Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350 user reviews (Pink)

Pros This camera packs many desirable features into a remarkably small unit. Decent wide angle and telephoto, HD video, panorama, reasonable low light sensitivity, effective optical stabilization. With the small size, I take it everywhere.

Cons Current Sony quality control not up to TQM standards. A W310 froze up out of the box. On return, I moved up to W350 - with defective LCD screen. Exchanged for W350 with no defects. Battery does not recharge by USB. Must use external charger.

Summary This tiny point and shoot camera is a gem. Though the image quality is not up to that of a first rate SLR, the W350's size, decent optics, and ease of use allow you to get darned good pictures you would otherwise miss. It is difficult to capture a scene without a camera, and this camera is so small I take it everywhere. Small size and ease of use allow you to catch subjects with less fuss than a SLR.

Lens - the wide angle is a bit better than the norm in point and shoots, and the zoom is fine. The ability to zoom in and out while doing video (albeit with a grinding sound) is a plus. The reviews noting some softness in the image and some granularity at high ISO are correct. I have not found this to be much of a problem with ordinary prints and screen images..

Sensor - I shoot with the flash off whenever possible to avoid spooking subjects, to avoid flatness in the image and to eliminate harsh shadows. The sensor was sensitive enough to produce decent images with indoor natural light.

Optical image stabilization - this feature works exceptionally well, both in video and still photo modes. True image stabilization is a large plus, particularly in low light.

Flash - so tiny as to not be very useful. Good thing the sensor and image stabilization are good.

Panorama - this feature produces 180 degree panoramas with ease.

Video and sound - HD 720 works surprisingly well, with somewhat tinny sound from the small built in microphone. Not a replacement for a dedicated video unit, but great for capturing stuff on the fly.

Controls - no need to read the manual. I found the controls intuitive.

Battery - so far, good battery life. At $40 for an extra battery, I am trying to go with only one. The battery does not recharge via USB. One must remove the battery and use an external charger, placing strain on the little battery / SD card door.

Build Quality: Nice brushed aluminum body with good hand feel. The small door for the battery and SD card compartment may be a weak spot with frequent use.

Quality control -- Current Sony quality control does not appear to be up to legendary Japanese TQM standards. I originally purchased a W310. It froze up out of the box and continued to freeze up every few start ups. On return, I moved up to the W350 by paying for the price differential. The brand new W350 had a dark blob in one corner of the LCD screen. I exchanged it for another W350. No defects detected to date. The moral of the story -- check out your purchase for defects carefully during the exchange period.

External connectionsProprietary video out and download to USB cable. I wish that manufacturers went with a standard micro USB connector. Hot shoe for flash and external microphone plug would be nice, but what do you want in a camera of this size?

Bottom Line: This camera is an elegant and highly functional gem. Very good performance for the money. But take care in checking it out on purchase. My 5 star rating for this item is premised on the assumption that the quality problems I ran into were idiosyncratic.

Pros Easy to use !

Cons Not many options on main screen.

Pros Nice light weight very compact camera. Very user friendly, haven't needed the manual once yet. Takes very cool panoramic shots. Awesome macro shots. Battery last right at about 4 hours of continuous use. Very easy to hook up and view pics on pc or tv

Cons Love how long the battery last but I still wanted a backup battery. It uses a Sony lithium ion type N. Only problem is the cost is around 40 bucks.

Summary I bought this camera spur of the moment without doing any research, which I almost never do on a purchase over 100$. This was recommended by the electronics guy at target. I knew they had a 90 day return policy so I took a chance. I have been trying since I bought the thing to find a reason to take it back. But I have found only good things. I love this camera. It is exactly what I wanted. The value is wonderful. If you're only looking to spend around 200$ for a camera I highly recommend this one.

Pros Neat, Compact, Wide-Angle, Takes Great pictures both indoors and outdoors and even the flash range is good coupled with sweep panorama mode and the optical image stabiliser is great.

Cons Nothing ... The Camera is just great and perect and its perfect

Summary A Great Compact camera after reading lots of expert reviews and user reviews i finally opted for this camera and even after confirming it from a friend of mine, let me assure you all that those persons who all wish to make this hard choice between the said camera and canon Ixus 120 IS and or cannon Ixus 200 IS ? please go ahead and buy this sony dsc w 350 camera and please dont be bothered about any advers opinions by so called experts about the Sony dsc w 350 camera ? as this camera takes excellent pics very crisp and crystal clear and its fun and easy to operate and yes you all can even adjust the settings manually too, and the carls lens is supreme and the optical image stabliser is great and takes pics without any blurs and shakes and even the night and indoor photography results of the picture is outstanding.And even the video is crisp and clear and that too the HD Movie ... so what more one can ask for

So without any hesitation i can recommend this camera to all of you here and i can surely say this that i am proud to own this camera coupled with the fact that it has a wide angle lens and takes classic sweep panorama pics too ? to sum it up it a great little beauty and just go out and get it u wont be disappointed by its results and the quality of pics ? but let me add here this camera is better than sony dsc w370 and or dsc w 390 so its advised to go for this model alone, hope you will appreciate what ever i have written here and at the end i will surely say you are your better judge but give this camera a very wise thought or else you will miss it thoroughly ? All the best