Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Silver)

I originally bought a Sony DSC-S950, for around half the price of this camera, but I returned it the same day due to a faulty flash bulb. I decided to upgrade to the W290, because I wasn't very happy with the S950 - it felt cheap, and lacked features.I've put together this list of pros and cons of this camera. Don't let the seemingly long list of cons scare you though, as they are all quite minor and not even important enough for me to rate this camera anything less than 5 stars. I just felt it was necessary to list everything I could think of. Sorry, I couldn't properly review the HD Video capability, because I don't have the HD cables (see below), and my computer seems to be too slow to properly play back HD video.Pros:-BRILLIANT colors! I am very very impressed with the colors in my shots, especially when shooting outdoor scenery shots (which is primarily what I purchased this camera for).-Night-time shots using a tripod turn out very well also, giving as much detail as one could see with their naked eye.-Smile shutter, as mentioned in previous reviews, works flawlessly. One thing that doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere, is that when it's in Smile Shutter mode, it will continue to snap photos automatically as long as it keeps detecting smiles, which is very cool. So if you are taking a group picture, and you're one of those people that likes taking 3 shots of the same thing "just in case", just keep on smiling and the camera will take care of that for you.-there's a 3-shot burst mode, where it automatically takes 3 pictures when you click the button: one with your default EV, one at -1EV, and one at +1EV (or different intervals even, if you choose). That once-in-a-lifetime shot you take will have 3 different versions automatically, and you can choose the one you like the most and delete the rest later.-The Intelligent Auto mode works fantastically, it takes a lot of the stress out of taken urgent pictures. The only time I ever don't use it is when I have plenty of time to plan for a shot.-Startup time is great! I've seen other complaints from people that say this camera takes too long to startup and be ready to use, but those people must be the most impatient people ever, because this thing is faster than any other camera I've owned, digital or otherwise. When you click the power button, the lens fires out lightning fast and the screen immediately displays the picture and is ready for action. Probably takes about 0.5 seconds from pushing the button to being ready to use.Cons:-Plastic cover on LCD screen protrudes from the camera body, making it more easily scratched. I would recommend getting some screen protectors, as I'm about to do.-the jack for the all-in-one cable is on the bottom of the camera, which will be great once a dock is available, but in the meantime it's a very inconvenient place to plug in the cable. It forces you to lay to camera on either the lens side, or the LCD side (which, as mentioned above, is designed in such a way that it could be scratched quite easily without a screen protector)-Doesn't come with HD video cables, only the typical yellow/red/white RCA analogue cables. Seeing as how this camera records HD video, it would be nice to be able to play it back in HD on my tv without burning it to a DVD first. You can buy the HD cables from sony if you really need them, though.-Comes with an NP-BG1 battery, which disables the camera's ability to show you the remaining minutes. You have to buy the optional NP-FG1 battery to see that. That's the only difference, both batteries have the same capacity. It was obviously designed that way to force us to buy a second battery... but that was fine with me, since I planned on buying one anyways.I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for a great quality point-and-shoot digital camera!

(I am UPDATING this review after about six months of use, so I am better able to assess my still-positive comments.)Bottom line: exceptional value and without the image-quality issues I've read so much aboutI didn't rate this product 5 stars because of the shutter release button being tough to depress, which will cause problems for me perhaps forever but at least for a while. The LED screen smudges very easily, and the selection buttons on the back are very small but manageable. I think 4 stars is a very good rating and I probably would not find another similar product worthy of more than that. I like the fact that there is a video feature, but that is not important to me, so I don't care that there is no zoom feature while recording. Would be nice, but....I am writing about the still-photo features.Since my teal blue Sony Cybershot W290 arrived only 2 days ago, I am giving a review of my short-term experience with my first point-and-shoot digital camera. I do have decades of amateur experience with photography using several SLR models, so I appreciate the sophistication of the many advanced features which are simplified for the user in this model. Effects that used to take lots of study, practice and skill are now manageable right out of the box. I am far more impressed than I had ever expected to be. I think that this product is an exceptional value for the money. I did a lot of research~~before and since making my selection~~and in that process I've made some observations that might be worth sharing with those folks who are trying to decide on a purchase.First, I noticed after repeated visits to this site that there seem to be more reviews and a higher dissatisfaction rate here depending upon the color of the Sony W290 camera body. I don't know what that might suggest, but it is of interest to me. I point it out because initially I did not realize that the reviews are organized by the specific details listed in the product description. I have read all the reviews on all available colors of the Sony W290. Very few of the reviews are duplicated, so there are actually many more total reviews~~and what appears to be a much higher satisfaction rate overall~~if you add all Sony W290 reviews together and take a percentage of that total for each of the criteria evaluated.Second, it seems unreasonable to me that such wide variation in satisfaction with picture sharpness and indoor lighting can be a result of production quality control. If that were the case, Sony would have been driven out of business long ago. I've read many comments on "soft edges" and clarity "only in the central focus" which are normal characteristics of a short "depth of field." If all long distance photos have "soft" or blurry edges, that may indicate a faulty lens. Otherwise, that softness is more likely related to the mode/setup the user selected. And I took hundreds of indoor shots with no difficulty at all.Third, I've seen no difference between the LED image and my high-resolution computer screen after directly uploading with the USB cable. I use a Mac with OS 10.4, which can't use the PMB image software on the CD. It seems to me that the PMB program could account for image discrepancies many have described. I had a few pics printed at Costco today to check for consistency, with no problems to report.Fourth, while I have lots of experience at steadying shots on my SLRs, I noticed immediately that the shutter release button requires more pressure than I prefer, probably to avoid inadvertent picture taking in your pocket, given the portability, as others have mentioned. At least the "steady shot" and the 2-second self-timer (using tripod or other support, like roof of car, etc.) features can improve some of those situations, unless there is motion in the subject. But I anticipate that this will be an adjustment. Personally, I am willing to work at that until I have the technique down~~as a tradeoff for all the fabulous features in the total package. (UPDATE: I am not noticing this tough shutter release any longer; I may have adjusted to it!)Fifth, the charger that came with the camera charged the battery in 90 minutes rather than the 5 1/2 hours stated in the manual; but I followed the suggestion in the manual to leave it charging for an additional 60 minutes to get a "full" charge. I have taken hundreds of shots using the flash and in various higher resolutions, deleted lots of pics and uploaded about 50 shots to my computer, and the battery seems to have about 1/4 of the life left. (UPDATE: The battery does not last very long, especially when shooting at higher resolution. I recently had to change what had been a fully charged battery after about 100 outdoor shots, set at 8x10 resolution.)Sixth, I bought some accessories that are probably a very good idea (suggestions I took from others in earlier reviews): an NP-FG1 extra battery, two 4GB Sony Mark II Pro Duo memory sticks (not eBay knockoffs), an LED anti-glare protection film, and a slim case. I also bought some that are probably not at all necessary: a travel charger pack which is supposed to charge much faster than the one that came with the camera but which actually charged in the same 90 min., and a media memory stick reader/writer because I didn't realize that the camera kit came with the USB cable to upload. Since this item can write to the memory stick, it will probably come in handy down the road. (UPDATE: This item can not write to the stick as I had thought.)(UPDATE: I carry this camera and the extra, charged battery and memory stick with me all the time due to the convenient size. So I take more of those shots that I always missed before. I am still amazed at the picture quality from this lens and all the tricks it can do without operator skills!!)Happy hunting and may you be at peace in your decision....(ADDENDUM: It is August '10 now and I took some sunny backlit shots which the camera automatically corrected. They came out great. Also, I cropped and enlarged head shots out of larger photos and had them printed. The quality was fine. The camera had been set on 8x10 resolution. Needless to say, I am very pleased once again!!)Rennie

This is the single worst Sony product I have ever owned. I'm a BIG Sony fan as you can see by the currently owned Sony Cameras in our family:- DSC-W170: Wonderful camera, buy it if you can find it!- DSC-H7: Super family camera, takes excellent sports shots of the kids!- DSC-P73: Older 4meg camera that the kids use now, very nice photos for 5x7s- DCR-HC46: Descent Compact Digital Tape Camcorder with fair camera, good value.- MVC-FD91: Old Floppy disk <1meg digital - amazing in its day!!This w290 one has fewer controls on the body, they are hidden in the software but nowhere near the level you used to get with the DSC line from Sony. No option other than the 3in screen (which is beautiful) so no way to save power with an optical viewfinder.The absolute kiss of death for me is that the W290 took terrible indoor photos, about 1 out of 10 were usable. I thought, well it doesn't do low light well. So I took it on a field trip with my daughters Kindergarten class to a nature center on an absolutely beautiful clear day - same story, horrible pictures. The W170, under identical conditions, produced 8 out of 10 usable photos.The HD videos are worthless without the HD cable that is not included. They just plain won't play well on any of my computer based video players and I updated all their CODECs.So, stay away, far away and get a different Sony. Sad, I really wanted to like this model. I have returned mine to Amazon, first time ever with a Sony.