Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Silver)

I originally bought a Sony DSC-S950, for around half the price of this camera, but I returned it the same day due to a faulty flash bulb. I decided to upgrade to the W290, because I wasn't very happy with the S950 - it felt cheap, and lacked features. I've put together this list of pros and cons of this camera. Don't let the seemingly long list of cons scare you though, as they are all quite minor and not even important enough for me to rate this camera anything less than 5 stars. I just felt it was necessary to list everything I could think of. Sorry, I couldn't properly review the HD Video capability, because I don't have the HD cables (see below), and my computer seems to be too slow to properly play back HD video. Pros: -BRILLIANT colors! I am very very impressed with the colors in my shots, especially when shooting outdoor scenery shots (which is primarily what I purchased this camera for). -Night-time shots using a tripod turn out very well also, giving as much detail as one could see with their naked eye. -Smile shutter, as mentioned in previous reviews, works flawlessly. One thing that doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere, is that when it's in Smile Shutter mode, it will continue to snap photos automatically as long as it keeps detecting smiles, which is very cool. So if you are taking a group picture, and you're one of those people that likes taking 3 shots of the same thing "just in case", just keep on smiling and the camera will take care of that for you. -there's a 3-shot burst mode, where it automatically takes 3 pictures when you click the button: one with your default EV, one at -1EV, and one at +1EV (or different intervals even, if you choose). That once-in-a-lifetime shot you take will have 3 different versions automatically, and you can choose the one you like the most and delete the rest later. -The Intelligent Auto mode works fantastically, it takes a lot of the stress out of taken urgent pictures. The only time I ever don't use it is when I have plenty of time to plan for a shot. -Startup time is great! I've seen other complaints from people that say this camera takes too long to startup and be ready to use, but those people must be the most impatient people ever, because this thing is faster than any other camera I've owned, digital or otherwise. When you click the power button, the lens fires out lightning fast and the screen immediately displays the picture and is ready for action. Probably takes about 0.5 seconds from pushing the button to being ready to use. Cons: -Plastic cover on LCD screen protrudes from the camera body, making it more easily scratched. I would recommend getting some screen protectors, as I'm about to do. -the jack for the all-in-one cable is on the bottom of the camera, which will be great once a dock is available, but in the meantime it's a very inconvenient place to plug in the cable. It forces you to lay to camera on either the lens side, or the LCD side (which, as mentioned above, is designed in such a way that it could be scratched quite easily without a screen protector) -Doesn't come with HD video cables, only the typical yellow/red/white RCA analogue cables. Seeing as how this camera records HD video, it would be nice to be able to play it back in HD on my tv without burning it to a DVD first. You can buy the HD cables from sony if you really need them, though. -Comes with an NP-BG1 battery, which disables the camera's ability to show you the remaining minutes. You have to buy the optional NP-FG1 battery to see that. That's the only difference, both batteries have the same capacity. It was obviously designed that way to force us to buy a second battery... but that was fine with me, since I planned on buying one anyways. I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for a great quality point-and-shoot digital camera!

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Blue) When I broke my last camera (also a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290) while I was on vacation, I replaced it with another Sony DSC-W290. I had the first one over a year before I stupidly stuffed it in the pocket of my cargo shorts and jumped on the wild and crazy Simpsons ride at Universal Studios, in Florida. As Bart says, "Eat my shorts..." and that's what the camera did. Had the DSC-W290 been equipped with a view finder to supplement its sizable color display, I would still be using my old W290. But, alas, there is no such view finder on the W290, and when the display shattered I was operating in the blind. Other than that the W290 has everything I want in a snapshot-style camera. There are a few things you should do if you plan to purchase the W290: (1) Buy at least one Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo Magic Gate Mark 2 that holds at least 2GB (I have a 2GB and a 4GB as a backup); (2) Purchase a Sony carrying case that is compact enough to fit on your belt, but has a storage pocket large enough to hold a spare memory stick and a spare battery; it's much safer than your pants pocket; (3) Buy a Sony NP-FG1 Lithium battery; the camera comes with a Sony NP-BG1, but the NP-FG1 displays the minutes of battery life remaining before a recharge is necessary; (4) Don't carry the camera in your pants pocket unless you want to hear your wife express her opinion of your I.Q. and/or you plan to purchase a new camera shortly thereafter; (5) If you do plan to carry the camera in your pants pocket, you might want to buy accidental damage insurance for it, along with a set of wife-resistant earplugs. My replacement W290 is fully covered through a three-year Square Trade Warranty. Sony guarantees the W290 for the first year, but not against accidental damage or stupidity. You can find Square Trade Warranty on Amazon, at http://www.amazon.com/SquareTrade-Camcorder-Warranty-Accident-Protection/dp/B002I03UQG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293929931&sr=8-1. It's well worth the $39.99! Or, buy directly from Square Trade Warranty and you might find a better bargain. The W290 has been around for awhile, but the price keeps going up while most of its counterparts are going down faster than the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios. That's likely because Sony has packed this little gem with a bunch of quality features and it works like a charm. Finally, if you want a camera that allows you to take a snapshot with the touch of one button, or if you want to play with the settings, this is the camera you're looking for. Our now seven-year-old has been taking beautiful pictures with the W290 since she was six, while I like changing the camera settings. Either way, the pictures come out great.

This is the single worst Sony product I have ever owned. I'm a BIG Sony fan as you can see by the currently owned Sony Cameras in our family: - DSC-W170: Wonderful camera, buy it if you can find it! - DSC-H7: Super family camera, takes excellent sports shots of the kids! - DSC-P73: Older 4meg camera that the kids use now, very nice photos for 5x7s - DCR-HC46: Descent Compact Digital Tape Camcorder with fair camera, good value. - MVC-FD91: Old Floppy disk <1meg digital - amazing in its day!! This w290 one has fewer controls on the body, they are hidden in the software but nowhere near the level you used to get with the DSC line from Sony. No option other than the 3in screen (which is beautiful) so no way to save power with an optical viewfinder. The absolute kiss of death for me is that the W290 took terrible indoor photos, about 1 out of 10 were usable. I thought, well it doesn't do low light well. So I took it on a field trip with my daughters Kindergarten class to a nature center on an absolutely beautiful clear day - same story, horrible pictures. The W170, under identical conditions, produced 8 out of 10 usable photos. The HD videos are worthless without the HD cable that is not included. They just plain won't play well on any of my computer based video players and I updated all their CODECs. So, stay away, far away and get a different Sony. Sad, I really wanted to like this model. I have returned mine to Amazon, first time ever with a Sony.

(I am UPDATING this review after about six months of use, so I am better able to assess my still-positive comments.) Bottom line: exceptional value and without the image-quality issues I've read so much about I didn't rate this product 5 stars because of the shutter release button being tough to depress, which will cause problems for me perhaps forever but at least for a while. The LED screen smudges very easily, and the selection buttons on the back are very small but manageable. I think 4 stars is a very good rating and I probably would not find another similar product worthy of more than that. I like the fact that there is a video feature, but that is not important to me, so I don't care that there is no zoom feature while recording. Would be nice, but....I am writing about the still-photo features. Since my teal blue Sony Cybershot W290 arrived only 2 days ago, I am giving a review of my short-term experience with my first point-and-shoot digital camera. I do have decades of amateur experience with photography using several SLR models, so I appreciate the sophistication of the many advanced features which are simplified for the user in this model. Effects that used to take lots of study, practice and skill are now manageable right out of the box. I am far more impressed than I had ever expected to be. I think that this product is an exceptional value for the money. I did a lot of research~~before and since making my selection~~and in that process I've made some observations that might be worth sharing with those folks who are trying to decide on a purchase. First, I noticed after repeated visits to this site that there seem to be more reviews and a higher dissatisfaction rate here depending upon the color of the Sony W290 camera body. I don't know what that might suggest, but it is of interest to me. I point it out because initially I did not realize that the reviews are organized by the specific details listed in the product description. I have read all the reviews on all available colors of the Sony W290. Very few of the reviews are duplicated, so there are actually many more total reviews~~and what appears to be a much higher satisfaction rate overall~~if you add all Sony W290 reviews together and take a percentage of that total for each of the criteria evaluated. Second, it seems unreasonable to me that such wide variation in satisfaction with picture sharpness and indoor lighting can be a result of production quality control. If that were the case, Sony would have been driven out of business long ago. I've read many comments on "soft edges" and clarity "only in the central focus" which are normal characteristics of a short "depth of field." If all long distance photos have "soft" or blurry edges, that may indicate a faulty lens. Otherwise, that softness is more likely related to the mode/setup the user selected. And I took hundreds of indoor shots with no difficulty at all. Third, I've seen no difference between the LED image and my high-resolution computer screen after directly uploading with the USB cable. I use a Mac with OS 10.4, which can't use the PMB image software on the CD. It seems to me that the PMB program could account for image discrepancies many have described. I had a few pics printed at Costco today to check for consistency, with no problems to report. Fourth, while I have lots of experience at steadying shots on my SLRs, I noticed immediately that the shutter release button requires more pressure than I prefer, probably to avoid inadvertent picture taking in your pocket, given the portability, as others have mentioned. At least the "steady shot" and the 2-second self-timer (using tripod or other support, like roof of car, etc.) features can improve some of those situations, unless there is motion in the subject. But I anticipate that this will be an adjustment. Personally, I am willing to work at that until I have the technique down~~as a tradeoff for all the fabulous features in the total package. (UPDATE: I am not noticing this tough shutter release any longer; I may have adjusted to it!) Fifth, the charger that came with the camera charged the battery in 90 minutes rather than the 5 1/2 hours stated in the manual; but I followed the suggestion in the manual to leave it charging for an additional 60 minutes to get a "full" charge. I have taken hundreds of shots using the flash and in various higher resolutions, deleted lots of pics and uploaded about 50 shots to my computer, and the battery seems to have about 1/4 of the life left. (UPDATE: The battery does not last very long, especially when shooting at higher resolution. I recently had to change what had been a fully charged battery after about 100 outdoor shots, set at 8x10 resolution.) Sixth, I bought some accessories that are probably a very good idea (suggestions I took from others in earlier reviews): an NP-FG1 extra battery, two 4GB Sony Mark II Pro Duo memory sticks (not eBay knockoffs), an LED anti-glare protection film, and a slim case. I also bought some that are probably not at all necessary: a travel charger pack which is supposed to charge much faster than the one that came with the camera but which actually charged in the same 90 min., and a media memory stick reader/writer because I didn't realize that the camera kit came with the USB cable to upload. Since this item can write to the memory stick, it will probably come in handy down the road. (UPDATE: This item can not write to the stick as I had thought.) (UPDATE: I carry this camera and the extra, charged battery and memory stick with me all the time due to the convenient size. So I take more of those shots that I always missed before. I am still amazed at the picture quality from this lens and all the tricks it can do without operator skills!!) Happy hunting and may you be at peace in your decision.... (ADDENDUM: It is August '10 now and I took some sunny backlit shots which the camera automatically corrected. They came out great. Also, I cropped and enlarged head shots out of larger photos and had them printed. The quality was fine. The camera had been set on 8x10 resolution. Needless to say, I am very pleased once again!!) Rennie

I purchased this camera back in March. I had originally wanted a pocket hd video camera like the Flip Mino HD or the Creative Vado HD. After comparing prices between the different cameras I decided my best route would be to purchase a point and shoot camera which could also handle 720p video. Then Canon and Sony released two point and shoots which did just that. I compared the Canon Powershot SD780IS to the Sony W290. The canon was more compact than the Sony. Both recorded 720p video. Both are 12.1 megapixel cameras. The Canon has a 3x optical zoom while the Sony offers 5x. The Sony has the 3 inch lcd while the Canon only has a 2.5 inch. And finally the Canon retailed for about $30 more than the Sony. I picked the Sony since it was a little less expensive and I liked the fact that it had the larger lcd and zoom. My wife and I took it on vacation with us to the beach in April and I was able to use this camera to take many pictures and a few hd videos. I was very happy with the quality of the stills. Not being a pro photographer, the images looked very sharp and detailed to me. The HD video was excellent as well. I wanted the video ability so that I could record video that would be uploaded to sharing sites like youtube and facebook. So watching it on a hi def television wasn't that important. It looks great on a computer monitor. The one drawback is that you have to buy sony memory. The camera doesn't use SD cards like most other point and shoots. But I was able to buy a 4gb memory stick card for about $15 so it wasn't too big a deal. A 4gb card can hold many hundreds of photos and several hd video clips. After 3 months of owning this camera I can say I've been very happy with the purchase.

Previous to this Sony we had two Nikon's. Both were OK but for the price and service from Amazon this Sony is simply a lovely piece of technology. You would not consider me a photo buff so I do not need to be able to make all of the lense, film speed and shutter adjustments. This camera takes care of most of these tasks producing excellent photo results. You can make just enough tweeks to get the desired result. For example turn off the flash and this camera adjusts the shutter speed to produce perfect available light photos. Unless you are really moving when shoting photos this camera simply eliminates problems with your unintended camera movement. I installed an 8 gig. card so with the 12 meg. max photo size there is plenty of capacity. The action video mode works great and the 8 gig. card provides plenty of recording time. Love the wide angle lense and the 3" screen. Uploading and storing photos using Windows Vista is very easy. Bought the Sony camera case so that we could keep the lcd screen and camera from getting scratched while being carried or in a purse.

This is a nice camera. I love everythings on it. For features and specification you can look at on websites. There is one one important thing that I like to share my problem with this camera here: I cant take a good shot in moving subject in low light even with a flash is on. For examples: In a club, people at night party when they are moving slowly (natural shots). This camera doesn't has a manual mode so it is very difficult to take a good pictures for moving subjects. Shutter is seem to be like at 1/30 seconds all the time when taking at low light even with flash on. I really hate that even at high ISO too. With manual mode I just set shutter to 1/125 seconds and turn on flash then I can take razor sharp not out of focus of people are dancing in a club or party. Sony must improve this camera by creating another mode like "High shutter", "Dance Club", or "Moving subjects"...or adding the manual mode for this camera. Since Sony has built in shake free features, It is good for keep the camera steady when taking picture with bear hand without tripod, but it is useless for taking moving subjects at low light. Other features are great love the quality and HD movie. I guess I have to wait for a Sony W350 if sony has later...

I bought a a DSC-W290 several weeks ago here in Europe. While European prices are consistently about 25% higher than in the US I went ahead and bought the unit. I have had three prior versions of the Cyber-shot and have found them to be sturdy, reliable and easy to use. The DSC 290 with its 12.1 MP clarity really is first rate. I have now started leaving my Cannon SLR and my Cannon Video Cam at home. I get all the still picture quality one needs plus the movie resolution is considerably higher than most competitors at any price. I was starting to look for a HD Movie cam but decided that the near HD quality of the movies produced by the DSC 290 are more than I could have imagined and instead spent a fraction of the cost of a new camera on 16G Memory Sticks to hand my movies. I like the camera so much I ordered two more on Amazon today to be shipped in the US for graduation gifts.