Customer Reviews

Sony Cybershot DSCW5 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought the Sony DSC-W5 few weeks ago, so far I'm quite pleased with it. The choice was between this one and the Canon SD-400, both are 5MP as I think that's the optimum resolution for my use. Looks like both cameras have similar picture quality with a slight edge for the Canon.

So what decided me for the Sony? Mainly these 4 reasons:

- I have a Canon G2, which is slow and bulky, but most of all, after 3 years of use the image quality is degradating. Paid $800 for it 3 years ago, one would expect a longer product life.

-Battery. Canon does not know how to measure battery power, it goes from full to empty in 5mn, that's very frustrating as you have to fully charge the battery the day before you're going to use your camera. Sony gives you a detailed view of the charge left, and even in the case you run out of it, you can plug in 2 plain AA batteries.

- Sony is fast, very fast.

- Sony has a large bright LCD, it's a pleasure to take shots and look at the pictures on the 2.5' lCD.

I found the sony very easy to use, the settings are easily accessible and are memorised through power ups (which is sometimes bothersome as you have to check all your settings before using the camera at the begining of the day)

About blurry pictures, on something like 100 pictures I only had a few that were blurry. Mainly if you press the button half way and wait for the camera to autofocus, you'll get a good picture. Also the flash is required as soon as the luminosity dims a bit. The only defect I could find is on the autofocus, I believe the balanced autofocus feature gets confused on some situations, even simple ones like a mountain landscape with no tree in front.

Setting the autofocus to center may solve the problem. Also Sharpness should be set to "+" otherwise you get very soft images.

Conclusion: A great product for the price, picture quality is fantastic (most of the times), the LCD is a charm to look at.

Just a clarification of the negative reviews below - the "little waving hand" does not mean that the camera is moving. Instead, it means that you are trying to take a photo with a setting that would require a very steady hand to get a sharp result. That is why the hand doesn't go away when you put the camera on a table - and you can still take good pictures under these conditions, if the camera is held steady enough. This is a great little camera that I have been totally satisfied with so far. And, just as an aside, this information is in the user's manual, it might be a good idea to read this over before writing bad reviews on this site.

Just to be clear: this is a great camera. It feels solid, starts up instantly, takes good pictures, and has manual controls. It takes AA batteries, has an optical viewfinder, can take expansion lenses, has a huge LCD, and has an AF-assist lamp. Great!

I really like the manual controls. It takes a little while to get used to if you've always been a point-n-shooter like me. But having the controls means that you can take shots that a regular automatic camera in this class would never be able to get. There is actually a 30 second exposure mode, which is very unusual in this class of camera. Read the manual and you will be able to take photos in all lighting conditions.

Unfortunately, even with manual controls this camera suffers in low-light. All cameras without image-stabilization are going to tend to be blurry in low-light. But for some reason, Sony has made their cameras (even the P series cameras) especially sensitive. We were touring around cathedrals in Europe and it is very difficult to get a clear shot because you can't use the flash and the lighting is always a little dark. The solution is to use a tripod, which will give you fantastic pictures. But without one, you have to be creative.

But even so, when you set things up right this camera takes beautiful pictures - well-saturated colors, not much graininess. But it will take some learning. If you just want a camera you can leave on Auto all day, you may want a different brand.

We took over 350 pictures in Walt Disney World, two were blurry, the speed of this camera is incredible. I cannot believe how quickly we were able to shoot pictures. I am totally impressed with this camera. We have had a digital HP and Cannon and this is worlds above! I would reccomend this to anyone with children. The cannon took good pictures but the timing was awful. It could take 20 seconds for the camera to be ready for another picture. The Sony was ready in 3 to 5 seconds every time.

I got this camera after passing on a 4 mp Olympus to my daughter and having my new 5 mp Canon stolen. I ended up almost glad that the Canon was stolen, because my new Sony is so much better. It is easy to use and fast (my husband is a track and cross country coach, and this camera is quick enough to get each runner as they pass during a race) and produces great pictures.

I also like it's size. I'm not a fan of the itsy-bisty, super-thin cameras; I like to have something to hold onto. This is still small, but not credit-card small. I love the big view-screen, though, and it works well in the bright sunlight.

I researched a lot of cameras, then took a chance and bought one I hadn't even looked into. I am so glad I did.

I'm enjoying my new W5. I've had lots of fun taking pictures in every kind of circumstance I can think of.
The camera has the capability of a very long exposure, which I've enjoyed immensely, and the night shots I've taken are super.
I enjoy remodeling. The W5 has a 30mm screw mount, and I purchased the wide-angle lens at my local Sony Style store. I am very happy that I have the capability to add lenses and/or filters.
The person who complains that the "waving hand" shows when the light is low -- yes, it is just a warning -- so you the user knows what's going on. You know if the camer is not stable you could get some fuzziness. I think it's better to know that something requires a little caution, than to get crummy pictures because I didn't know.
It has a large screen, it has a screw mount for lenses/filters, it has a metal screw base for tripod use, it uses regular AA batteries, it uses my old Sony memory (plus the new Sony Pro memory I bought), it takes 640 x 480, 30 frame per second video, with sound, and it's among the lightest in this class.
Honestly, I think it's hard to beat.

Pro:
2.5 inch screen size for easy picture view
cardless 32 mb internal memory
excellent daylight Carl zeiss lense
useful functions and settings

Con:
battery life is not so great when flash is used
lil bit too thick
different settings takes a while to adjust

bottome line:
it's a great camera, and you don't have to purchase expensive replacement battery since the camera will use any AA.
I gave it a four star since some night shots didn't come out as good as i hoped. And if u use red-eye reduction flash mode, the battery life will be short. Also, the camera is lil bit bulky, however, day time pictures are just excellent

I sure do wish I could be one of the 5 star reviewers of this camera but alas, you'll only get two from me.

Prior to owning this camera I had an Olympus Camedia which took fantastic pictures but was slow to to start, had a long lag time between button press and snap, and a fairly long time before the next shot would take. Because most of my photography is of kids snowboarding and playing hockey, this was a serious drawback.

I purchased the Sony Cybershot DSC-W5 almost a year ago after doing a lot of research and testing many models out at varoius stores. Everything about it seemed perfect. It had every feature I was looking for and did all of it faster than any other camera I could find. The one thing that you can't test at a store, however, is the quality of the pictures. Pity.

In the automatic mode the color quality of the photos is terrible and not at all true, it doesn't handle various lighting situations well, and the photos are often less than crisp. Even after manipulating them on photo software, they are still lacking. I have tried various settings and read and re-read the manual hoping to find some clue to solving the problems.

Interestingly, my sister has the same camera and she is equally disappionted with the photos it takes for the same reasons.

My advice, keep shopping.

I did quite a bit of research on compact digital cameras before spending the money. I have tried several different brands in the past so I'm not some Sony-Maniac or anything but let me tell you, I am very impressed with this camera. The display is HUGE and extremely easy to see in all lighting conditions, even in direct sunlight. The buttons are a bit tiny but also intuitive so you don't feel like you're fumbling around trying to snap a shot. The power-up time and time between shots is incredibly short. The camera is light-weight but feels solid, not cheap or flimsy. The dial on the top, which lets you switch the picture mode menu is easy to access and use. The pictures come out sharp and clear and the colors are amazing, not washed out or distorted. The manual features are fairly easy to operate and in fact the camera is so self-explanatory that you can get the camera up and running without even looking at the manual. The software that comes with the camera is decent as well, although if you really like to tweak your pictures, you'll want to upgrade. The fact that you can use AA batteries instead of proprietary batteries is a feature everyone can appreciate. The camera is about the size of a deck of cards so it can be taken with you just about anywhere. The 5.1 megapixels and the 3X optical zoom make this tiny little camera stand up to models much higher in price.

I bought my girlfriend this camera last year, and I feel confident giving it an accurate review now that we've been on trips and had a chance to use it under several different circumstances.
Good points include:
1. It's a Sony.
2. You get recharging batteries, but you can use regular batteries if you have to (a feature not available on many Canons).
3. Super user-friendly. Easy to use and easy to hook up to external devices.
4. Beautiful big screen.
5. Very light and portable.
6. You can actually get shots with both the background and the foreground in focus (ex: picture of someone standing 30 feet in front of a waterfall...both person and waterfall come in beautifully).

Not-so-good points:
1. Camera dedicated carrying case costs a bunch (like $40). It's a great case, though.
2. You have to be relatively motionless in order not to get the blur-factor.
3. You really have to be aware of your light. Or you'll get dark shots. I didn't experience this with my much older Canon.
4. 6mp cameras are so cheap now, why get the 5.1?