Customer Reviews

Sony Cybershot S500 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I just received my Sony S500, and I love it! It's small, light, yet not so small that it's hard to manage. The LCD screen is huge! Bigger than any I've seen on a camera of this size! The pictures are crystal clear, and the camera itself is super easy to use and understand. The one, and ONLY thing, I don't like is that you cannot hear the audio on the camera when playing back videos (you have to plug it into a computer or tv to hear audio). It's not really a big deal and it makes it a fun surprise when you do plug it in:) The price is great and I am so glad I found this little steal!

This camera is a great little buy. I did a TON of research into digital cameras....for over a year or so and finally decided upon this one. I bought it at Best Buy when it was first released and the price could not be beat. I literally bought it the day my new nephew was born and it only took about 15 minutes learn to use. The pictures turned out great and the modes are super easy to use. Only a couple turned on blurry, but I believe that was more the photographer than the camera. There is a power saver option that comes on to reserve the battery power. I do however suggest buying rechargable batteries. This camera is super great for the price compared to Canon and Nikon. The software is super easy to use as well. I suggest this camera for first time digital camera users such as myself. Excellent camera and excellent price!

I was disappointed that this little gadget did not come with an ac adaptor, for it devours two double AA's in no time (about 160 pictures). Remember to turn the camera off after you've uploaded your pics to the computer.

The disappointment was mitigated when I realized this handy little camera shoots video. It seems to me that you are only limited to how much video you can shoot by how much memory you have available.
You must indulge on the 2 Gig Memory Stick.

This handy gadget has proved it's worth as it has enabled me capture some wonderful memories.

Pros:
Take good pictures
Compact size
Easy to Use
Good that it uses AA batteries (depending on your preference)
2GB memory card bought seperately, holds lots of pictures and they're relatively cheap compare to a year ago.

Cons: Drains batteries quickly, should buy Nickle-Metal Hydride Battery if you plan to take more than just a few shots.
Unlike some other cameras I've had experience with, this does not do well with close up pictures and the flash is unusually bright.
Takes a bit longer to snap pictures than some other digital cameras.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the product, I just couldn't give it a 5 star rating as I have experience with several other cameras that were a bit better for just a bit more money.

I brought this camera after waiting for long time which suffice my needs. It is a great one to have better than what i used to have ( Nikon Cool pix). Picture Quality is great and it is so comfortable to carry all the time with me because of it's size. Only thing which i am concerned is the Battery Life. It eats up battery a lot, but with the rechargeable batteries it is the best one to have

i was swayed to buy this because of the price - and also knowing that the higher end sonys use a leica (or is it Z?)lens... well this one ain't all that. Half of the pictures are very out of focus, exposure is almost always off except in "perfect" situations, and it is very slow. I just used it for 2 months while traveling and I definately wouldn't recommend it; in fact i wish i could get a refund -- but it's not broken, just bad quality.

My camera just got shipped in today and ever since i've been snapping pics. the pictures are crystalline. there is no software required for windows xp since its a plug n play device. very easy to use. tiny...therefore can fit a pocket on a pair of jeans. too bad the camera doesn't come with the memory stick. no big deal though, since the price for a 1GB memory stick is relatively cheap compared to a few years back. very easy to transfer images and videos onto a PC. This camera is relatively cheap because most cameras coming out nowadays are about 7-10 megapixels. It's a bargain and i look forward to buying future SONY cameras :)

I bought this camera thinking it would exceed the performance of my sony DSC-P10. The only one taht can do this is the DSC-V3. All pictures taken with the DSC-S500 are blurry/low quality even at 6MP. The DSC-P10 is a much better camera even though it is much older than the S500 and even though they both have a Sony lens, not a Carl Zeiss. Don't buy the S series. Since the P series and the V series are no longer available, go for the W series; the W30 is cheap and very good.

I have used Sony camcorder for sometime and loved it, so i was biased to buy Sony. I liked this camera mostly because of the price and brand. It takes good pictures outdoor in normal mode. The battery life is good and Sony recommends using rechargeable batteries, works ok. I also bought a 1GB card, got a nice deal on it. With a 1GB card, in excess of 300 photos can be taken.
Good macro shots.
Ease of use/ no setting required.


After about a month of usage, am not really happy with this.

1. It doesn't have a timestamp feature, meaning when saving pictures to computer it doesn't imprint the date/time. You can may find some tools to get after u download.
2. In the night mode/Slow flash mode the picture is ALWAYS blurred. The object being photograph has to be dead still, any slight movement and the photo will be blurred. I had similar features on other brands/Sony camera and use to like it a lot.
3. I couldn't turn the flash off for taking pictures thru glass or of reflective objects( i didn't read the manual, this may be available).
4. Not the best if you want to 'picture' moving objects, kids or sports.
5. Is very basic camera, not many/any features at all.


It works but I don't like it. I wouldn't recommend it unless this is your very first digital camera and you just need a cheap/brand camera.

I rarely review items and a even more rarely give bad reviews.
This camera is pretty good and might be better than I can tell since I'm not much of an expert.

BUT, for the reason we got it: to take pictures our baby. It stinks. It takes a few seconds from when you push the button to when the picture is taken.

Just enough time for her to move and to no longer have a usable shot.

I'm a lifelong Sony fan, but It's time for start looking outside the family.