SONY | SONY STYLE.COM

Very Disappointed

Pros: size, advertised features, specs, v/good video

Cons: bad photos

As an avid Sony fan owning 5 previous Sony cameras I was more than willing to spend a few dollars on an upgraded camera for an upcoming honeymoon holiday. The camera appeared to be working well based on the LCD screen on the camera but after a week of traveling and the photos being downloaded onto the pc I was shocked at the grainy quality of all the photos. First impresion is that the photos were taken in low light with excessive "noise" giving a blurred edge to every face. A cell phone camera gives a similar style photo. I hate to knock Sony but something went horribly wrong with this model, I have a camera I'll throw in the drawer when I get home. Buy a Sony product as they are normally very good but definately not this one. The attached photo is not zoomed in and had adequate light but the grainy effect is obvious.

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Sony DSC-W290 Nice camera But dont expect miracle

Pros: Design, Features, Battery Life and

Cons: Very Awful Picture Quality, bad Battery Cover.

I had this camera for 10 days and i tried many (if not all)of its features. The way sony corp. advertise about this camera, i expect this camera take better than average photos. I have a 4-5 years sony DSC-W1 (5 MP) and the pictures that this camera take are much better than DSC-W290. you see, i dont care about smile or face detector. What i really care is a camera that take an excellent picture then the gadgets comes in second. If you are looking for an average nice camera then buy this one. If you are thinking, you are getting the best compact camera in the world, then dont even bother. I am really disappointed that after 40 years of buying sony product in Middle East, Europe and America , Sony comes to this low level of making electronics. I remember people used to sware by sony products. that is a shame. I gave 1 star rating because the first job of any digital camera is to take a good picture which this one is NOT.

Great Camera for the Money

Pros: User friendly, reliable, easy to handle, easy to use, good shots

Cons: Flimsy battery cover

I've been in the market for a better pocket camera for some time for when I go to New York, summer 2010. I've read many reviews before deciding on this camera (looking to get the touch screen later). Weighing the positivies with the negatives. Good camera for the money. I likke the 3.0" LCD screen and the 12 mp and oxptical zoom are all fine features of the camera, The menu is easy to navigate, photos are clear and crisp, especially if you are familiar with f stops and ISO settings. The auto focus works nicely, I especially like the face detection and the smile features. The HD video quality is ok, but I don't anticpate I'll be shooting many videos with this camera. My concern was how it would hold up to nght shots, and I must say after playing around with it and taking some night photos, I was pleased with the quality. I can always get a card reader for less than $20 for the memory card to upload pictures to my computer so that's no big deal. I have to charge my Canon SLR battery separately from the camera, so having to do the same with the Sony is no different to me. I like the fact that it powers up and down quickly, and the duo memory card feature is a plus. I take a lot of pictures, too, so it really made a difference to me how this camera performed and is nice to addition to my current collection of cameras. In short, the negative reviews I read do not compare at all to all of the positive reviews I read. I knew what to expect when I got this camera and I would recommend this camera to others.

not for video

Pros: small, 5zoom

Cons: no zoom in video mode

We were excited, we have an older cybershot and wanted to upgrade with better zoom ability. Only to find after we received that the video does not zoom while filming. We are unsure why this feature would be removed. My fault for not researching better before purchasing. The website should tell you this though. Overall we are greatly disappointed. and will have to stick with older camera for video of the kids.

A GREAT Point and Shoot

Pros: Auto Focus and Stabilization, 5x Zoom, Simple to use

Cons: No view finder

Great point and shoot with a nicely over-sized viewer. The auto focus and stabilization features pretty much allow for goof proof shooting every time. I was pleasantly surprised with clarity and sharpness as well as the 5x zoom.

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Great camera, not as bad as some make it out to be

Pros: Nice, vivid picture, great auto settings, quality is good, style is awesome.

Cons: Long pause after taking a shot, some incamera editing features are lacking.

Okay, so here's the skinny. I bought the Sony DSC-W290/B a short while ago. From what I Have tested, this is a great camera, the intelligent auto is great, and the manual settings have not let me down. When I take a shot, the contrast is fairly close to how I like it, and I enjoy the usual amount of Sony Flair that comes with any of their products. The screen is large, and even though there is (as with any screen), a high amount of glare, it was expected, the easy fix for me, is to buy an anti glare filter for the screen. The other negative I had found are as follows: 1. the in camera editing features are just what one should expect from a compact camera, mediocre. If you want to actually edit, save it for the computer. 2. There is a long pause after each shot, if you are taking multiple shots in a somewhat rapid succession, my recommendation is to turn off the after shot preview. Here are the pros: 1. Stylish 2. Sturdy, build kind of like a technobrick 3. The auto features work well most of the time, but manual is still better for the more practiced photographer. 4. menu is easy to navigate. 5. 720p is nice, even with obvious flaws. 6. Uses memory stick pro duo, so it will work with a lot of older Sony camera cards. 7. Better nightshot than most cameras, I mean nice. When I look at all the photos I've taken at night, I like these more than others for a few reasons. One, it's clearer. On all of the other cameras that I have used, even the nikons fared worse than this one. The only camera that has this one bested that I've used, is the sony mavica. It may have been like 10 lbs, used disks, and been only 3 mp, but it was sturdier than a brick wall when it came to night shots. As for my experience, I will list all the cameras I have used, and have. Nikon: D60, D80 (With multiple lenses) Sony DSC-W290/B and DSC-S650, Sony Ericsson W580i phone, with camera, Sony Mavica, Sony T70 and T80. HP: Small camera, don't remember the model. My tech experience is high, and I'm going to school for a photography major. What does that all mean...It means I know a bit about cameras. So, how do I respond to previous posts of "Do not buy this camera" I say, ignore it. The reason being, that these people are extremely picky, and cannot take bad with good, or are just not satisfied with anything. Earlier posts had complained about such things as video mode, and camera cords being large and expensive, thus ruining portability. My response to these is, get a clue. If you're looking for good/great video, buy a video camera, as those are designed for it. If you want Great pictures, buy a digital/film camera. The quality is better, the features are more suiting, and the size and shape are designed for shooting stills. If you want the camera portable, ditch the cable, and get yourself a card reader, its smaller, lighter, and fits in your pocket. Also, it doesn't cost more than $15 for a good one. My overall rating is a 4.5 out of 5. And yes, I recommend this camera to anyone looking for a nice combination of price, style, and quality.

Will not buy another Sony camera

Pros: Quick to power up and shut off

Cons: Can't focus manually, or take pics on the go/flying/moving at any pace everything is blurry

I had a older Sony Cybershot DSC S75, that is 8 years old, and only 3.0 mega pixels. I am much happier with the photo quality that I have from my older camera! This camera is too small for one handed shots. There is no manual focus! I use my camera for taking pictures of things close up often for detail, and this camera takes forever to focus and when it is focused, once the picture is taken, and downloaded, it isn't as crisp as it looked on the display. The display is nice size, but only having it one month, there is already several scratches in it, and I've had it cased all the time throughout my transport with the previous case and the old lcd of my 8 year old camera is just fine. I wish I could return the camera! Money well wasted for a spare battery and memory card and camera! My old camera took awesome pictures, and then downsized them to 8 by 10's and they were even better, this however seems to blur them. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone, and it isn't that I've not had a camera before. This isn't a friendly point and shoot or take your time and focus or change the functions camera.

Love the Camera!!!

Pros: Style, performance, 12.1 MP and a lot more!

Cons: none

I love the color, reliability and pictures, taken from this camera. I ordered it online and fedex delivered it ontime. This camera from Sony just suits me perfectly. It has everything I need and makes me feel wonderful owning it. Thanks Sony!