Taking great pictures is easier than ever with the DSC-W290 Cyber-shot digital camera. The iAuto mode adjusts the settings for you based on your surroundings, so all you have to do is press a button to capture shots with the right amount of light and beautiful clarity. And with the ingenious Face Detection mode, faces in your photos will look more realistic with natural skin tones and sharp details. Tired of blurry photos? Optical SteadyShot image stabilization minimizes blur for better results. You can also connect your camera to a compatible HDTV and show off your shots on the big screen in high definition.
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star No zoom while recording kills it
I don’t care how great the quality or photos are, not being able to zoom while recording is a big problem. I’m very disappointed Sony decided to take this route because I have Sony digital cameras from 2004 that allowed you to zoom while recording so I do not understand why they took this huge step backward. I’ve sold my camera for this reason and told people to stay away. All the Kodaks that have been doing HD video since 2007 have been able to use full zoom while recording.
5 Stars Excellent feature packed smart camera
The DSC-W290 is a amazing little camera. Its feature packed and easy to use.To be honest, I needed a camera just to point and shoot and take excellent pictures whether day or night. The DSC-W290 fits the bill perfectly with its Intelligent mode which identifies all different shooting modes and environments automatically, day or night and adjusts appropriately. The LCD screen at the back is large and clear. The picture quality is amazing with crisp pictures and life-like rich colors. Even more amazing is the high-def video in 780i, total treat to watch on the big screen. The shoot-when-smiling mode actually works great too.
Another little thing – On the second day I bought the camera, I dropped it while it was still turned on. It fell hard, lens first on a rock and went bouncing. The impact bent the cylinder holding the lens. Once retracted it was stuck for good with the motor whirring trying to extend out the lens anytime I turned it on. It also suffered some dings and scratches. Even though it was my fault and the warranty was void as it was an accident, Sony service center repaired it for free and shipped it back within a week. I have to commend Sony on the quality and timeliness of the service provided. The camera worked like new and I couldn’t be happier with this product and Sony’s service.
Cons – The battery life is just around an hour or probably less when you are in video mode quite a bit. But you should be able to get a replacement battery for about $15. There is no zoom while in video mode.
A good add-on would be a 8Gb Sandisk memory card and a replacement battery to extend your shooting experience.
1 Star Sony DSC-W290 Nice camera But dont expect miracle
I had this camera for 10 days and i tried many (if not all)of its features. The way sony corp. advertise about this camera, i expect this camera take better than average photos. I have a 4-5 years sony DSC-W1(5 MP) and the pictures that my old camera takes are much better than DSC-W290. you see, i dont care about smile or face detector. What i really care is a camera that take an excellent picture then the gadgets comes in second. If you are thinking, you are getting the best compact camera, then dont even bother to buy this one. Big Disappointment. After 40 years buying sony product, i think i should switch to Samsung TL225 or Samsung CL65 or even Nikon and Casio EX-H10 panasonic DMC-ZS3.. That is sad. It’s hard to switch but i should go with fact not feeling.
4 Stars Great But No Viewfinder
Image display is fine, but I prefer a viewfinder to compose my shots. Sony has decided to eliminate the veiw finder, perhaps because amateurs like to hold the camera in front of them and check the display to see what they will get from the shot. Am I getting old school?
3 Stars Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 – Good picture quality – No Good Moving object pics
Has very good pic quality and extremely easy to use.
It is not capturing moving objects pics. I tried the Int’ mode and Easy mode.
Other feature are very good.
