Sony W290 Digital Camera Reviews

The Sony DSC-W290 offers HD movie recording, plus a powerful Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom with 28mm wide angle lens to fit more into the scene. The compact new Sony W290 put even more shooting power in your pocket.

The Sony W290 offers HD movie recording, plus a powerful Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom with 28mm wide angle lens to fit more into the scene. The compact new Sony W290 put even more shooting power in your pocket.

The powerful BIONZ processor ensures pristine, low-noise 12.1 megapixel images plus responsive shooting performance. Coupled with high sensitivity (ISO3200), Optical SteadyShot reduces the effects of camera shake when you’re shooting handheld, especially at dusk or in dimly-lit interiors.

Enhanced Sony Face Detection and Smile Shutter make it easy to capture natural, spontaneous portraits and group shots. The Sony Cybershot DSC-W290 also has selected-face memory, allowing you to zero in on the main subject’s face. The next time the camera detects the priority face in the frame, it will automatically focus on that person. 720p HD movie mode shoots smooth HD video clips and stereo sound to enjoy on your HD TV.

The new Sony digital camera includes Picture Motion Browser 4.0. The latest version of Sony’s image management application simplifies sorting, viewing and searching through photos and video clips stored on your PC’s hard drive. There’s also a wide range of optional accessories available to help you get even more from your Cyber-shot.

There have been three new designs of soft carry cases introduced to protect the main unit against scratches and dust. The first a genuine leather case available in four colours (Black, Red, Brown & White) – LCS-CSVA. The second, a pressed leather case in a different design also in four colours (Black, Blue, Green & Pink) – LCS-CSVB and lastly a casual soft carrying case with six colour variations (Black, Green, Silver, Pink, Brown & Blue) – LCS-CSVC.

The camera is equipped with tools to edit, archive and share. The Sony camera has in-camera retouch features like red-eye correction and image management to easily sort through thousands of photos in calendar view or album view. You can group favorites and filter by baby, adult, all faces or smiles. The PhotoMusic feature offers an HD slideshow mode with transitions and music for viewing on the camera or television.

A newly developed GPS unit kit GPS-CS3KA can put geotag data to pictures taken by the CyberShot W290, these can then be viewed on maps with Google Earth software and uploaded on major web sharing services. The key benefits over the previous model are higher sensitivity, built-in memory card and SD slots and an LCD display for enhanced usage.

CameraLabs writes:
“If you’re looking for a well-built compact that’s uncomplicated and simple to operate though, and which also has good automatic performance, a capable general-purpose zoom, topped off with excellent quality HD video, the Cyber-shot W270 / W290 represents great value for money.“

DCRP writes:
“In a world of very capable ultra-compact cameras, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 is decidedly average (at best). I like having the 5X zoom in a small package, the 720p movie mode, and the good battery life, but the mediocre image quality and a myriad of other issues make the W290 a camera I’d probably pass on.”

ITReviews writes:
“Sony have gone all out in the Cyber-shot DSC-W290 to make capturing photos both fun and creative with a number of innovative portrait technologies as well as introducing HD movie making. It’s a shame this is marred by some design flaws, lack of a Sport mode and a restrictive zoom.”

TrustedReviews writes:
“if you want a camera that will take a good photo quickly and reliably in virtually any lighting conditions then the Sony W290 is very hard to beat. Excellent build quality, lightning-fast performance and the additional versatility of the 5x wide zoom and HD video recording make this camera outstanding value for money. “

About.com writes:
“The response times with the camera are above average, especially for a model in the sub-$250 price range. Start-up times are pretty strong with this Sony camera, and the DSC-W290’s continuous-shot mode is well above average.”

S P E C I F I C A T I O N

Weights and Measurements

Dimensions (Approx.) : 3 7/8? x 2 3/8? x 29/32? (97.6mm x 57.4mm x 22.6mm )
Weight (Approx.) : Approx. 6.1oz. (174g) – With battery and Memory Stick media.

Hardware

LCD : 3.0? 1 Clear Photo LCD (230,400 pixels)
Lens Construction : 9 elements in 7 groups (including 3 aspheric elements, 1ED glass)
Lens Type : Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar®
Microphone/Speaker : Mono / Mono
Viewfinder : No

General

Imaging Device : 1/2.3 type(7.79mm) Super HAD CCD
Megapixel : 12.1MP
Recording Media : 11MB internal Flash Memory, optional Memory Stick Duo™ Media, optional Memory Stick PRO Duo™ Media

Power

Battery Capacity : Approx. 150 minutes / Approx. 300 images
Battery Type : LITHIUM ION / InfoLITHIUM G type 3.6V

Operating Conditions

Flash Effective Range : ISO Auto: Approx.0.2-Approx.3.0m(Approx.0.66?-Approx.9.84?)(W) / Approx.0.5-Approx.1.9m(Approx.1.64?-Approx.6.23?)(T), ISO3200: up to Approx.6.1m(Approx.20.0?)(W) / Approx.3.9m(Approx.12.8?)(T)
Flash Mode(s) : Auto / Flash On / Slow Syncro / Flash Off

Service and Warranty Information

Limited Warranty Term : Limited 1 Year Parts & Labor

Convenience

Burst Mode : Max 100 shots at approx. 1.8 fps
Color Mode(s) : Normal / Vivid / Sepia / B&W
Date/Time Stamp : Available in the included PMB software.
Dynamic Range Optimizer : Standard / Off / Plus
Image Stabilization : Optical
Media/Battery Indicator : Yes/Yes
Memory Stick PRO™ Media Compatibility : Tested to support up to 16GB Memory Stick DUO PRO™ media capacity 1 ; does not support Access Control security function.
Red-Eye Reduction : Auto / On / Off
Scene Mode(s) : Intelligent Auto / Easy Shooting / Program Auto / Movie (Auto Adjustment / High Sensitivity / Underwater) / Scenes (High Sensitivity / Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Soft Snap / Landscape / Beach / Snow / Fireworks / Hi-speed Shutter / Underwater / Gourmet)
Self Timer : Yes (10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off)
Still Image Mode(s) : Normal (JPEG) / Burst (JPEG) / Bracketing (JPEG) – AE(Plus / Minus 0.3EV / 0.7EV / 1.0EV)
White Balance : Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Fluorescent 1 (White Fluorescent Lighting) / Fluorescent 2 (Natural White Fluorescent Lighting) / Fluorescent 3 (Day White Fluorescent Lighting) / Incandescent / Flash / Underwater White Balance Mode (Auto, Underwater 1, Underwater 2, Flash)

Convenience Features

AF Illuminator Light : Auto / Off
Clear RAW NR : Yes
Histogram Display : Yes
In-Camera Editing : Trimming / Red Eye Correction / Soft Focus / Partial Color / Fisheye Lens / Cross Filter / Retro / Radial Blur / Unsharp Masking / Happy Faces
Movie Mode(s) : 1280 x 720(Fine) (Approx.30fps, Progressive) / 1280 x 720(Standard) (Approx.30fps, Progressive) / 640(Fine) (VX Fine, 640 x 480, Approx.30fps)
Multi-Pattern Measuring : Yes
NightFraming System : No
NightShot® Infrared System : No
PictBridge Compatible : Yes
Power Save Mode : Yes (after approx. 3 min. of inactivity)
Real Imaging Processor™ Technology : BIONZ™

Optics/Lens

35mm Equivalent : 28-140mm
Aperture Range : Auto(F3.8/F8.0(W), 2 steps with ND Filter) / Program Auto(F3.8/F8.0(W), 2 steps with ND Filter)
Digital Zoom : Smart Zoom / Precision Digital Zoom / Off
Exposure Compensation : Plus / Minus 2.0EV, 1 / 3EV step
Face Detection : 8 face(flash, focus, exposure, white balance, child/adult priority, blink, face motion detection)
Filter Diameter : 46mm (with Lens Adapter)
Focal Length : 5.0-25.0mm
Focus : 9 points / Center Weighted AF / Spot AF / Semi Manual (1.0m / 3.0m / 7.0m / unlimited distance)
Macro Mode : Auto Macro / Macro On
Optical Zoom : 5x
Shutter Speed : Auto(2 – 1/1,600) / Program Auto(1 – 1/1,600)
Smart Zoom® Technology : 8M:Approx.6.1x(Total), 5M:Approx.7.7x(Total), 3M:Approx.9.8x(Total), VGA:Approx.31x(Total), 16:9(2M):Approx.10x(Total)
Total Zoom : Approximately 10x

Processor

BIONZ™ Engine : Yes

Inputs and Outputs

Accessory Terminal : Multi connector
Audio/Video Output(s) : Yes via Mutli-Use Connector
HD Output : Yes (1080i)
USB Port(s) : Yes – USB2.0 Hi-Speed

Software

Operating System Compatibility : Microsoft® 2000 Professional, XP Home and Professional; Macintosh® OS 9.1/9.2/OS X (10.1-10.5)
Supplied Software : Picture Motion Browser Vers 4.2.02 + USB Driver (Not supported by Macintosh® Operating Systems)

Control

ISO : Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200