Product Description

The WX1 can capture ten 10.2 megapixel resolution images at up to 10fps with its mechanical shutter, helping to ensure that you capture the decisive moment. HD Movie mode lets you capture your memories in 720p high definition video. HD videos can be played back on your HDTV using component output cable (sold separately) or uploaded to Internet sharing sites to share with friends and family.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #941 in Camera & Photo
• Color: Black
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DSCWX1/B
• Dimensions: 2.00" h x 6.00" w x 7.00" l, 1.20 pounds
• Display size: 2.7
• Included Software: Yes

Features

• 10.2-megapixel "Exmor R" CMOS sensor for stunning low-light performance
• 24mm wide-angle f/2.4 bright G lens for ultra sharp pictures; 5x optical zoom
• Sweep Panorama Mode captures breathtaking panoramic images
• Capture your videos in HD Movie mode (720p); PhotoTV HD Mode with compatible BRAVIA HDTVs
• Included lithium-ion battery for long-lasting power

From the Manufacturer
From the Manufacturer

Thanks to the back-illuminated "Exmor R" CMOS sensor and bright G-lens, the small and thin DSC-WX1 has stunning low-light performance, reducing grain by more than 50%, even without a flash. High speed burst captures 10fps without distortion and expansive Sweep Panorama shots are easy to achieve with press and sweep motion.



Sony DSC-WX1 Highlights

10.2-megapixel Back-Illuminated "Exmor R" CMOS Sensor Producing Stunning Images in Low Light
The DSC-WX1 features a 10.2-megapixel "Exmor R" CMOS image sensor that brings out the full resolving power of the camera’s G lens to deliver extremely fast speed, high resolution, and stunning low-light sensitivity with improved image clarity and drastically reduced grain--2x better than traditional sensors of equivalent size and pixel count. In addition, the combined "Exmor R" CMOS sensor and BIONZ image processor delivers extremely fast 10fps, Anti Motion Blur, Hand-held Twilight and 720p movie modes.

CMOS vs. non-CMOS image sensor

Premium f/2.4 G Lens
Designed and manufactured to the highest standards of optical performance, the Sony G Lens is optimized to perfectly complement the advanced image sensors and image processing technology in Sony’s cameras. This f/2.4 aperture lens gathers twice as much light as typical compact camera lenses, allowing you to shoot indoors or in low light without flash and with less noise. G lenses are used in top of the line digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and advanced pro-sumer HD Camcorders.

Capture the whole picture with 24mm wide angle lens
Capture more of the scene in landscape or group portraits with the 24mm wide angle lens. Wide angle is especially useful in small rooms, where you can’t get far enough back from your subjects to capture them all.

5x Optical Zoom
Capture the action up close with the 5x optical zoom. Zoom in on kids on a soccer field or a jet skier on the lake, to see their expressions as they enjoy their sport.

2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus
Compose and show off your images on the large 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus display (230K pixels).

Compact design Measuring at just 3 9/16 x 2 1/16 x 2 5/32 inches, the DSC-WX1 is compact enough to slip into most any pocket or purse, so you can take it with you wherever you go.

BIONZ image processor
The BIONZ image processor delivers the high resolution and fast performance you expect from a Sony digital camera. Fast processing enables Sweep Panorama Mode to create the image in seconds, clear images in low light settings, and layering one image over another to create a photo that looks just like what you see with your eyes.

Handheld Twilight
Capture cleaner and sharper night shots without using a tripod. When set to Handheld Twilight Mode, the WX1 captures six images in a fraction of a second with one press of the shutter, and combines the data from all six to create a single image of extraordinary detail and low noise. With these modes, you can capture images in low light, without flash, beyond the capability of traditional cameras.

AntiMotion Blur Mode
Capture cleaner and sharper images, even when your subject is moving. When set in Anti-motion Blur Mode, the WX1 captures six images in a fraction of a second with higher shutter speed and combines the data from all six to create a single image of extraordinary detail and help eliminate subject blur, beyond the capability of traditional cameras.

High speed shooting
The DSC-WX1 can capture ten full 10.2-megapixel resolution images at up to 10 fps, so you capture the decisive moment such as the bat hitting the game winning homerun. In addition, the DSC-WX1 employs a mechanical shutter that helps reduce distortion when continuously shooting moving subjects.

HD Movie Mode (720p)
Capture more of your memories in high definition (720p) video. Record HD movies in 720p high definition MPEG4 format for stunning large-screen home movie playback.5 Record up to 29 minutes (or up to 2 GB) per movie in 720p format.

Optical SteadyShot image stabilization
Optical SteadyShot image stabilization uses a built-in gyro sensor to detect camera shake and automatically shifts the lens to help prevent blur without sacrificing image quality.



Sweep Panorama mode
Reach beyond the traditional wide angle lens, and capture more breathtaking shots with Sweep Panorama Mode. Simply press the shutter button and sweep the camera in the desired direction and the camera continuously shoots at a high speed, then seamlessly stitches the images together with automatic position adjustment to create one stunning panoramic image. Available in wide and ultra-wide options, the camera can take panoramic shots of up to 256 degrees, which goes well beyond the limits of peripheral vision, even capturing areas somewhat behind you. Now capturing wide landscapes is as easy as press and sweep.

Capture breathtaking Panoramic shots

High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 3200)
High ISO allows for faster shutter speed, so you can take photos indoors or in low light without the need for a flash. In addition to High Sensitivity Mode (ISO), you can select up to seven ISO settings (Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200) when shooting in Program Auto Mode to adjust sensitivity to your shooting conditions.

Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode Unlike traditional auto mode, Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode thinks for you, recognizing scenes, lighting conditions, and faces, and adjusts settings resulting in clearer images, faces with natural skin tone, and less blur. By incorporating advanced features such as Intelligent Scene Recognition, and Face Detection technology, iAuto mode lets you take advantage of the latest Sony Cyber-shot technology without leaving auto mode. Whether you’re shooting expansive landscapes, capturing playground action, or taking pictures at a birthday party or wedding shower, iAuto mode will optimize your camera’s settings to help ensure you come away with a great shot.

Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) Mode
Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) Mode automatically detects eight different types of scenes and, within just 1/30th of a second, selects the appropriate camera settings: Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Twilight using a tripod, Portrait, Landscape, and Macro. iSCN has two modes: Auto and Advanced. In Auto Mode, the camera takes a single shot using the optimal settings. In Advanced Mode, the camera takes a photo with the optimal settings and, if in difficult lighting (low light or back light) immediately takes a second photo with another optimized setting so you can choose which to keep.

Intelligent AF
Thanks to Intelligent AF technology, capture fleeting moments like a child’s adorable expression with the ultra-quick AF which locks focus in as little as 0.3-sec.

Smile Shutter technology
Smile Shutter technology captures a smile the moment it happens. Simply press the Smile Shutter button and the camera does the rest. You can also select adult and child priority and indicate the degree of Smile Detection Sensitivity. Intelligent Scene Recognition can now be used together with the Smile Shutter feature when the Intelligent Auto mode is on. This means that beautiful smiles can be captured with settings optimized for the particular scene, even in difficult conditions such as twilight and backlighting.

Face Detection technology
Sony’s improved Face Detection technology can automatically distinguish between children and adults. Face Detection technology detects up to eight individual faces and adjusts focus, exposure, and white balance to help deliver crisp, properly lit images of family and friends.

Motion Detection
Motion Detection, along with Face Motion Detection adjusts ISO sensitivity and increases the shutter speed when movement is detected, reducing blur in moving subjects and faces.

Pet Mode
Pet-mode minimizes blur when shooting moving pets utilizing Motion Detection technology and automatically turns off the flash to reduce glowing pet eyes. AF illumination is also disabled so you can take more natural expressions avoiding startling your pets.

Dynamic Range Optimizer Standard and Plus
Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) Standard and Plus uses a sophisticated algorithm to help recover shadows and highlights. The result is more natural images with clearer details that more closely match what your naked eye sees. DRO is particularly effective when shooting backlit portraits or any scene with a dramatic contrast between background and foreground lighting. DRO Plus allows for even greater optimization by analyzing each region of an image and optimizing each area individually.

Easy Shooting Mode
With Easy Shooting Mode, even beginners can take great photos. In Easy Shooting Mode, easy-to-understand basic instructions are displayed on the LCD screen and the camera switches to all automatic settings, removing several function choices and allowing you to focus on just your subject. Since this mode works together with Intelligent Scene Recognition, the camera selects the optimum setting for each scene. In addition the easy mode simplifies preview mode.

Viewing modes
Find your photos using the simple folder or calendar viewing modes.

In-Camera Retouching Tools
Retouch and enhance your photos on the go with in-camera Trimming, Red-Eye Correction, and Unsharp Masking functions.

PHOTOMUSIC
PHOTOMUSIC combines images with music (4 tracks, 5 minutes per track) to produce fun and entertaining slide shows with standard visual effects (Simple, Nostalgic, Active, and Stylish). Select from pre-loaded tracks on the camera or transfer your own from your compatible computer (sold separately).

PhotoTV HD
Bring your photos to life and enjoy highly detailed, high definition images with PhotoTV HD-capable Sony BRAVIA HDTVs. PhotoTV HD fine tunes settings on your PhotoTV HD enabled BRAVIA HDTV, such as sharpness, gradation, and color to display images that look more like printed photos.

Function Guide
This beginner-friendly optional function helps navigate through the various functions and settings displaying the description of chosen functions or settings on the LCD screen.

Lithium-ion battery
Included lithium-ion battery provides added convenience with longer lasting power than alkaline batteries.

Includes Sony PMB (Picture Motion Browser) Software ver. 4.3
Sony’s Picture Motion Browser software offers a simple, intuitive way to transfer, sort, and view your video and still images on your compatible PC.4 Finding your images with PMB is easy with Face Search and Calendar view. Face Search allows you to filter by faces (one or many) and also by a specific person’s face. A new function, eDeco, allows you to easily add unique mood-enhancing elements to still images and movies such as matching photo frames, text, background music, and sound effects. New viewing features include highlight index function for movies,which displays thumbnails of scenes to enable easy search and playback, and panorama playback for full-screen viewing of your expansive Sweep Panorama photos.

Customer Reviews

Great Pocket Camera With A Little Tinkering
It was probably a month or two ago that I saw some press releases on a new point and shoot Sony had coming out, the WX1, which intrigued me. Like a lot of photo enthusiasts, while a DSLR is the weapon of choice, the elusive holy grail seems to be a small point and shoot camera that can slip in your pocket so you can be packing at all times, yet would still take good looking photos that are not so riddled with noise (a problem almost always plaguing point and shoots because of their small sensors) that they look like your tv screen when the test pattern has gone off. As the old adage goes, the best camera is the one you have on you when you need it and a DSLR is a little tough to integrate into your daily accessories.

So in evaluating this camera, perspective is required. This is not the camera you would go to for your best work. It is not the same package of everything you have with your DSLR and collection of lenses shrunk down to something the size of a couple of packs of gum. It is a tiny point and shoot camera that easily slips into your pocket with room to spare that does way better than the average point and shoot. In other words, it's a top performer for the junior varsity but its not ready to hang with the varsity.

Here's the reasons I wanted one:

1. I wanted a small camera I could keep in my pocket for daily use. What a lot of photographers call a "street shooter", something you can pull out and use to grab shots of whatever you happen to run into during your day.

This camera is certainly small. I've seen a few people refer to it as "chunky" and they must consider Ellen Page to be fat. This is tiny. I was surprised at how small the box it came in was, and even more surprised when I found the camera in the small box. My first impression was it wasn't much bigger than one of those old minolta spy cameras. My previous point and shoot camera was the Sony W300, which most people considered slim and stylish, and this camera is smaller in all respects than that. Side by side the WX1 seems slight smaller than the W300, but looking at it alone it looks like a tiny toy camera. I gave the W300 to my wife, and when she caught a view of the WX1 her reaction was "But yours is so much smaller." She was thrilled when I gave her the W300 but now has taken to calling it a hand me down. I went from hero to goat. As they say, size matters.

2. Stealth factor - I wanted a camera that I could sneak into places that don't allow cameras.

You could drop this baby into the front pocket of your levis and still have room for a decent game of pocket pool. I can easily get it, a wallet and even a cell phone all in the front pocket of my jeans. Alone in the pocket, it scarcely makes even a bump that a security guard might notice.

3. Low light capabilities - I dislike using a flash and wanted something that could take good pictures in natural light, and could function well in dark places.

The low light capabilities of this camera are astonishing. The camera can basically see better in the dark then you can. Lots of the pictures I took in dark rooms look way more illuminated in the photos then they were in reality.

Because it seemed to be everything I had been searching for in a point and shoot, I went ahead and ordered this as soon as Amazon had them available. Because they were not yet widely available, there were no hands on reviews by the usual photography sites and blogs. While waiting to get the camera, I would check Amazon every day to see if anyone who had actually used the camera had put up any reviews yet. The initial few reviews were alarming. People who said they wanted to love the camera didn't. The gist of their complaints seemed to be that the camera took good pictures in low light (although a few didn't even agree with that) and crappy pictures in good light. Sample photos that people began posting on Flickr also didn't look too hot. Because of this I regretted ordering the camera so quickly and almost just sent it back to Amazon without even opening the box.

I decided to try it for myself before deciding whether to send it back, and found it to be much better than the initial reviews had painted it (and subsequent reviews on Amazon now seem to be swinging towards the positive).

I do have to agree that a lot of the shots I've taken outdoors in bright sunlight seem a little overexposed and dull, but I've also had this problem with my Canon DSLRs when set on automatic. In any case, I've found that with the WX1, all you have to do is open the photo in Photoshop and click "Auto Contrast" and the problem is instantly corrected. A reviewer on Amazon has also noted that you can get more vivid, warm outdoors photos from the WX1 by using the Program mode and moving the White Balance setting from Auto to Flash. I tried this, and with the White Balance set to Flash the pictures basically look the same out of the camera as they do after I've run them through Photoshop and hit Auto Contrast. Another user mentioned in some of his posts that turning off the DRO in the menu greatly improves outdoor photos.

The argument that most people just want nice looking snapshots right out of the camera and don't want to mess with Photoshop is valid, but those are probably not the people who are going to be interested in this camera anyway. The camera's not cheap and those people would be very happy with the snapshots they could get with an inexpensive entry level point and shoot.

In any event, after a couple of weeks with the camera, my recommendation for everyday daylight shots is not to use the Intelligent Auto mode, but rather put the camera in the "P" or program mode. This will allow you to fix the ISO at 160, which is fine 90% of the time. Decrease the EV setting by .07. Most shots will now come out great. If you want warmer colors put the white balance on Flash, or increase the saturation a little after the fact in Photoshop. As noted above, turning off the DRO also seems to help.

As for claims that the WX1 photos come out noisy, I don't agree. Even the low light pictures don't seem to have a noise problem. This is not to say they are DSLR quality, but they don't look bad at all for a point and shoot.

Other positives:

4. A nice 24mm wide angle lens, which lets you get very close to things and is also great for cramped indoor settings, buildings and landscapes. Speaking of getting close to things, the macro feature springs into gear automatically when you stick the camera within an inch or two of an object.

5. Fast on, little lag time between shots unless you're using the Burst, Panoramic, Anti-Blur or hand held Twilight modes which take a little time to process.

6. HD Video. I never really use this but nice to have in case I ever catch the You Tube bug.

7. Panoramic mode. In this mode simply press the shutter and sweep your arm and the camera creates a panorama all by itself. You don't have to take a bunch of single shots and try to stitch them together later with a photo program. The only drawback is that it sets the exposure for the area you start, which can make it difficult to get a good one in uneven lighting.

8. Battery life seems pretty good.

So what's not to like about this camera?

1. No manual controls.

The W300 had full manual controls, and I wonder why Sony couldn't have included them here and really made this a top of the line point and shoot. Many serious amateur photographers who would otherwise love this camera won't even consider it because it doesn't allow them the ability to manually control aperture, shutter speed, etc. This, along with the lack of RAW capabilities, will probably keep this camera from competing with the Panasonic LX3 and upcoming Canon S90.

As note above, there is a limited work around. Using the Program (as opposed to Automatic) Mode allows you to set the ISO between 160 and 3200, which will force the camera to use a slower or faster shutter speed. You should note that if the DRO is on, you can't use a ISO higher than 800. Turn it off if you want to go higher. You can also put the camera in High ISO mode, which allows for faster shutter speed.

Canon's soon to be released S90 seems to have become the great new hope for shutterbugs longing for a small point and shoot that takes great low light photos instead of the WX1, primarily because it not only also has a fast lens and improved sensor, but also manual controls and raw capabilities.

2. No viewfinder.

I read somewhere this morning that 25% - soon to be a third - of the population are aging baby boomers. If they're anything like me, they have a hard time reading a restaurant menu in dim light, or for that matter anything else a few feet from their face without reading glasses. Translated to small point and shoot cameras, it's almost impossible for an older pair of eyes to clearly see what's on a 2.7 or 3 inch LCD screen on the back of camera, even if bright sun isn't washing out the screen. Most of the time with the WX1 I really can't make out what's on the screen, because to me its all out of focus (the problem is my eyes, not the camera). I just have to sort of aim the camera in the direction I want and estimate the framing and have faith. The W300 had a viewfinder, which was why I bought it. Sure wish this one did too, even if they had to make the camera a little bigger.

3. Mediocre zoom.

The WX1 has a 5x zoom, which would seem to be better than the standard 3x zoom found on a typical point and shoot. In practice, because this camera has such a wide angle lens to start with, zooming out 5x doesn't seem to get you any closer than a 3x zoom on a point and shoot without a wide angle lens. In short, this camera won't get you close to far away objects, you'll have to use your feet. It also seems to me that when you max out the zoom at 5x the photos get a little soft.

4. Beware of moving objects.

The low light modes are great for stationary objects, but in some of the shots I took where people were walking they blurred.

With the camera set in Program mode I ran after the dogs and couldn't get a single shot that wasn't too blurred to be any good, except when I had it in burst mode. I would expect it would be the same for parents chasing their kids (mine are in their 20's and won't run from me anymore, so I can't test this).

The camera supposedly has Motion Detection, along with Face Motion Detection, which in Intelligent Auto mode supposedly adjusts ISO sensitivity and increases the shutter speed when movement is detected, reducing blur in moving subjects and faces. It also has a pet mode which is suppose to do the same thing for things that move on four legs. Maybe I wasn't doing it right but they didn't seem to help much.

The best bet for action and fast moving subjects with this camera seems to be the burst mode, which rips off 10 shots one after another when the shutter is pressed. I didn't get a chance to test this at a little league game or AYSO tournament, but I did finally get a couple of stop action shots of the dog with it. If you could control the shutter (which you can't) you might be able to get this camera to better stop action. On the other hand a recent review of the upcoming S90 indicated that even with a fast lens and manual controls (allowing you to set the shutter) it wasn't fast enough for action, sports and kids. I guess we have to face facts. At the current state of the art, no point and shoot camera is going to do a great job in this area.

All in all its a cool little camera which does things most point and shoots don't and also doesn't do things most point and shoots don't. In case you're wondering, it never went back to Amazon although I do wonder if I might regret not having waited for the Canon S90 when that arrives.

You can find some test shots I took here: [...]

Great but not fantastic
The Exmor technology has been around since the introduction of the Sony Alpha 700. The WX1, along with the TX1 attempts to use the same technology with an additional "back illumination" to provide consumer with better picture quality at low light conditions. Unfortunately, with the reduction of the size of the sensor (since there is no way Sony can put a APS-C sensor into a compact camera), the signal-to-noise ratio of the Exmor sensor seems to reduce as well. Therefore, for those of you out there who's hoping to carry this camera in your pocket instead of lugging a full-sized DSLR across your shoulder, you'd be hugely dissapointed.

However, compared to cybershot cameras released just months ago, the reduction in picture noise is very obvious at higher ISO settings, given the size of the sensor is only about 7.59mm (smaller than your pinky). The picture does look cleaner even at high ISO settings (especially beyond ISO 800), although you will be able to observe evidence of noise reduction combined with the sensor's noise at those levels.

The new software that allows the sensor to optionally quickly capture 6 consecutive frames also helps alot in noise and blurring reduction, however this feature ties up your camera for awhile, i.e. you won't be able to shoot the next picture until the camera has superimposed all six images together. Also, since the 6 images are not taken at the same instant, you should not use this feature for moving objects. The end result is amazingly low noise and blur free images, even though the camera will have to choke up a bit to cough up those images for you.

The sweep panorama, although not new, is an interesting feature, but the quality of the images produced by this feature is generally not good enough for printing, due to misaligned edges caused by vertical hand movements. I have yet to try this feature with a tripod, but i believe the result may be better since the camera can make a true horizontal sweep. The resolution of the standard sweep is 4912x1080 and the resolution of the wide sweep is 7152x1080. It is quite obvious from the figures that the images are not particularly suitable for large prints, since the vertical resolution of the images is very low.

Also, when the DRO is set to DRO-plus (for increased gamma to reduce shadows in your shots), the maximum allowed ISO setting is only ISO 800. There is also some restriction on the ISO setting when you turn on the 10-frame high-speed burst, where the maximum allowed ISO is 800. Therefore, the high speed burst function is only suitable for places where there is enough light.

The camera is fantastically fast, except when it comes to processing images from the 10-frame burst mode (this camera does not perform continuous burst like older cybershots), even the process of superimposing six shots into a single frame is blazingly fast due to the bionz processor.

The video recording function is handy, encoding at MPEG4 at a maximum resolution of 1280x720 pixels, too bad the clips are restricted to about 2GB each (29 mins), making it impossible for you to shoot long continuous videos even if you had a whopping 16GB card. The camera allows optical zooming during recording.

DSLR users should take note that there is no Aperture Priority, Shuttle Priority and Manual Mode for this camera, as it is obvious that Sony has decided that this camera is going to be a pure point-and-shoot model. A pity considering that some of the older cybershot models did come with at least the Manual Mode where you can adjust the exposure time, aperture size and shuttle speed manually.

I haven't had the chance to fully test out the features of this camera yet, but given Sony's history with cybershots (beyond a high quality sensor and lens, they tend to take shortcuts here and there), potential buyers should really test this camera out at Walmart or Target and look for limitations and flaws which may end up as deal breakers before considering mail ordering from Amazon to avoid the hassle of returning it later. Also, the LCD screen is very shiny and a crazy fingerprint magnet, so you might want to get a screen protector to go with the camera.

Sample shots (including full zoom) of the camera have been uploaded at the customers' image section to show the noise reduction effect of the Exmor-R sensor in combination with the bionz processor from base ISO (ISO 160) all the way to ISO 3200.

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE: Great Camera! "Attention Buyers and Owners"!
UPDATE: I just found out today that a White Balance setting might be the key to this camera for outdoor shots. When setting on "P" mode I found out that switching the White Balance from "Auto" or "Daylight" to "Flash" in improves outdoor photos color, tone, exposure and warmness. I was so amazed in the difference!! See my photos above!

[...]

After 3 weeks of waiting for this camera to be released I now have it in my hands and taken over 500 pictures. Within those photos I have found out the best settings for the right scenes and conditions. With that, I will clear up problems previous owners have had.
First, I'm sure all of you want to know how good the new Exmor R sensor is. It's pretty good, WITH THE RIGHT SETTINGS. I will go into that later.

This camera really has some cool features, Like Sweep Panorama, Smile Shutter, Handheld Twilight and AntiMotion Blur Mode.

The key is setting the camera up for the right scenes, which means not keeping it set on Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) Mode(AKA Auto everything). I find that iSNC mode and easy mode don't work well and as a result people are complaining about the the noise, the low light picture quality and outdoor picture quality.

I'm now going to go though the scenes and the right settings and modes to put the camera on for best results.

For Low Light shots(at widest zoom):
Again iSCN Doesn't work well at all in low light. You have to switch the camera to Handheld Twilight mode and adjust the Exposure Value(EV) from -0.3 to -1.7(this is a very important setting that needs to be set on order to remove the noisyness and grain from the photo, a setting people don't adjust and then complain about how bad the photo looks in low light). You might also want to try different White Balances,setting correctly results in really nice low light shots.

Outdoor shots:
This camera in iSCN mode seems to keep the lens all the way open(F2.4)and it adjusts the shutter speed(a big No No)resulting in washed out over exposed photos(yuck).
The solution: switch to "P" Mode which closes down the lens to around a nice F5.0 to F7.1(much better) and switch the White Balance to "Flash" . Also for better exposure you can again adjust the EV.

Panorama Shots: This one's tricky, from where you press the shutter to start the panorama it locks the exposure at that point. If you start in a dark scene and move across through a bright scene, It's going to be over exposed. Make sure you start in a modernity lit scene and if needed switch EV from -0.3 to -1.0.

Hopefully this information helps and clears up previous reviewers problems with this camera.
Other good things to add: This camera does quite nicely in bright sun light(see my test photos above, however amazon doesn't let you upload them in high quality but you'll get the idea). Takes really nice close up Marco photos. High Definition video is really nice and clear(just remember to adjust the EV in low light 1.0 to 2.0 to remove noise).

Over all a nice Sony camera great size, style and pictures.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
I should be adding more to this review soon.
[...]