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Digital Camera Reviews and Ratings By manufacturer:
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The Sony Cybershot DSC-W7 is a big brother to the 5MP DSC-W5 (released in a Europe in January). The DSC-W7 has a 7.2 megapixel CCD sensor and 3x Optical Zoom lens. This digital camera has a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, 32 megabytes of internal memory, a 2.5 inch LCD screen (115,000 pixels) and PictBridge compatibility.
The Sony DSC-W5 measures 3.6 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches, weighs 253gwill retail for $449 and should appear in stores in March 2005.
Buy the "Sony - DSC-W7 Cyber-shot Digital Camera"
CNET Reviews has a review of the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W7 and writes - 'Sony's 7.2-megapixel Cyber Shot DSC-W7 has the same great 2.5-inch LCD, metal-alloy body, and 3X Carl Zeiss zoom lens as those of its predecessor, last year's DSC-W1, but the W7 improves on it with 2 more megapixels and plenty of extra speed. This compact digital camera shoots and processes its bigger images in less time, making it easier to get that fleeting shot of baby's first step or your boss taking a spill after too much eggnog at the holiday office party. Keen-eyed photographers might find the photos a bit too flawed, and enthusiasts will miss the manual controls, but it's a fairly quick and responsive camera with very solid automatic settings and respectable image quality, making it perfect for mainstream users looking to point, shoot, and make large prints with minimum fuss.'
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-W7 and writes - 'Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-W7 represents a good middle ground in the new 7 megapixel snapshot market. Image quality could be a little better, but overall performance, build quality and handling are everything we’ve come to expect from Sony. At a price point of around £239 it represents excellent value for money, and will not disappoint.'
Steves Digicams reviews the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W7 and writes - 'The overall image quality when using its 7M/Fine mode is excellent. The majority of our samples were well saturated and properly exposed. Users can control the saturation, contrast and sharpness, which allows you to “dial in” just the right look for your images. I found that the automatic white balance did its job well, even when shooting in very mixed lighting conditions. Our outdoor images were sharp and showed good color balance, with very little noise in both high and low contrast areas. You can see for yourself by taking a look at our Samples page. The flash has an above average range of about 14.5 feet, which works great in all types of indoor situations. You can't illuminate large open rooms like gymnasiums, but portraits of individuals and small groups are no problem. If you need some help illuminating your subjects, the optional HVL-FSL1B Slave Flash unit (about $100), is designed specifically for use with Sony Cyber-Shot models and includes a handy mounting bracket. I did notice an average amount of redeye in our indoor flash portraits, even when using the Redeye Reduction flash mode. We felt this is due to the poor position of the flash (directly above the lens.)'
Pocket-link reviews the Sony DSC-W7 digital camera and writes - 'Unlike the Sony’s DSC-T7 (reviewed here) this camera has gone for substance over style. The model isn’t pretty however it will give you 7.2 megapixels in your pocket. However as with the FujiFilm F10 and the Canon’s Ixus 700 you have to ask yourself whether or not you’ll really need such a high megapixel count.
If you’re in it just from the “point and shoot” point of view then 7.2 megapixels is probably overshooting the mark. Likewise semi professionals looking for a field camera are more likely to opt for the Canon G6 or something with greater emphasis on bolting on further lens or additional flashes.'
Design Technica reviews the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W7 and writes - 'Casual photographers looking for a high-quality point-and-shoot camera should give this 2005 digicam a long look. It feels substantial, is easy to operate and takes very good images. As noted, focusing can be a bit squirrelly in certain lighting conditions, but it's just a slight annoyance, not something that would make me feel negative about it.'
Digicam Review has a review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-W7 and writes - 'The 7 megapixel Sony Cybershot W7 is a good digital camera. The easy to use camera is capable of good results, however you may have to work with the image(s) to get the best out of them - for example to produce sharper images, or alter exposure etc. The camera gives you a lot of control through manual settings, but is equally suited to beginners. The macro mode is good. The camera is very good value for money at around £235, and whilst the camera is good, due to the slight image quality issues I had with the W7 (soft, exposure, white balance, blown highlights) I would be much happier recommending the Fuji FinePix F10 to my friends and family over this camera. '
DP Review has reviewed the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W7 and writes - 'So then, the W7 is a camera that offers excellent performance, solid handling and very good image quality in an easy to use, well-built package. It may not be as pocketable as cameras like the P200, and it's certainly no head-turner, but it does offer excellent value for money (being up to $100 less expensive than some competitors), and has a certain charm (if you find aluminum bricks charming).'
PC Mag reviews the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 and writes - 'Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-W7 digital camera is a speedy little point-and-shoot with a high megapixel count and a rugged metal exterior. It's a bit heavy, and the boxy design—with hardly a curve on the body, other than a small hand grip—makes it a little tough to hold. Perhaps Sony used up all its curves on the DVD7 camcorder, which resembles a Frisbee with a lens and LCD. In any case, the W7 doesn't easily fit into a shirt or pants pocket. But there are positive points to this camera, namely the picture quality. And at $375, it's a good buy for this type of point-and-shoot camera with a high-megapixel sensor.'
Get the latest price on the Sony Cybershot DSC-W7
Following is a news release from Sony announcing the DSC-W7 and the DSC-W5.
The new models combine the some of the most desirable characteristics of a fully-featured camera in a compact metal-alloy body wrapped around an impressive, 2.5-inch LCD.
Powered by Sony’s Real Imaging Processor™ circuitry, the cameras deliver extraordinary performance, including lightning-fast camera response times and extended battery life with approximately 380 shots between power charges.
Both models come with a full 32 megabytes of internal memory (30 megabytes available). As a result, these cameras are bringing new meaning to the term “worry-free” digital photography. Even if you forget to bring a memory card, or your Memory Stick® media card runs out of capacity, you can still take great pictures thanks to the cameras’ built-in memory.
“Our aim is to make digital photography as exhilarating as possible, yet simple and straight-forward,” said Hiro Takahashi, vice president for Sony Electronics’ digital imaging products. “The new W series embodies this philosophy, offering the most sought-after features in a sophisticated yet efficient package.”
More Bang for the Buck
Available in March for about $450, the DSC-W7 is one of the most competitive 7-megapixel cameras on the market. The camera sports a Carl Zeiss® Vario Tessar® 3X optical zoom lens that fully extends in about a second, as well as large 2.5-inch color LCD screen for optimal picture taking and viewing.
The 5-megapixel DSC-W5 will be available in March for about $350. This camera also features a Carl Zeiss® 3X optical zoom lens and a generous 2.5-inch LCD screen.
Both the Cyber-shot® W5 and W7 cameras shoot full-resolution images in just over one-second intervals. Moreover, they offer MPEG-VX Standard/Fine mode, which enables recording of MPEG video with up to 640x480 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second.
With the optional Cyber-shot Marine Pack (MPK-WA), the Cyber-shot W models become underwater cameras with water resistance to a depth of up to 132 feet. For those who want greater flexibility, the W5 and W7 models can both be used with optional telephoto and wide-angle conversion lenses.
Prints at Your Fingertips
Printing just one or several images is a snap with the new W series because these models are PictBridge™ compatible. Connect the cameras to a PictBridge enabled printer, such as Sony’s new PictureStation™ DPP-FP50, and great prints appear with just a push of the button.
The DSC W-Series has a host of other appealing features, including:
Five-area Multi-Point Auto Focus: The camera evaluates five separate areas of the frame and intelligently focuses on the subject, displaying the selected focus point.
Manual Exposure Controls: Flexible exposure control in which shutter speeds from 30-1 1/1000 seconds and apertures of f2.8 - 5.2 can be selected.
Preset Scene Modes: With seven scene modes, parameters can be matched to the shooting conditions, including: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach and Candle.
Cyber-shot W Series Accessories
New optional accessories will maximize your capturing experience and include:
Marine Pack Model MPK-WA: Water-proof housing made of high-quality polycarbonate plastic and glass enables basic camera functions at up to a 132 foot depth. The marine pack includes a hand strap and is available next month for about $200.
Optional Lenses and Adapter: A high-grade telephoto lens (VCL-DH2630), wide angle lens (VCL-DH0730) and lens adapter (VAD-WA) will also be available next month for about $130, $100 and $30 respectively.
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A portion of the available storage capacity is used for data management functions. Actual available memory is 30MB.
Buy the “Sony Cybershot DSCW7 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom”Posted by Darren in our Sony category on February 20, 2005