Customer Reviews

Sony DSC-W370 14.1MP Digital Camera with 7x Wide Angle Zoom with Optical Steady Shot Image Stabilization and 3.0 inch LCD (Silver)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

This is our 5th point n' shoot camera over the years, intended for go-everywhere pocketability. Our previous two pocket cameras were Canon's (SD300 and SD600). The Sony is a little bigger but improves on them greatly.

The Sony DSC-W370 operates under the premise that people want the camera to be easy. Not just easy but dead simple. So much so that it includes an "easy mode" and "smile sensor" to automatically take the shot when the camera sees a smile. All of the advanced controls are hidden, although easy to get to if you want them.

What mattered most to us:

- Speed. The camera starts up, focuses, zooms and shoots very quickly. The auto-mode, which we use most of the time, is very smart. I haven't been able to fool it yet.

- Easy. You really don't need to do anything but keep the camera in Intelligent Auto mode. It will surmise what you're trying to shoot and pick the right mode quickly. My 5 year old took some photos today, he could use the camera with no instruction.

- SD/SDHC memory card. Sony finally quit trying to lock us into their memory sticks.

- HD movies. We used the movie mode in the Canons more than we ever thought we would. So this time 720p movies was important.

- High quality. At any zoom length the shots are crisp. I tested Fuji, Olympus, Canon and Nikon at the same price range - the Sony beat them all.

Negatives -

Only a few and they're minor. The zoom buttons are smallish, and it's easy to go past 7x optical zoom and right into digital zoom, which as a rule I don't use. You are able to disable digital zoom. I also disabled the musical menu jingles. You will too I bet.

There are very few available buttons on the rear of the camera. This was obviously deliberate - this is supposed to be an Easy camera. But the buttons are smallish and the wheel is also rather small. There are only a few dedicated keys and they're for the most basic of functions - flash, screen brightness and smile mode. That's it.

If you're an advanced photographer and you want quick access to functions like ISO, EV or shooting modes then this camera may not be for you. Those functions ARE available with a few more key presses.

Smile Mode seems silly to me. The camera can be set to automatically take the shot when it detects a smile. I can tell when somebody is smiling, although to be fair the Sony might actually be better at it than a human is. I haven't tested this yet.

I wasn't able to test the Panasonic ZS3, the W370's closest competitor. At the time I purchased the ZS3 was a full (...) more expensive, but they'll probably drop the price now that this Sony is out.

While out in the desert I dropped my Canon SD870 for about the third time in 3 years on a rock and the mirco-gears were no longer in alignment--camera would no longer focus at all. I was heading out on a week trip to extremely remote areas so I needed to buy a camera in one day to take with me. Not having a lot of good value options, I settled on this model and then came home and read the reviews. It was too late to take the camera back and get another one, so I had to live with this choice. So I read the manual and experimented by taking pictures around my house. The following are my thought after using the camera for a few weeks on different trips.

SPEED: Since I am an electrical engineer, it did not long to discover that all of the intelligent smile, red eye and other detection algorithms were taking a lot of processing time slowing down the camera. After turning them all off the seed improved a lot. Next I put in a 4GB Sandisk Class 6 SD memory card and that helped some more. In fact the speed to take still shots was about the same as my old Canon. However, when using the flash it does take about 2-3 seconds to recharge and be ready for taking the next photo, but I can live with that. The camera automatically uses the flash outside more than I like, so I turned it off and it the camera operated faster. All of the intelligent detection algorithms really slow down the camera. With all of them shut off the camera is ready to take a picture in about 1-2 seconds depending on the resolution of the picture your taking. That is about 1 second for a 5M versus 2 seconds for 14.1M of resolution. That is just the time it takes to write the image to the SD card. If you get the class 10 SD cards I am guessing it will be closer to 1 second to write the image to memory.

BATTERY LIFE: There are different modes you can set the camera to operate that control the amount of current used to operate. Because of all of the bad reviews, I set it to the "Stamina" mode as I was going to be away from power sources to recharge the battery and was planning to take lot of pictures. On a trip to Chevelon Canyon to take pictures of Petroglyphs I used it continuously for 3 hours and took 291 5M resolution pictures. I turned it on and off about 50 times that day and after doing this for about 3.5 hours and 291 images later, the battery showed 2 of the 4 bars of still available battery life. I turned it on the next day and took another 100 images and there was still one bar of battery life available. I did not use the flash for any of these pictures. Using it the way I did, would allow taking 400-500 5M resolution pictures which is more than I got with my Canon.

BATTERY CHARGING: My canon took about 30 -45 minutes to charge, but I now think it used a higher current than the Sony and so it gives a quicker, but not as deep of a charge. It was shocking to learn the Sony took about 3 hours to charge. It must be a low current slow charge method which usually makes batteries last longer and hold their charge better.

PICTURE QUALITY: I am not a professional, but people have told me I take good pictures. With that in mind I could not see distortion around the edges and corners as I read in other reviews. Maybe some or one of the auto detection algorithms does compensation that messes up the images? With the camera setup in a minimal auto mode as described above, the pictures I have take are of the same quality as those I took with my SD870--VERY GOOD!

WIDE ANGLE LENS: It does not have the digital zoom lens feature the SD 870 does and it is fantastic compared to the fixed zoom of the W370, and the wide angle is not as wide, but if you move closer or further back a few feet it gets the job done. When your truing to take a picture of a cliff dwelling located on a ledge that is difficult to get closer to, digital zoom is missed.


PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE: It comes with a reduced function NERO photo editor. They only allow certain functions to get you to buy the package. NERO will not even allow a person to delete a photo from their computer unless they buy the upgrade. Well you can go to where your photos are stored and delete them yourself or just use a good inexpensive photo editor and forget using NERO. I tested the results of the NERO editor against the FREE editing capability in PICASA (free by Google online) and I could not see any difference. I just transfer the images and then use an editor to do the croping, etc.

CONSTRUCTION: I checked out a couple of the canon model for a similar price and they weighted about half as much as the W370 and did not feel like they were built very solidly. This camera is as sturdy as my old SD870. While taking pictures the first day I had to jump from rock to rock over a flowing creek and when I landed on the far side the camera went flying and landed on a large flat & smooth boulder and slide about 6 feet before stopping. I cringed as I picked up the camera hoping at least the pictures were good, since it was such a remote place. After trying the camera it worked fine and I have not found any negative issues with it since. It is a rugged well built camera.

REVIEWERS: I think reviewers often do not read the manual and therefore do not set things up correctly, work for the competition or work for the manufacturer and so there can be a lot of dis-information to sift through. The middle ground reviewers are probably most accurate (LOL)?

OVERALL: This camera is solidly built, has a large 3" diagonal viewer that is easy to read, takes good pictures and a lot of them with one battery when the auto detection features are turned off. It is just what I need and a good value in my opinion for the price. Now, if I had to buy a camera again and had two weeks to get it, know what I now know, I would buy it again.

Let me say, I've owned several Sony digital cameras over the years. First a DSC-P50 circa 2001, then a couple of random ones I purchased new and wound up selling because they had poor picture quality. Then in 2005 I purchased a Sony DSC-W7 (7.2 mp) point-and-shoot. This is a good little camera but the PQ has always been a little hit and miss. I would say I got one or two good shots out of every 100.

Some problems with the W7 were autofocus that didn't focus properly (especially in indoor, low-light conditions), redeye was pervasive (even with the redeye reduction feature turned on), and shutter lag time. (One feature I liked about the W7 was the inclusion of an optical viewfinder, which it seems most of the manufacturers have now abandoned on these small digital cameras.)

Most of these problems seem to be addressed with the newest (2010) generation of Sony DSC point-and-shoots. I decided this was the time to replace the W7, and it came down to a choice between a DSC-W330 and DSC-W370. After taking some test photos in the store, and sending those photos to my personal computer at home for analysis, I decided to purchase the W370.

The W370 does not have an optical viewfinder, but it has everything else, and does everything right. The low-light, indoor shooting that the W7 could not handle is not an issue at all for the W370. Each indoor shot has been clear and well-focused, with exquisite background detail in shot after shot. In 10 test shots, only 1 came out bad, whereas with previous Sonys there might be 4 good shots and 6 bad.

The quality is light years ahead of the W330. I was attracted initially to the W330 because of its sleek look and small form factor (the W370 does not have this sex appeal), but the W370 blew the 330 out of the water in terms of photo quality, especially autofocus (always sharp) and redeye reduction (no redeye or hint of redeye at all in shot after shot).

In sum, I purchased the W370 and haven't looked back. This is an excellent little camera and everything a digital camera should be. Takes excellent photos whether indoors or out, natural light or artificial, bright conditions or low, etc. I highly recommend this product.

I was looking for a point and shoot upgrade to my old DSC-W50 which I loved and took many, many great pictures with. I heard that this model was coming out soon so I waited about a month for it to go on sale. Most of Sony's other similar models before this one had been reviewed well so I thought, better zoom, HD video, 3.0 in screen, priced under $250, should be a "can't lose" situation.

Well I was wrong.

The camera itself is impressive as all of the above is true, however, it's seriously lacking in the most important thing. Picture Quality. I used the camera for a couple weeks at a few social events where lighting wasnt perfect (translation = indoors). I guess the problem is that this camera is geared towards being easy to use, "intelligent auto focus". Well it's not that intelligent. I constantly found myself having to try to trick the camera and adjusting all the settings possible. But the truth is that who has that kind of time when you're in the moment? Remember the old saying "A Kodak Moment"? Well it's more like a frustrated moment. It also took a while to write to my memory card (Sony ProDuo) in a couple shooting modes. For certain scenarios with good lighting or up close where the flash can do it's work you should be fine. But now a days I expect a lot more from a camera. Especially in this price range. The video noise mentioned in other reviews is true. I didnt notice any battery problems as mentioned in other reviews.

To be fair, here is The Good: The panorama feature is absolutely awesome. It does a good job of lining up the different shots as you pan from one side to the other. The screen is just awesome, everyone commented on how nice that was. It is an easy camera to use as there arent much in the form of controls or options to control. And it does have a high zoom but I find it less of a strong point when the exposure lacks a clear bright picture. Being able to zoom in and out during video shooting is a plus (but a slight minus when you hear the noise during playback). HDMI out is a huge plus for viewing vid's and pics since many more people have Flatscreens now days. I purchased my HDMI mini to HDMI cable on Ebay for about $5.

So I decided to return it and foot the shipping costs. I then researched like crazy and visited BestBuy and Frys at least 4 or 5 times and found that sadly, there werent any cameras that really made me feel that much better about returning my W370. Most of the comparable cameras at least in regards to the features of the W370, cost $300+. They all seem to have flaws. So instead I decided to make the jump to the "Advanced Point and Shoot" category. They're not as sleek or pocket friendly but you really do get your money's worth when it comes to picture quality and options. In case anyone cares, I went with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 12.1MP Digital Camera with 18x POWER Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD and I'm extremely pleased with it so far.

If you need that one camera to last you a couple years, this is probably not the right one. If you happen to have money to spend on a slick looking camera that will perform well enough at least some of the time, some of the features here make it worth at least that. Hope that makes sense.

I received this camera yesterday and, so far, am delighted with it. That said, please be advised that if you wish to purchase an additional battery, which I did when I pre-ordered my camera, the information for the battery type is incorrect on the Sony website. They state that the battery type is N when it is in fact K. They are not interchangeable as they are different size batteries and will not work with the charger that comes with the camera. The accessory kit that is indicated for this camera also included the N battery. I spoke with Sony and informed them of this error today, they are shipping me the correct battery, and hopefully they will be correcting this information soon.

Pros:
-sweep panorama picture is really tremendous
-noob like me can take great pictures using this particular camera
-distant object looks as clear as crystal
-Cool HD Movie (clear pictures, clear sounds, can zoom while recording)
-adjustable in many aspects (scenes, megapixels, timer, etc)
-makes you feel special (really!)

Cons:
-short battery life
-not much memory (I highly suggest you buy a memory card together with this)
-hard to detect smiles
-sounds of camera while zooming is recorded during video mode

One of the worst Cameras I've ever bought. I really am surprised by so many people giving glowing reviews to it. Surprising no one speaks of the horrible shutter lag. I bought it at a best buy, there were a couple of open items for that camera and bought one which I thought was a good deal knowing how well a lot of Sony cameras were. I was wrong.
The low light pictures are abysmal and I tried taking a few shots but all i got was blurry movement because the subject had already moved away, that's how long it takes for the camera to capture a picture.
Definitely don't recommend it.

I am a Sony man through and through and have successfully guided most of my family towards their cameras as well! My parents recently purchased a DSC W220 and it takes such crystal clear pics, I was amazed at the detail. After seeing this, I decided to upgrade from my 10mp to this guy at 14mp. I didn't have it long enough to really check everything out, all I know is that the picture quality was horrible! That crystal clear wow factor that I had anticipated was beaten back into the pipe dream it came from... the picture quality was better outdoors (high light), but still not acceptable! After three days of wasted vacation photos, I called to get my return authorization number! The only real difference that I can come up with (that would lead to the picture quality being so much worse than the 220) was the fact that this model does NOT have the Carl Zeiss lens??? Who knows, I just know that this is no where near the camera I was hoping for! DO NOT BUY!

I have owned several generations of Cybershots and they are by far offer the best combination of ease of use with quality of pics. I am replacing a Nikon point and shoot and going back to Sony which is far less complex and great for everybody in the family to use. Everything from the info lithium battery to intuitive controls and features make Sony a pick above the rest. Other cameras from Canon, Panasonic, and Nikon may offer overall better picture quality but when you combine features the Cybershot strikes a great balance between ease of use and overall quality of pictures.

This is my second Sony Cyber-Shot and, like the first, I love it. It has enough variables that you can control your picture quality and compensate for various conditions, yet is easy tom operate. The size is wonderful-- small enough to fit in my pocket or take when I'm out biking. Yet it has a large screen and enough heft to actually feel something there. Like most of the new pocket cameras, it has far more mega pixels than you'll ever need, but that's not a problem, just a waste of technology. There are about 8 or 10 models of Cyber-Shots and I'd be hard put to tell anyone which is best. Just choose a price range and go for it. This one is a little gem.