Let me start with stating that most point and shoot cameras are compromise on various basic performance parameters. I bought this camera for my wife for whom any feature beyond the basic auto mode is unnecessary. For a point and shoot it has lots of very advanced features typically available in dslr or prosumer cameras. I am talking about things like bracketing( takes pictures at different exposure level), dynamic range optimizer and my favorite live histogram. Let me summarize its positives and negatives:Wide angle lens 30mm to 150mm (5x zoom)
Image stabilizer is very good, I have taken very good pictures at 1/4sec & iso 100. Basically it will let you take good pictures at low iso(to avoid noise), where you can not use flash.
-DRO (dynamic range optimizer): Autmatically adjusts for a balance between highlight & shadows, two different levels of DRO available
Live histogram: I have this feature in my nikon 8400 (prosumer camera)and is very useful for adjusting exposure in extreme lighting conditions e.g. daylight scenery in Yosemite, Bryce. Metering systems of most cameras can not keep up with such extreme lighting conditions.
Three levels for flash. Soft flash for closeups, standard, flash+ for far away objects.
Colors: It has very bright and saturated colors even in basic color mode. If you are mainly going to use it take pictures of kids, you may like prints from it. I am used to subdued colors of Nikon.
Now the negatives, some of which could be a problem for someone.
In auto mode, it pushes up the iso to 400 therefore producing grainy pictures.
Flash is underpowered, stated range is 4.3m. I would stick to half that distance for decent pictures.
You can restrict the iso to below 200 to keep noise low. I have found that even at iso of 100 the detail in pictures is not that good. My theory is that it has a very strong noise reduction algorithm at all iso's. If you are mainly going to take 4x6 pictures this might not be an issue for you.
I hope this review is useful in your decision making.
I think this camera is perfect. It takes great pictures all on its own. There is no need for you to know about the aperture, focal length, lighting, ISO settings, etc. Simply put the camera in easy or auto mode and shoot to your heart's content. The picture colors are amazingly accurate and vibrant.
The smile shutter feature is pretty cool also. Simply put the camera in smile mode push down the shutter once and wait for your subject to smile. You'll be able to take six smile shots without having to press the shutter button.
Another cool feature is the in camera editing. Say a subject did not smile as big as you had hoped, you are able to go into the editing feature in the camera and make the smile more evident. To me, that's cool! You are also able to remove redeye, sharpen the picture and crop the picture all by using the camera. You no longer have to upload them to the computer to do these fixes.
The battery life is very good and you don't even need a memory stick to shoot up to 10 pictures because of the installed 15 MB of memory. It's not a whole lot, but it helps if you are in a pinch for a shot and a memory card is not handy.
The screen is very clear and very large. The colors are accurate and very bright. The camera is lightweight yet not flimsy. It feels like a solidly built camera.
I really haven't seen anything to complain about. I think everything this camera offers for the price is well worth it. I am very happy with the black color as well. I think Black goes with everything and that's why I didn't choose a different color.
If you are on the fence about this camera, I can just say that my experience has been very positive and I think yours will be as well.This camera is great compared to many many many similarly priced cameras I tried out. It takes pictures really fast and is ready for the next one very quickly too. These were big considerations when I was shopping around and this one is the fastest. The camera takes great pictures with the automatic settings compared to others that didn't seem to know when flash or other adjustments should have been necessary/unnecessary. The smile shutter is cool but I don't think I'll use it often. The 5x zoom is great. The in camera image alteration is neat too, especially the feature to make people appear smiling. Good for a lot of laughs. The rechargeable battery seems to be holding up well. I love the deep red but the sheen makes it appear pink in some lights. It looks bigger than other cameras but really is at most only 2-3 mm wider than the canon elph sd1100/750.Before I decided to buy the Sony Cybershot DSC W150, I really looked into many cameras and models. The big factors I was looking for: compact in size, optical or electronic viewfinder, 5x or more optical zoom, adjustable LCD display (LCD screen that folds out and can be adjusted to be viewed from different angles or closed towards the camera to protect it).
This camera is comparable in size to the Canon elph series, which is great for factor 1.
A basic optical viewfinder is present on the camera which although doesn't have any special features (it's not an EVF and is on the small side) is great to have for shooting in bright sunlight and saving battery power. I can't stand cameras that don't have a viewfinder and absolutely refuse to buy a camera without one, which unfortunately ruled out many compacts currently on the market. Factor 2 good enough to me.
Camera has a 5x Optical zoom which as of this review is starting to get more popular with the compacts for many companies. There is a 2x Digital zoom also, which I felt would have been better as a 4x or higher Digital zoom but not too big of a deal since the Optical zoom is what really matters. Factor 3, check for the Cybershot.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a compact that had an adjustable LCD display, which is disappointing because I've gotten so used to having one on my Canon Powershot A95. The only thing that might be sacrificed with an adjustable LCD display is the screen size, which unfortunately so many camera makers seem to be focusing on having huge energy draining screens. So I compromised on this factor and went with the Cybershot DSC W150 with it's non adjustable 2.7" screen.
As for shooting modes, they're not too different (if at all) than other typical point and shoot cameras on the market, and more or less function the same. The in-camera editing features are pretty cool and can add some style and effects to your pics.
As usual, there are many accessories that don't come included such as a telephoto lens (VCL-D2046), a wide angle lens (VCL-D0746), the adaptor ring for these lenses (VAD-WE), a silicon camera jacket (LCJ-WA) and even more such as a better not included battery and battery charger, adapter and camera protective cases. I think they really should have included the silicon camera jacket with the camera instead of selling it for around $25-30 each, it is just a protective case of silicon, after all...
Overall, I'm satisfied with this camera and enjoy using it, but I still think there is a lot of room for improvement within the compact point and shoot camera line for all companies, and hope that not all companies will continue to go the path of bigger LCD screens and getting rid of traditional camera features such as a viewfinder.We own two-a silver and a red cybershot, so that my wife and I will be able to take the photos we want particularly on an upcoming Galapagos cruise. The large LCD screen is bright in near-direct to direct sunlight, something that is completely lacking in my 2-year old Pentax Optio 6mp and one reason for buying this camera. Continuous shutter speed is fast for moving objects-again something totally lacking in the Pentax which has very slow shutter speed and produces nothing but blurs for moving objects. The large optical zoom is another plus. So far, nice pictures are produced in low light with and without flash and the Smile feature is interesting and works. It has 2 menus. The "Home Menu", which is not the easiest to navigate, provides options like varying iso, smile, continuous shutter, etc. The hard copy operating manual that comes with the camera provides the basics; the software CD manual provides sufficient detail tho it would have been nice to have that in its 130-page hard copy version. Battery takes about 4-5 hours to recharge which is about the same as my for my Pentax but the charger is more compact and plugs in the wall rather than requiring a bulkier cord attachment. Cost downsides are the proprietary memory stick-duo--a 2gb which my camera onscreen indicates will be good for 800+ pics at the third or mid-range pixel setting good for 4X6 and larger, typically runs $20-25 and proprietary battery which in its o.e.m. version can be bought for about $15--about the same cost as aftermarket lithium batteries for my Pentax and more costly than the AA batteries used in a 1-year old Casio ExLim7mp that stopped working for no discernible reason and was not worth repairing. A U.K. camera review for the Sony says that this sony will take more than 2x the pics of an equivalent Canon elph before the battery has too be recharged-we'll see. I went with an extra proprietary battery becuase an aftermarket battery,costing a few dollars less, produced a "no signal" message" on both cameras despite its being advertised as compatible with this model.
No comments:
Post a Comment