Sony DSC-W350 14.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Zoom with Optical Steady Shot Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch LCD (Blue)
- 26mm equivalent Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 4x optical zoom
- Capture breathtaking images in Sweep Panorama Mode
- 14.1-megapixel resolution; 2.7-inch LCD screen for easy viewing
- Capture your videos in HD Movie mode (720p); Optical SteadyShot image stabilization reduces blur
- Accepts Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick PRO Duo/Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo (not included)
The DSC-W350 captures images with amazing detail with its Carl Zeiss 26mm wide angle 4x zoom lens. Take breathtaking panoramas in Sweep panorama mode and review them on a 2.7” LCD. Record 720p high definition movies while Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization, iAuto and Face Motion Detection makes taking great images in various conditions easy.
List Price: $ 134.49
Price: $ 134.49
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I have larger sized cameras with very high quality but they aren’t small – the Sony DSC-W350 is.,
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…
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|Pleasantly surprised,
Took a chance on this camera as it was just released by SONY and no reviews were available. But I really like this camera. The pictures are sharp. Color reproduction and exposure is accurate and all of this is done automatically. This camera has 14 mega pixels but I shoot with an aspect ratio of 16 X 9 which uses 10.5 mega pixels. The camera has a panorama feature that with a little practice takes cool panoramas that could definitely come in handy for some landscape shots. This camera has a 26mm wide angle lens with 4X zoom. I love the wide angle which works beautifully with the 16 X 9 aspect ratio. Indoor low light performance has been very good. In bright rooms with the camera on auto flash it often chose not to flash and still the pictures were very good. My other cameras always flash indoors no matter how brightly lit the room was. Indoor shots without a flash create more natural colors. Of course this is probably only possible due to the really good anti shake technology built into the camera. The camera can also shoot hi def movies but I haven’t taken any movies yet. One other thing that I like is that this camera can easily fit into any pocket. It is slim and light.
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|Very good compact point and shoot,
I was looking for a small camera to keep with me when I didn’t want to lug my big and heavy pro grade DSLR, and I’m finding the Sony generally works out for me pretty well. It’s easy-to-use and relatively high performance for a compact point and shoot camera, and it’s capable of producing good images under a wide range of conditions when used properly.
I usually start my camera shopping by paying close attention to the lens, and the Sony comes with a Carl-Zeiss 4x zoom, biased towards the wide-angle end of the spectrum. I generally favor less zoom range if it means getting a higher quality picture, and this is exactly the approach Sony implements. Yes, you can get 5x – even 10x – zooms in camera like these, but in my experience, the sacrifice in image quality isn’t worth it. Sony’s 4x tends to mean I get pretty solid lens performance in a useful zoom range. To be clear, any DSLR with a good quality lens will beat the pants off the small lens on this sort of compact camera, but that’s the nature of the beast…besides, if I’m doing something where absolute best performance is a requirement, I’m carrying my heavy-duty DSLR and lenses that cost ten times what this Sony does – that’s not the mission I have in mind for the Sony anyway.
The 14.1MP sensor seems to be high quality, so long as you’re using the camera in well and evenly lit conditions. Where the camera struggles somewhat is low light (high ISO), or when there is substantial dynamic range (difference between brightest and darkest parts of an image). Under good conditions – bright and evenly lit – the sensor provides excellent detail, certainly way more than adequate for email, web sites or prints up to maybe A3 (13×19 inch) size. Still, under more challenging lighting, the Sony may be a bit disappointing…where a large DSLR can capture details in highlights and shadow, the Sony tends to blow out the highlights or will transform shadows into a sea of black. Again, this is really normal for cameras with small image sensors – the Sony’s performance is very good indeed considering the small form factor and product price point.
The camera’s built-in software is also very good, helping to capture lots of detail even as images are compressed to manageable sized JPG files. In Photoshop, I compared a Sony-compressed image to a similar image taken by a pro grade DSLR, and there are few if any differences due to the image processing. Noise reduction and sharpening is handled well, and there are few digital artifacts visible. This is really the best performance I’ve seen for a camera in this price range.
In terms of construction quality, the camera is solid and seems to be well built. Most of the controls are easy to use, and you don’t get the sense of “fighting” against it. The 2.7″ LCD display is sharp and easy to use, although it can be a bit difficult in bright sunlight or for those like me with aging eyes that struggle with small text on the screen. Performance is generally quick, and you’re not waiting for the camera to figure out what to do next. The camera is small, and one thing that helps me is Sony’s well-designed image stabilization feature. I tend to have a hard time holding small cameras steady, and image stabilization helps me get sharp photos in most conditions.
Sony adds a number of cool features, such as Sweep Panorama, that allows you to take multiple pictures of a scene, and then have them “stitched” together in the camera for a wide panorama view. I have similar software in Photoshop to do this, but it’s cool to see it implemented right in the camera. Sony also provides a workable HDR (High Dynamic Range) capability in the camera, giving you a way to handle certain otherwise difficult scenes. Both of these features make up for camera limitations, such as low dynamic range capabilities of small sensors and the limited zoom range. Sony also makes it easy to upload photos and videos to popular sharing sites, saving you a few steps from doing this on the computer.
The camera can also record HD (720p) video clips up to half an hour long. I rarely use this feature, so other than to say it works, I’ll leave that one to other reviewers.
I considered several other choices from Nikon, Canon, Pentax and even the new Leica X1. I like Nikon because the software and menus are the same as my DSLR (also a Nikon). Canon seemed to produce slightly better image quality. I’ve owned several Pentax point-and-shoot digital cameras and found them rugged and long lasting. And of course, the Leica is in a class by itself in terms of quality. Still, while all of these competitors offered unique advantages, the overall package of price and performance seemed to be best with the Sony – at least today.
Overall, considering the price, I’m happy with the Sony DSC-W350 and would recommend it to anyone wanting a low-cost, easy to use digital camera that gives…
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