Sony DSC-W150: Continuing to improve

  When I first started playing with this I instantly fell in love with this digital camera. The two reasons to buy this camera in my opinion is first image stabilization. The images actually could handle a little movement from my hands. More on that later. The second reason is the sweet lens. I was able to take pictures in darker areas much more easily than I have with any other digital camera I own or played with. In a way it felt like I was playing with my Nikon F100 more than my little Sony (almost like I should say). But a perfect camera? No, but definitely a great camera digital camera for a purse or a large pocket.


I will never buy another camera without this feature. It makes the pictures better by reducing the movement factor (a big deal with a small camera and no tripod) and the feature really works. But it is not perfect. My 11 year old camcorder actually does a better job at it so there is room for improvement. So if you are zooming in while on a tram, the image stabilization will do nothing for you. But if you are perfectly still while zooming, then you will see a difference in your photo quality. Plus it lets you take better photos on slower moving objects without having to increase shutter speed.


I personally am not all the wild about touch screens. I guess I just like the feel of buttons. Plus I appreciate not paying the extra price for one. I needn't worry, this does not have a touch screen. Just your typical cross key like formula. In lieu of an intuitive touch screen, they decided to thoroughly describe all of the functions and selections on the camera. You do not need a manual, just change the setting and a little window will tell you what that setting does. You don't have to be a genius any more. Whoo hoo.


One thing I do not like about any of these styles of cameras is the lack of control of the aperture and shutter speed. You can get it on an SLR in an easy format, but it is still difficult to control this particular camera manually. This camera falls into that category and does not allow me the control I have come to lose in SLR's. The ISO gives you is 50 to 3200 which can give the user some freedom to play with lighting, so they are making some improvements in that area.


The shutter button does have two pressure points, which is a must for any camera. I am able to focus and setting aperture on one object then press the shutter button half way. Now that locks in those settings so now I can move the camera around and take a picture of something else. For example, I can take a reading on an apple in the center of my viewfinder, hold down the button half way to lock, and move the picture so the apple is now in the bottom corner. Nothing else in the picture will be perfectly in focus (or perfectly exposed) except the apple. So now you can do cool things with having certain object in focus and others out of focus anywhere in the picture that you want. I have this feature on my Nikon F100 and I am able to take pictures of things more easily even with backlight in the scene. You can get some really cool subject centered photos by taking advantage of aperture changes in the camera itself. Just gives you more options and less hassle to get the perfect shot.


This is an 8.1 megapixel camera, so expect to be able to make a descent 11x14 from this camera. My opinion is you get too much pixilation if you blow it up much further. It has a Carl Zeiss Vario-tessar lens. They had this imprinted on it.
3,3-5,2/5,0-2.5,0
If that is of value to you, great. But the thing I did notice from the lens is that it is larger than my Sony S500, which is the reason why I think is one reason it was able to handle itself so well in the dark. It is important to note the smaller lens do not work as well as bigger ones. So get the physically bigger lens if you are comparing models. Digital photography cannot change the laws of physics or the dynamics of light.
The lens is a 5x optical zoom. The macro qualities are sweet. Not as good as a lens for my SLR, but better than other cameras I owned. You'll have no problem taking pictures of normal flowers and similar sized objects.


Ergonomics are pretty typical for this style of camera. It is still a little bit too small for larger hands (minor gripe). But the buttons are intuitive if you've operated a digital camera before. There is the zoom lever that moves left or right up top (right handed of course). The cross key is a round button that moves you through menus. During certain settings it can control flash, timer, and other features. You also have a menu, home, recent picture button, and slide show button. The buttons are controlled by the right thumb as well. As mentioned above, it does not have a touch screen.


The photo speed of the camera is fairly slow in today's world. I got 2 shots a second, so this would be a poor camera to use in a fast action sports game. But on the plus side the wait time between button press and photo shot is a bit better than older digital cameras. All tests are done at the highest quality setting of course. Video works but quality is pretty poor.


You have several photo quality settings besides the 8.1, but one I found cool is the 16:9 ratio picture. It only operates at 6megapixels (so less quality) but a cool feature to have if you find the right shot. The pictures are about 1/3 the size (MB.)


At the highest quality, you can expect to get 200 shots with a 1 gigabyte memory stick. It only accepts the newer, shorter memory sticks. The camera displays how many photos you have left, cool little feature.


I'm not quite sure how to describe the photos. They're good. I don't see any abnormalities. No preference towards a color, so color is realistic. The exposure was not over or under exposed too much. Exposure was definitely a factor of the setting and where I had the camera. I did notice that back lighting did influence exposure of some of the pictures. When I set the camera to ISO 3200, the picture was VERY grainy. But it did the trick if you are in a dark environment. So just like real film, you will get grainier pictures if you change the ISO.


It has your typical camcorder mode that takes video at a lower quality. It seems to be 640x480 and a 12 minute clip will be about 1 gigabyte.


The wheel on the back has these photo setting modes available. Pretty typical setup.
-Easy shooting-Allows easy shooting with easy to see indicaters
-ISO-High sensitivity
-Smile shutter- shutter goes when it detects a smile.
-Soft Snap- shoots with softer atmosphere
-Landscape- focuses on distant subjects
-Twilight portrait- images of people in dark places without losing nighttime atmosphere.
-SCN- scene select (twilight, beach, snow, fireworks, underwater) Better have underwater casing if you like swimming.
-Movie mode (@640)
-P- Program Auto
-Auto adjust


There is your typical slide show option with transitions and effects added in. So add this with the output cable and you can watch a camera generated slide show (via composite cables) on your television. Component cable is extra. Complete with music if you wish. You have a usb cable (same cable as a/v), but I download the files directly from my memory stick via my Sony MSAC-US40 Card Reader. I just find it easier and I don't have to install any of Sony's software to slow down my computer. Btw, the software does work with Mac.
The pictures undergo auto orientation, a very nice feature.


The battery is a 3.6 volt lithium ion battery rated at 960mAh. Charging time from 270 minutes to 330 minutes with the supplied charger. They estimate that the life of the battery is 200 minutes or 400 images. The thing that sucks is you can't use rechargeable AA batteries, so if it is a long day of shooting then you will need a second battery.


There is a typical tripod mount on the bottom. Flash is built in. Built in speaker. Built in microphone.


What it comes with.
Battery charger.
Rechargable battery (Lithium Ion type G)
USB, A/V cable multi use terminal (composite cable is extra)
CD Rom (win 2000, xp, vista, macos 9.1&.9.2/ Mac OS x 10.1 to 10.5
Typical wrist strap.
15MB internal memory.


Weight and dimensions
Weight: 6.25 oz (with battery and card)
Depth: 1 inch
Width: 3 11/16th inch
Height: 2.25 inches
Lens: 9/16 inch


Other Sony reviews.
Sony MSAC-US40 Card Reader
Sony Bravia 46 inch flat screen television
Sony 34 inch WEGA television
Sony Cyber shot DSC-S500 Digital camera