Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W50 (Silver)

Pros: Ultra-compact, stunning image quality, great menus

Cons: Uses proprietary MemoryStick media, W/T zoom is awkward

Summary: As a serious photographer, I wanted a small, pocketable point-and-shoot (P&S) camera to complement my medium format film camera and Nikon dSLR. In an attempt to be somewhat loyal, I tried the Nikon L4 and L3 cameras and was roundly disappointed on several levels. Nikon makes incredible pro-caliber equipment and their lenses are among the best out there, but they are clearly not putting much of their money or effort into the P&S market.

Having owned an old Sony DSC-S50 2.1MP camera for the past 5-6 years, I knew I liked Sony's P&S cameras. Their sensors and algorithms are simply terrific. Point in case: In Nikon's flagship D2X camera, a 12.8MP dSLR that retails for typically well over $3,000, the CMOS sensor used is made by... you guessed it, Sony.

Needless to say, no P&S sensor will compare to that of a professional dSLR, but Sony's quality in this arena is unmistakable. Coupled with Carl Zeiss glass, the potential for remarkable images is certainly very present.

The LCD on the W50 is terrific, a whopping 2.5". This is a substantial increase over the otherwise identical W30 (a mere $20 less), and the same size as the W70 and W100, which, offering nothing beyond the W50 apart from higher pixel counts and a bit more internal memory, are complete overkill in about 95% of any photographic situation. In a field where the masses equate a higher pixel count unilaterally with a better camera, this offering from Sony does a brilliant balancing act.

Unless you're enlarging all of your photos to 20x30" posters, believe me, 6.0MP is MORE than sufficient. Even at poster size, most people would be very hard-pressed to accurately discern the difference between 6.0MP and 7.2MP (the count of the $50 more W70). I routinely have full-bleed 12x18" prints made from the W50 that are absolutely stunning. People can hardly believe they're digital in origin, let alone from a P&S. Suffice it to say, I think the W50 represents the absolute best value in Sony's lineup between performance and price.

The menus are intuitive, descriptive (on screen), and such quasi-pro features (such as a real-time histogram) are nice to have, even if seldom used. I particularly liked the "virtual" wheel menu that mimics the physical selector wheel.

Shooting movies is a breeze, and, while you can't zoom during recording, what you can do is capture 640x480 movies at 30 fps (very nice quality) with audio. It certainly won't replace a full camcorder, but sometimes it's nice to record a short video amidst all the still shots.

I wish this camera offered nearly as much manual control as my old DSC-S50. That camera offered aperture or shutter priority shooting, spot metering, etc. However, the W50 does allow the user to manually set ISO speeds and still lets you do spot metering in program AE mode. It's just enough flexibility to elevate it over a more pedestrian entry-level class of camera.

First shot time is good, considering it's a P&S camera. Shot-to-shot time is exponentially better than the Nikons I tried (which took an epic 6-8 seconds to write the shot and recover when using the flash... daylight shooting wasn't a great deal better).

I like very much that the W50 offers an optical viewfinder, even if it is a bit woebegone. It only offers about 85% coverage and it's not much better than trying to look through a door's peephole, but an optical finder is a valuable addition to ANY digital camera, in my opinion. If nothing else, you can turn off the LCD when battery strength is waning and use the finder to conserve power.

The wide-dispersion flash does a better-than-average job of lighting a decent-sized room. The camera also has a good enough meter to not turn on the flash in auto mode at nearly any reduced-lighting scene, something the Nikon P&S did with annoying consistency. The W50 excels at natural-light photography.

The zoom control, a ring encircling the shutter release, is a bit maddening, but I did get used to it. I tend to use zoom a lot to frame my shots, even with a P&S, and this little ring didn't endear itself to me very well. It's not remotely a dealbreaker, but it's not as intuitive as a rocker switch on the back panel, like most P&S cameras have.

The other thing I'm not fond of with Sonys is their insistence on using their own exclusive media. You'd think Sony would have learned with the whole Betamax debacle, but no. At least they license the MemoryStick technology this time out, so you can buy 3rd-party media. Still, it's notably more expensive than similar speed and capacity SD cards. The decent internal memory (32MB) is very appreciated on this camera, as there will probably be some situation (on vacation, usually) when you could REALLY use a bit more memory to squeeze in those last few photos. The internal memory allows you to do just that. Set the size to a still-formidable 3MP, and you can get another 12-15 photos in.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery cell (included) is pretty robust. Expect to get some 380-400 shots from a full charge, more if you don't over-utilize the LCD.

Finally, I love that this camera (indeed, this line of cameras) has a waterproof "sports pak" case available for it. I would definitely like to try that out on my next snorkeling adventure (the case is good to a depth 10 feet). Slave flash units and snap-on type lens converters are also available.

All in all, this camera is HIGHLY recommended by me if you're looking for a great little ultra-compact digital camera. It's most assuredly worth the extra $20 over the W30, but it's not necessarily worth ponying up an additional $50 to go to the 7.2MP W70.