One thing I must say before I begin is that this model of the camera I own is at least a year and a half old. Therefore, while you may not be able to purchase this exact model, I assume that the next models in the family line are only improved.
I have gone through several cameras in a few short years- not because they break or become completely obsolete- but because once I start using them I find that they do not meet my needs.
Before purchasing a camera, you must keep in mind that several things are constantly changing, and your camera will be outdated in these areas in just a few months:
With those things said, I will now begin my review.
In the order of importance, the things I look for in a camera are as follows:
For around $200, I consider this camera a great deal.
The following sums up how I feel about each of the areas I highlighted earlier. A short explanation will follow.
| Area | My rank |
| Image quality | Excellent |
| Operation speed | Great |
| Battery | Good |
| Camera size | Good |
| Memory | Great |
The Sony DSC-W50 is a 6 megapixel camera. This is perfect for the casual camera user who may want to have 4"x6" prints made of their photos. I believe that much higher quality in this respect would be wasted. If you were an avid photographer then you might want more megapixels, but this camera definitely gets the job done.
For this factor, I look for both a quick start up time, as well as in between each photo. Not only is it speedy in both respects, but it offers something that many other cameras don't- a burst photo setting. This allows many pictures to be taken in a short amount of time, for instance, to catch a moment in a sporting event. While it is speedy, there are times when I wish it could take some less time in between shots. Sometimes the "processing" screen takes too long and the moment has passed before I have had another chance to shoot.
I like the fact that this camera does not use regular batteries- it comes with a rechargeable "brick" battery. While you may be tempted to buy another to carry around in case the one in the camera drains especially fast, I say don't. I have gone on vacations (bringing my charger to refuel the battery at night) but never had to use it. I can snap pictures all day and not have to worry about it suddenly dying. In conclusion, the one battery Sony included can be both a positive and negative.
One thing that is still a big consideration in my camera buying needs is the size. It needs to be able to fit into my purse or hand without taking up too much room. Some time after I purchased my Sony DSC-W50 I found that there were cameras the size of a credit card for sale. That would be the perfect size, I think. But, there were too many flaws at the time with that kind of camera and I stuck with what I had. All in all, it is still a tiny camera, and is not very thick at all. It is rectangular and the lens retracts into the body of the camera, so it does have a very small profile for storage.
First, let me say that this Sony product uses only a memory stick card, not an SD card as many other cameras use. This is really only a problem if you are switching to or from another brand at any other time. They work the same, and I am sure they cost about the same as well. With that being said, I bought a 2 gigabyte memory stick with my camera and was actually somewhat afraid that I would have to buy another. This camera lets you adjust the quality of the pictures you are taking, in order to minimize space. However, I have never come close to my 2 gig limit, even on the highest quality. That is a good feeling, especially if you are taking your camera on a week long vacation, where you will not necessarily be able to unload your pictures from your camera.
This is a section for things that I discovered about this camera that I really like, but are not major buying points for me
I hope that this information has been helpful. This concludes my review of the Sony DSC-W50.