Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W180

A compact that’s keeping it simple

If you’re after a no-nonsense compact to record moments rather than works of art, then the Sony Cyber-shot W180 could be for you. Offering very little user control, creativity is extremely limited.

Its attractive, slim-line exterior would suit fashion-conscious hands that are often found snapping the usual Facebook fodder. This compact comes in a choice of red, black, or silver, and the 91mm width and 19mm thickness means it would fit comfortably into a pocket or a clutch bag.

The protruding lens springs to action with a subtle electronic whir, but the LCD start-up is rather lethargic – taking three seconds until you can start hitting the shutter release. Similarly, the processing time in between shots is a little lengthy, and you have to hold very still for a few seconds when capturing telephoto images to avoid blurring. Photographs taken with the maximum zoom also appear quite soft and aren’t suitable for enlarging to A4 size.

However, the operation of the camera itself is much quicker thanks to the simplistic layout. In-keeping with the modern, minimalist design, there’s barely any buttons to contend with. The shutter release and a rather small, recessed power button are housed on the top-plate, and there are only seven, well-labelled controls on the rear. These include the d-pad, menu, zoom, and delete functions, which can be found to the right of the 2.7-inch LCD screen. There is also a sliding switch for photo, playback, and movie modes, which incidentally are recorded as AVI files and the zoom is unavailable whilst filming.

The menu offers the usual array of options, such as image size and flash level, but creative selections that can be found on other compacts are omitted. Cropping and Red-Eye Correction are the limited in-camera editing tools, and classic monochrome and sepia are the only art filters available. Unfortunately, users don’t have the option to alter the aperture or shutter speed for more creative effects.

Sony’s W180 does, however, produce an aesthetically pleasing narrow depth of field when using macro mode. We tested this function on a pebble-laden beach and were impressed with the amount of detail this little compact retained. Every spec of sand that clung to the wet stones was captured successfully. Also, once you have selected a function such as this, a brief caption appears on-screen explaining its use. This highlights the fact that the W180 is a point-and-shoot aimed at beginners.

The only factors the user is granted to experiment with are the ISO and white balance in Program Auto mode. Automatic white balance mode does generate reasonably accurate results and, helpfully, manual users can glimpse a preview of the various settings when scrolling through the options.

Out of the camera the pictures are noticeably vibrant. In the test shots, baby blue skies became practically tropical and require toning down during post-processing to suit most people’s tastes. Bright sunlight presents a few problems, too, often causing lens flare or over-exposure.

Whilst the W180 doesn’t possess the widest of angles with a focal length of 35mm, it should be enough to satisfy its target consumer who is likely to power it up for casual use. Like most compacts, it performs best when snapping portraits of your friends and family. There’s Face Detection, which recognises up to eight mugs and adjusts the exposure to record skin tones accurately. The Smile Shutter can be selected so that the shutter release automatically captures the image once all the subjects are looking happy. Sensitivity of this function can be altered, and when on a fairly low sensitivity a frown was mistaken for a grin.

There are seven scene modes to flick through. These did make a difference to the shot, as Twilight dimmed the scene and Beach made blue hues much brighter. There is no Sports mode, but the W180 handles fast-action reasonably well, freezing droplets of spray from a crashing wave effectively in a test shot.

Released last July, this compact is now available for as little as £70 on the Internet, which is great value for beginners on a budget. It’s an ideal everyday camera for recording days out, sunbathing holidays abroad, and nights out on the town. Just bear in mind that it’s certainly not a camera that will permit you to advance your skills.

Final Verdict Sony’s W180 offers great value for money, but the lack of creative control on offer hinders photographic growth. You’ll find yourself in need of an upgrade soon enough. OVERALL

Jodie’s a fresh face on DP and DCE, armed with a Journalism degree and a long-standing love of both digital and analogue shooting. She’s keen to report back on the latest releases.