Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510 digital camera is based around a 1/2.3"-type, 12.1 effective megapixel Sony SuperHAD CCD image sensor with RGB color filter array, coupled to a Sony-branded 4x optical zoom lens. For 4:3 aspect-ratio shooting, the Sony W510's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a generous 26mm wide angle to a moderate 105mm telephoto, while 16:9 shooting yields a sensor crop and 28 - 114mm equivalent focal range. The lens has a two-step aperture with ND filter, which offers either F2.8 or F8.0 at wide angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is F5.9, and the minimum aperture isn't stated. Autofocusing is possible to a minimum of just four centimeters at wide angle, or 60 centimeters at telephoto. The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,000 x 3,000 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,000 x 2,248 pixels, or 30 frames-per-second video at VGA (640 x 480 pixel) resolution or below with monaural audio.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot W510 is a 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD panel with a resolution of 230,400 dots. This serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, since the Sony W510 doesn't feature an optical or electronic viewfinder. The Sony DSC-W510 has a 9-point autofocus system, and includes a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene. The face detection function is also used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling. There's no blink detection feature in the W510, however. The W510 offers three methods for determining exposures - multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 1 to 1/1,500 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 80 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The DSC-W510 doesn't offer any form of optical image stabilization.

Eight white balance settings are available, including auto and seven presets, but there's no manual white balance setting in the Sony W510. As well as Intelligent Auto and Program modes, the W510 offers a selection of nine scene modes -- High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Beach, Snow, Gourmet, and Pet -- which offer a modicum of control over the look of images. The Sony W510 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.2 to 4.8 meters at wide angle, or 0.2 to 2.3 meters at telephto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod.

Images and movies can be recorded on Secure Digital or SDHC cards, but not the latest SDXC types. The W510 is also compatible with Sony's own proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. No information was available at press time regarding internal memory, if included. The Sony W510 includes standard definition video output connectivity, as well as USB data connectivity. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 Infolithium battery pack, rated as good for 220 shots on a charge to CIPA testing standards.

Basic Specifications
Resolution:	12.10 Megapixels
Lens:	4.00x zoom (26-105mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	LCD
LCD Size:	2.7 inch
ISO:	80-3200
Shutter:	2-1/1500
Max Aperture:	2.8
Mem Type:	MS Duo / MS PRO Duo / SD / SDHC
Battery:	Custom LiIon
Dimensions:	3.8 x 2.1 x 0.8 in. (96 x 54 x 20 mm)
Weight:	4.2 oz (119 g) includes batteries
MSRP:	$110



Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350 digital camera is based around a 14.1-megapixel sensor, coupled to a Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens. The Sony W350's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a generous 26mm wide-angle to a moderate 105mm telephoto.

The Sony W350 can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,320 x 3,240 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,320 x 2,432 pixels, or HD movies at 1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second. In addition, the Sony W350 includes Sony's unique Sweep Panorama function for the first time in a CCD-based Cyber-shot camera, allowing automatic creation of up to a 268-degree panorama in-camera by simply sweeping the lens across the subject.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot W350 is a 2.7-inch LCD with a resolution of 230,400 dots. This serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, given that the Sony W350 doesn't feature an optical viewfinder. The Sony DSC-W350 has a 9-point autofocus system, and does include face detection capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene and differentiating between children and adults. This ability is used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling, as well as both anti-blink and blink-detection features.

Shutter speeds from 2 to 1/1,600 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 80 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer, with ISO 80 to 800 available under automatic control. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps.

Images and movies can be recorded on Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo (Mark 2 only), PRO Duo High Speed, or PRO-HG Duo cards, as well as the more common Secure Digital and Secure Digital High Capacity cards. 45MB of internal memory is also available, helpful for capturing a few of the most important photos should you forget to bring a flash card along on a day trip. The Sony W350 includes NTSC / PAL standard definition video output connectivity, as well as USB 2.0 High Speed data connectivity. Component HD connectivity is available via optional proprietary cable. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 Infolithium battery pack rated 240 images.

Lens.

As big fans of wide-angle lenses, we're happy to see manufacturers embrace this feature in their latest digicam line-ups. The Sony W350 starts out at a nice 26mm and the 4x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens hits 105mm on the tele end. Would we like more? Sure, but this is a very compact and light camera so there are the inevitable tradeoffs. The lens features six elements in five groups (including three aspheric elements). Apertures range between f/2.7-f/8.0 in iAuto or Program mode. There are no individual aperture adjustments, other than those made by the camera via specific scene modes--so if you're looking for that feature, try another model.

Corners are pretty soft at wide-angle and there's noticeable chromatic aberration, but nothing out of the ordinary for compact wide angle point-and-shoots. At telephoto there was almost no CA and some flare and no significant softening. There's essentially no barrel or pincushion distortion.

As a plus the Sony W350 has Optical Image Stabilization which does a good job eliminating blur at wide and telephoto settings; it's a real benefit with Sweep Panorama. As with any camera you should still try to hold it as steady as possible when pressing the shutter.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W370

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W370 digital camera has a 14.1-megapixel Sony sensor and a Sony-branded 7x optical zoom lens. The Sony W370's lens offers an equivalent range from a rather tight 34mm wide-angle to a useful 238mm telephoto. The lens has a two-step aperture with ND filter, which offers either F3.6 or F7.1 at wide-angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is F5.6, and the minimum aperture is F11. The W370 includes Sony's Sweep Panorama function for the first time in a CCD-based Cyber-shot camera, allowing automatic creation of a 243-, 167-, 127- or 88-degree panoramas in-camera by simply sweeping the lens across the subject.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot W370 is a 2.7-inch TFT Clear Photo LCD panel with 100% coverage, and a resolution of 230,400 dots. This serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, given that the Sony W370 doesn't feature an optical viewfinder. The Sony DSC-W370 has a 9-point autofocus system, and does include a face detection and recognition system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene and differentiating between children and adults. This capability is used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling, as well as both anti-blink and blink-detection features. The W370 offers three methods for determining exposures - multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 2 to 1/1,600 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 80 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer, with ISO 80 to 1,600 available under automatic control. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The DSC-W370 also offers Sony's Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, useful for combatting blur caused by camera shake without adversely affecting image quality.

Nine white balance settings are available, including auto and seven presets, plus a manual white balance setting. As well as Intelligent Auto and Program modes, the W370 offers a selection of ten scene modes - High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Gourmet, Pet, and Sweep Panorama - which offer a modicum of control over the look of images. There's also an intelligent scene mode which can automatically select from a subset of eight scene modes - twilight, twilight portrait, twilight using a tripod, backlight, backlight portrait, landscape, macro and portrait - as appropriate. The Sony W370 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.2 to 5.0 meters at wide-angle, or 0.5 to 3.2 meters at telephoto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330 digital camera is a simple pocket camera with a 14.1-megapixel sensor, a 4x optical zoom lens, and a large 3-inch LCD. The Sony W330's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a generous 26mm wide-angle to a moderate 105mm telephoto. The lens has a two-step aperture with a built-in neutral density (ND) filter, which offers either f/2.7 or f/8.0 at wide-angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is f/5.7, and the minimum aperture isn't stated. Autofocusing is possible to a minimum of just four centimeters at wide-angle, or 60 centimeters at telephoto. The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,320 x 3,240 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,320 x 2,432 pixels, or 30 frames-per-second video at VGA (640 x 480 pixel) resolution or below with monaural audio.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot W330 is a 3-inch TFT Clear Photo LCD panel with 100% coverage, and a resolution of 230,400 dots. This serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, given that the Sony W330 doesn't feature an optical viewfinder. The Sony W330 has a 9-point autofocus system, and does include a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene. This capability is used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling. There's no blink detection feature in the Sony W330, however.

The Sony W330 offers three methods for determining exposures: multi-pattern, center-weighted, or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 1 to 1/1,600 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 80 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer, with ISO 80 to 800 available under automatic control. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The W330 has Sony's SteadyShot digital image stabilization, not optical, to help eliminate blur.

Ten white balance settings are available, including auto and nine presets, two of which are for underwater shooting, but there's no manual white balance setting in the Sony W330. As well as Intelligent Auto and Program modes, the Sony W330 offers a selection of eleven scene modes - High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Underwater, Gourmet, and Pet. There's also an intelligent scene mode which can automatically select from a subset of seven scene modes: twilight, twilight portrait, backlight, backlight portrait, landscape, macro and portrait.

The Sony W330 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.3 to 3.5 meters at wide-angle, or 0.6 to 1.8 meters at telephoto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod.

Images and movies can be recorded on Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo, PRO Duo High Speed, or PRO-HG Duo cards, as well as the more common Secure Digital and Secure Digital High Capacity cards. 28MB of internal memory is also available, enough to capture a few of the most important photos should you forget to bring a flash card along. The Sony W330 includes NTSC / PAL standard definition video output connectivity, as well as USB 2.0 High Speed data connectivity. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 lithium-ion battery pack.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 digital camera is based around a 1/2.3"-type, 16.1 effective megapixel Sony SuperHAD CCD image sensor with RGB color filter array, coupled to a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded 5x optical zoom lens. For 4:3 aspect-ratio still image shooting, the Sony W570's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a generous 25mm wide angle to a useful 125mm telephoto, while 16:9 still or movie shooting yields a sensor crop and 28 - 140mm equivalent focal range. For 4:3 movie shooting, the crop factors is even higher, providing an equivalent 34 - 170mm. The lens has a two-step aperture with ND filter, which offers either F2.7 or F8.0 at wide angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is a rather dim F6.3, and the minimum aperture isn't stated. Autofocusing is possible to a minimum of just five centimeters at wide angle, or 100 centimeters at telephoto. The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,608 x 3,456 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,608 x 2,592 pixels, or 30 frames-per-second MPEG-4 video at 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) resolution or below, with monaural audio.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot W570 is a 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD panel with a resolution of 230,400 dots. This serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, since the Sony W570 doesn't feature an optical or electronic viewfinder. The Sony DSC-W570 has a 9-point autofocus system, and includes both an AF assist lamp, and a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene, and of differentiating between child and adult faces. The face detection function is also used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling, as well as a blink detection feature. The W570 offers three methods for determining exposures - multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 1 to 1/1,600 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 80 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The DSC-W570 also offer's Sony's SteadyShot optical image stabilization, helping to fight the effects of blur from camera shake.

Nine white balance settings are available, including auto, seven presets, and a manual white balance setting. As well as Intelligent Auto and Program modes, the W570 offers a selection of twelve scene modes -- High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Beach, Snow, Gourmet, Pet, Soft Skin, Fireworks, and Underwater -- which offer a modicum of control over the look of images. The Sony W570 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.2 to 3.7 meters at wide angle, or 1.0 to 1.5 meters at telephoto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod.

Images and movies can be recorded on Secure Digital, SDHC, and the latest SDXC card types. The W570 is also compatible with Sony's own proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. No information was available at press time regarding internal memory, if included. The Sony W570 includes standard definition and Type-3 component high definition video output connectivity, as well as USB data connectivity. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 Infolithium battery pack, rated as good for 220 shots on a charge to CIPA testing standards.

The Sony W570 digital camera is available from February 2011, priced at around US$180. Four body colors will be available -- silver, black, pink, or violet.



Resolution.	16.10 Mpixel.	Multiplier focus	n / a.
Maximum image size.	4608x3456.	Size min.	640x480.
Types of sensors.	CCD.	Sensor size.	1/2.3-inch.
Taken continuously.	unknown fps.	Compensation.	-2EV - +2 EV with 1/3EV steps.
Zoom lens.	5X.	Digital zoom.	Yes.
Wide-term.	25 mm.	Tele-term.	125 mm.
Wide range of aperture.	f2.7 - unknown.	Aperture telephoto range.	f5.7 - unknown.
Mode, Aperture priority.	No.	Mode, Shutter priority.	No.
Auto focus.	Yes.	Manual-focus	No.
Viewfinder under optical bias.	No.	Electronic viewfinder.	No.
Focus.	5 cm.	Macro focus distance.	5 cm.
Metering.	49-zone Multi-pattern, Centre weighted, Spot.	Photosensitivity	auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200.
Built-in flash.	Yes.	External flash.	No.
Flash Mode.	anti red-eye, auto, fill in, off, slow flash.	The type external flash units.	n / a.
Camcorder.	Yes.	Video capture with sound.	Yes.
Largest video size.	1280x720 Pixels.	Minimum video size.	640x480 Pixels.
LCD screen size.	2.7-inch.	LCD.	Yes.
Resolution LCD.	230,400 Pixels.	White balance.	Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Manual.
Timer.	Yes.	USB.	USB 2.0 Hi-Speed.
Shutter speed.	1 - 1 / 1600.	Firewire.	No.
Video channels.	Yes.	Bluetooth.	No.
Record.	Yes.	Battery	Li-Ion.
Supported file.	JPEG.	Media.	Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital.
Weight	116g.	Size	91x52x19 mm

Sony Cybershot DSC W580

Cybershot DSC W580 includes a CCD sensor to 16.10 Mpixel resolution, which allows you to 4608x3456 image size with ease. For the lens of the Sony W580 is a 5X zoom lens equivalent to 25 to 125 mm total aperture size of f2.6 - f6.3 and shutter speeds are between 2 - 1 / 1600 seconds, which allows shooting. all situations.

In the metering Sony W580 is to provide metering to a great variety such as the Centre weighted, Multi-segment, Spot, etc., and also has white balance for shooting in low light conditions such as Auto,. Cloudy, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Manual addition, the Sony W580 can also adjust the exposure compensation to between-2EV - +2 EV with 1/3EV steps and adjust the light sensitivity auto, 80, 100, 200, 400,. 800, 1600, 3200 The ever LCD display that comes with the Sony Cybershot DSC W580 is a 3-inch 230,400 pixel resolution.

Sony Cybershot DSC W580 can focus on the 25 mm - 125 mm in the macro mode that can focus the nearest centimeter, but no optical viewfinder, a bias. Flash for the Sony W580 has flash and can not connect an external flash memory, Sony W580 supports a Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital, and use the battery Li-Ion.

Resolution.	16.10 Mpixel.	Multiplier focus	n / a.
Maximum image size.	4608x3456.	Size min.	640x480.
Types of sensors.	CCD.	Sensor size.	1/2.3-inch.
Taken continuously.	1 fps.	Compensation.	-2EV - +2 EV with 1/3EV steps.
Zoom lens.	5X.	Digital zoom.	Yes.
Wide-term.	25 mm.	Tele-term.	125 mm.
Wide range of aperture.	f2.6 - unknown.	Aperture telephoto range.	f6.3 - unknown.
Mode, Aperture priority.	No.	Mode, Shutter priority.	No.
Auto focus.	Yes.	Manual-focus	No.
Viewfinder under optical bias.	No.	Electronic viewfinder.	No.
Focus.	unknown cm.	Macro focus distance.	cm.
Metering.	Centre weighted, Multi-segment, Spot.	Photosensitivity	auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200.
Built-in flash.	Yes.	External flash.	No.
Flash Mode.	anti red-eye, auto, fill in, off, slow flash.	The type external flash units.	n / a.
Camcorder.	Yes.	Video capture with sound.	Yes.
Largest video size.	1280x720 Pixels.	Minimum video size.	320x240 Pixels.
LCD screen size.	3-inch.	LCD.	Yes.
Resolution LCD.	230,400 Pixels.	White balance.	Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Manual.
Timer.	Yes.	USB.	USB 2.0 Hi-Speed.
Shutter speed.	2 - 1 / 1600.	Firewire.	No.
Video channels.	Yes.	Bluetooth.	No.
Record.	Yes.	Battery	Li-Ion.
Supported file.	JPEG.	Media.	Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital.
Weight	111g.	Size	94.0x56.0x19.1 mm

Sony Cyber-shot WX5 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5 digital camera replaces the company's previous WX1 model, and is based around a 1/2.3"-type 12.2 effective megapixel backside illuminated Sony Exmor R CMOS image sensor with RGB color filter array, coupled to a Sony G-branded 5x optical zoom lens. The Sony WX5's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a useful 24mm wide angle to a moderate 120mm telephoto (or 26 - 130mm in 16:9 aspect ratio mode). The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,000 x 3,000 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,000 x 2,248 pixels, or 60 fields-per-second video at 1080i (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) resolution or below with Dolby Digital stereo audio, using AVCHD compression.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot WX5 is a 2.8-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio Clear Photo LCD Plus panel with 100% coverage, and a resolution of 460,800 dots. This display serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, given that the Sony WX5 doesn't feature an optical viewfinder. The Sony DSC-WX5 has a 9-point autofocus system, and does include a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene and differentiating between children and adults. This capability is used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling, as well as both anti-blink and blink-warning features.

The WX5's Intelligent Sweep Panorama function works similarly to the older Sweep Panorama, in that a series of photographs are captured and stitched automatically by sweeping the lens across the scene, but analyzes frame content when capturing and stitching images, avoiding chopping up larger moving subjects. The function allows automatic creation of 295-, 203-, 202-, or 142-degree panoramas in-camera. In addition, the WX5 also includes Sony's latest 3D Sweep Panorama function, which uses some clever mathematics to recreate a 3D image from a single lens, saving the result as a multi-picture object file that contains two separate JPEG images, one for each eye. The result can be viewed on the latest 3D-capable Sony Bravia displays. 3D Sweep panoramas can cover the same field of view as Intelligent Sweep panoramas, as well as an additional 79-degree option. The Sweep Multi Angle function is only available at 16:9 size, and allows viewing the image with a 3D effect on the camera's 2D LCD display, by changing the display perspective as the camera is rocked from side to side. (The same clever user interface trick is used to cycle backwards or forwards through a group of high-speed burst images).

The Backlight Correction HDR mode is something we've seen in certain of Sony's previous Alpha digital SLRs and Cyber-shot compacts. The camera captures several images with varying exposure, and then automatically combines them into a single image with increased dynamic range. The new Superior Auto function automatically detects the scene type, and then captures anywhere from one to six shots. The result for multi-frame shots is automatically combined in-camera, with the aim of either correcting backlit shots, or reducing noise levels. Because of its multi-shot methodology, Superior Auto shooting is only suited to relatively static scenes. For moving subjects, Intelligent Auto is still available.

Another new option is Background Defocus, which works by shooting two images with varied focus, the second shot being intentionally somewhat defocused. The two images are compared, and a depth map created by considering areas of significantly differing sharpness in the two frames to be the main subject. This map is then used to blur the background areas, to create an image with a shallow depth-of-field effect reminiscent of those from DSLRs. The Natural Flash function aims to reduce the warm color cast that can appear in the background of flash photos, while Soft Skin mode works in concert with the face detection feature to soften only facial skin tones. Tracking focus, as the name would suggest, allows moving subjects to be tracked around the frame.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9 digital camera is based around a 1/2.3"-type 16.2 effective megapixel backside illuminated Sony Exmor R CMOS image sensor with RGB color filter array, coupled to a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded 5x optical zoom lens. For 4:3 aspect ratio still images, the Sony WX9's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a useful 25mm wide angle to a moderate 125mm telephoto. When shooting 16:9 aspect stills, there's a greater sensor crop, yielding a 28 - 140mm equivalent range. Movies have an even greater crop, for a 29 - 145mm range in 16:9 aspect, and a 35 - 175mm range in 4:3 aspect.

The two-step aperture with an ND filter offers a choice of F2.6 or F8.0 at wide angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is a rather dim F6.3, and the minimum aperture isn't stated. Autofocusing is possible to just five centimeters at wide angle, or 100 centimeters at telephoto. The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,608 x 3,456 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,608 x 2,592 pixels, or 60 fields-per-second video at 1080i (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) resolution or below with Dolby Digital stereo audio, using AVC HD compression.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot WX9 is a 3.0-inch, XtraFine TFT LCD panel with a resolution of 921,600 dots. This display serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, given that the Sony WX9 doesn't feature an optical viewfinder. The Sony DSC-WX9 has a 9-point autofocus system, and includes a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene and differentiating between children and adults. The face detection function is used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling, as well as a blink detection feature.

The WX9 offers three methods for determining exposures - multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 2 to 1/1,600 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 100 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The DSC-WX9 also offers Sony's Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, useful for combatting blur caused by camera shake. Nine white balance settings are available, including auto and seven presets, plus a manual white balance setting. As well as Intelligent Auto and Program modes, the WX9 offers a selection of 14 scene modes -- High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Gourmet, Pet, Soft Skin, Handheld Twilight, Anti Motion Blur, and Backlight Correction HDR -- which together offer a modicum of control over the look of images.

The WX9's Intelligent Sweep Panorama function works similarly to the older Sweep Panorama, in that a series of photographs are captured and stitched automatically by sweeping the lens across the scene, but analyzes frame content when capturing and stitching images, avoiding chopping up larger moving subjects.

 The function allows automatic creation of 222-, 164-, 153-, or 114-degree panoramas in-camera. In addition, the WX9 also includes Sony's latest 3D Sweep Panorama function, which uses some clever mathematics to recreate a 3D image from a single lens, saving the result as a multi-picture object file that contains two separate JPEG images, one for each eye. The result can be viewed on the latest 3D-capable Sony Bravia displays. 3D Sweep panoramas can cover the same field of view as Intelligent Sweep panoramas, as well as an additional 60-degree option. The Sweep Multi Angle function is only available at 16:9 size, and allows viewing the image with a 3D effect on the camera's 2D LCD display, by changing the display perspective as the camera is rocked from side to side. (The same clever user interface trick is used to cycle backwards or forwards through a group of high-speed burst images).

The Backlight Correction HDR mode is something we've seen in certain of Sony's previous Alpha digital SLRs and Cyber-shot compacts. The camera captures several images with varying exposure, and then automatically combines them into a single image with increased dynamic range. There's also a Background Defocus function, which works by shooting two images with varied focus, the second shot being intentionally somewhat defocused. The two images are compared, and a depth map created by considering areas of significantly differing sharpness in the two frames to be the main subject. This map is then used to blur the background areas, to create an image with a shallow depth-of-field effect reminiscent of those from DSLRs.

The Sony WX9 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.05 to 5.3 meters at wide angle, or 1.0 to 2.2 meters at telephoto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod. Images and movies can be recorded on Secure Digital, SDHC, and the latest SDXC card types. The WX9 is also compatible with Sony's own proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. The Sony WX9 includes composite standard definition and HDMI high definition video output connectivity, as well as USB data connectivity. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 Infolithium battery pack, rated as good for 210 shots on a charge.

Resolution:	16.20 Megapixels
Lens:	5.00x zoom (25-125mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	LCD
LCD Size:	3.0 inch
ISO:	125-3200
Shutter:	2-1/1600
Max Aperture:	2.6
Mem Type:	MS Duo / MS PRO Duo / SD / SDHC / SDXC
Battery:	Custom LiIon
Dimensions:	3.7 x 2.2 x 0.8 in. (95 x 56 x 20 mm)
Weight:	4.9 oz (139 g) includes batteries
MSRP:	$220
Availability:	03/2011

Sony W310 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W310 digital camera is a 12.1-megapixel design with a 4x optical zoom lens. The Sony W310's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a useful 28mm wide angle to a moderate 112mm telephoto. The lens has a two-step aperture which offers either f/3.0 or f/4.3 at wide angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is f/5.8, and the minimum aperture isn't stated. Autofocusing is possible to a minimum of just five centimeters at wide angle, or 50 centimeters at telephoto. The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,000 x 3,000 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,000 x 2,248 pixels, or 30 frames-per-second video at VGA (640 x 480 pixel) resolution or below with monaural audio.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot W310 is a 2.7-inch TFT Clear Photo LCD panel with 100% coverage, and a resolution of 230,400 dots. This serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, given that the Sony W310 doesn't feature an optical viewfinder. The Sony DSC-W310 has a 9-point autofocus system, and does include a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene. This capability is used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling. There's no blink detection feature in the W310, however. The W310 offers three methods for determining exposures - multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 1 to 1/2000 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 100 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer, with ISO 100 to 800 available under automatic control. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The DSC-W310 doesn't offer any form of optical image stabilization.

Eight white balance settings are available, including auto and seven presets, but there's no manual white balance setting in the Sony W310. As well as Intelligent Auto and Program modes, the W310 offers a selection of eight scene modes -- High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, and Gourmet -- which offer a modicum of control over the look of images. There's also an intelligent scene mode which can automatically select from a subset of seven scene modes - twilight, twilight portrait, backlight, backlight portrait, landscape, macro and portrait - as appropriate.

The Sony W310 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.5 to 3.0 meters at wide angle, or 1.5 meters at telephto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod.

Images and movies can be recorded on Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo, PRO Duo High Speed, or PRO-HG Duo cards, as well as the more common Secure Digital and Secure Digital High Capacity cards. A nearly useless 6MB of internal memory is also available, enough to capture a handful of test photos should you forget to purchase a flash card along with the camera. The Sony W310 includes NTSC / PAL standard definition video output connectivity, as well as USB 2.0 High Speed data connectivity. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 Infolithium battery pack.

Resolution.	12.40 Mpixel.	Multiplier focus.	n / a.
Maximum image size.	4000x3000.	Top small image size.	640x480.
Type sensors.	CCD.	Sensor size.	1/2.3-inch.
Taken continuously.	0.9 fps.	Light compensation.	-2EV - +2 EV with 1/3EV steps.
Zoom lens.	4X.	Digital zoom.	Yes.
Wide-term.	28 mm.	Tele-term.	112 mm.
Aperture Range Wide.	f3.3 - unknown.	Tele Aperture Range.	f5.8 - unknown.
Mode, Aperture priority.	No.	Mode, Shutter priority.	No.
Auto Focus.	Yes.	Focus แมนวล system.	No.
Peephole under optical million.	No.	Viewing electronic channels.	No.
Term focus.	5 cm.	Macro focus distance.	5 cm.
Light measurement systems.	Centre weighted, Multi-pattern, Spot.	Sensitivity.	auto, 100, 200, 400, 1600, 3200.
Internal flash.	Yes.	External flash.	No.
Flash Mode.	anti red-eye, auto, fill in, off, slow flash.	External flash type.	n / a.
Video shoot.	Yes.	Shoot video with sound.	Yes.
The largest size video.	640x480 Pixels.	Best video size smaller.	320x240 Pixels.
Size LCD.	2.7-inch.	LCD.	Yes.
Resolution LCD.	230,400 Pixels.	White balance.	Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Manual.
The time imaging.	Yes.	USB.	USB 2.0 Hi-Speed.
Shutter speed.	1 - 1 / 2000.	Firewire.	No.
Channels per video.	Yes.	Bluetooth.	No.
Recording.	Yes.	Battery.	Li-Ion.
Support files.	JPEG.	Media.	Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SDHC, Secure Digital.
Weight.	137g.	Size.	95x55x19 mm

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10 digital camera is based around a 1/2.3"-type, 16.2 effective megapixel, backside-illuminated, Sony Exmor R CMOS image sensor with RGB color filter array, coupled to a Sony G-branded 7x optical zoom lens. For 4:3 aspect ratio still images, the Sony WX10's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a useful 24mm wide angle to a generous 168mm telephoto. When shooting 16:9 aspect stills and movies, there's a greater sensor crop, yielding a 26 - 182mm equivalent range. 4:3 aspect movies have an even greater crop, for a 32 - 224mm range. The two-step aperture with an ND filter offers a choice of F2.4 or F7.1 at wide angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is F5.9, and the minimum aperture isn't stated. Autofocusing is possible to just five centimeters at wide angle, or 100 centimeters at telephoto. The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,608 x 3,456 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,608 x 2,592 pixels, or 60 fields-per-second video at 1080i (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) resolution or below with Dolby Digital stereo audio, using AVC HD compression.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot WX10 is a 2.8-inch, ClearPhoto Plus LCD panel with a resolution of 460,800 dots. This display serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, given that the Sony WX10 doesn't feature an optical viewfinder. The Sony DSC-WX10 has a 9-point autofocus system, and includes a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene and differentiating between children and adults. The face detection function is used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling, as well as a blink detection feature. Manual focus is also available, if desired.

The WX10 offers three methods for determining exposures - multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 2 to 1/1,600 second are possible under automatic control, and with manual control, the shutter can be held open for as long as 30 seconds. sensitivities ranging from ISO 100 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The DSC-WX10 also offers Sony's Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, useful for combatting blur caused by camera shake. This includes Sony's Active Mode, available only when shooting video, which allows a greater range of movement for the corrective lens element so as to better correct motion from walking, etc. Nine white balance settings are available, including auto and seven presets, plus a manual white balance setting. There's also a white balance shift function that allows for tweaking of the selected white balance mode. As well as Intelligent Auto, Program, and Manual modes (but no Aperture or Shutter priority modes), the WX10 offers a selection of 14 scene modes -- High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Gourmet, Pet, Soft Skin, Handheld Twilight, Anti Motion Blur, and Backlight Correction HDR -- which together offer a modicum of control over the look of images.

The WX10's Intelligent Sweep Panorama function works similarly to the older Sweep Panorama, in that a series of photographs are captured and stitched automatically by sweeping the lens across the scene, but analyzes frame content when capturing and stitching images, avoiding chopping up larger moving subjects. The function allows automatic creation of 227-, 171-, 156-, or 119-degree panoramas in-camera. In addition, the WX10 also includes Sony's latest 3D Sweep Panorama function, which uses some clever mathematics to recreate a 3D image from a single lens, saving the result as a multi-picture object file that contains two separate JPEG images, one for each eye. The result can be viewed on the latest 3D-capable Sony Bravia displays. 3D Sweep panoramas can cover the same field of view as Intelligent Sweep panoramas, as well as an additional 61-degree option. The Sweep Multi Angle function is only available at 16:9 size, and allows viewing the image with a 3D effect on the camera's 2D LCD display, by changing the display perspective as the camera is rocked from side to side. (The same clever user interface trick is used to cycle backwards or forwards through a group of high-speed burst images).

The Backlight Correction HDR mode is something we've seen in certain of Sony's previous Alpha digital SLRs and Cyber-shot compacts. The camera captures several images with varying exposure, and then automatically combines them into a single image with increased dynamic range. There's also a Background Defocus function, which works by shooting two images with varied focus, the second shot being intentionally somewhat defocused. The two images are compared, and a depth map created by considering areas of significantly differing sharpness in the two frames to be the main subject. This map is then used to blur the background areas, to create an image with a shallow depth-of-field effect reminiscent of those from DSLRs.
The Sony WX10 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.35 to 7.1 meters at wide angle, or 1.0 to 2.9 meters at telephoto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod. Images and movies can be recorded on Secure Digital, SDHC, and the latest SDXC card types. The WX10 is also compatible with Sony's own proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. The Sony WX10 includes composite standard definition and HDMI high definition video output connectivity, as well as USB data connectivity. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 Infolithium battery pack. Information on battery life and internal memory, if any, wasn't available at press time.

Basic Specifications
Resolution:	16.20 Megapixels
Lens:	7.00x zoom (24-168mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	LCD
LCD Size:	2.8 inch
ISO:	125-3200
Shutter:	30-1/1600
Max Aperture:	2.4
Mem Type:	MS Duo / MS PRO Duo / SD / SDHC / SDXC
Battery:	Custom LiIon
Dimensions:	3.7 x 2.1 x 0.9 in. (95 x 54 x 23 mm)
Weight:	5.7 oz (161 g) includes batteries
MSRP:	$280
Availability:	03/2011

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560 digital camera is based around a 1/2.3"-type, 14.1 effective megapixel Sony SuperHAD CCD image sensor with RGB color filter array, coupled to a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded 4x optical zoom lens. For 4:3 aspect-ratio still image shooting, the Sony W560's lens offers a 35mm-equivalent range from a generous 26mm wide angle to a moderate 105mm telephoto, while 16:9 still shooting yields a sensor crop and 28 - 114mm equivalent focal range. For movie shooting, the crop factors are higher, providing an equivalent 30 - 122mm at 16:9 aspect, and 37 - 149mm at 4:3 aspect. The lens has a two-step aperture with ND filter, which offers either F2.7 or F8.0 at wide angle; at telephoto the maximum aperture is F5.7, and the minimum aperture isn't stated. Autofocusing is possible to a minimum of just four centimeters at wide angle, or 60 centimeters at telephoto. The camera can capture 4:3 aspect ratio images at up to 4,320 x 3,240 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio images at up to 4,320 x 2,432 pixels, or 30 frames-per-second MPEG-4 video at 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) resolution or below, with monaural audio.

On the rear panel of the Sony Cyber-shot W560 is a 3.0-inch Clear Photo LCD panel with a resolution of 230,400 dots. This serves as the only method of framing and reviewing images, since the Sony W560 doesn't feature an optical or electronic viewfinder. The Sony DSC-W560 has a 9-point autofocus system, and includes both an AF assist lamp, and a face detection system, capable of detecting up to eight faces in a scene, and of differentiating between child and adult faces. The face detection function is also used to provide a Smile Shutter function that automatically triggers the shutter when your subject is smiling, as well as a blink detection feature. The W560 offers three methods for determining exposures - multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering. Shutter speeds from 1 to 1/1,600 second are possible under automatic control, and sensitivities ranging from ISO 80 to 3,200 equivalents are on offer. 2.0EV of exposure compensation is available, in 1/3 EV steps. The DSC-W560 also offer's Sony's SteadShot optical image stabilization, helping to fight the effects of blur from camera shake.

Nine white balance settings are available, including auto, seven presets, and a manual white balance setting. As well as Intelligent Auto and Program modes, the W560 offers a selection of eleven scene modes -- High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Beach, Snow, Gourmet, Pet, Soft Skin, and Underwater -- which offer a modicum of control over the look of images. The Sony W560 includes a four-mode flash strobe with red-eye reduction capability. Flash range is stated as 0.3 to 3.8 meters at wide angle, or 0.6 to 1.9 meters at telephoto, when using automatic ISO sensitivity. A two- or ten-second self timer allows the photographer to get in the picture themselves, or to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button when shooting on a tripod.

Images and movies can be recorded on Secure Digital, SDHC, and the latest SDXC card types. The W560 is also compatible with Sony's own proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. No information was available at press time regarding internal memory, if included. The Sony W560 includes standard definition and Type-3 component high definition video output connectivity, as well as USB data connectivity. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary NP-BN1 Infolithium battery pack, rated as good for 230 shots on a charge to CIPA testing standards.

The Sony W560 digital camera is available from February 2011, priced at around US$160. Four body colors will be available -- silver, black, red, or blue.

Basic Specifications
Resolution:	14.10 Megapixels
Lens:	4.00x zoom (26-105mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	LCD
LCD Size:	3.0 inch
ISO:	80-3200
Shutter:	2-1/1600
Max Aperture:	2.7
Mem Type:	MS Duo / MS PRO Duo / SD / SDHC
Battery:	Custom LiIon
Dimensions:	3.7 x 2.2 x 0.8 in. (94 x 56 x 19 mm)
Weight:	4.4 oz (126 g) includes batteries
MSRP:	$160
Availability:	02/2011