Sony's new smile shutter camera with optical image stabilization gets scrutinized, in our in-depth Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 review.
Review summary of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130:
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 The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 offers optical image-stabilization, face detection and a smile shutter, but unfortunately it skimps on the lens. Face detection is great, but not when the detected face ends up blurry. The DSC-W130 simply isn't a very sharp camera, to the point that we wouldn't recommend using it for landscapes or any sort of photography that involves broad detail across the entire image. Other than that Achille's heel, the camera looks and feels nice, and Sony has given it a clean interface. The bottom line is that the DSC-W130 is serviceable for still lifes and up-close subjects, but just not that usable for wide-angle shots. Release: March 2008. Price: $230.
Pros: Mode wheel. Pinhole viewfinder. Optical image-stabilization.
Cons: Subpar lens with fuzzy performance. Only supports Memory Sticks.
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Full Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 Review:
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Design - Good
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 doesn't stand out in looks or design, but it doesn't mess anything up, either. The camera is reasonably small for a compact, and it feels solidly built. We liked the accents and flourishes around the body, and we particularly liked the neon green LED around the power button, a little touch that helps make the DSC-W130 stand out.
Button layout didn't surprise us: the camera has a four-way controller and a two-way zoom surrounded by shortcut buttons. We did appreciate the inclusion of a small wheel above the four-way controller, which helped in scrolling through the camera's modes. The two-way zoom control is a bit small and stiff, and the shortcut buttons were veritably tiny, though neither of these issues affected us too much. As always, we liked that Sony granted the camera an optical pinhole viewfinder, instead of an electronic one.
Interface - Good
The DSC-W130's interface certainly isn't as impressive as the touchscreen tech in the DSC-T2, but it does pull off the standard point-and-shoot setup well enough. We prefer an interface where one button accesses the shooting parameters and another accesses the system settings, but the DSC-W130 only has one settings button with several layers of functions. This can be somewhat laborious to navigate, but Sony has done a good job of streamlining their menu system, so it's never frustrating.
The 2.5-inch LCD viewfinder is on the small side, but it does deliver a bright image with little grain, even in low-light situations. Responsivity was nothing to write home about, but the screen never lagged enough to be bothersome.
Features - Good
Sony has fleshed-out their face detection and automated shutters in the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130. With the former, you can now use full-auto face detection, or you can specify child detection or adult detection. This really is too involved, especially for a point-and-shoot feature meant to simplify taking pictures.
The DSC-W130 also has a smile shutter, though it's not quite up to the standard of Casio's implementation. Here, smile shutter is a mode selectable from the mode wheel, and it too offers a full-auto mode and specific detection of children and adult smiles. There's also a setting for shutter sensitivity, but we found that the default medium was good at triggering right after the subject smiled. Still, Casio has moving subject and shake-reduction shutters, so better automation can be found elsewhere.
Otherwise the camera offers burst and continuous shooting, EV compensation and, one of our favorite features from Sony, full control over flash intensity. We would have liked more manual control – a program exposure mode is offered, but it only allows for setting the ISO speed. ISO runs from 100 to 3200, a good range for most any situation.
Image quality - Mediocre
No bones about it: the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 takes fuzzy photographs. In other regards its images are fine, and colors are vibrant and accurate, but the camera simply doesn't retain much detail. If you like taking landscape shots or any other type of photo that requires a broad amount of detail, this camera isn't a great choice. Users who focus more on portraits and still life photos will be less affected by hazy performance, so in those cases it might still be usable.
Noise is well-managed until ISO-400, at which point it becomes readily visible. At ISO-800, a heavy amount of noise reduction is applied, such that noise blocking isn't too bad, but you lose almost all of the fine detail in the image (this is all the worse considering that, as we mentioned, detail isn't that high in the first place). This trend continues at ISO-1600 and, by 3200, the camera only manages large blobs of color.
Scene test
This scene test looks fine at lesser zooms, particularly in its deep blues and greens, but at 100% zoom, it's hazy at best. Detail in the brick edifice is disappointing, and detail in the foliage is downright subpar. Focus is also inconsistent in the corners, leading us to believe that this is simply an underperforming lens.
Edge test [wide]
Edge test [tele]
And this edge test confirms it. This is nearly a failure: the reflected light is diffracted into a neon blue, and the entire building is so fuzzy that it nearly looks out of focus. Thankfully the second edge test, taken at a telescopic focal length, is much better, with little diffraction at all. Between its issues with resolution and fringing at wide-angles, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 simply isn't a good camera for scapes.
Macro [context]
Macro
Macro performance is much more acceptable, with a good rendering of detail and color. Focus is still somewhat inconsistent, but no more than most compact lenses.
Price and availability
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 will start selling for $230 () in March 2008.
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