Sony DSC-W100 Review

Overview

Sony W100 Overview

Sony W100 User Report

Maintaining a small size, the new Sony W100 digital camera updates the Cyber-shot line with an impressive 8.1-megapixel CCD. Though compact in size, the W100 definitely doesn't skimp on features. It offers the best of both worlds, with full automatic exposure control and preset scene modes for novices, as well as the bonus of a full manual exposure control mode for more experienced users. Thus, the W100 should find its way into the pockets of a varied array of consumers. The Sony W100 also has 64 megabytes of internal memory, as well as a large 2.5-inch color LCD monitor, all at a very low price point. The camera's capable 3x optical zoom lens crosses a range equivalent to 38-114mm on a 35mm camera, and features a very bright AF assist LED lamp for focusing in dark conditions. I also appreciated the well-rounded selection of creative tools, such as image sharpness, contrast, and color adjustments. The Sony W100 has a very wide ISO range, with equivalent settings from 80 to 1,250. (While the 800 and 1,250 settings allow you to capture images under dim lighting, they also result in much higher noise and lower color saturation.)

The generous 2.5-inch LCD monitor dominates the Sony W100's rear panel. The display is clear and bright, and an exceptional tool for framing images. Though real estate is limited on the rear panel, Sony managed to keep all the main functions close at hand and fairly easy to operate. Grab the camera in your right hand and your fingers naturally cling to the camera's textured front panel. There isn't much for your thumb to really stick to on the opposite side. My thumb did manage to rest against the Display and Menu buttons, though both require a firm press and are somewhat difficult to accidentally actuate. I'd advise keeping the wrist strap securely around your wrist, though, just in case. Within thumb's reach is the Mode dial, and below that is the Five-way navigator. I found I could easily turn the Mode dial with my right index finger without resorting to a two-handed grip, thanks to the notched surface on the outside edge of the dial. The Sony W100 is a little thicker than most of the cameras in the line, so it's a lot easier to hold. The camera's Zoom lever encircles the Shutter button, making it easy to quickly adjust zoom while holding the camera in shooting position.

Press the Sony W100's Power button and the LCD comes on, the camera chimes, and the lens bursts out from the front of the camera very quickly. A half-press on the shutter begins the focus operation. In low light, a bright orange LED illuminates the scene when necessary. The fast Multi-point AF determines the closest object and focuses quickly, showing brackets around the areas that will be in focus. Included with the camera is a Sony Li-Ion rechargeable battery pack and charger, which has a pretty good battery life. I still suggest purchasing a backup battery pack, and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings. The Sony W100's internal 64 megabytes of memory will hold a few full-resolution shots, but here again, I'd recommend picking up at least a 256-megabyte Memory Stick Duo card, or a Memory Stick PRO Duo card for the Fine quality movie recording mode.

While two of the doors on the Sony W100 are not remarkable (the DC IN and battery/card doors), the door to the multi-connector seems pretty sturdy, opening and closing with a snap. An optional AC adapter can power the W100 through the DC IN port, but the battery pack must be charged in the supplied external charger.

The optical viewfinder on the W100 is terribly inaccurate, as expected, but its position on the camera means you can look through it without having to mash your nose against the LCD, a major plus in our book.

Overall build is quite solid and the Sony W100's metal case is very attractive. It has a modern, yet retro sensibility, somehow, and manages to look quite small despite its thickness and height.

The Sony DSC-W100 is an impressive offering, much like the rest of the W-series in the Cyber-shot line. It is handsomely constructed, with a feel of quality, and is uncomplicated to operate. With its high-resolution 8.1-megapixel CCD, large LCD monitor, and very accommodating exposure offerings, the DSC-W100 is definitely a winner in several categories. Read on for more details.

Basic Features

• 8.1-megapixel CCD.
• 3x zoom lens (equivalent to a 38-114mm lens on a 35mm camera).
• Variable digital Smart Zoom (up to 15x at VGA resolution), plus 2x Precision Digital zoom.
• Real-image optical viewfinder.
• 2.5-inch color LCD monitor.
• Automatic, Program, and Manual exposure modes.
• Built-in flash with five modes and an intensity adjustment.
• 64MB internal memory.
• Sony Memory Stick Duo slot (no card included).
• USB 2.0 computer connection.
• Power from one rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack, charger included.
• Software for Mac and PC.

Special Features

• High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Beach, Landscape, and Soft Snap modes.
• Movie recording mode, with sound.
• Multi-Burst slow motion mode and Burst continuous shooting mode.
• Email (VGA) mode.
• Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 1/8 second in Auto mode; 1/2,000 to one second in Program mode, and 1/1,000 to 30 seconds in Manual mode.
• Aperture range from f/2.8 to f/10, depending on zoom position.
• Creative Color Mode menu.
• Image Sharpness and Contrast adjustments.
• Self-timer for delayed shutter release.
• Macro (close-up) lens adjustment.
• Spot, Center-Weighted, and Multi-Metering modes.
• Adjustable AF area and three AF modes.
• Auto ISO setting or 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,250 ISO equivalents.
• White balance (color) adjustment with six options.
• DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) and PictBridge printing compatibility.

In the Box

Included with the Sony W100 digital camera are the following items:

• Wrist strap.
• Rechargeable battery pack with charger.
• AV/USB multi-connector cable.
• Software CD containing Sony Cyber-shot software and USB drivers.
• Quick-guide manuals and registration information.

Recommended Accessories

• Extra battery pack.
• Large capacity Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick PRO Duo.
• Carrying case.

Conclusion

Featuring an impressive 8.1-megapixel CCD, 3x optical zoom lens, and a well-designed user interface, the Cyber-shot DSC-W100 offers quite a bit in its small package. Novices and advanced amateurs alike will appreciate its offering of both point-and-shoot automatic and full manual exposure control, and its six pre-programmed scene modes help with more tricky subjects. The large, bright 2.5-inch color LCD monitor is excellent for framing and reviewing shots, and the overall design and layout of the DSC-W100 is user-friendly and hassle-free. Dimensionally it's not too small and not too big, not too slim or too fat. Its size allows for both an optical viewfinder and a big LCD, as well as a good fit in the hand and pocket. We were particularly impressed with the printed output from the W100, which included enlargements up to 13x19 with decent quality, and 8x10 prints at ISO 800. Performance at ISO 400 is now quite good by comparison, with output at 11x14 looking like yesterday's 8x10s at this size. If you're looking for a good "take anywhere" camera with great versatility and good color and tonality, the Sony DSC-W100 deserves a close look -- especially considering its high resolution CCD and low price point. The Sony W100 is a clear Dave's Pick.

Design

Sony W100 Design

The Sony W100 is compact, and stylish, similar in style to other members of the "W" series, with a very thin body style that's quite at home in shirt pockets and small purses. Its silvery body is just a little wider than a typical business card, and about 3/8 inch taller, top to bottom. Measuring 3.75 x 2.50 x 1.00 inches (94 x 61 x 25 millimeters) and weighing 6.8 ounces (192 grams) with the batteries installed, the Sony W100 is relatively thin and light weight. Though just a little larger than the other W-series members, the W100's larger size accommodates a very large 2.5-inch LCD monitor while maintaining the convenience of an optical viewfinder. When not in use, the telescoping zoom lens retracts neatly inside the body, and a small plastic leaf shutter automatically closes over the lens to protect it. Outfitted with the accompanying wrist strap, it's quick on the draw and easy to hold.

Though it's a compact little camera, the Sony W100 has just enough room for fairly good traction up front, with a textured front panel that helps fingers cling to the camera body; use of the included wrist strap is definitely recommended for better security. The 3x, 7.9-23.7mm zoom lens, equivalent to a 38-114mm zoom on a 35mm camera, is just left of center (when viewed from the back), with a small and very bright orange lamp on the upper right of it, to help with focusing in low-light conditions. This lamp also blinks less brightly when the self-timer is in use, flashing faster to let you know when the camera is about to snap the picture. The flash sits right over the Sony W100's lens, and a tiny window for the optical viewfinder is upper left of the lens. There's also a set of four holes just beside the flash for the camera's microphone.

The right side of the Sony W100 (as viewed from the rear) has a small plastic door that opens to reveal the DC In terminal. Also on this side of the camera is the eyelet for attaching the wrist strap.

The left side of the DSC-W100 features a small compartment for the multi-connector jack, covered by a hinged, plastic door that snaps firmly into place. The multi-connector jack allows connection to a computer or television set.

The Sony W100's top panel features the shiny silver Shutter button, surrounded by the Zoom lever. To the left is the small Power button, surrounded by a green LED that lights when the camera is powered on.

The Sony W100's rear panel holds the remaining camera controls and function buttons, along with a large, bright 2.5-inch color LCD monitor for previewing and playing back images, and the optical viewfinder window. The LCD display reports a variety of camera and exposure settings, including the aperture and shutter speed settings (a nice bonus for those interested in how the camera will expose the image) and a battery gauge. The optical viewfinder is located in the far left corner, and has two LED lamps just off the right edge of the window, each of which reports the current status of various camera functions. The optical viewfinder has no dioptric adjustment, but eyeglass wearers will be pleased with the fairly high "eyepoint," allowing a little room for an eyeglass lens between the camera body and your eye. Right of the eyepiece is the camera's speaker. A Playback button is just right of that, for quick access to image review mode. The Sony W100's Mode dial is in the upper right corner. Below the Mode dial are the Display and Menu buttons, and a Five-way Arrow pad, with small arrows pointing in four directions (Up, Down, Left, and Right) and a set button in the middle. Each serves multiple functions, navigating onscreen menus scrolling between captured images in Playback mode, or activating different camera functions (Flash, Exposure Compensation, Self-Timer, and Macro). Below this is the Resolution/Erase button.

The DSC-W100's flat bottom holds the threaded metal tripod screw mount and the shared Memory Stick/battery compartment. While most users of the Sony W100 probably won't be too concerned, it is impossible to change the batteries while the camera is mounted on a tripod.

Sony W100 External Controls

Power Button: Located left of the Shutter button on the Sony W100's top panel, this button turns the camera on and off. A green LED surrounds the button that lights when the camera is powered on.


Zoom Lever: Surrounding the Shutter button on top of the Sony W100, this lever controls optical zoom and, when enabled via the Setup menu, Sony's Smart Zoom or Precision Zoom options.

In Playback mode, this button controls the digital enlargement of a captured image, which can go as high as 5x. (Very handy for checking focus or the expressions on people's faces in group shots.) Also in Playback mode, the wide-angle end of the button activates the Sony W100's Index Display mode, which displays nine thumbnail images on the screen at one time.

Shutter Button (see image above): Surrounded by the Zoom lever, this button sets focus and exposure when halfway pressed, and fires the shutter when fully pressed.

Playback Button: Behind the Power and Shutter buttons and angled down toward the rear panel, this button enables the camera's Playback mode when pressed. A second press returns the Sony W100 to Record mode (as does a half-press of the Shutter button).


Mode Dial: Crowning the top right corner of the rear panel, this ribbed dial sets the Sony W100's operating mode, offering Auto, Program, Manual, High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Beach, Landscape, Soft Snap, and Movie modes.

Display Button: Below the Mode dial, this button controls the LCD display, cycling through the image with information display, the image with information and live histogram display, the image with limited information display, and no image display at all (in all Record modes). In Playback mode, it cycles through a similar series, but does not disable the Sony W100's LCD display.

Menu Button: Just beneath the Display button, this button activates the settings menu in any camera mode. The Menu button also turns off the menu display.

Five-Way Arrow Pad: Located in the lower right corner of the rear panel, this control features four arrow buttons, each pointing in a different direction (up, down, left, and right), and a Set or OK button in the middle. In all of the Sony W100's settings menus, these arrow keys navigate through menu options. Pressing the center of the button confirms selections.

In any record mode, the Up button controls the Flash mode, cycling through Auto, Forced, Slow-Sync, and Suppressed modes. The Right arrow turns the Macro (close-up) mode on and off, and the Left arrow accesses the Exposure Compensation menu. The Down arrow accesses the Self-Timer modes (two- and 10-second options).

In Playback mode, the Right and Left arrows scroll through captured images. When Playback zoom is enabled, all four arrows scroll around within the enlarged view, while pressing the center button returns to the normal, 1x display.


Image Resolution / Erase Button: Lower left of the Five-way Arrow pad, this button displays the available resolutions in any record mode. Choices are 8M (3,264x2,448), 3:2 (3,264x2,176), 5M (2,592x1,944), 3M (2,048x1,536), 2M (1,632x1,224), VGA (640x480), and 16:9 (1,920x1,080). Movie resolutions on the Sony W100 are 640x480, and 160x112-pixels.

In Playback mode, this button lets you erase the currently displayed image.

Operation

Sony W100 Operation

Like most of the Cyber-shot line of digital cameras, operating the Sony W100 is straightforward, with uncomplicated menus and an intuitive control layout. The Mode dial on the rear panel controls the main operating modes, with options for Auto, Program, Manual, High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight portrait, Beach, Landscape, Soft Snap, and Movie modes. In all image capture modes, the DSC-W100 provides an onscreen LCD menu (activated by the Menu button), with a variety of options for adjusting image quality or adding special effects. The four arrows of the Five-way arrow pad are used to scroll through menu options, while the button in the center of the pad functions as the OK button to confirm selections. Outside of the menu, the arrows adjust flash, exposure compensation, macro, and self-timer modes. An Image Resolution button calls up the available resolution settings, removing this item from the main menu system, thereby making it much quicker to access when needed. The Zoom control surrounding the Shutter button adjusts both optical and digital zoom (when the latter is activated through the Setup menu). An optional function guide can be enabled through the Setup menu, which displays concise help text on the LCD for camera functions. Overall, the DSC-W100 should require very little downtime to get acquainted, even for novice users.

Record-Mode Display

In record mode, the Sony W100's LCD monitor displays the subject with a fair amount of overlaid information, indicating approximate battery life remaining (graphically), flash mode, focus mode (macro or normal), autofocus mode setting, any currently-selected exposure compensation setting, ISO setting, the current size/quality setting, and number of images that can be stored on the remaining Memory Stick space at the current size/quality. Half-pressing the Sony W100's Shutter button causes the camera to display the shutter speed and aperture setting it has chosen for the current lighting conditions. Pressing the Display button beside the LCD once adds a small "live" histogram display to the information, pressing it again removes the main information overlay, and pressing it a third time turns the LCD off entirely: excellent for saving power. Pressing it a fourth time restores the default display.

Playback-Mode Display

In Playback mode, the default image display shows the most recently captured image, with a modest information overlay present. Pressing the Sony W100's Display button once adds the exposure information and a small histogram to the overlay, pressing it again removes the information overlay entirely, and pressing it a third time returns to the default display. Pressing the wide-angle side of the zoom lever takes you to a display showing images on the Memory Stick in groups of nine small thumbnails. You can navigate a yellow outline cursor over these thumbnails by using the four arrow keys. Pressing the telephoto side of the zoom lever will bring the currently-selected image up full-screen. Pressing the telephoto side of the zoom lever on the Sony W100 will zoom in on the image, in 17 variable-sized increments up to a maximum magnification of 5x.

Sony W100 Modes and Menus

Manual Mode: Manual exposure mode (indicated by a black "M" on the Mode dial) provides complete exposure control over the Sony W100, with an expanded shutter speed range extending from 1/1,000 to 30 seconds.

Program Mode: This mode is marked on the Mode dial with a black "P." In this mode, the camera selects shutter speed and aperture, while you control all other exposure variables.

Automatic Mode: Indicated on the Mode dial with a green camera icon, this mode puts the camera in control of the exposure and everything except Macro, Image Size and Quality, Zoom, Flash, and the Self-Timer.

Movie Mode: A filmstrip icon marks this mode on the Sony W100's Mode dial. In Movie mode, you can record moving images and sound, for as long as the Memory Stick or internal memory has space. Resolution and quality choices are 640 x 480-, or 160 x 112-pixels, with Fine and Standard options in 640 x 480 mode. While recording, a timer appears in the LCD monitor to let you know how many minutes and/or seconds are remaining on the Memory Stick, and how long you've been recording, so you'll have some idea of how much time you have left. Recording in 640x480 Fine mode is only available with a Memory Stick Pro Duo card.

The Sony W100 offers a Multi Burst mode separate from the movie mode and selected in the menu in Auto, Program, and Scene modes, which captures an extremely rapid 16-frame burst of images, at a selectable rate of 7.5, 15, or 30 frames per second. Multi Burst shots are played back as a slow-motion animation on the camera, but appear as a single large file with 16 sub-images in it when viewed on a computer. (This would be a fun way to catch someone crossing a finish line during a race, or to analyze golf and tennis swings.) A Burst mode is also available, and captures a rapid series of images for as long as the Shutter button is held down. Frame rates and the maximum number of images depends on the image quality and resolution settings, as well as the amount of available memory space.

Playback Mode: Playback mode is accessed by pressing the Playback button on the Sony W100's rear panel. In this mode, you can scroll through captured images, delete them, write-protect them, and set them up for printing on PictBridge-compatible printers. You can also copy, resize, and rotate images.

Record Menu: Available in all Record modes by pressing the Menu button, the Record menu offers the following options (some options are not available in all modes):

• Color Mode: Offers Normal, Vivid, Natural, Sepia, and Black & White color modes.
• Focus: Sets focus control to Multi AF or Center AF, or one of five preset focus distances (0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 7.0 meters, and Infinity).
• Metering Mode: Chooses between Multi-Metering, Center-Weighted, and Spot modes. Spot metering reads the exposure from the very center of the frame (identified by a cross hair target on the monitor). Spot metering is handy for backlit subjects, or any time the subject and background exhibit very high contrast. Center-Weighted also reads from the center of the frame, but from a larger area than Spot. The Sony W100's Multi-Metering mode reads the entire frame to determine exposure.
• White Balance: Adjusts the overall color balance of the image, to suit the light source. Options are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, and Flash.
• ISO: Adjusts the camera's light sensitivity. Options are Auto, or 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,250 ISO equivalents.
• P.Quality: Sets compression between Standard and Fine.


• Mode: Sets capture mode, Normal (single), Burst, and Multi-burst.
• Interval: When in Multi-burst mode, sets the capture interval between 1/7.5, 1/15, and 1/30.
• Flash level: Sets flash power to +1, Normal, or -1.
• Contrast: Alters the level of contrast in images with plus, normal, and minus settings.
• Sharpness: Controls the overall image sharpness and softness with plus, normal, and minus settings.
• Setup: Accesses the camera's main Setup menu (below).

Playback Menu:

• Folder: Selects the folder for playing back images.
• Protect: Write-protects the current image (or removes protection), preventing it from being deleted or manipulated in any way except with card formatting.
• DPOF: Marks the current image for printing on a DPOF device. Also removes the print mark.
• Print: Prints the current image.
• Slide: Plays back images in an automatic slide show. You can set the time interval and whether or not the sequence of images repeats.
• Resize: Resizes the image to 3,264 x 2,448; 2,592 x 1,944; 2,048 x 1,536; 1,632 x 1,224; or 640 x 480 pixels. (When an image is resized, the original image is left in place, and a new copy is made at the selected size.)


• Rotate: Rotates the image 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise.
• Divide: Allows you to trim material from the beginning or end of a recorded movie, or to extract an interesting bit of action from the middle of a longer clip.
• Trimming (only available via the Menu button after zooming in): Lets you crop an image and save it as a separate file from the original.
• Setup: Accesses the camera's Setup menu.

Setup Menu: This menu allows you to change a variety of camera settings on the Sony W100, and is accessible through each of the camera menus by scrolling to the Setup icon and pressing the right arrow button.

• Camera:
  • AF Mode: Sets the focus mode to Single, or Monitor.
  • Digital Zoom: Switches between the 15x Smart Zoom and 2x Precision zoom, or turns digital enlargement off. (Smart Zoom values will depend on the resolution selected, 13x is the max at VGA resolution.)
  • Function Guide: Turns the Function Guide on or off. If enabled, the guide displays text about camera functions when they are accessed.
  • Red Eye Reduction: Enables or disables the Red Eye Reduction flash mode, affecting both Auto and Forced flash modes.
  • AF Illuminator: Turns the AF Assist light on or off. If on, the light automatically illuminates in dark shooting conditions.
  • Auto Review: Immediately plays captured image onscreen for two seconds.
  
  

• Internal Memory Tool (only available when no Memory Stick is present):
  • Format: Formats the internal memory, erasing all files (even protected ones).
• Memory Stick Tool:
  • Format: Formats the Memory Stick, erasing all files (even protected ones).
  • Create REC Folder: Creates a new folder for recording images.
  • Change REC Folder: Changes the folder that images are recorded to.
  • Copy: Copies images from the internal memory to a Memory Stick.

• Setup 1:
  • LCD Backlight: Controls the brightness of the LCD display, with options of Bright or Normal.
  • Beep: Controls the camera's beep sounds, turning them on or off. A Shutter option enables only the shutter beep noise.
  • Language: Selects among Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, or English for the menu language.
  • Initialize: Resets the camera to its default settings.
  
  
• Setup 2:
  • File Number: Chooses between Series (continuing the shot number infinitely) or Reset, which resets the frame number by folder.
  • USB Connect: Sets the USB connection type to PictBridge, PTP, Mass Storage, or Auto.
  • Video Out: Sets the timing of the video output signal to either NTSC or PAL.
  • Clock Set: Sets the camera's internal clock and calendar.

Optics

Sony W100 Optics

Lens

Zoom
A typical 3x optical zoom range, with good performance.

The Sony DSC-W100 zooms over the equivalent of a 38-114mm range, an average zoom range for its class. Details are a hint soft at wide angle, with some slight coma distortion in the trees, as well as some corner softness. Still, results are pretty good overall. The 2x digital zoom takes it out to 6x total, and Sony's Precision Digital Zoom does a pretty good job of holding onto detail despite some loss of resolution.

Macro
A small macro area with good detail and high resolution, though slightly dim exposure. Flash coverage is uneven up close, partially blocked by the lens.

The Sony DSC-W100's macro setting performs well, capturing a small minimum area of 2.37 x 1.78 inches (60 x 45 millimeters). Detail and resolution are both good, though there's a fair amount of softening in the corners from the lens. (Most cameras have some softening in the corners in macro mode.) Exposure is a little dim, even with external lighting, with a significant shadow in the bottom of the frame. The flash almost throttles down enough, but coverage is uneven and there's a dark shadow at the bottom of the frame. (Plan on using external lighting for your closest macro shots with the DSC-W100.)

Distortion
High barrel distortion, though very low pincushion.

This is the tendency for the lens to bend straight lines outward (like a barrel--usually at wide angle) or inward (like a pincushion--usually at telephoto). The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100's 0.9% barrel distortion at wide angle is a little high among the cameras I've tested, and fairly noticeable in its images. At the telephoto end, the DSC-W100's 0.01% pincushion is very low.

Barrel distortion at 38mm is 0.9%

Pincushion at 114mm is 0.01%

Chromatic aberration
High, especially on the left side, moderate effect on images at edges.

Chromatic aberration is rather high at wide angle, showing about 9+ pixels of bright coloration on either side of the target lines. The effect is lower at telephoto, however. I also noticed stronger distortion on the left side of the frame (about 16-17 pixels at wide angle), possibly due to some corner softness on that side. This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.

Corner Sharpness
Some softening in the left corners of the frame, strongest effect at telephoto.

The Sony DSC-W100 produced soft corners in a few shots, with the most visible effect in the left corners at both wide angle and telephoto. Results were the strongest at full telephoto however, in the lower left corner.

Viewfinder

Coverage
A tight optical viewfinder, with very good accuracy from the LCD monitor.

The DSC-W100's optical viewfinder was quite tight, showing only about 81% frame accuracy at wide angle, and about 83% at telephoto. However, the LCD monitor showed close to about 100 percent frame accuracy, and was actually a little "loose" at wide angle, showing about 102% frame accuracy.

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 Photo Gallery .

Exposure

Sony DSC-W100 Exposure

Color

Saturation & Hue Accuracy
Generally good hue accuracy, though a tendency toward slightly warm, dark color. Slight oversaturation in strong reds and blues.

In the diagram above, the squares show the original color, and the circles show the color that the camera captured. More saturated colors are located towards the periphery of the graph. Hue changes as you travel around the center. Thus, hue-accurate, highly saturated colors appear as lines radiating from the center.

Most consumer digital cameras produce color that's more highly saturated (more intense) than found in the original subjects. This is simply because most people like their color a bit brighter than life. The Sony DSC-W100 does oversaturate the strong red and blue tones, and some yellow tones. Where oversaturation is most problematic is on Caucasian skin tones, as it's very easy for these "memory colors" to be seen as too bright, too pink, too yellow, etc. The DSC-W100 did render skin tones a bit warm and orange in most cases, which some consumers may find a little unnatural.

The other important part of color rendition is hue accuracy. Hue is "what color" the color is. The DSC-W100 did tend toward warm, dark color overall, with a tendency to push reds toward orange and blues toward violet. However, overall color was still pretty good.

Sensor

Exposure and White Balance

Indoors, incandescent lighting
Strong warm cast with both Auto and Incandescent white balance settings. Average exposure compensation required.

Color balance indoors under incandescent lighting was just a bit warm and reddish in Auto white balance mode, and the Incandescent setting resulted in a more yellow color balance that actually looked best of the two. The camera required a +1.0 EV exposure compensation boost to get a good exposure, which is about average for this shot. Overall color is dark and yellow here, giving the blue flowers very dark and purplish cast. (A very common outcome for this shot.) Our test lighting for this shot is a mixture of 60 and 100 watt household incandescent bulb, a pretty yellow light source, but a very common one in typical home settings here in the US.

Outdoors, daylight
Warm, dark color overall. Pretty good exposure accuracy.

Outdoor shots generally showed high contrast exposure with strong highlights and deep shadows under harsh lighting. Detail was somewhat limited in the shadows, but not too alarmingly. Exposure accuracy overall was about average, though color was often dark and a bit warm.

See full set of test images with explanations
See thumbnails of all test and gallery images

Resolution
Very high resolution, 1,400 lines of strong detail.

Our laboratory resolution chart revealed sharp, distinct line patterns down to about 1,400 (or arguably 1,500) lines per picture height, with extinction not occurring until past 2,000 lines. Use these numbers to compare with other cameras of similar resolution, or use them to see just what higher resolution can mean in terms of potential detail. Beware that while you might be able to make out what looks like distinct lines at numbers higher than those we've mentioned here, the camera is just doing its best to continue interpreting the lines. The lines you see at 1,800 and higher are really only artifacts generated by the camera's imaging system.

See full set of test images with explanations
See thumbnails of all test and gallery images

Sharpness & Detail
Fairly sharp images overall, though some edge enhancement in high contrast areas and some blurring of detail from noise suppression in shadows.

The Sony DSC-W100's images are fairly sharp, though with some noticeable edge enhancement in high contrast areas, such as the rooftop and tree limbs above. (Edge enhancement creates the illusion of sharpness by enhancing colors and tones right at the edge of a rapid transition in color or tone.)

Noise-suppression systems in digital cameras tend to flatten-out detail in areas of subtle contrast. The effects can often be seen in shots of human hair, where the individual strands are lost and an almost "watercolor" look appears. The crop at far right shows this in the darkest areas, though individual strands that contrast with the background are still quite visible.

ISO & Noise Performance
Moderate noise at the normal sensitivity settings, very high noise that blurs detail at the higher settings.

The Sony DSC-W100's lower ISO settings produced moderate noise, with moderate blurring detail in the dark areas. As the ISO setting increases, so does the noise level and the amount of blurring that results, and its images at ISOs 800 and 1,250 are quite soft. These latter two modes are really essentially unusable, but ISO 400 is really quite good by comparison.

Extremes: Sunlit and low light tests
High resolution with good overall detail, though high contrast limits shadow detail. Excellent low-light performance, capable of capturing bright images under average city street lighting and much darker conditions.

Sunlight:
Because digital cameras are more like slide film than negative film (in that they tend to have a more limited tonal range), we test them in the harshest situations to see how they handle scenes with bright highlights and dark shadows, as well as what kind of sensitivity they have in low light. The shot above is designed to mimic the very harsh, contrasty effect of direct noonday sunlight, a very tough challenge for most digital cameras. (You can read details of this test here.)

The Sony DSC-W100 responded to the deliberately harsh lighting in the test above with high contrast, limiting detail in the deep shadows. (Noise suppression also contributes to the loss of detail here.) Though the overall exposure is slightly dim at +0.7 EV, the +1.0 EV adjustment resulted in much too harsh of an exposure, with blown highlights. (In "real life" though, be sure to use fill flash in situations like the one shown above; it's better to shoot in the shade when possible.)

	1 fc 11 lux	1/2 fc 5.5 lux	1/4 fc 2.7 lux	1/8 fc 1.3 lux	1/16 fc 0.67 lux
ISO 80	3 sec f2.8	7 sec f2.8	13 sec f2.8	25 sec f2.8	30 sec f2.8
ISO 100	2.5 sec f2.8	5 sec f2.8	10 sec f2.8	20 sec f2.8	30 sec f2.8
ISO 200	1.3 sec f2.8	2.5 sec f2.8	5 sec f2.8	10 sec f2.8	20 sec f2.8
ISO 400	1/1 sec f2.8	1.3 sec f2.8	2.5 sec f2.8	5 sec f2.8	10 sec f2.8
ISO 800	1/3 sec f2.8	1/1 sec f2.8	1.3 sec f2.8	2.5 sec f2.8	5 sec f2.8
ISO 1250	1/5 sec f2.8	1/2 sec f2.8	1/1 sec f2.8	1.6 sec f2.8	3 sec f2.8

Low light:
The DSC-W100 performed very well here, capturing bright images with good color all the way down to the darkest light levels we test at. However, the camera's autofocus system worked only down to a little above the 1/4 foot-candle light level, about 1/4 as bright as city street lighting at night. Keep in mind that the very long shutter times available on the W100 absolutely demand the use of a tripod or other camera support to get sharp photos. (A useful trick is to just prop the camera on a convenient surface, and use its self-timer to release the shutter. This avoids any jiggling from your finger pressing the shutter button, and can work quite well when you don't have a tripod handy.)

NOTE: This low light test is conducted with a stationary subject, and the camera mounted on a sturdy tripod. Most digital cameras will fail miserably when faced with a moving subject in dim lighting. (For example, a child's ballet recital or a holiday pageant in a gymnasium.) For such applications, you may have better luck with a digital SLR camera, but even there, you'll likely need to set the focus manually. For information and reviews on digital SLRs, refer to our SLR review index page.

Flash

Coverage and Range
Slightly dim, uneven coverage. Our standard shots required the High intensity setting, and were still a hint dark.

Flash coverage was uneven at both wide angle and telephoto lens settings, though coverage was a little better at telephoto. In the Indoor test, the DSC-W100's flash underexposed our subject at its default setting, and required a High Intensity adjustment to get reasonably bright results. Even here, the exposure is a little dim, with a strong orange cast. The camera's Slow-Sync flash mode produced slightly brighter and more even results, though with a stronger orange cast from the room lighting. Here too, a High Intensity adjustment was required, and the overall exposure was still slightly dim.

8 ft	9 ft	10 ft	11 ft	12 ft	13 ft	14 ft
1/50 sec f5.2 ISO 100	1/50 sec f5.2 ISO 100	1/50 sec f5.2 ISO 100	1/50 sec f5.2 ISO 100	1/50 sec f5.2 ISO 100	1/50 sec f5.2 ISO 100	1/50 sec f5.2 ISO 100

The DSC-W100's flash was brightest at the eight foot distance, and decreased in intensity with each additional foot. At 14 feet, flash power was quite low.

Output Quality

Print Quality
Good print quality, great color, usable 13x19 inch prints. ISO 400 images are surprisingly good at 8x10, as are ISO 800 images.

Testing hundreds of digital cameras, we've found that you can only tell just so much about a camera's image quality by viewing its images on-screen. Ultimately, there's no substitute for printing a lot of images and examining them closely. For this reason, we now routinely print sample images from the cameras we test on our Canon i9900 studio printer, and on the Canon iP5200 here in the office. (See the Canon i9900 review for details on that model.)

With the Sony W100, we were pleasantly surprised, especially by its ISO 400 output. First, though, it's ISO 80 images were good enough to print 13x19 images suitable for wall display; close scrutiny will reveal softness, but still an impressive performance from a point and shoot camera. At high ISO, image noise levels are held in check very well, with even ISO 400 images turning out very good 8x10 images. Certain subjects might even be acceptable at 11x14 at the ISO 400 setting. Most of the cameras we've seen from Sony and others with ISO ratings of 800-1,250 have produced unacceptably rough images. But the W100's ISO 800 images were reasonably good at 8x10. ISO 1,250 images on the other hand were really only acceptable at 4x6, though that's still better than most cameras with a setting this high, including Sony's own current offerings. Color was good across the images, another place the extra-high ISO images held together unusually well. The Sony W100 really impressed in the printed output category where it arguably matters most.

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 Photo Gallery .

Not sure which camera to buy? Let your eyes be the ultimate judge! Visit our Comparometer(tm) to compare images from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 with those from other cameras you may be considering. The proof is in the pictures, so let your own eyes decide which you like best!

Performance

Sony DSC-W100 Performance