Sony CyberShot DSC-W55 Camera

Posted by JohnP 03/10/2008 at 17:32

4.0 out of 5 stars Great snapshot camera, February 18, 2008

I bought this camera for an international trip. It worked as expected.

Things I loved:

  • Video mode for capturing sound and the "feel" of a place
  • ISO 1000 non-flash mode
  • EXIF data included in JPG files
  • Fantastic battery life – I took 300+ photos daily and the battery barely dropped below 90% capacity (recharge nightly for heavy use days)
  • Form factor
  • Automatic focus works almost every time
  • easy zoom switch

Changes I’d change:

  • Stiffer "mode wheel" – it was changed easily when putting the camera in my pocket
  • higher ISO modes – 1000 wasn’t high enough to capture the night Chinese New Years parade in Kowloon China. I have lots of blurry images. ISO-3200 would have been nice at night.
  • include a mode that prevents digital zoom – limit it to optical zoom capabilities
  • motorized lens cover and zoom; seems this will be the first thing to break
  • Menu isn’t intuitive to me
  • Add a quick resolution change mode for 7, 5, 3 MegaPixel resolutions. By default, I use 3, but for fine art, I’d like to change to 7 without diving into the full menu system.
  • ‘’Memory should be SD, not Sony memory stick’’
    - ‘’Plug for transfers should be USB, not proprietary’’
    - ‘’Battery charger should be over USB, not external or proprietary’’
    - ‘’higher optical zoom’’ 3x isn’t quite enough.

My next camera will:
a) avoid the Sony memory stick-based cameras and go with a SD, Mini/MicroSD based solution for compatibility with my other portable devices (Nokia N800 Portable Internet Tablet) and built-in laptop ports.
b) support higher ISO modes for better night time pictures without flash
c) USB for charging and file transfers
d) more than 3x optical zoom.