Sony Cybershot DSCW30 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 2.5 x 1 inches ; 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000EGHWZQ
• Item model number: DSC-W30+
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,906 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 13, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Why Sony? Because Sony sets the pace for simple, high-performance digital imaging--adding quality, value, and artistic expression to enhance creative possibilities and expand technology horizons. For a new generation of first-time or step-up digital photographers, the new Sony Cybershot DSC-W30 camera combines compact design and advanced features with the appeal of traditional rangefinder shooting, so everyone can enjoy a camera that's equally adept at saving their memories and capturing their vision. Quality, convenience, and aesthetic excellence--they've been Sony advantages throughout its 60-year leadership in consumer electronics.

A Great Value in Digital Imaging
The DSC-W30 combines sleek metal body and compact design with simple operation and high-tech features--including super-sharp 6.0-megapixel resolution for making big prints, Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens, High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 1000) to help prevent blurred images in low-light conditions, and Sony's original Clear RAW NR processing circuitry to minimize the color noise distortion of high-sensitivity shooting.

A Screen that Shows More
On the large 2.0-inch LCD screen of the DSC-W30, there's a new Function Guide with text and icon display that make it easier to operate camera features like color and brightness adjustments, image size, flash and self-timer modes, focusing modes, and more. The DSC-W30 even provides an eye-level viewfinder for traditional shooting.

Superior Performance on the Go
For great results on the go, the DSC-W30 incorporates shooting features every digital photographer wants--32 MB of internal memory for capturing images in-camera without a flash memory card, built-in slot for optional Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO Duo media, and Lithium Ion Stamina battery to capture up to 400 shots.

Features

6.0-Megapixel Super HAD CCD
Higher megapixels give you more detail and definition for large prints and cropping in on your subject. Sony's advanced Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design allows more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise.

Large 2.0-Inch LCD Screen
The DSC-W30 has a bright 2.0-inch LCD screen for setting up and viewing images, with a one-touch "Play" button that makes it quick and easy to view your photos.

Simple Controls, Function Guide
User-friendly controls and simple on-screen Function Guide text/icon display help you set up camera functions, and you'll have greater creative freedom to adjust color mode (including "Natural" for subtle colors and "Rich" for more intense colors), sensitivity, brightness, and image size.

High Sensitivity Mode
A new High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 1000) allows you to shoot with great results in low-light conditions--and Sony's original Clear RAW NR (Noise Reduction) image processing technology helps suppress the color noise that can accompany high-sensitivity shooting.

Carl Zeiss 3x Optical/2x Digital Zoom
3x optical zoom helps the DSC-W30 bring distant subjects closer and lets you frame shots for better composition; Sony's precision 2x digital zoom provides an additional 2x magnification to enlarge details without jagged edges.

StaminaBattery Power
With its powerful Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, the DSC-W30 can capture up to 4003 images--enough for a week of shooting. The compact BC-CSG battery charger is also supplied for battery recharging on the go.

13x Smart Zoom Feature
At VGA resolution, Sony's Smart Zoom feature intelligently "crops into" the central portion of interest in your photo without sacrificing full CCD resolution--avoiding the image degradation of other digital zooms.

Capture Images In-Camera
With 32 MB of internal memory, the DSC-W30 allows you to shoot without a flash memory card--then transfer your images to optional Memory StickDuo media, upload to your computer, or make prints on your digital printer.

Memory Stick Duo Media
The DSC-W30 has a built-in slot for optional Memory Stick Duo or higher-capacity Memory Stick PRO Duo media--the ultra-compact media for shooting, storing, and sharing your photo images.

MPEG Movie VX Fine Mode
The DSC-W30 can capture VGA (640 x 480) audio-video clips at high frame rate (up to 30 frames per second), with length limited only by the capacity of your media.

Product Description

The Sony DSC W30 is a six megapixel, pocket sized digital camera. It has a standard three times optical zoom lens. Sony have made the DSC W30 easy to use and it should not take you long to get up and running with this camera.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Affordable and -MORE- than adequate for the average to novice photographer, May 31, 2006

By 

J. Wild (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony Cybershot DSCW30 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

Despite the less than glimmering reviews on this page, I researched this camera and others for 2 weeks before ordering it on Amazon. Being neither a camera-know-it-all with the leverage to criticize a Carl Zeiss lens nor being technologically deficient, I use this camera to take casual photos of family and friends and landscapes and am greatly looking forward to taking it with me on summer travels.

If you are an average to novice photographer looking for a lightweight, slim, sharp, and efficient camera, don't be put off by other reviews which throw around numbers and names and put this camera down. It is not designed to be a $500, state-of-the-art, professional piece of equipment so I do not know why people are writing about it and putting it down like it was supposed to be.

:: This camera does the job and the 1000 ISO speed is superb. Without flash, I can take clear pictures that are not grainy.
:: There are no functions on the camera that are difficult to figure out, and many optional funtions which I like such as an auto-focus on the foreground subject with slight blurring of the background, which makes the subject seem sharper in contrast.
:: Start-up time from pushing power is incredibly fast.
:: Battery stamina is truly impressive (my previous camera guzzled AA batteries like no tomorrow). I half filled my 1GB memory stick before recharge. Sony has improved their Stamina line of batteries a long way.
:: The flash is not over-powering and white-washing like on other cameras, but is still powerful enough to light subject fields nicely
:: For the $50 price difference from the DSCW50, it seems like the only considerable difference is a bigger LCD screen, and the screen on the DSCW30 is quite sharp enough.
:: I agree with another review though that the only particularly discalming feature is the plastic slide-cover over the battery and memory chambers. At times it seems as though it is not protective enough, and it is just a little too easy to slide open.

For a little over $200, 6 MP, versatile shooting modes, great battery life, and the sleek, compact design, I think this product is the best bang for the buck and I don't regret my purchase in the slightest.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars comments on reviews...., June 7, 2006

By 

Christopher T. Palmer "CTP" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sony Cybershot DSCW30 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

Other reviewers in quotes:

"The construction of DSCW30 is cheap (plastic) and rather flimsy."

Every W30 I have seen are metal and feel great...as far as I know they never made a plastic cased W30, but I could be wrong.

"Overall, the photo quality is below average for this class of camera."

After doing a lot of research, and trying a lot of cameras in this camera's class, the W30 is great. No, it doesn't perform as well as cameras that cost 50-100% more, but why would it?!?! It does perform better than everything else I tried in this price range.

One of my top priorities is how quickly a camera powers up, how quickly you can take the first photo after turning it on, and the overall shutter lag - out of all the cameras I tried, in this price range, this was the clear winner.

"I ended up selling mine and got a Sony DSC-P200 instead. Superb construction (made in Japan) with all-metal body, much better quality images."

While it is true that you can find P200s for good prices now that it has been discontinued, comparing the W30 to what had originally been a >$400 camera hardly seems fair...there is simply no reason the W30 should perform as well as the P200, it was never designed to.

I have owned (and currently own) a lot of cameras. The W30 is a great camera for the money, and does what it was designed (and priced) to do very well.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice portable camera, November 13, 2006

By 

N. Reyes "The gizmo guy" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony Cybershot DSCW30 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

The main selling point for this camera is the fact that it's very small and portable. It's about the size of a cigarette box. I also like the fact that there is no wait-time for this camera as far as going from the on button to taking pictures -- it doesn't take as long as some cameras I've seen. It also doesn't take long from taking a picture and viewing it. There is virtually no wait time. Also, I'm very happy with the picture quality. It has a very nice natural look to them, instead of some cameras that are over-saturated with unnatural colors. Another great feature I like about this camera is the battery life. You can pretty much take lots of pictures (over 400 according to Sony) with one battery charge. Overrall, I'd recommend this camera for anyone who wants a good quality camera that is light and easy to carry around, with a great battery life.