Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6208 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DSCW50
• Dimensions: 1.00" h x 2.25" w x 3.50" l, .50 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 6.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints
• 3x optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
• VGA movie mode (640 x 480) allows videos with sound, limited only by memory-card capacity
• High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 1000) allows shooting in low-light conditions
• Stores images on Memory Stick cards (32 MB of internal memory included)

From the Manufacturer
Why Sony? Because Sony adds quality, value, and artistic expression to the basic advantage of digital photography--not just replacing film, but enhancing creative possibilities and expanding technology horizons. The new Sony Cybershot DSC-W50 camera combines high-resolution 6.0-megapixel performance and compact design with the appeal of traditional rangefinder shooting, so both first-time buyers and step-up photography enthusiasts will have a camera that's equally adept at saving their memories and capturing their vision. Quality, convenience, and aesthetic excellence--they've been Sony advantages throughout its 60-year leadership in consumer electronics.

Style, Simplicity, and Performance
The DSC-W50 combines sleek metal body and compact design with new high-tech features for image quality and operating convenience. Super-sharp 6.0-megapixel resolution delivers more detail when you're cropping or making big prints. Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens and High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 1000) combine to produce sharp images even in low-light conditions. And Sony's original Clear RAW NR processing circuitry minimizes the color noise distortion of high-sensitivity shooting.

A Screen that Shows More
The extra-large 2.5-inch LCD screen of the DSC-W50 not only gives you a big, bright image for setting up shots and checking results, it also displays a convenient camera Function Guide, with text and icons for easy-to-operate features like color and brightness adjustments, image size, flash and self-timer modes, focusing modes and more. The DSC-W-50 even provides an eye-level viewfinder for traditional shooting. Everything You Need for Great Results
Despite its compact size, the DSC-W50 incorporates shooting features every digital photographer wants--32 MB2 Internal Memory for capturing images in-camera without a flash memory card, built-in slot for optional Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO Duo media, and Stamina Lithium Ion battery with enough power to capture up to 390 shots3.

6.0-Megapixel Super HAD CCD
Higher megapixels gives you more detail and definition for making large prints and cropping in on your subject. Sony's advanced Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design allows more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise.

Extra-Large 2.5-Inch LCD Screen
The DSC-W50 has a bigger, brighter 2.5-inch LCD screen for setting up and viewing images--with a one-touch "Play" button that makes it quick and easy to view your photos.

Simple Controls, Function Guide
User-friendly controls and simple on-screen Function Guide text/icon display help you set up camera functions for terrific shots--and you'll have greater creative freedom to adjust color mode (including "Natural" for subtle colors and "Rich" for more intense colors), sensitivity, brightness, and image size.

High Sensitivity Mode
A new High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 1000) allows you to shoot with great results in low-light conditions--and Sony's original Clear RAW NR (Noise Reduction) image processing technology helps suppress the color noise that can accompany high-senstivity shooting.

Carl Zeiss 3x Optical/2x Digital Zoom
3x optical zoom helps the DSC-W50 bring distant subjects closer and lets you frame shots for better composition; Sony's precision 2x digital zoom provides an additional 2x magnification to enlarge details without jagged edges.

Stamina Battery Power
With its powerful Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, the DSC-W50 can capture up to 390 images--enough for a whole vacation. The compact BC-CSG battery charger is also supplied for battery recharging on the go.

13x Smart Zoom Feature
At VGA resolution, Sony's Smart Zoom feature intelligently "crops into" the central portion of interest in your photo without sacrificing full CCD resolution--avoiding the image degradation of other digital zooms.

Capture Images In-Camera
With 32 MB of internal memory, the DSC-W50 allows you to shoot without a flash memory card--then transfer your images to optional Memory StickDuo media, upload to your computer, or make prints on your digital printer.

Memory Stick Duo Media
The DSC-W50 has a built-in slot for optional Memory StickDuo or higher-capacity Memory Stick PRO Duo media--the ultra-compact media for shooting, storing, and sharing your photo images.

MPEG Movie VX Fine Mode
The DSC-W50 can capture VGA (640 x 480) audio-video clips at high frame rate (up to 30 frames per second), with length limited only by the capacity of your media.

Customer Reviews

Decent camera but we're buying another one
My wife and I bought this camera for travel and family photos. It may be that we just haven't figured out how to determine what settings are necessary but picture quality is not consistent. Landscape shots seem to be very nice even though we would like to have more zoom than 3x. Indoor shots have never turned out well for us. Very difficult to capture moving shots and some shots seem to have a lot of noise, especially in ISO setting. Camera is fairly intuitive and I love the size of it. But we're looking for a different camera after 3 years because we just can't take the bad pictures anymore.
Pros:
Size
Look
Battery life
Quick start-up
Good landscape shots
Cons:
Inconsistent picture quality
Poor indoor shots
Slow shut-down

Nice outdoor, daylight pictures. Otherwise, hit or miss
I bought this camera from a large retail chain about 3 years ago (yes, the model is that old). First thing I must say: The price here is ridiculous for this camera. Its not worth $388, or whatever they have it listed for. That said, onto the pros and cons:

PROS
- Takes EXCELLENT pictures in any type of daylight (even mostly cloudy skies), including beautiful sunrise and sunset pictures (so long as its not too far along). Great clarity, excellent color, and wonderful balance. Can't beat this camera there.
- The movie setting is quite good. Not HD, but it doesn't have a limit on the video length (like many point-and-shoots do). If you have the memory, you can take as long a video as you want.
On that same note, the mic on this is actually quite good! Excellent for recording convos or even concerts (as long as you aren't standing right in front of the speakers).
- The camera does have a lot of settings, and the ability to create a 'custom' setting too by moving around ISO, flash, zoom, balance, and other settings.
- Macro mode is nice for up close shots
- The battery lasts FOREVER! On one charge, I've gotten 250 pics and a couple 2 minute videos while using the preview screen quite generously (still had some life too). Use a couple of the power save options, and I have no doubts you could easily hit 350-400 pictures on one charge.
- Turn it on, and a second later you can take a picture. Another second, and you can take another picture. Very quick turnaround.
- ISO setting isn't terrible (not great either) at taking low light pics w/o flash. Pics tend to be grainy though.
- Great, clear lens and a decent optical zoom (the digital zoom is fine, but I find using it tends to make it difficult to get a non-blurry shot).

CONS
- The root of many of this camera's problems: NO image stabilization feature! Be prepared to delete or re-take half of your pictures because of this, unless you have nerve and stability of an army sniper. W/o the flash in anything but direct sunlight, you are in trouble. Even with the flash, you need to hold the camera as still as possible. This wouldn't be as a big an issue, but...
- The 2.5 inch LCD is decent sized, but its difficult to see how good the picture actually is UNTIL you see it on your computer. So, you may take 10 pictures and think you have 10 winners, but turns out only 2 or 3 are keepers.
- The click/rotating wheel that has chooses one of the 10 modes of the camera is very easily turned by accident. Thus, you get the perfect shot, click the shutter...and find out that the camera was actually on video mode. Shot missed. Disappointment abounds.
- These 10 functions are also...shall we say...questionable as to there actual operation. Let me say this: Out of the 10 modes, I use just 3 of them (Auto, Landscape, and Video) 98% of the time. The others are pretty specific to certain scenarios, and I question if a couple of them actually do anything special (one setting is for beach shots, and it reportedly 'accentuates' the blue color. Compared to an auto beach shot, I can see no difference between the two).
- The flash has a 'groove zone', which I have found is about 4 to 6 feet away. Anywhere outside of that zone, and the flash does not perform as well. Closer and people look like they are bio-luminescent. Further away, and things start getting shadowy. There's also no options to change the flash intensity (fill, close, etc). So, you get the same flash each time. Red Eye is tough to avoid too. The flash indicator/RE light helps SOMETIMES (70% of the time), but the slow-synchro flash option is only effective maybe 15% of the time.
- Taking shots at night is the worst. Blurry without the flash, and the flash is usually too weak to make the shot look good regardless. The 'twilight modes' are also useless, as the lack of image stabilization comes back into play.
- Small quips: In video mode, you can't zoom at all while recording. You can only stop, zoom, and restart. Settings and features are not intuitive, but a quick read of the manual usually suffices. Cyber-shot software is awful. It runs EXTREMELY slow, doesn't offer many features compared to EasyShare, and its red eye fix (arguably the most used aspect of basic editing software) makes eyes look gray, dead, and unnatural.

This camera isn't bad, and has some nice features. However, image stabilization, IMO, is the reason why this camera isn't recommended.

Good camera, resistant and long lasting battery
I bought this camera through amazon.com two years ago, and I still use it a lot. I bought a more advanced model of the panasonic lumix one because I wanted to try a different brand (nothing really bad ever happened to this one, I just wanted a newer one). It is indeed a good camera, and I took amazing pictures of it, plus the videos. It comes with a built in mic, which is good, and the battery runs out pretty slow, which is great. I cant remember how many times I may have dropped it and it is still sturdy and fine. The pictures come out good, except when there is very little lights, then, it may get blurry. The other con is that even though it says it corrects red eyes, it never did the job well, but I dont know if that is common or not with other brands too (also, I like altering the pictures myself, so the red eyes ain't that big of a deal, I would say).
It is definitely NOT the best camera in the world, but if you're looking for something practical, small and handy, this one can be the one. The 7.2 MP model sold much more, and it is the exact same camera with a bit more definition.