but it would be easier to read the specs, I can resume this review with: "BUY IT" you won't regret it, it is a great camera with a great price, I've had it for about 3 weeks already and taken hundreds of pictures, if not thousands.

Edited 10/11/09

After over a year of owning this product, I would take 1 or 2 stars away from my initial review. I have a 1 year old son, so I began giving a lot of extra work to the camera.

I had a big disappointment when it came to shooting at night or on low light conditions. I like testing over and over with different settings to get the perfect picture. I've tried using auto mode, program mode, ISO mode, less flash on the pictures, you name it, even took some advices from the internet. Focus is not ok, grainy pictures, too much noise on them. Need to take lots of pictures just to see what works the best, and still I can't get a decent picture. some of them are ok, but most of them are not.

After being so disappointed at this I've been researching and reading different reviews on different cameras. Seems it's hard to find a point and shoot that can take nice pictures with low light conditions. I was hoping the new sony WX/1 would fix that, but so far the reviews talk about similar results. I am reading about a panasonic camera that ppl had said it does a nice work, but it doesn't have manual controls like the sony. not sure what I will do, and if I get the panasonic or the sony wx/1 I'll be shooting low light conditions and write a review asap.