 I have larger sized cameras with very high quality but they aren't small - the Sony DSC-W350 is. |
| Review Date: April 4, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. A. R. Ncp, Cumming, GA USA |
I wanted a camera that I could slip into my front pocket and not feel as though it was there - the Sony 350 does this. I wanted clear quality pics capturing all the quality of colors - the Sony 350 does this.
I have three large Canon digital cameras which cost in the thousands dollars. They work great - but they cannot fit in my pocket - and I was seeking a small but high quality camera. I spent a year talking with others who had large digital cameras asking them if they owned a smaller pocket one - the overall answer was a Cybershot. Didn't really matter which model they owned, they were all very satisfied with the Cybershot. The Cybershot's lenses is made by a German engineering firm. No other pocket size camera has such quality.
So the question for me was which model, and that took four months of debate. I am satisfied with the Sony DSC-W350; I would purchase it again. It actually has more features (shot, video, etc) than I was seeking, and I may never use the video feature since I am primarily a still photo shooter.
I will chat about the camera below, but just want to say three quick things if you decide to purchase this camera. It initially needs 8 hours for a full charge on the battery. The internal memory is very small - spend the money for a larger size memory. I purchased 8 GB - which I had purchased 16 GB since on a trip there isn't always the ability to download the pics to a laptop or computer. If you are good with figuring out electronics (or owned a digital camera before - the six page book and your ability are sufficient to launch right off into a trip). If you need more info - you will have to load the disc for the full manual. I left on a trip two days after the camera arrived and was able to operate it fine without the full manual, but when I returned I dug into the manual for answers to all my many questions.
I was going to purchase the Cybershot via Costco (yes, between Costco and Amazon it constitutes 96% of our household purchases - we have even purchased lawn mowers via Amazon). But, with not having to pay the sales tax on Amazon I was able to take these monies and use them toward an 8 GB memory.
This isn't a major negative, yet I want to mention it. The standard digital (larger quality cameras) can take a pic directly into the sun. There are times when you have no choice to move around - such as on a ship, or other confined areas. The sun washes out any view you have in the viewfinder with the Sony 350. None of the Cybershots can do this. And, from my research I did not learn of any pocket cameras that could. Again, one cannot have everything in a pocket size camera. It isn't a major issue, but if one is use to taking pics into the sun (if you own a larger quality camera) don't be disappointed when you cannot with the Cybershot.
With my larger Canon cameras I very rarely use a flash in dim lighting and due to the camera's ability the pics are great. The Sony 350 does not have the ability to take pictures in the no flash setting and capture quality pics with dim light. One cannot have everything though with a camera that can slip into your pocket. (The Sony 350 has an fast button for clicking flash on and off.)
When I go on trip (though age 63) I still make the trip an adventure as though I was in college. I also run full and half marathons. I wanted a camera that I could take with me when on occasions a larger camera wouldn't work. The Sony arrived one day before I left for the NYC Half Marathon. I purchased the Sony 350 to carry with me on the this run. Yes, it is that small, it can fit in your fist. It was covered with sweat but still took great pics and had no problem later with the sweat being on the camera, and the camera working fine. The camera was passed around to others running in my group so we all part took in enjoying pics of each other. I couldn't have done that with one of my larger cameras.
I took the Cybershot (along with a Canon) with me on a camping trip to Alaska in the early Spring - still below freezing with snow everywhere. I gave the Sony 350 to the other person, and they had a blast taking pictures on their own. The other person has never owned a camera yet still took great pics - that's the quality of this camera. We camped at the base camp of Mt. Mc Kinley (or Denali) and the Sony was in the snow often - never bothered the camera's ability to continue to operate.
I now leave the Sony 350 in my car so it is readily accessible. It is so small it can easily be kept in many locations not visible to a person looking in the car. There have been many times over the many years I wish I had a camera with me to take pics when I had not planned on doing so. Oh, I have a camera on my cell, but the quality (as we all know) is limited. The Sony 350 is small and captures the pics I want.
I will always take the Sony 350 with me on trips, along with my larger Canon cameras. I can keep the Sony 350 in my pocket at all times, and capture many candid pics that I couldn't have done with the Canon since everyone would know I was in the picture taking mood with a larger camera. The Sony is also very easy to use, and folks will now say - let me take a pic of you. They won't do that with my larger cameras - they were too intimidated by the larger camera (full of buttons and switches on the Canons).
I would purchase the Cybershot again. My only regret is I should have purchased it a year earlier to have part take in the fun of having a pocket size camera. |
Another WONDERFUL camera!!!
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| Review Date: May 13, 2010 |
| Reviewer: RaeJillian, deep south |
Sony DSC-W350 14.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Zoom with Optical Steady Shot Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch LCD (Blue)
I bought my first Sony Cybershot in 2005 - it cost me $100 and it lasted just shy of three years. So in December of 2007 when I went to replace it I looked at many different kinds: more advanced cameras, that didn't fit the kids-concert-park-beach-camping lifestyle I live. I needed something small and fast. I tried the Coolpix and the FinePix cameras because they we in the price range and they had similar features. None of those cameras come close to the performance of a Cybershot. In the end I bought my second Cybershot. That one didn't last as long, though I have to admit it was put through A LOT. I literally tossed the little camera in my purse. It's been assaulted by pens, lipstick, spilt lotion and left in the well-over-108^ car, until finally that camera bit the big one after only being alive two years.
`Kayso, on to the DSC-W350 - AWESOME! It takes pictures fast - and by that I mean the time between actually pushing the shutter and getting the picture is practically non-existent. It really bothers me when taking pictures of our kids or our ani-babies and by the time the shot it taken the shot was ruined. NOT WITH THIS CAMERA! HA! Charges last fairly a long time; I however will not be without a car charger and a spare battery, that's just me. Pictures are sharp and color is true! While it could take a picture or two to get used to the panoramic this is nothing to worry about, I found using this feature EASY! [On a side note about the color, I got the blue as all my cameras have been blue and I was pleasantly surprised that the blue is a much richer, truer blue than the screen lets on.]
Will be using the video to review my Flip tonight (`cause I can't vlog a flip review using the Flip, duh! Will update after I have some pictures to upload! Hope this helped.
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Amaaaaazing!
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| Review Date: March 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Cynthia K. Fine, Philadelphia, PA, USA |
| I got this camera delivered to me yesterday and I already am in love with it. The color choices are awesome. I was sooo amazed by how light and slim this was when I was holding it. It takes great pictures in any scene, although I have not really gone outside to take any, quite yet. The Intelligent Auto is pretty neat and the other features are also. I like how you can show a slideshow and play it with music (either your own, or the music already on there). The panoramic feature seems awesome! I would love to use this in cities, beaches, parks, etc. I am a photographer, so all these things are really helpful for me to learn. I do agree with the customer who said that you can't really hold the shutter button down halfway to focus as easily as some other cameras, but thats not a huge problem. The smile feature is neat also. You just press the smile icon on the pad thing and you shoot the camera at someone's face and it automatically takes a picture. That is really neat. I can't wait to explore more with this camera. |
Camera ease
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| Review Date: September 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jim, |
| The ease of use is remarkable. We replaced an older digital camera. This one has many more features and most are "automatic." Very convenient, easy to use and great picture quality. |
Nice camera
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| Review Date: April 18, 2010 |
| Reviewer: M. Wong, USA |
| Good little camera and inexpensive. One thing though there is no date printed on the picture like the Canon |
nice point and shoot
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| Review Date: January 23, 2010 |
| Reviewer: A. Machl, boston, usa |
I had the camera now for two days. There is nothing really negative about this camera. The pictures are sharp, great colors, it's easy to use, all important features are there and work as advertized. The display is great, the build quality is solid, it is small and lightweight. The objective with a 35mm equivalent zoom from 26 to 105 is great. I often found with my old camera that I can't get all people in the picture and there is not enough room to back away to get a larger field of view. The 26mm wide angle helps a lot. In addition you can use the sweep panorama function. It works very good and is very fast. It just needs some practice to get good subjects beyond the usual panorama sceneries. Super Steady Shot is great.
So to help in a purchase I write about missing features. This doesn't mean the camera is bad. For $200 it's a steal!
-In camera HDR would be great
-No exposure bracketing mode (but you can shoot from -2EV to +2EV manually).
-Panoramas are limited to 1080pixel height x 7500 pixel wide. I had hoped to get higher resolution from a sensor that has 3000 pixel vertical resolution.
-No remote control
-Unfortunately Sony offers no waterproof cameras.
-Video is 720p max. 1080p would be nice but is not necessary either
-more colors would be great
As you can see it's hard to find something negative about this camera at all.
The only negative I found so far is that the camera has one slot that takes either SD cards or Memory sticks. This means that inserting the memory stick is a bit tricky compared to older cameras that have only a dedicated memory stick slot. But it's not a big problem either.
All in all highly recommended. |
Good point n shoot with a few qwerks
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| Review Date: February 25, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Marisa Terres, Las Vegas, Nv |
I've had this camera for a few weeks now and I'm still tinkering with all the settings so I know there's more this camera can do. I'm just an amateur but I love taking pictures and am trying to use this camera not only for personal use but for artistic photography as well. My main comparison though is an old 7MP Cybershot DSC P200 so it's better than that.
The good:
- The automatic settings work pretty well for me so far. I like the advanced scene recognition mode which will automatically take 2 pictures in lower light, one with the foreground more lit up and one with the background more lit. Produces some fun results(see customer shots).
- Decent low light pictures, not too much noise.
- Face recognition is great, it even picked out my dog's face a couple times hehe.
- The panoramic feature is neat just practice using it a couple times to get everything in (or stop) right where you want to.
- The LCD screen is big and bright enough to see if the pictures are blurry or anything like that so that helps a lot.
- It starts up super fast, well I don't have much to compare it to but it's great for me. If something's going on I can get the camera out and press the power button and it's ready to go as long as I have it on the right settings before I turned it off.
- Light weight and very slim. Even in a case I can fit it in my small purse and carry it wherever I go. Sometimes I have to double check that the camera is even in the case because it's really light.
The not so good:
- Washes out often. I took a trip to the park on a lovely sunny day and it seemed like every other picture I took was washed out. Also if I was even partially pointed towards the sun (not directly at it) I would get large lens flares. The flash really washes out the foreground as well, I'm not sure if it's just because you can get so close to your subject with the wide angle lens or if it's because the flash is overpowered.
- Can't zoom in much. The 4x optical zoom is great but that's as far as you can go at the full 14 MP fine picture setting. If you want/ need to zoom in more you have to go down to 10MP and then it gets a bit blurry.
- No zoom with the panoramic feature. You also have to just practice and get a feel for how long the panoramic is going to be with this feature so it may take a few trys to get the picture to start and stop right where you want it to.
- The power button is tiny and flush with the body of the camera. I have small fingers so I can usually press it when I want but I've had to resort to using my finger nails sometimes to turn the camera on. Someone with large fingers might have troubles getting the button to fully depress.
- Only pressing the shudder button halfway is sometimes a challenge. It's very easy to accidentally take a picture when you were still trying to just hold it halfway to focus.
Overall for the price and for being a point and shoot it's a nice little camera. I'm sure once I figure out more of the settings I'll get some better results and the automatic settings have been pretty good to me so far. My complaints aren't enough to make me want to take the camera back I think I just need to get used to it a bit more.
I hope this helps :) |
great little point and shoot- one tiny disappointment
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| Review Date: February 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: teamMC, seattle, wa |
Overall this is a great compact camera, I agree with the last reviewer. It has a ton of options, and several settings that simplify things (and take a more than decent picture) if you are a beginner and don't want to mess with the settings. 720p movies is a great feature as long as your expectations aren't too high. Resolution isn't everything- you're not going to see the kind of higher bitrate clean bright picture you would with a proper digital video camera or that you see on TV or anything, but that should be obvious with a compact camera where video isn't the primary fuction. The image/coor/motion handling are still very good though.
Pictures are clear, great color, good performance in low light for a compact. My only real gripe is the "auto orientation" mode. It works in the camera's display (rotates the picture to the orientation in which you took it), but the feature is meant to save this information with the picture so that when you download to your computer the images also display in the correct rotation. Now, I believe it IS saving the information with the picture, but it isn't displaying them correctly in windows picture viewer (i'm guessing this is the case because the manual says that some software will not use the orientation information correctly and display as it should). I can understand that for 'some software', but... windows picture viewer?! Come on... other than iPhoto or whatever it's called on mac, that's the only software people are going to be using to view their pictures! I mean- I know there are others, but realistically probably 95+% of people are looking at their pictures in mac or windows native picture viewing apps...likely far more in windows just based on OS market share...so seriously that seems like a pretty big miss to me, making the function almost pointless. And that was one of the features that I was using to narrow down my search, so...kind of a disappointment.
It's still a great camera though, I can't give it anything less than 4 stars. |
I like it!
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| Review Date: March 25, 2010 |
| Reviewer: S. Prokop, Connecticut |
I've only had this camera for a few days- so far I love it. I haven't had the opportunity to really dig in and get to know all the settings, but after my vacation maybe I can update the review.
Some of the pictures seemed washed out and some pics looked clearer as the software was bringing up the picture. But I think it's because I'm not used to any of the settings yet. It has way more features than I would probably need for a point and shoot camera.
Love the color and the size- for some reason looking at the picture of this camera it seemed a little larger to me, but it's actually quite small. Smaller than my W55- which I loved.
The panoramic feature is nice, and hopefully I'll use it on my vacation- and the macro is pretty good too so far. I just have to get used to the face detection, flash etc. |
Jerry
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| Review Date: May 18, 2010 |
| Reviewer: G. Schneider, Michigan |
| The camera works great. My son bought the same one a month before I did. Hard to believe it has all the features for the price. Bought it for my wife, she wanted a point n shoot. Only complaint is it doesn't charge with the USB cord. The battery has to be removed to charge. |
This camera is nice
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| Review Date: March 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Anderson C Eastnond, |
I bought this camera recently and to my surprise its smaller than the before models but compliments any pocket.
The shutter speed is slow between shots but the hand shaken technology is superb.
For starters or camera novices this is a good camera especially in the auto mode |
Sony is still the best
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| Review Date: April 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: WDJ, |
| Sony has up to date design on digital cameras. They are functional and good looking. They have to be careful not to design the cameras too small. Small size has a limit. It can become not functional, hard to operate, easy to get lost, hard to find,and difficult to manage. |
Good for a gift
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| Review Date: August 6, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Steven, |
| I bought this camera as gift for my sister and it is ok. It is easy to use and the quality of pictures is good as Sony use to be. If you look for something handy and will not demand sophisticated functions this is the camera. The really good thing now is this camera can have SD cards instead of the closed Sony-StickPro. |
bad seller
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| Review Date: August 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: RIA, |
| would really really really like to review this camera that I purchased on July 7th - still haven't received it yet from the seller. No communication either. Amazing that Amazon wants me to write a review on something I haven't received yet even though I sent them 4 emails that they HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO EITHER! Guess who won't buy here again! |
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