Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 Timing
Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

The Sony DSC-W100's performance ranges from quite fast to average, with a good startup time of 1.7 seconds. Shutter response is fast with the lens set to wide angle and telephoto, with an excellent prefocus time of 0.012 second (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure). Shot to shot cycle times are quite good, at about 1.37 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and it captures frames continuously at this rate. Where things slow down is the DSC-W100's continuous mode, which only shoots at about 1.02 frames per second, for a maximum of four frames. The flash takes about 6.5 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, about average for this class of camera. However, the camera's Multi-16 mode captures about 30 frames per second, though images are limited to the 320x240 resolution. Download speeds are quite fast. Bottom line, while not a first choice for sports or other fast-paced action, the DSC-W100 is responsive enough to handle most family photo opportunities.

Battery
Moderate battery life with the LCD on, slightly better when LCD is switched off.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power. The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions. Because battery life is moderate with the LCD on or off, I recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged for extended outings.

Storage
No card is included with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100, although it accepts Memory Stick Duo cards; 64MB RAM is built into the camera.

I strongly recommend buying at least a 512MB card, preferably a 1GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.