Sony Cybershot DSC-W290

Touting a 12.1MP, is this camera's bite as big as its bark?

Stepping into the increasingly saturated market place in February the Sony Cyber-shot W290 originally carried a recommend price tag of £300 but can now be sought online for a very modest £180. With this climatic drop in value, we were automatic skeptical of its abilities, but after taking a tour with the pocketable point and shoot were quick to see its redeeming features.    Before dissecting the device in terms of handling and image results, lets consider the favorable feature set to price tag ratio. First up is a wholesome 28mm wide angle lens with 5 x optical zoom (10 x digital zoom), ok its no super zoom and in terms of telephoto prowess it doesn't compete with some of the high-end Olympus Mjus it's pitched against, but the wide angle glass is superb for scooping in a large panoramic landscape. Furthermore it does incorporate image stabilization technology, which was an essential boon during low light situations. Stacking a thundering 12.1 megapixels the W290 puts many entry level DSLRs to shame. Capable of HD movie capture (720p) the compact may entice wannabe movie makers and the 3" LCD is viewable in every lighting condition we put it through, presenting shot after shot in total clarity even in bright sunlight, which makes it perfect for on the spot 'delete or keep' decisions.   Design wise there is nothing that is going to give you goose bumps here. Perhaps a tad wider than most contemporary compacts, this device instead exudes an essence of masculinity and toughness that we quite enjoyed. It's not as sleek or as sexy as perhaps most of the Cyber-shot brethren but it does yield a reassuring durability that butterfingered photographer will appreciate.    Although we lament the absence of true manual capabilities the W290 does make some compromise. A program mode is available for those wishing to affect exposure compensation, or change white balance, ISO, focus, metering and flash etc. Where the item truly excels is its auto and scene modes, wafting its own brand of Intelligent Auto, the camera is reliable and consist and gauging the right settings in every single scene we attempted. What is more the W290 incorporates colour and dynamic range options to improve images or to maximize creativity. Likewise in Playback the edit palette stacks enough artistic options to keep creative minds amused: Soft focus, trimming, Unsharp mask, Partial colour, Fisheye lens (great for wide angle interior shots), cross filter, radial blur, retro and happy faces - which bizarrely modifies people's faces to make them appear as though they are smiling, from level 1 a moderately amused pose to level 5 inane grin.  Handling the W290 was very enjoyable. The onscreen menu system is simple to navigate and sensible in layout with nice big front and adequate explanations. Shutter lag is minimal and refresh rate wasn’t a problem. The metering system on the cyber-shot deserves spectacular praise and one of the best we’ve seen on the market today. Set into Intelligent Auto the device accurately meters whether in harsh sunny conditions, or flat overcast lighting the result is the same – shadows and highlights are both accurately recorded. The unit’s flash offers a guide number of 3.9m and is as good as its word. It avoids bleaching skin tones and colours and consciously illuminates so details are retained. The point and shoot really excels in capturing landscapes and portraits, but disappointed in macro mode where it repeatedly failed to get a focus lock on anything less than 10cm away, and as such its peers certainly surpass this compact in shooting this particular genre. At 10cm the results are moderately favorable and certainly useable, but if it's sharp resolution you desire from just a few millimeters distance the W290 is going to let you down. Shutter speed range is another area of contention, powering a relatively weak minimum shutter of only two seconds, ruling out the possibility for luscious long exposures. However with a maximum shutter of 1/1600sec the W290 is perfectly adequate for freezing most scenarios the creative mind can conjure. A redeeming facet of the device is its rather stellar sensitivity range, starting at an impressively low ISO 80, flourishing with crispness and clarity of detail. Elements only begin to falter around the ISO 800 mark, which is quite impress for a compact, regardless of price. Users can ramp up the ISO to 3200 but noise is quite uncomfortable from 1600 and largely unadvisable. However on the whole the camera excels at capturing crisp, well-exposed images that offer excellent colour rendition.

Final Verdict The W290 is a fantastic buy: producing crisp, well-balanced and vibrant frames, all at an affordable cost. It struggles in low light and isn't the top contender for macro or sports but excels in landscape and portrait shooting, and for an every day point and shoot you'd struggle to find a camera that would deliver better results. OVERALL

Backed with a journalism degree, Natalie has worked in the magazine industry for over five years. Since joining DP she has reviewed a plethora of cameras, gadgets and accessories, and is never afraid of telling it like it is.