Digital cameras are getting cheaper, smaller and work better than ever. My cousin picked up the 7.2-Megapixel Sony DSC-W70 for Rs 10500 from Alfa(Mumbai) a few months back. Not only does this camera look cool, it works well too.
What Is Sony DSC-W70?
The Sony DSC-W70 is a 7.2-Megapixel compact digital camera with 3x optical zoom(38-114 mm equivalent) and 2x digital zoom(combined 6x), Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar f/2.8-f/5.2 lens, attractive brushed metal case, 2.5-inch LCD screen and an optical viewfinder powered by a compact rechargeable Li-ion battery that lasts over 350 shots. The camera comes with 58 MB of built-in memory and accepts Memory Stick Duo. The camera includes USB 2.0 interface, VGA movie mode and includes manual focus.
Getting Started
I was pleasantly surprised by the camera’s size, weight and solid tactile feel of its controls. Once the battery was charged, I was ready to shoot using the camera’s built-in memory. The camera is very easy to use, although I have to mention that I find Sony menus not very convenient to navigate. They are easy to use but not very fast to use. The mode wheel is a welcome touch and works well and the Canon-like menu selection control/disk is stylish and works well.
Usage
The zoom control and the shutter release buttons also seem to be copied from Canon and it is a good thing. The top deck power button turns the camera on or off fast, in under two seconds. The camera is fast in use, including zooming, autofocus and shutter lag. The shutter lag is virtually nonexistent, the autofocus takes well under a second. I can take pictures at an interval of about a second with no flash or 4-6 seconds with flash(depending on battery charge and flash intensity). The camera is convenient to hold, despite its small size. The controls are within easy reach and their tactile response is good.
Lens
The camera has a versatile lens with 3x optical zoom that can be combined with 2x digital zoom to achieve total 6x. The optical zoom range is 38-114 mm in 35-mm equivalent, which is good on telephoto side, but I would wish more of the wide angle. Most cameras of this class start at 35mm and Panasonic ones even at 28mm, which I consider ideal for indoor photos or panorama photos when traveling. Sony’s Smart Zoom feature lets you magnify your subject beyond the 3x optical zoom - to 3.6x(5MP), 4.5x(3MP), even 14x(VGA) by intelligently cropping into the central portion of the scene, it avoids the image distortion of other digital zooms.
The aperture range is adequate and the shutter goes down to 1/1000 sec. I wish it went down to 1/2000 or at least 1/1600 - 1/1000 may be too long for some situations with too much light, e.g. bright day in the afternoon.
Battery
The camera uses a compact proprietary rechargeable Li-Ion battery NP-BG1(3.6V, 950 mAh) that looks like a cell phone battery and lasts over 250 shots(I took more than 200 photos on the current charge already) with partial flash use.
Pocketability
The camera fits in a small pocket or purse with ease.
Focusing
The camera focuses fast and has a very bright focus-assist light that lets it focus well in the dark at moderate to short distances.
Picture Quality
I pay a lot of attention to picture quality and the W70 is great in this regard, with some minor exceptions. The colors are great, the images sharp and the noise generally low. Higher sensitivity modes features more noise and less detail, but ISO 800-100 are still usable for 6x4 prints. The colors are pleasant if slightly oversaturated, but most photos have warm cast by default. The sharpness is high, but the sharpness decreases and noise grows starting around ISO 200-400. I would say ISO 400 is good up to 8x10 prints(full 7.2-Megapixel resolution), higher ISO up to 4x6 only which is still pretty good. The white balance is good, but incandescent light causes the photos to turn to warm, unless you adjust the white balance by switching it from Auto.
Flash
The flash has moderate power and is adequate at moderate distances. Telephoto shots with flash may require higher ISO usage. There is a small amount of red eye, even if you use the red eye reduction flash mode, but it is not excessive.
LCD
The 2.5-inch LCD works very well in sunlight or dim light, but it has relatively low resolution of 115K pixels. It lets you see the composition and icons/information, but it is difficult to confirm manual focus using it.
Viewfinder
Viewfinder is slightly tight, but usable when you have to use a viewfinder.
Memory
Although the camera has 58 MB of built-in memory, that will only be sufficient for checking if the camera works. You will have to get a Memory Stick Duo(I suggest at least 512 MB, preferably 1 GB). Although it is a Sony-proprietary memory type, fortunately they got much cheaper lately.
Movie Mode
It can record good-looking VGA-resolution, 30fps MPEG-1 movies that play in Windows Media Player or QuickTime; they look better running at 320x240, however. The camera’s movie mode is adequate but not exceptional. It has a microphone and a speaker.
Alternatives
I suggest to check out the following alternatives: Canon SD600, SD700 IS, Panasonic FX50(optical image stabilization, wide angle), FX3 and other cameras of Panasonic FX line.
Bottom Line
I highly recommend this cool-looking and capable camera. Compact and stylish, it performs well, does not cost a fortune and has great battery life. I only wish for wide angle lens.
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