Digital Photography Blog: Digital Camera Reviews, Ratings, News, Tips and Tutorials.
February 2010
February 2009
January 2009
August 2008
July 2008
April 2008
March 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
Digital Camera Reviews and Ratings By manufacturer:
Canon | Casio | Fuji | HP | Kodak | Minolta | Nikon | Olympus | Panasonic | Pentax | Samsung | Sony | Misc. | Accessories | Lenses
The Sony Cybersot DSC-W80 is a 7 megapixel slimline compact camera with a 3x optical zoom lens (Ziess branded) and 2.5 inch LCD screen.
It features an ISO maximum of 3200, 31 megabytes of internal memory and Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo card compatability.
The Sony Cybersot DSC-W80 measures 91.0 x 58.0 x 22.9mm and weighs 155 grams.
It will have a recommended retail price of $249.99 USD when released in March this year.
Get a Price on the Sony Cybershot DSCW80 at Amazon.
Get a Price on the Sony Cybershot DSCW80
Designed to make photo-viewing crystal clear, Sony today announced a new line of digital cameras featuring a high-definition component output. These new Cyber-shot W-series cameras offer direct connection to an HDTV, which is ideal for integrating full 1080 HD photo-viewing into a home theater.
At the top of the line is the DSC-W200 camera, the most compact 12-megapixel camera in the industry. It is followed by the 8-megapixel DSC-W90 unit and the 7.2-megapixel DSC-W80 model. All sport Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lenses; traditional, eye-level viewfinders; and large, 2.5-inch LCD screens wrapped in sleek metal bodies.
Seeing Is Believing in High Definition
“ As HDTV becomes more pervasive in American households, it is only natural to want to view all of your content in high definition, including photos,” said Phil Lubell, director for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. "Our new cameras support a shift in customer behavior -- from viewing digital photos on a PC to having a full entertainment experience in the living room.”
Sony is offering three accessory options to begin enjoying high-definition photo viewing. The new cameras are compatible with the Sony VMC-MHC1 high-definition component cable for simple connection to an HDTV set.
The cameras can also be used with the new Sony CSS-HD1 high-definition Cyber-shot Station, which comes with the component cable. You can connect the cameras to the station just one time, and it will also work as a charger for the camera.
For complete integration into your home theater system, there is the DSC-W80HDPR kit, which bundles a DSC-W80 camera and Sony’s DPP-FPHD1 printer package. This package consists of the VMC-MHC1 high-definition component cable, a Cyber-shot cradle, a remote commander, and a digital photo printer with high-definition component output.
This new printer lets you print photos on the spot in about 45 seconds. Designed to complement any living room, it comes in elegant black and can be positioned horizontally or vertically.
All of the new cameras feature a built-in slide show function. You can play back your images with pans, fades and wipe transitions set to your choice of music clips.
Reduce Your Chances of Taking Bad Photos
With these cameras, you can be more confident in your ability to take properly-exposed, sharp photos. All incorporate Sony’s new face detection technology, which can identify up to eight faces in the camera’s LCD frame, and automatically adjust white balance and flash as well as focus and exposure.
If you decide that the flower arrangement should be in the picture as well, the new multi-point auto focus (AF) feature can automatically determine the right focus of up to nine points in the camera frame, rather than focusing on what is in the middle of the frame.
You can easily knock out blurry photos, especially in challenging low-light conditions. The cameras incorporate Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization to safeguard against blur caused by camera shake. Their high sensitivity (up to ISO3200) settings can help to fight blur associated with fast-moving subjects. Sony's Clear RAW ™ noise reduction technology will minimize picture noise common to images shot at high ISO levels.
Edit On The Fly
The new W-series models incorporate selectable in-camera editing functions that can save you from hours of post-editing time at the computer. Equipped with Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimizer, the cameras can analyze captured image data and instantly determine the best exposure and tonality of each picture before JPEG compression.
Other helpful in-camera functions include red-eye correction and retouching effects. You can create artistic photos with the soft edge filter that emphasizes a focused subject by blurring the background. The partial color filter highlights the subject by letting it remain in color while making the background black-and-white. Photos can be enhanced with the cross filter that adds four-point star effects to the light in an image, and enlivened with the fish-eye filter for an amusing fishbowl effect.
Shoot At The Speed of Life
All of the new cameras are powered by the Bionz™ processing engine, first used in Sony’s Alpha digital SLR camera system. This newly-added circuitry delivers the fast image processing speeds needed to produce color rich, detailed pictures for true high-definition photo viewing.
The Bionz engine also helps to speed up the cameras’ response times and extend battery life. On a full chare, the W90 camera can shoot up to 350 shots, the W80 model up to 340 shots and the W200 unit up to 270 shots.
The silver W200 camera will ship in May for about $400. The W90 camera will be available in March for about $300 in black and silver. The W80 model will be hit stores in March for about $250 in pink, white, black and silver. Options will include batteries, travel chargers, lenses, filters, sports packs and cases. The DSC-W80HDPR kit will be available for about $400 in April. All products can be purchased online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), and at authorized dealers nationwide. Pre-orders begin on Feb. 28 at www.sonystyle.com/newcameras.
CNET has a review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-W80 and writes, " The photos themselves looked great, with sharp details and accurate colors. Noise stayed relatively low up to ISO 800, when a noticeable grain developed. Predictably, shots taken at ISO 1600 appeared noisy and blurry, and the ISO 3200 setting produced pictures that looked more like impressionist paintings than photographs. Still, if you keep to ISO 800 or lower, you can pretty much count on solid pictures. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 reigns as the current king of the Cyber-shot W-series. While the most expensive, it also packs in the most features and polish of any W-camera to date. Its solid picture quality and fast speed make it a great choice for a small, reliable snapshot camera."
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Sony DSC W80 and writes, "It is almost as if I could have written this review when it came to photo quality without taking any photos. My test shots are certainly closely inline with test shots produced by other Sony digital cameras. Therefore I see good levels of focusing (although not quite top drawer) and well balanced colours. The camera is good in lowlight, but red eye is a problem. ... I like the Sony DSC W80. With virtually no shutter delay you should always get your shot with this camera. In lowlight the camera performs well (shame about the red eye!) and is capable of taken a decent shot outside. Worth a look if you are looking for a good value for money, pocket sized digital camera. "
DCResource has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 and writes, "Camera performance is the W80's only real strong point. ... I was somewhat disappointed with the photos produced by the DSC-W80. Previous cameras in the W-series had great photo quality, but on the W80 it seems like there's too much noise reduction, resulting in soft photos with fuzzy details. There's also a considerable amount of blurriness in the corners of the frame. That's too bad, since the camera has nice color and exposure. There isn't much noise to speak of at lower ISOs -- just noise reduction artifacting. Once you get to ISO 800, photo quality drops rapidly, with smeared details and dull colors. If it's great high ISO performance you're after, you should be looking at one of the Fuji cameras that uses the SuperCCD sensor. As with all compact cameras, the W80 has a big redeye problem, but at least now there's a tool in the playback menu to remove it for you."
Imaging Resource reviews the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 and writes - "It's hard to call the Sony W80 the bottom rung in the W-Series because it only gives up a few pixels for a lower price. Otherwise the Sony W80 has all the bells and whistles, making it a terrific bargain. It has a Bionz processor, face detection technology, High ISO, Super SteadyShot, in-camera editing, and HD output signal. The Sony W80 does give away detail to hold onto color at higher ISO settings, but most users won't mind that tradeoff, particularly if you only plan to make 4x6 prints. The color that the Sony W80 holds at ISO 1,600 is pretty good. HD output -- particularly when played as a slide show with the built-in special effects and music -- was stunning on the Sony W80, but only for stills. This isn't an HD movie camera, and it even has trouble playing VGA movies through the dock accessory. But to see any HD output from this camera, you'll have to buy an accessory cable, dock, or dock/printer. Packing that big a technoload (new word, sorry) into such a small package at such a low price makes the W80 an easy Dave's Pick."
DP Review has reviewed the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 and gives it a rating of 'above average'. They write - 'So then, the W80 is a camera that is capable of producing surprisingly good results in good light at ISO 100 and is perfectly usable at ISO 400-800 in low light if you don't want big prints (the church interiors in the samples gallery, for example, are better than I expected), but a camera that falls down in what I consider to be one of the most important areas for a camera such as this; pictures of people indoors in low light - with or without flash. If you're after a 'walk around' camera for scenery then it's not a bad buy for $200-ish, but if you actually have friends and family, and are still awake taking pictures after sunset it's hard to wholeheartedly recommend it when there are so many better alternatives out there.'
Get a Price on the Sony Cybershot DSCW80 at Amazon.
Posted by Darren in our Sony category on February 28, 2007