Customer Reviews

Sony Cybershot DSCW50 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The W50 is the sweet spot in the Sony W series lineup, for most people. You can take it everywhere and get very good pictures. But it's not that expensive, so there's no reason not to take it everywhere (except maybe that kayak trip).

If you're wondering whether to get the W30 or the W50 (especially given the lack of reviews on the W30) - go with the W50. The W50 is a little smaller and lighter, and even with the bigger screen has lower power consumption than the W30 - so you don't have to worry that having the big screen will cut your shooting time. The W50 also comes with a combination computer / TV cable.

The S600 is somewhat interesting at the price, but a step down in LCD size and features and a little bulkier - as noted below for most people you can get plenty of battery life and a smaller size with the proprietary battery cameras.

In general, you'll also get better pictures with a W50 than with credit-card type cameras that have a tiny lens system - optics will always make a difference.

If you've used an older generation camera, you may have some misconceptions about battery life. Many newer cameras have sharply reduced power consumption, so the powerful proprietary battery can get you through a day of shooting hundreds of shots with no problem. (Be a little wise about turning it off when you're not using it!) So a lot of the conventional wisdom about batteries is wrong - you probably don't need a second battery, unless you're going into the woods for a while, and you don't need to mess with AA rechargeables. Also, lithium ion batteries don't have a memory effect, so don't worry about partial recharging. Just charge the battery each night. So - before getting a second battery, try it for a while and see if you need it.

But a case is a good idea - see the LCS-WF, or LCS-WE, or LCS-CSG maybe - there are a lot of cases out there.

Get a Memory Stick Pro Duo card - Pro cards are faster, and you need the smaller Duo size with this camera. Get at least 512MB, and maybe 1-2GB, especially if you plan to travel for more than a week, or use the video mode - which is surprisingly good, if set to fine, but uses enormous amounts of storage at that setting.

I've been using the Sony DSC-P200 for over a year now. Reviewers generally rated it as the best of the compact cameras. The W50 can't match it in some respects - the P200 has a bigger sensor and a bigger lens, both a fundamental to picture quality. But any reasonable person will be very happy with the pictures from the W50, given the size of it.

And the controls, menus and interface on the W50 have definitely been improved - for example, the W50 has easier access to the various scene modes (twilight, etc), with some explanation on the screen of what those mysterious little icons mean (so you might actually use them). Try the High ISO mode in low light no-flash situations - for nit pickers the picture quality suffers, but most people will find it useful. And again, if you need that often, no ultra-compact camera will work really well - think about something with a bigger lens and bigger sensor.

But the W50 still offers enough control (through the scene modes and the Program mode) to allow a fair amount of control over the pictures, for an automatic camera.

The build quality seems fine to me.

By the way, it uses essentially the same cable as the DSC-P200 for the USB/AV cable.

The charger is fairly compact and rated 100-240V, so while you'll need a plug adapter overseas you won't need a voltage converter.

My only real complaint so far - the battery charger is a little slow, though probably OK. Sony isn't doing itself any good on customer satisfaction by not including the (optional) fast, compact charger to go with the fast, compact camera.

A few common problems and easy fixes:
- All of these cameras will focus on what's in the center when you press the shutter halfway down. If the center of the shot you want to take is background, and not subject, you'll get the background in focus. So aim at the subject, hold the shutter halfway down to fix the focus and exposure, then compose the picture and press the rest of the way down.
- Flash pictures rarely look really good on most cameras. The W50 is pretty good, but you might have even better luck using the P mode and setting the flash to the - setting, especially for closer shots (across a table, for example). Or, use the + mode if you're in a big room.
- Try using the P mode and putting the ISO setting to something very high if you want to force a fast shutter time (for example, for action shots).

But of course good light always gives the best pictures with any camera. There are limits to what you can currently expect from any ultracompact camera.

Most of the complaints are from people expecting a camera to do everything. Be a little smart about it, and don't expect the (currently) impossible - and you'll be surprised at how many good pictures a camera like this can get for you.

I did much research before buying a portable digital camera.

I looked at the Canon sd450 and several others in the same style and size. I had many criterias and most cameras fell short of it except the Sony dscw50.

My criterias were :
1. pocket portable (comparable to the canon)

2. a viewfinder (to take pictures on very sunny days)

3. large lcd screen (so I can view pictures taken with good detail.)

4. very good battery life (battery last nice and long, plus it has an icon to indicate battery life).

5. 3x optical zoom

6. very good macro .74" (It's great for shots very up close in very good detail. Much better than most cameras. I can take pictures of fine text in books, you can even take pictures of dust.)

7. High ISO (For those night scenes and indoor shots without flash. So far I am very happy. Indoor shots are fantastic.I don't use the ISO function because it is grainy, but this camera can take really good indoor photos in regular mode with an iso setting of 200.)

8. Adjustable flash - works very good indoors and outdoors. You can adjust the intensity. Flash is adjustable so it's not too overwhelming, or set to really light up a room, which is great for such a small camera.)

9. Intuitive layout - I like the layout of the controls and menus. You are usually one to three steps to adjust settings. It's easy to switch between viewfinder mode and lcd mode.

This camera excelled in almost every category compared to the other portable cameras. I haven't use the video function much so I can't comment on that. It's good for people who just need a point and shoot camera, but have enough manual controls to satisfy someone more advanced.

I highly recommend this camera.

Since these ultra-compact, high megapixel cameras began coming out, I've been looking to upgrage my 3 year old Toshiba with not only something I could carry in my pocket, but one that would also provide the option of high image quality and ease of use with carry-anywhere convenience. After owning this camera for a week, I think I've found it!

This is one very slick little camera. It's the size of a deck of playing cards. Startup is quick, the menu is pretty easy to navigate (even with little or no instruction), and the size is such that you can slide it in your front pocket and forget it's even there. The 2.5-inch LCD screen on the back is really sweet. I haven't had time to even really scratch the surface as far as all the other features of this baby. But I can tell you that if you're like me and are not a complete camera or photo guru, yet still appreciate quality, ease of use, and convenience, this is one you should consider. I found the best price ($[...] delivered) through Amazon from Ace Digital Club. I ordered it Sunday night and had it Wednesday. I also got the Sony LCS-CST case (PERFECT for this camera, $[...] delivered) through Amazon from Continental Trading Co., and a 1GB stick of the new Sony Memory Stick Duo Pro High Speed memory for $[...] delivered from Ebay. For right around $[...] total, I've got one sweet camera, more memory than I'll probably ever need, and good protection to keep this baby safe! Well worth every penny if you ask me.

I used to own a DSC-P52. After a lot of good service, a few months ago, it died on me (camera shutter cover gave out). I was looking to find something with as much functionality, and a comparable price.

When I got the P52 in 2003, it was $249. Three years later, the W50, at the same price, is VERY much worth every penny.

For starters, there is the size. It's comparable to Canon's ELPH series, but there are notable differences. For one thing, the LCD screen is a comfortable 2.5 inches. Not only that, but it's got a hard plastic layer over it, which makes wiping off smudges and fingerprints really easy.

It's got an optical zoom, and the Smart Zoom feature is a nice touch. The design of the camera is sleek, it's really close to the 8.1mp DSC-N1.

The macro is great for a camera of this size and price range. I took a quick picture of the keys on my keyboard, and it was crystal clear. The manual says you can get as close as 2cm. That's just under an inch from the subject. I find that to be great.

The fact that you can increase to 1000 ISO is nice, but higher ISO always means more image noise, and though Sony has made some efforts to reduce that, using the max ISO is going to lower your image quality. It pays to use a tripod or lean against a stable object whenever possible, over just using high ISO.

The histogram is a nice touch too. It really helps you adjust the exposure of the camera to get something that has good contrast.

Also, the extra color modes -rich and natural- are nice little touches; rich boosts the color saturation, while natural lowers the saturation a bit. I was surprised that two modes that my P52 had were NOT on the W50 -Solarized, and Photo Negative. I don't mind much, though.

The internal memory is only 32mb, so please do yourself a favor and get a Memory Stick Duo PRO. For a camera of 6.1mp, it would be a bit of an injustice to not take advantage of the extra quality. Getting 64 or even 128mb would be limiting yourself to mostly VGA quality images, and if you're planning to print your pictures and not just share them, a larger stick is a good investment. I have a 1gb, and I can take a few hundered pictures at the maximum setting.

There's a port to plug in an adapter (which you'd have to get separately) so you can just run off of AC power, nice touch.

If you are considering the W30 or W40 models, the difference between those two, and this one, is that you have the 2.5 inch screen as opposed to just 2. Also, the W50 has a different connector. W30/W40 both use the standard USB cable, whereas the W50 has this nice Universal Cable. You can use the SAME cable to connect to your computer, your television, and your printer.

The interface is nice, since the icons now give a temporary text readout of what they mean. I don't need it, but it makes the camera very easy to pick up and use. You don't have to press something and then wonder what you've done.

The lcd is clear and bright, and the viewfinder is in a decent spot now (I hated when they were off center).

I was actually debating between this, and Panasonic's DMC-TZ1, and honestly, the Panasonic model is $100 more, has NO viewfinder, and even though it's got an amazing 10x optical zoom and image stabilization (and it's a small camera, check it out), I didn't find it to be worth the extra $100.

The only gripe I have -and it's mostly impatience on my part- is that Sony has released the camera in other colors overseas (check it out on Amazon.ca). I would've loved to get this in black, but we only have silver at the moment.

Great bang for your buck.

My husband bought me this camera as an early Christmas gift. At first I wasn't in love with it. I was disappointed because I wanted a camera that had image stablization. This camera instead boasted about its ISO sensitivity settings and fast shutter speed. (They claimed it was similar to image stablization) When I first tried it out I was in a very low light setting and was experiencing some blur in my images which was exactly what I was trying to avoid in a new camera!

I almost traded this one in for something different (A cheaper priced olympus with IS) but thankfully I gave the camera another chance first and decided to play around with all the manual settings. There are a lot of them in the menus so you can fine tune it like you wouldn't believe. This ability to change its setup is what made me stick with the Sony.

However, I wouldn't say this camera is ideal for very low light situations. The two preset choices of shooting a low-light scene without flash won't give you crystal clear pictures especially if you experience a tiny bit of camera shake. But again, it goes back to the adjustments in the menus, you can make manual adjustments and get pretty decent pictures with minumal (or no) blur. But you have to take the time to find and set the right ISO and light settings. I highly suggest using the histogram that you can pop-up onto the screen for help. Unless you are willing to spend about $200 more on a camera, you won't find one that will perform great in very low light anyway. And like my husband said... "really... how often are you taking shots in the dark honey?" Hey, there's Halloween trick-or-treating and fouth of July fireworks and other night time events I retorted, but he's right. There really isn't a lot of real low-light pictures you take where you aren't using a flash.

I know lots of people (me included) like to try and figure out all the menu options and settings on their own before reading a manual... but this one, if you really want super amazing shots, reading the manual will give you A LOT of insight on how powerful a camera it really is. For people that always read the manual this is probably a big "DUUUH"! But if you are like me and like to try and rush through and figure it out, you are missing out on a ton of nice options.

Some great features:

The camera doubles as a video camera and it is only limited to recording up to the amt of space available in your memory stick. Other cameras will only let you record a pre-set maximum number of minutes.

I also like the Burst modes which allow you to take shots in fast succession. Great for action shots. But take note, when using a burst mode you cannot use the flash. (Again, watch out for low light!)

I have a 3 year old daughter and the fast shutter speed (and burst) works great in a well lit situation. Just the other day I caught shots of her running around and jumping up and down that came out crystal clear. No blur at all. Every flying and bouncing hair on her head came out perfectly frozen in time. Quite neat!

I gave this camera 4 stars because the camera performs wonderfully in every situation except very low light. But for the price, you can't do much better anyway. Its a great buy and I think just about anyone would be pleased to receive it as a gift.

****EDIT FEB. 20th 2007 ******
I wanted to update my review to tell you that I have recently had problems with my camera. The flash started acting strange. It would either under expose or over expose the picture. I'm not sure if the flash strength was quirky or if it was the timing of the flash to the shutter speed. Regardless SONY was very helpful and is currently fixing the product free of charge. I owned the camera for about 4 months so it is still covered under their manufacter warrenty. Once again, SONY proves to be a worry free buy! If there is a problem they are quick to correct it.

***EDIT March 2nd 2007****
The camera already came back from SONY and is fixed and working like new! No charge to have it repaired other than shipping costs ([...] bucks). They stated that the flash board was replaced. Still loving this camera and glad SONY fixed it super fast and for free!

I had a Sony S75 for three years. That camera took excellent pictures, but as my children grew from babies into fast-moving toddlers and preschoolers, the S75's two-second shutter lag started to become a problem. Sure, I could pre-meter a shot by holding the shutter button halfway down, but in the two seconds it took for the camera to auto-focus and get the right exposure settings, my subject had already moved--usually several feet toward the camera with little hands outstretched.

So I spent tons of time looking for something fast. That was really my primary criterion. Size was also a factor, and unfortunately that ruled out more capable cameras with large lenses and lots of manual settings.

The W50 is fast. Its lens extends and it's ready to shoot within about a second after turning it on. In decent light, it takes the picture when you push the shutter button... none of that sitting around thinking while the subject toddles away.

Now, I was a bit disappointed that Sony discontinued the DSC-P200. But the feature set of the W50 is quite similar. There are a few things that I wish the W50 had in common with the P200: the P200 has a metal body, while the W50's body is plastic. The P200 uses standard Sony Memory Sticks, while the W50 uses the harder-to-find Memory Stick Duo. Also, the P200 is 7 megapixels, although the difference between 6 and 7 megapixels is beyond my untrained eye.

The 2.5-inch LCD is nice. I never felt that such a large LCD was necessary to take pictures, but it's nice for showing pictures to others; it's like showing people pictures in your wallet.

The camera, like all modern digitals, contains a clock that keeps the current time and date. Prior Sony models displayed the time on the splash page when the camera booted up. The W50 just says "Cyber-shot" and then goes about its business. This is a small detail, but I don't usually wear a watch, and it was nice to be able to quickly check the time by turning on my camera. Sony, what gives? :)

The camera comes with some software. Usually I wouldn't bother with software included with a camera; the camera is recognized by modern operating systems as a mass storage device, so you can just hook it up and drag pictures to your My Pictures folder, or whatever. But the Cyber-shot viewer that comes with the W50 is worth a look. It organizes pictures with a calendar that zooms in and out as you select things. It's a great way to look at pictures, a lot of fun.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the little W50. If your favorite photographic subjects are small children, the W50 will be up to the challenge of matching their pace. And the image quality is more than acceptable for 4x6 prints.

When I go shopping for electronics, I look at the research. I was nervous about buying my first digital camera so I took my time and did my homework - I read Consumer Reports, which never has steered me wrong, the online customer reviews at Amazon, editorial/pro reviews on Crutchfield, I went to the stores to look at cameras and ask questions. Everything told me I would love this camera. When I held it in my hand, it felt perfect. I am a small person so I wanted something small, something I could carry in my purse. I also wanted something that wouldn't require me to carry the manual at all times. The DSCW50 fit the bill. Onscreen prompts tell you what settings are being used and an easy to move wheel changes the settings so dummies like me can shoot fantastic-looking shots regardless of lighting conditions and subject. For those who are more savvy than I am, the camera lets you manually adjust settings, too, so you can get just the right shot. I love the short delay between next shot - just one second! Though the delay between button depression and shutter snap on the first shot can be slow, it's a speedy shooter.

This camera takes wonderful photos! Crisp, clear, even in bright sunlight. The large viewscreen lets you see more clearly what your photo will look like, something I like because other cameras I tried had such small or low resolution screens that I couldn't tell what I was getting.

The camera comes nearly complete - the USB cable included lets me load photos right to my - or anyone's-computer- within seconds. No special software is required; Jasco, Adobe Photoshop, Dell Photo, Microsoft all work. The camera does come with photo software in case you don't have any. The battery charger folds flat for easy portability and the included battery holds a charge for a loooonnng time. The only thing I had to buy was a memory stick duo pro, which is fine, because most cameras that "come" with memory have such small capacity, it isn't worth it.

I tried to buy this camera at Best Buy and Target but both were sold out (in all stores in Atlanta) and couldn't tell me when, or if, they would get more (so helpful). I went to Amazon and it said it was out of stock but would be back in a month but I received mine a WEEK after ordering it! I can see why it's tough to keep in stock: Consumer Reports rated it the top Best Buy in its category and it is.

I highly recommend this!

The W50 seems to be the most popular model of the slim Sony cameras.

Reason?

Price & Features.
Large viewing screen
High mega pixel
Eye piece viewing window for those very bright days when trying to take a picture using the LCD screen would be difficult.

Most of the other brand cameras that are in this size group do not offer that option.

In the Sony line I checked out the W50/70&100. The only difference between them was the mega pixels and the internal memory.

I usually shoot at 3 mega pixels and on occaision I bump the camera up to six. Having more than that is not a big deal to me.

I have found that you can purchase memory stick duo's really cheap online if you shop around.

Now, how does it actually work?

It works great! battery life is awsome! Picture & video quality is very good. No date stamp option, but that is not a draw back to me.

I am use to much higher end Sony Cameras so this camera must be good.

Also the price. I am finding myself repurchasing my cameras about every two years. So spending the extra money on the W70 or W100 was not worth it.

I hope this was of some help to you

I just got this camera & instantly fell in love witgh it. I was researching all kinds of cameras & options. I am so pleased with myself and the camera. It has already exceeded my expectations. First of all, gotta love the price. Secondly, I love the larger lcd screen and it has a viewfinder too. Third, I love the ease of use. To gush further, 6 MP is plenty enough for most users. I had an Olymus 1MP, loved it & then a Minolta 4MP, hated it. This new Sony W50 is easy to use out of the box (after charging), simple options, ones that I actually might use, plus you save $ & can buy a 1MB Memory Stick Pro Duo & still come out ahead. It's got great zoom too. I compared all kinds of cameras over 5MP & prices ranged all over the place, but once I looked at all the options, ells, whistles & prices, this was by far, clearly the best buy for the $. That's pretty rare for a Sony. I bought a $4 Case Logic bag to carry it in. I took a bunch of pics a day after I got this & am using it every chance I get. Plus, it's easy to use w/my mac, just plugged in the USB, no extra software needed to download.

After spending time looking at the Canon SD450, I found it...in a Sony. The W50 took many of the features of the Canon (small size, metal body, shutter-trigger zoom toggle) and wrapped in a Sony camera.

Have to say, so far, so good. Controls are small, but easy to operate. Everything has a solid, finished feel to it. Photos are excellent, especially at close range with flash, an area many cameras have problems.

I think it's actually a bit easier to hold one-handed than the Elph, too.

The high-ISO settings have grain, but as a photographer, I expect that, and I'd rather have the option of shooting without flash when necessary. Some will find the grain too much to use.

Issues? No cover for the bottom-mounted access port (Dumb, dumb, dumb--even the cheaper W30 has it, Sony), and I don't like how the LCD displays (not continuous, but jumpy, unless you're in Fine movie mode). Still can't zoom while shooting movies--couldn't you copy that from Canon, too? I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could, but these deficiencies have to be addressed one of these days.

But the price is so very right. Compare this to the chinzy-feeling S600, and you'll find it's so worth the extra $50.