Sony cybershot DSc-W290 Review
The good: wide-angle, 5x zoom lens, good price-to-feature ratio, adequately priced, high resolution video.
The bad: No optical zoom while recording video; Needs Memory stick duo
Specifications:
Resolution: 12.1 megapixels
Optical zoom: 5 x
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290was launched in in February 2009. At the time of launch it was priced priced at $250. It has a wide-angle lens with a 5x zoom, 12-megapixel resolution, some of Sony’s advanced automatic shooting options, HD video capture, and a 3-inch LCD. But the price has dropped since then and you can get this camera at $199 now as of Oct 30, 2009.
Well, as with most point-and-shoot cameras of its caliber, the photo quality from the W290 is pretty good for all homely and semi profession photographers. If you take into account its attractive price tag, the W290 is a good bargain.
Overall performance of the W290 is very good. Startup to first shot is a relatively brisk 1.3 seconds. Shutter lag in good lighting was a fairly average 0.4 second; in more difficult dim lighting, it went up to 0.7 second. Without the flash on you’ll be waiting an average of 2.3 seconds between shots, which only jumps up to 2.7 seconds with the flash on. Lastly, the W290 turned in an impressive burst speed of 2.1 frames per second.
At less than $200, the color and exposure were particularly pleasing and accurate.
The video quality of this camera is good. However, the 5x zoom does not work in video mode. The cable to view the video on a HDTV is not supplied. I think you will need to buy a proprietary cable to connect it to HDTV.
Unless you are concerned about the professional level quality, it’s a great pocket camera at a reasonable price with a solid combination of features, usability, and design.
