Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220 review (Black)

Sample photos:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220

The W220's photo quality is good, particularly at ISO 200 and below. Viewed at full size, there's off-color noise visible at all ISOs, but it's least noticeable at lower ISOs. Photos are still good at ISO 400, but soften a bit from noise reduction. Sharpness and detail decrease rapidly above ISO 400, but color remains fairly consistent. ISO 800 is usable for small prints, but everything above that is noisy and smeary. If you're planning to make prints that large, use plenty of light and keep the ISO as low as possible. Center sharpness and detail on the W220 is very good. However, it drops off to the sides, making the edges and corners of photos look very soft. A certain amount of purple fringing is to be expected, but the W220 was above average to the point where it's clearly visible in prints above 4x6 inches. Lastly, colors, while not quite accurate, are nice and look natural.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220 offers a satisfying shooting experience for its sub-$180 price. The W290 is still the better deal, but if you don't mind a somewhat shorter, narrower lens, slightly smaller LCD, and only VGA movie capture, the W220 will save you $70.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS

1.4 

3.2 

2.1 

0.7 

0.5 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220

1.6 

2.7 

1.7 

0.7 

0.5 

Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS

2.8 

1.4 

1.2 

1 

0.5 

Nikon Coolpix S230

3.5 

3.3 

3 

1 

0.5 

Pentax Optio P70

2.5 

4 

3.9 

1 

0.5 

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