Overview
The Sony DSC W7 is a seven megapixel digital camera. It is aimed at anyone who is looking for a good all round digital camera that will take care of all the usual photo opportunities you are likely to find on holiday, at social get togethers as well as shots for the family album. Compared to standard point and shot models the DSC W7 is a step up in terms of features and overall quality. Despite the extra features it remains easy to use. It is likely to appeal to someone looking for a straightforward point and shoot model that is prepared to pay that bit more for the extra quality.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
7
3x
2.5 inches
91 x 60 x 37.1mm
197g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
6cm
No
Yes
AA
Memory Stick
Image Quality
The DSC W7 produced a set of good photos across the board. There was not a single area where I felt the camera struggled or was weak. Unlike many digital cameras this one appears to perform just as well indoors as well as out.
Outdoor shots are noticeable for their strong colours and high levels of detail. Even in areas of high contrast the DSC W7 copes well. I was particularly impressed by the pictures of the boats and the outdoor portrait. The outdoor portrait produced a natural look with a feeling of warmth.
Both the indoor portrait and the test for shooting in extreme lowlight are very impressive. The portrait shot has a much better level of sharpness than most cameras manage to produce. The test shot in lowlight though is the most impressive of the whole set. For a photo taken in more or less total darkness the sharp focus of the shot and the balanced lighting indicates that you should be able to take just about any indoor shot and expect a good result.
The dedicated tests for colours and close ups also come out well. The colours are deep and vivid. This augurs well for landscape type shots. The macro shot is bright and clear and you could use the DSC W7 to take photos to posy on Internet auction sites.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. A constant criticism of digital cameras is the delay in between clicking the shutter button, the picture being taken and also the camera being ready to take the next picture. From a pure shutter lag view the DSC W7 took a picture and recorded it in 0.33 seconds. This is an average time.
In terms of recycling times I was able to take five pictures in the space of 7.63 seconds. That works out at a rate of 1.52 seconds per picture. I am not claiming that this is the most scientific tests, but it should give you an indication of the recycling speed of the camera. This is a fast time. My test is carried out indoors under standard conditions and it is possible that you would see better results outside.
Features
The DSC W7 has a three times optical zoom lens. This is the equivalent of a 38-114mm lens in 35mm format. In addition to the optical zoom there is a six times digital zoom and a twelve times smart zoom. The macro function allows you to focus from six centimeters away from the subject for close up work.
One of the features I really like is the large 2.5" LCD screen. I find this size of screen is very useful for composing shots and for reading the items in the menu system. The screen is also used for displaying a number of useful indicators. These include a battery power remaining indicator, a Memory Stick remaining indicator, a histogram, a hand shake alert and an over or under exposed warning indicator.
The simplest way to use the camera is in automatic mode. Here all you need to do is line up your shot and press the shutter button and the picture is taken. By adjusting the control dial you have access to a number of pre programmed scene modes. These modes help the camera to choose the appropriate settings for the type of photo that you are about to take. The scene modes available are Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Candle and Snow.
The built in flash unit is fairly powerful and has a range of 4.5m. This decreases when the zoom lens is in use to nearer two and a half meters. You can set the flash to fire automatically, always fire, not fire at all and slow synchro. Slow synchro is often used outdoors at night when you would like both the background and foreground to be illuminated. Red eye reduction is also available. To help the camera focus in poor light there is an AF (Auto Focus) Illuminator.
You can experiment with your photography by adjusting levels of sharpness, contrast and saturation. You can also appear in the picture your self by using the ten second self timer.
The movie mode lets you shoot movies with a maximum resolution of 640x480 and with a top speed of 30 frames per second. The movies are suitable for displaying on a television set. The duration of each movie is only limited by the capacity of the memory card.
There are a number of more advanced controls. These include multi pattern, centre and spot metering, exposure compensation (+/-2.0 EV, 1/3 EV step), ISO sensitivity values of 100, 200 and 400, plus white balance settings for Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent and Incandescent. There is also a burst or continuous shooting mode that can take a shot every 0.7 seconds for up to nine shots.
There is also a manual exposure mode, but it does have a limitation. Although there are a range of shutter speeds between 30 seconds and 1/1000 seconds there are only two aperture settings you can select from f2.8 and f5.6.
Sony provides all the necessary cables and software to connect the DSC W7 to a computer, television set and a PictBridge compatible printer.
Ease of Use
The different shooting modes such as automatic, manual, movie and the various scenes are accessed through a single control dial on the top of the camera. On the back of the camera you will find buttons controlling zoom, flash, macro, self timer, deleting images and accessing the menu system. The back of the camera is relatively uncluttered and it is easy to find the control you are looking for. The menu system itself is fairly intuitive and you should not have any trouble locating the setting you are looking for. The large LCD screen is a big help in this area too. All in all a well thought through camera.
Cost
You can pick up a DSC W7 for around £220. This compares to around £260 for a Canon IXUS 700, £225 for a Nikon Coolpix 7900 and £285 for an Olympus C-70. It is difficult to come up with other cameras that are similar to the DSC W7 to compare it to. The IXUS 700 and Coolpix 7900 are more stylish, but do not offer the same set of features that the DSC W7 does. The Olympus C-70 is more similar and also has a longer 5x optical zoom lens.
Style
The DSC W7 feels a bit different in the hand to many digital cameras. Although rectangular in shape it feels sturdier than many models. There is a small grip on the front that helps to steady the camera when you are taking a shot. It has dimensions of 91 x 60 x 37.1mm and weighs in at 197g.
Batteries and Memory Cards
Two AA batteries are needed to power the camera. Sony supplies rechargeable batteries and a charger with the DSC W7. This is the ideal combination. If you like the idea of having a couple of spare batteries handy for emergencies standard alkaline AA batteries are widely available and relatively cheap. The supplied rechargeable batteries will keep running costs to a minimum.
This camera has 32mb of built in memory. I managed to take ten shots before the memory was full. Images can also be stored on Memory Stick or Memory Stick Pro cards. It is advisable to pick up a high capacity card to go with the camera.
Click here to save money on Memory Sticks.
Points I like:
Good picture quality
Good build quality
Large LCD screen
Rechargeable AA batteries supplied
Where it is not so hot:
Summary
There are a lot of things to like about the Sony DSC W7. The picture quality really stands out. This is backed up by a solid build quality and ease of use. Sony seems to have covered just about all the bases with this camera and I am struggling to come up with anything negative to say about it. Overall I would say it is one of the best consumer digital cameras around.
Sony DSC W7 Front View
Sony DSC W7 Back View
Sony DSC W7 Top View
Sample Menus
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Sony DSC W7 Review Sony DSC W7 Specification Sony DSC W7 Sample Images
