Sony Cybershot DSCW80 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot (Silver) Reviews

• 4th digital Camera

  
  By A11HB3LYLIQNZP on 2007-06-09
  I was a professional wedding photographer using medium format 120 film cameras. It was a good thing I retired before the digital takeover. The speed of technological improvements both in cameras & computer programs would of broke my bank account. Happily there were & are some good priced consumer digital cameras made for the budget minded.
  
  The 1st digital camera we bought around the turn of the century was the Cannon GS-1 3MP for appox $1000. Even in today standards the camera was easier & faster than the present Sony's because it had an easy set-up & user friendly format. Sadly the camera was dropped while visiting Hearst Castle in August 2004 & stopped working a few weeks later.
  
  After this we decided to buy a semi-professional digital camera & chose the Sony DSC-F826 8MP which has a manual Zeiss 7X zoom lens. The camera is multi functional with infrared night vision & can take after market over head flash units, but it is rather slow in auto focus mode & the format wasn't as easy as the Cannon, too many dials and buttons all over the place. The Sony DSC-F826 takes both CF cards & Sony Memory Sticks. Price was appox $1000 in 2004.
  
  Then my wife needed a smaller digital camera that had to use AA batteries for Eastern European visits so that we could buy batteries anywhere. We bought the Sony Cybershot DSC-W7 7.2MP for appox $400 in 2005. The camera was on sale because most people didn't want an AA battery powered camera. It has a similar format like the Sony DSC-F826 but simplified only because it has less functions. On the back of the camera is a large, bright, & fantastic LSD screen, but again was slow at shooting in auto focus mode.
  
  We bought the Sony Cybershot DSCW80 7.2MP because the speed of shooting in auto focus mode improved & the close up function was amazing, no need of a close up focus lens. You can walk up to any subject, no mater what size, & take the picture. The camera is also half the width of the Sony DSC-W7 & has an ISO rating of 3200 with face detection. Hopefully the advertised long life NP-BG-1 battery won't be an issue in Eastern Europe & we are thinking of giving the Sony DSC-W7 to our Russian relations if the battery life is as promised. If you had Sony digital cameras before, the Sony DSCW80 functions are similar but are no longer mainly in a top dial, but are instead contained in a "HOME" button. When you want to review, you must go to "HOME" then go to "View Images" rather than turning the dial as in pervious cameras. There is also an image review button by the main dial. Great price for the functions & ease, & the Sony Memory Sticks for this model are twice in memory & half in size & price.
  
  Report from vacation: the battery lasted up to 328 shots, very close to the promised listed spec of 340. Camera was set at 5MP & about 10 to 15 pictures were shot with flash at night. Good thing we bought an extra battery because the USA to European transformer dual pins didn't fit the wall sockets in Ukraine. Got great pictures & am very pleased.
  
  Comment from reading other current reviews: Some users of this camera state that they are getting blurry pictures when taking action shoots. I am not a sports photographer therefore I don't have much need for super fast capture, but out of the 400 pictures from our vacation we maybe got around 30 blurry pictures for 2 main reasons:
  
  1. The camera took great pictures when at full power, it even capture people diving into a lake without a blur, but when the battery got low during some outside night pictures is when we started noticing some problems: the people were frozen by the flash but the background showed movement. I still liked the pictures with the pan effect. The camera was set on "Auto" mode & should of been switch to the "Twilight" mode.
  
  2. Later someone somewhere switched the camera to "Soft Focus" mode & a few pictures lacked detail.
  
  My conclusion is that the camera must be kept at a certain power ratio with the battery. Once the pictures become blurry, change or recharge the battery. Remember I was in Eastern Europe & our battery transformer pins didn't fit the wall sockets so there was no way to recharge the battery each day. I went all the way down in battery power before changing to another battery. Not the best way to go. If at night, change the camera mode to "Twilight" or "High Sensitivity" or put the camera on a tri-pod. Also check the "Soft Focus" switch, it may have been turn on by mistake.
  
  

• Sony Does It Again

  
  By A36T3O4TIC1YDQ on 2007-05-12
  I bought the DCSW80 for my wife, to replace an old, slower Sony digital camera. After several weeks I find that I use it more than she does, because of the ease of operatin and portability. I love my Canon Rebel XTi, bt this Sony does 90% of what the Canon is capable of. The macro feature is even better than the Canon. At 7.2 mp, my enlargements are crisp and true to color. Yes, I would like to charge the camera battery while attached to the computer, but the battery life is extremely long, with the small Li-ion battery. The included charger is a bit slow, but I did find an after-market charger online that is faster.
  
  A feature that I really enjoy is the slide show mode, with music and HD quality. Nice touch! I've owned many Sony products over the years, from an early 9" portable B/W TV, a Walkman, through a plasma TV, and have never been disappointed in the quality and features. Bravo Sony for another fine product!!
  
  

• Surprising Sony

  
  By A2L9OPJAAEK08Q on 2007-11-02
  The Sony Cyber-Shot DSCW80 surprised me at first. The "twilight" mode yielded some very nice (hand held) low light shots and almost everything I took (indoors and out) looked nice on my computer's screen. When I had prints of some of the photos made the Bionz image processor reared its ugly head. It blurred all the fine details away leaving me with nothing but noisy images. Keep in mind that this was at all ISO's. After that I decided the Sony and I were incompatible. I found the color representation to be inaccurate as well. Not horribly so, just off a bit too much for my liking. While the size of the LCD was good it was easily washed out in outdoor conditions (at least there is an actual optical viewfinder to fall back on but, unfortunately, it is inaccurate).
  
  Some good traits are that the image stabilization worked very well and that the battery life was excellent. The continuous shooting mode was very fast. Auto focusing was pretty good. Video mode was surprisingly good but I think that a Memory Stick Pro Duo is necessary. This is easily the smallest and most portable compact camera that I tried. I really liked some of the small details like the metal tripod mount and the location of the door (on the side of the camera) so you can swap out the battery or memory card easily while leaving the camera on the tripod.
  
  This truly is a point & shoot camera. It would've been nice if Sony had allowed for some manual controls but, out of all the cameras I tested, it offered the least. To say the menu system is confusing is an understatement. I'm not a big fan of the proprietary Memory Stick Pro Duo that Sony users are stuck with. I'm also wary of the reliability and the customer service associated with this company and their cameras.
  
  In the end I just felt that there are better choices out there when considering cameras this price range.
  
  
  

• Great for the price

  
  By A1SZ0UPAGGKIR4 on 2007-05-08
  This is a great camera for its price. This might be the best choice for its class because it provides IS (image stabilization for shaky hands and moving objects:anti blur), 2.5 inch lcd, 7.2 megapixels and 3x optical zoom for under $235. You can find different cameras with IS and with more pixels or zoom capabilities but you should also compare their price with this one. I researched alot before buying this camera and could not find any camera with IS under $300 (brand new, not used). Morover, this is very handy, tiny and light that you can carry in your pocket without feeling it. There are cameras out there with 10x optical zooms but you have to hire someone to carry it for you:) I will always prefer a tiny camera over a bulky one because those bulky ones are usually loaded with features that you will never need or use. Additionally, those bulky cameras are also much more expensive. You would end up paying high prices for features that you will never use.
  
  I recommend you to buy at least 2gb of memory from e-bay.Buy from someone with high feedback score. I purchased a 2gb "high speed memory stick pro duo" for $20 (incl shipping) from e-bay. As time passes, as in every technological toy, you will be able to find cheaper and better.
  
  Menus and settings are very easy and clear. Information about the current settings appear on the lcd when you switch or push buttons for example when you switch mode dial to moon (one of the symbols on the dial) "Shoot low light scene without flash" explanation appears on the lcd for about 2 seconds which is very helpful.
  
  I wish you could have been able to charge the battery while its in the camera but you cannot. You need to carry the included charger if you are travelling. Carrying a cable for charging instead of a seperate charger would be better.However, battery life is very satisfying and better than its competitors.
  
  One of my disappointments about the camera (actually it is not a big deal) is you need to press too many buttons to delete an image. This is only case for deleting an image. Other menu shortcuts are great; however, I wish it had also a shortcut or a button for deleting since this is a digital camera and the great thing about these cameras is the ability to erase easily. My previous camera (Dsc-v1) had a button for erasig images on the menu buttons which was very easy and helpful. But with this camera, I had to press 5 times (on different buttons) before I can delete the last image taken.
  
  Overall, this is a very great camera for the price and features. One of the most important adventage is its IS (Image stabilization) feature. One of the best alternative for this camera is Canon PowerShot SD800 IS 7.1MP, in case you do not like DSC-W80, which you can buy around $300. Since I purchased Dsc-w80 for $230, I recommend sony over canon.
  
  

• "I Simply Love It!"

  
  By A13HRBF6V8E8K2 on 2007-07-30
  That's the easiest way to describe this camera. When I finally decided to join the digital camera genre, I did a lot of research. I wanted a camera that I could just point and take pictures without needing a diagram on how to do it. I also wanted a digital camera that had some pretty nice features. Features that would grow with me, so once I learned how to use different features I wouldn't have to buy another camera so soon. So, for a newbie like me, this was the perfect digital camera. It was so easy to learn how to use and my prints are gorgeous! Even the pictures I took at night with little light came out awesome! The Image Stabilization is great, because I don't know how to hold a steady hand just yet. I chose black, because I wanted another camera color besides the usual silver. So, if you're looking for a camera that you won't out grow too soon and you're new to digital cameras, then I really recommend this one.
  
  
• Great Compact Point-and-Shoot
  By A39ZKE6HJIDJNB on 2007-09-28
  This camera more that matched my expectations. $230 was a little steep for a 14-year-old on a babysitting salary, but I have yet to regret the purchase.
  
  The video mode is better than a camcorder, no lie. The sound is flawless and you can even adjust sound on the camera. The picture...never blurry or anything. The videos play on my 34" LCD with no fault! I'm totally taking advantage of this feature!
  
  The pictures are almost too amazing for me. The camera is a 7.2 megapixel, but I set my picture quality to 5 megapixel because it takes up less space and the pictures turn out beautiful. The image stabilization works really well. I tested it by waving my camera back and forth in the air and randomly took shots without stopping my camera. The weren't the least bit blurry!
  
  There are a few modes in this camera:
  
  Auto Adjustment (For shooting with preset settings)
  High Sensitivity (For Low Lighting)
  Soft Snap (Adds soft background, good for taking pics of people.)
  Twilight Portrait
  Twilight
  Landscape
  Beach
  Snow
  Video
  Prgram Auto (Allows more programming before taking the shot.)
  
  Also, you can remove red-eye, crop the photo, and do a bunch of other editing right on the camera!
  
  The lens is without flaw. I don't even need flash on my shots because the lens can take in enough light.
  
  You can play slideshows on your camera WITH MUSIC!
  
  There's so many things I like about this camera, I can't list them all. I love it so much. If you get this camera, you will not have regrets. It's only $230 max and worth the price. I have the pink one, but it comes in pink, silver, white, and black.
  
  Also, it looks bulky in pictures but it is really small. A little thicker than a casio but less length and width.
  
  Also, don't buy a camera that doesn't have a viewfinder. I was outside in the sun today and I couldn't see my screen! I love that this camera has a viewfinder!
  
  The Only Cons:
  *The battery takes 4.5 hours to charge (but it lasts a long time on full charge)
  *Sony uses memory stick PRO DUO instead of SD cards, but Circuit City has a deal that when you buy this camera, you get a free 1GB card (which is all you need.)
  
  I would reccomend this to anyone...it is really user friendly. Each setting you put it on show a description of what it is. Someone who has never used a digital camera could figure this out with ease!
  
  
• Okay pictures, poor quality control and customer service
  By A39V49YNG401CK on 2007-08-30
  I purchased this camera 45 days ago. For the most part, I was happy with the pictures it took, the ISO is a huge improvement over the last digital camera I owned.
  
  Mine had several issues, one of which I'm not sure is common among all of these, and one that is a defect.
  
  When the battery dies (and there is very little warning), the shudder remains open, exposing the camera lens to scratches.
  
  Within a month and a half of the shipping date of the camera, the zoom stopped working. Technical support has been outsourced overseas, and I had to spell very common words to the person I spoke with. It ultimately took 4 phone calls and over 2 hours to be issued authorization to return the camera.
  
  A credit will not be issued for 48 hours after the camera is returned, and Sony will only pay for FedEx ground. They estimate I will have my refund in 12 days.
  
  I plan on buying another camera from another company, and feel the wait time is out of line with how other companies deal with faulty merchandise.
  
  I don't know overall how good or bad Sony's quality control is, but I know that I will not deal with them as a company again assuming someone else makes a similar product in the same price range. The whole experience has been frustrating.
  
  
• Awesome camera for the price
  By AMWAYSRNI1CZC on 2007-06-12
  I got this camera as a replacement for a Canon Elph 3 mega Pixel from 2004. I was always frustrated by the blurry pictures that I took with the Elph no matter what modes I choose. When it was time to retire the Elph, I went with the Sony based on other Sonys other people have had. I liked the speed of the shots, the Carl Zeiss len, the large display and the compact size. The new generation camera also tell you in English what mode you are in which is helpful for us who just want to take pictures and go. All the shots from the camera have been great even without the anti-blur feature turned on. My prints are clear and sharp. There is also a playback feature in the camera that adds music and transitions. I don't get the 400+ shots per battery charge as stated in the marketing materials but I do use the camera alot to preview what's been taken and to upload shots to my computer. Overall, very happy with this camera and recommend it for the point and shoot guy.
  
  
• Ultra Awesome Camera
  By AFMCHEK4ELW13 on 2007-04-25
  A great buy for those on the go. I use mine for business travel, it fits into a coat pocket and is always ready for exceptional pictures. Sony has hit the mark with this one.
  
  In particular, I love the macro feature. Much of my work is in communications of ideas that are rather small. I can focus on an object at 1.5" and get a incredibly clear picture.
  
  Features are also great, from stills to movies with sound. In addition the manual view finder is great for those bright days when the LCD is harder to see.
  
  Buy you'll love it - nothing else like it.
  
  Doug
  
  
• Worth every penny...
  By APSQHTSC6G414 on 2007-04-30
  I was looking for a small digital camera for my upcoming Disney trip in May. I didn't really want to spend alot of money, I just wanted something small, durable and that would produce decent pictures. I did a little bit of research online and kept coming across the Sony Cybershot DSCW80. A little more than I wanted to spend, but if it was a camera that was worth it, I would probably purchase it.
  
  I am so impressed with this little camera! Usually when you have such high megapixels on a picture the actual save time to the memory is a little delayed - not so on this camera. You press the button to take the picture and it's almost instant!
  
  The camera is super small, so if you have big hands, you're probably not going to be very efficient with the small buttons. The features are pretty easy to navigate and figure out without having to go to the manual too much.
  
  The picture is PERFECT! I took some really amazing first shots with this camera - I am hooked! I highly recommend if you are looking for a small, amazing camera that you purchase this one.
  
  
• A stunner from Sony.
  By A1T0CP67IGCH8V on 2007-04-26
  
  
  Pros: great feature set, optics and build quality.
  
  Cons: None really.
  
  Sony has built in a lot of features for the money on what is clearly a winning platform. This camera is essentially the very, very competent DSC-W50 on steroids. Cool interface and all the fashionable (and desired) bells and whistles like face recognition, image stabilization and high ISO mean that the only thing missing is more zoom capability. However, nobody offers that in this price range!
  
  This ultra-cpable point and shoot delivers excellent performance in nearly all kinds of lighting conditions, plus the fact that a viewfinder is included, means that pictures can always be properly composed.
  
  The bionz processor is ultra fast and the image processing is top notch. Superior value for money. Sony has raised the bar instead of relying on their brand name as they were inclined to do to in the recent past. This spells bad news for the competition.
  
  
  
• unimpressed
  By A3OV9JJ5I6PJ2P on 2007-06-23
  I really had high hopes for this camera since my previous camera, Sony DSC P200, took such great shots (except in low light). I was hoping that with the new image stabilization that the W80 would make my shots more clear than before. Boy was I in for disappointment!
  
  
  
  My low light shots without flash were all full of artifacts and very grainy. Not letting this bother me too much since this is hardly an SLR I took several shots with increased ISO. Still crap. With flash? Crap. Even when sunlight was coming directly through the window and hitting the subject I was photographing the photos were grainy! Regular outdoor shots left my subject looking soft and slightly out of focus with the surroundings almost completely washed out and over exposed.
  
  
  
  About the only good thing that I can say about this camera is that it performs beautifully with nearly no shutter lag and quick startup/shutdown times. I'm guessing this camera would be okay for those who are not anal about their photos and just want something small to slip into their pocket. Smaller sized photos should print okay, though I wouldn't expect anything spectacular.
  
  
• Poor image quality in medium to low light, hard to avoid blur
  By A2ZSW9DYGMH9DR on 2007-09-24
  We bought this camera as smaller alternative to our Digital Rebel SLR which is roughly 7MP as well. We wanted something smaller to take on quick trips, snapshots of the kids, etc... We were very dissapointed with the image quality, especially indoors where less light is available. Most of the images came our red and grainy, many were blurry. I have experience with photography and tried multiple settings, but the image quality still suffered. We are going to try to return this camera and get a point and shoot Canon and maybe spend a little bit more. The convienence and form factor are not worth it if the image quality is terrible. We should have stuck with Canon in the first place. :-(
  
  
• "Underwhelmed" with this camera
  By AJEGFMRNA3VVR on 2007-12-15
  We bought the SONY DSCW80 Camera prior to a family trip to Disneyworld this Fall. We wanted a smaller camera with the verstility to capture all of the excitement of such a trip. We left plenty of time to develop a feel for the new features and options that this model had over our older Olympus model. We mostly point and shoot, but hoped to have the versatility to customize shots when we had the time and calling to do so. Although we're not a shutterbugs, my wife and I are not Techno-dunces either, (we are engineers with plenty of camera, microscope, and endoscopic experience). In part, we based our decision to buy this camera upon the favorable recomendations of a leading consumer reporting magazine.
  
  I must agree with several other reviewers that this camera produces pictures that lack clarity and focus. It works best outdoors when shooting with a lot of natural light. Even then, action shots are always blurred - even when employing the faster shutter speeds available via selectable pre-programmed exposure modes. When the light begins to dim - pictures get progressively more grainy, blurred, and frustrating.
  
  I was convinced that operator error was the main cause of our problems, but I have now passed the camera around at enough soccer games and basketball games to ensure this is not the case. I have read and re-read the users manual and found that nothing seems to help.
  
  I hate to sound overly critical of SONY, but I would also add that the software that came with the camera was quite cumbersome. It took a long time to load and causes operating system errors with my IBM Laptop.
  
  In simple summary, I would not recommend this camera to anyone. You can only imagine the frustration of having 400 images from a Disney vacation of which only 100 are worth printing. Many of the candid shots that would have been most memorable - on rides, at parades, during shows - have the worts clarity.
  
  This camera was not the right choice. I will probably replace it with a similarly featured Olympus or Cannon Model.
  
  JL
  
  
  
  
• Worst camera experience EVER!
  By A85EDBA725CPH on 2007-07-12
  I ordered this camera last month, and it worked fine for a week or two. ALl of a sudden the camera is refusing to be turned on and is displaying " turn camera off and on again" on the screen! this is a total rip off. I contacted amazon, and they aaid it will take TWO months to get a replacement!
  Talk about terrible service!
  
  
• Once bitten twice shy
  By A3VKF48GZ849KK on 2007-07-16
  Could you imagine that I bought this model DSC-W80 Silver twice. I went for it despite the reviews that warned that the pictures are not so good and you immediately realize that when you fix the pictures using softwares such as Adobe Photo Downloader. The only +ve point about Cybershot cameras are that they are bit user friendly.
  
  First time I bought from Amazon, it worked fine for a week and then the Lens cover won't open fully. I called up Sony service and read their FAQs (they have this stupid suggestion of "resetting the battery" which is like taking out the battery, charge it fully and reinsert it) but to no avail. Needless to less it didn't work because when the problem started the battery was charged fully anyway.
  
  I bought the same model from J&R NYC Store personally. I come home and start the camera, and lo, the very first screen that lets you set the Date/Time was showing the "variable names" instead of English Sentences, something like "ID_STR_HOME_SET_CLOCK not...". Today I returned this camera.
  
  It's only because I bought the cameras from these reputed stores that are good enough to return your money that I have the courage to buy another one from them. But as far as Sony is concerned its certain that their cameras are poor both on hardware and software front. And they still have the guts to say that the company doesn't refund money, talk to the retailer.
  
  Don't waste your money on Sony Cybershot, don't be deceived by their good looks.
  
  
• Very Happy With My DSCW80
  By A24Z765WQ7FNKZ on 2007-06-18
  Have had my camera for 3 weeks and been using it on business trips. This camera is as fast, maybe a little faster, then my Canon Digital Rebel. [Startup, auto-focus, getting ready for the next shot.]
  
  The size is right, I don't have to carry a camera bag when traveling unlike with the Rebel.
  
  I had an old Sony that used the longer MS media, around 15 sticks. Overlooked, the fact that this camera uses the smaller Duo sticks. Had to replace them all. That was the only problem that I faced.
  
  The pictures are great, very natural, as long that I use the correct mode. Micro shots are unREAL. The detail is out-of-this-world. The "Steady Shoot" is better then the IS lens that I have with the Rebel.
  
  
• Great price, compact size, user friendly, packed with features.
  By A3UKBVWVL80RMM on 2007-07-22
  I've owned this for about two weeks. Best price find was WalMart online site ordering. I love that each menu choice shows on screen a brief descriptive of what that function will do. This was about $100 less than a Canon Powershot sd800 that I was looking at as well. Couldn't justify the extra $ for only 0.8 more optical zoom, and less manual controls. I do love the photos I get with Auto settings. Those with larger hands/fingers may have a bit of getting used to the small buttons on back of camera, but I think the price and features are worth the adjustment. I think my battery life is good, especially if I use card reader ($10-$20+) to download pics to computer rather than using included cables as to not drain battery or wear on camera. I have no problem navigating the menu or with the battery and card door seeming flimsy, as I read in some reviews.
  I'm not electronics-savy. This has been great for daily family photos so far. Also huge bonus that Sony kept the optical viewfinder, just incase sun is too bright to see the screen easily, though I haven't had this problem yet. The internal memory was sufficient for me to try it and be sure I was keeping the camera before opening the Memory Stick I purchased seperately. Overall, very pleased with my camera choice. Love the pocket size and ease of use, along with many extra features it offers.
  
  
• Great point-and-shoot
  By A2C8E4OJH7EH3 on 2007-08-15
  I had another Sony Cybershot that got wet (never, never let that happen) and really missed the ease of use. This camera is stylish as well as easy to use, and I loved the upgrade to "Super Steady Shot." No more problems with camera motion. The menu is larger and simpler to use and it has all the features I wanted, including video.
  
  
• Excellent camera for the money.
  By ACBPOOTK1R8WN on 2007-05-29
  The Sony Cybershot DSCW80 has been an extremely versatile camera with numerous high-end features for a relatively low price.
  
  The high points: Huge 7.2 megapixel resolution allows for clarity at pictures sizes of 12" by 18" and greater. Carl Zeiss lens for excellent picture clarity. Very fast start up time, and shot to shot time is quick. Huge LCD works great even in relatively low light situations.
  
  The low points: Some of the controls take a while to get used to. The 3X opitical zoom, while standard for the segment, is not sufficient.
  
  Overall: A mid-range camera with high-end features for a relatively low-end price!
  
  
• Lots of features and easy to use
  By A1X1CYWI7ZJCBK on 2007-10-01
  I'm an over 60 female and was shopping for my 3rd digital camera. I was looking for a camera that was compact, easy to use and took great pictures. The DSCW80 is all that and more. My hands sometimes shake, especially when I get tired, and the image stabilization in this camera completely solves that problem. The LED screen is large and easy to see, yet unlike most digitals, I have a viewfinder to fall back on in situations where I might have difficulty seeing the screen well. Great for these tired old eyes. Best of all, unlike my previous cameras, this one offers many features while being very easy to use. I don't have to wade through numerous menus to get to the most frequently used adjustments. This camera is everything I had hoped for and more.
  
  
• SONY DSCW55 vs SONY DSCW80
  By A3VZ7ASVJA2KA4 on 2007-10-06
  I am an amateur photographer and I own the DSCW55 and the DSCW80.
  
  The image quality is good in both with the "Auto" Settings.
  
  The W55 is cheaper in cost and more sleeker than the W80.
  
  The W80 is the latest and the greatest, slightly bulkier and a little bit more expensive than the W55.
  
  
  
  
• Nice little camera - everything I expected to get.
  By A3E9ECU63D703A on 2007-07-10
  Things that I like:
  
  Powers up lightening fast. It's hard to take a bad picture - the image stabilisation is a real nice feature. I tried hard to "make bad pictures" (walking around as I snap, bad lighting and objects near & far) and I am happy with this baby. I tested this out with a random snapping spree and got good results. 1 out of 10 pictures was out of focus. When I took the time to focus the lock is great. It also shot really well in my dark garage using the iso setting. The macro mode lets you get way too close to something and take a really good shot (I realized that you need to make sure that you are not using zoom and macro mode at the same time).
  
  The battery life is really great - I'm super happy with the speed of the clicking and it is really fast shot to shot. It also has a burst mode that performed well.
  
  My only negative here is the buttons. They are a bit small and I don't like the ergonomics of the buttons - just a little too small. It also has a mocroscopic memory, so buy a card - I got the 512k card and it holds hundereds of pictures.
  
  This is a great camera. I got it for my wife who is not a big-time photographer and it really fulfils it's "point & shoot" mission. I also like that is gives lots of visual feedback on the option wheel - it makes it really nice for novice photographers to get a nice shot and not be overly chanllenged by complex options. It also has different sounds it makes during operation so it helps you make a good shot. There is enough feedback but not too much.
  
  I really like this one. With the ease of use noted, it also takes a great picture.
  
  
  
  
• My first Digital Camera
  By AM3BYL1CKKI4L on 2007-07-25
  The Sony W80/White digital camera is my first digital camera.I bought it for the specific reason that it was a SONY product and had the best features in its class.
  
  This camera captures fabulous images even in low light conditions and I was surprised to see the difference in the images-shot-at-night by the SONY W80 and other digital cameras like canon and casio.
  
  The battery-stamina is the best in its class.....it can capture more than 300 shots until it drains all the charge...which I suppose is the highest I have seen....
  
  This is the best camera loaded with all the features like Steady-Shot(Image Stabilisation),BIONZ-processor(W90 does not have this) Great LCD and everything that a first time user can ask for.....
  
  4 stars becuase its not very competitively priced compared to that available from other vendors....BUT I CHOSE AMAZON BECAUSE THEY ARE SAFE FOR A FIRST TIME PURCHASE..(:))
  
  
• Sony, never perfect, but works well.
  By A38X9XX2ZRR0ON on 2007-08-01
  I dont know what the deal is with Sony these days. Quick summary the new W line offers some improved performance, lighter pictures (better flash performance) compared to the previous darker cybershots cameras. However in this new W line. The menu system is NOT simple but more complex and in addition Sony removed the battery time remaing!!! Pffft, that does the user alot of good. Again Sony's greed shows prompting the user to get a faster charger and buying an additional battery becuase the user can not rely and guess the time remaining. I will give this camera a try if picture quality is anything like the negative reviews I will return and settle with the tried and proven W55. If this does pan out, it could rilval my F828.
  
  
• Im so dissapointed!!
  By A1FYM8V6A1VOES on 2007-07-01
  I bought this camera a week ago, and i have to say that this camera is the worst camera i ever had.
  
  Good things:
  Battery life
  great design
  Fast perfomance (without the face detection)
  
  Bad things:
  Worst white balance ever
  grainy pictures (indoors and outdoors..low light too)
  LCD
  Details in pictures
  Face detection only in auto and soft snap
  
  I preffer the W50!
  
  
  
  
• Terrible Pictures in Low Light
  By A2QOO5WPFSJMHH on 2007-09-12
  Movie mode is great. The camera takes great outdoor pictures in bright light. But it is impossible to take a good picture indoor, no matter which setting I use. Even automatic setting doesn't work. All the pictures come out red and blurry. I can only use this camera for outdoor pictures and for video filming. I'm a little disappointed.
  
  
• beware sony customer service
  By A89B7XXODJ2MP on 2007-09-14
  If you have problems or need accessories sony customer service is the most ignorant of all companies I have talked with. I wasted 3 hours with 5 sony people who had no understanding of a simple request for a multi use terminal and ac adaptor. I asked them to look in the booklet, they had none to review with me; I gave them a link to amazon to go to to see an image, they didn't have the ability to look, I guess their sony vaio is useless. What a very weird company. very difficult to accomplish anything. I am amazed they can even make anything.
  
  
• Decent small camera
  By A25SBX1KH0UTJ7 on 2007-11-19
  DSCW80 is a decent camera. I am the owner of a Nikon D50 so this review may have a different reference point than others.
  While DSCW80 lacks the option of manual settings, the auto modes do a decent job (note that the "manual" "P" mode is only a half-auto mode). In good light the pictures are crisp and clear but in low light conditions the camera performs just average, taking shots with a significant noise level despite the ISO 3200 capability. In fact pictures taken with over ISO 400 settings experience increased noise. This seems to be a problem common to all small cameras sporting small flash and lenses. If you want good pictures in low light conditions look towards cameras that have big lenses.
  Get a 2GB flash memory (Memory Stick Pro Duo) and you don't have to worry about running out of space - it should easily fit 600 shots, much more than your battery life... which is very good and offers decent recycle times with flash. Again, no comparison with a DSLR, but nothing to complain about.
  The movies are just OK, in no way this camera can replace a camcorder. I found the sound to be poor and the picture to be less fluid than desired. Other cameras on the market shoot much better in movie mode. But again, this is a camera, not a camcorder.
  On the low side this camera needs a proprietary cable (supplied) to connect to the USB port (Sony "wisdom"). You may be better off with a card reader than inserting/removing the cable to transfer pictures.
  Overall DSCW80 is decent camera to carry in your pocket when going on a trip or to a party and don't feel like carrying a big bag on your shoulder.
  
  
• Very pleased
  By AGMM5IZ3MLBNA on 2007-07-14
  For the price, this is a great camera. Easy, light, fast, and a good battery. I use it mainly to shoot candid shots of friends and capture scenic views of the cities I travel to and it works quite well for that! It has a lot more options on it than I will probably ever use...or will take the time to learn. So I stick mainly with the basic automatic functions and have played around with a few others. I've found that it's very self-explanatory and for the most part does exactly what I want it to do. I really like the ISO setting for low light. The only two really irritating things about the camera are that the power button is located too close to the shutter button and then sometimes I turn the camera off instead of taking a photo. The other is that during movies, if there is a lot of white glare somewhere, pink stripes will show up all across that area. I didn't read anyone else having this problem in other reviews, so I'm not sure if it's a "normal" problem or not. Oh and the software for downloading photos is nice, the red eye correction function is a bit sketchy and you can't edit any of the movies with it :-( But overall, I'm extremely pleased with this purchase and would highly reccommend it.
  
  

• Sony VCTMTK Travel Tripod for Compatible Sony Cameras & Camcorders
• Vanguard VT-126 Aluminum Digital Camera Tripod
• Digital Spectrum USB Digital Photo Frame (8x10)
• SanDisk 256 MB MemoryStick Pro Duo ( SDMSPD-256-A10 )
• SanDisk SDMSPD-512-A10 512 MB MemoryStick Pro Duo (Retail Package)

• SanDisk 2 GB Ultra II Memory Stick PRO Duo (Retail Package)
• Sony 2 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (MSX-M2GS) (Retail Package)
• Sony LCS-CST General Purpose Soft Carrying Case for Slim Cybershot Digital Cameras
• Sony NP-BG1 Type G Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery Pack for Sony W Series, T20, T100, N2, N1, H7 & H9 Digital Cameras
• Sony 1 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Media (MSXM1GST) (Retail Package)