Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 331
 Perfect for baby/toddler pictures May 15, 2007
J & A
138 out of 141 found this review helpful
This is our third digital camera since we had a baby, but it is the first one that allows us to take nearly perfect pictures of our son (15 months old). The reason is simple: a very small shutter lag. All digital cameras (except the very expensive SRL ones) have a noticeable shutter lag (the time it takes from pressing the button to actually taking a picture). Our previous Minolta and Pentax were wonderful for still/nature pictures, but their 1+ sec shutter lag made it impossible to take pictures of a moving baby or to capture a nice smile. Now, this Sony has a shutter lag that is almost inexistent (without flash), and we can finally capture nice pictures of our son. We don't care about MP, but the 7.2MP is also a plus. The camera is also very fast to turn on, taking about 1+ sec, a very important feature for capturing those special moments. Overall, an excellent camera for our main purpose: to take family pictures.
Pros: very short shutter lag, fast turn on/off, good picture quality, easy to use intuitive interface, easy to carry, very high resolution, good bang for the bucks.
Cons: uses memory sticks (pricier than SD cards), proprietary (and more expensive to replace) cables, very noisy in very low light conditions.
Bottom line: wonderful for family pictures.
Sony Hits The Sweet Spot July 2, 2007
R. Chumsae (El Paso, TX United States)
32 out of 32 found this review helpful
At under $250 for the camera, a 1 GB Meory Stick Duo, a good case, and an LCD protector, this is one fine camera. The base price is less than $200, the 1 GB Memory Stick Duo (stores about 370 hi-def shots) is about $33. There is a 56MB internal memory which would hold about 7 hi-def shots or 17 low-def, emailable images). Duos come in up to 8GB sizes.
The camera is not backward compatable with the Memory Stick or Memory Stick Pro. To get to the small size of this camera, both the battery and the memory card needed to be much smaller than earlier models. So, each Memory Stick Duo (about half the size of the Memory Stick Pro) comes with an adaptor which allows the Duo to be plugged into the Pro slot on your PC or printer.
The function selection wheel has always been a nice Sony design feature and it gets even better with the W55. There are now 10 picture taking modes. As you turn the selector, a short guide pops up on the LCD screen to let you know what this mode does....very, very nice feature since most shots are done in standard mode, and only once in while do you need the other modes, and now you can recall what they do!
The larger LCD is very nice but does seem vulnerable to being damaged. I recommend a good case and a quality screen protector. I bought both from Asian suppliers for less than $30 delivered (my case, alone, retails at $35).
The turn wheel ISO position allows low light/no flash by cranking the ASA to 1000 (very fast). I tested this at a play where I was about 25' out from the stage. Even in low light I was able to get good shots and good color. In the worst conditions the photos did blur, but that's life. I mention this because all my life I see people taking flash photos when the subject is many feet away - this simply does not work because small camera flash is timed with the shutter out to only 10 or 15 feet. With the W55 in ISO mode you at least have a chance of a decent photo under these conditions.
Camera recovery time and turn on time have been tremendously improved over past generation cameras. This camera turns on in about 1 second and recovery after non-flash shots is instant, flash shots recover in about 1 second. This is a big, big, win over many other cameras. This camera also has two burst modes for taking multiple photos of moving action scenes.
In the battle of cost versus quality and features, Sony really hits the sweet spot with the W55. In my view thare are some close competitors but all fall short in some way.
For more serious work, Sony offers a Lens Adaptor ($25) plus 2.7X telephoto lens ($139) plus a wide angle lens ($49) plus an underwater case ($150).
Another fun feature are the two macro modes; one for 7/16" and up, and the other for 11" and up. I haven't used these yet so cannot comment on the quality, but I expect they work fine.
Step up to the nearly identical Sony DSC W80 for about $50 more if you need image stabilization electronics. If you tend to blur your photos, or do more low light shots, then the W80 is worth the extra money.
Sony 7.2 March 30, 2007
Edmund W. Vizinas (Chicago, Il United States)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
I bought this as a present for my wife. I was looking for something that she could carry in her purse. the automatic functions are easy and functional. It is not an enthusiasts camera: too hard to get into the menus. The screen is easy to turn off(this sucks battery power). and it even has an optical viewfinder(a rare finding lately) the optical viewfinder helps to get steady pictures for those of us with the shakes. The pictures are clear and the colors are excellent. The drawback is the that sony batteries cost an arm and a leg. The wire for downloading pix is multifunctional and very proprietary(read that as expensive if you lose it)
Great Camera March 14, 2007
Rena (The burbs of Phila, PA USA)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful
I have been to the store to test out a few Sony Digital Cameras. This is the new model that just came out a month ago. I picked one up last night and it is terrific. The images are extremely clear. I was playing around last night, turned off the lights and only using my flash, I took a picture of my kitten and the picture came out as clear as day. The camera also has many settings to meet all your needs, from taking pictures outside, in the snow, or at the beach. I highly reccomend this camera and it is very easy to use.
A handy feature not to be overlooked... August 26, 2007
P. Sherman (Greenville, FL USA)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I see there are many positive reviews for this camera, which I have had for a year or so. I am adding my own because I see no mention in the first few reviews of a feature I really like about this camera--it takes video. And decent video, at that. I bought the underwater housing for it that is available from Sony and have had a lot of fun taking underwater photos and videos with this little camera. So not only can you get good photos at the family reunion or graduation or vacation, you can get videos that can be uploaded to share! My only complaint is that the zoom is so minimal, at 3x, but I take this camera along with a powerful DSLR with a zoom lens, so I don't need zoom capability. Also, one note--you cannot zoom the videos, they will all be taken from the same perspective. But this little camera offers so much at this price!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 331
|
![Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 [Mac]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B002ID8R34.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
![AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (3.3 Feet / 1.0 Meter) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001TH7GV4.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
![AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (9.8 Feet / 3.0 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001TH7GUU.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
