Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120 Review

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120

As a web publisher, frequent conference speaker, mom, and hobby photographer, I take a lot of pictures. I even studied photography in college for two years. So when I was offered the opportunity to check out the new 7 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot, I jumped all over it.

Let me start out with the Pro’s:

This camera gives a GREAT first impression – it is adorable. I was given a pink one, and my teenage daughter immediately started ‘borrowing’ it before I could get my hands on it. But it also comes in black, silver, and powder blue, so it’s not just a girly camera. The back LCD screen is very large for such a portable camera. And that tiny size is one of the biggest plusses of all – I could fit this camera in my pocket if I had to.

It is also very easy to use – I cracked the user guide only once, but it turns out I didn’t really need to. Settings are intuitive and it gives plenty of options for shooting up close, in low light, in portrait mode, and also has a video setting. It also has some smile-recognition technology so that it knows when to snap the shutter at the right smiling moment (great for kids pictures). That being said, I didn’t use that setting very much because I prefer to have more control over my photos.

And now the Con’s

Like I initially stated, I’m kind of a photo nut. So I pushed this camera to it’s limits – and found those limits sooner than I wanted to. I also compared results to my way-more-expensive Fuji camera, which was completely unfair, because these two cameras are apples and oranges.

The biggest drawback I found was that the auto-focus feature left a lot to be desired. It held up well in the middle of bright, sunny days. I’d even say the image quality rivaled my Fuji in bright light. But even as the sun was getting low in the sky, pictures were blurry. It also had a hard time figuring out what to focus on sometimes, even when my camera subject was smack-dab in the middle of the frame.

My other complaint was that any photo taken in less than bright mid-day light was also very grainy when you tried to blow up the photos (viewing or printing). That’s where my camera “elitism” turned me off.

Who would this camera be good for?

If you are picky about photo quality, need a reliable focusing mechanism, or need to professionally reproduce your images, the Cyber-shot DSC-W120 isn’t your camera (unless all of your shots take place between 10:00am and 2:00pm).

But I could have given this camera away to readers, and I can’t bear to part with it – here’s why:

1 – This camera really is IDEAL for my teenage daughter. She LOVES this thing, doesn’t care about my picky photo quality quirks, and was able to use it immediately without any help or instruction. In fact, from now on, the camera will be hers and I will “borrow it back” from time to time. She is ecstatic.

2 – There are times when I don’t want to risk bringing my big expensive camera to places (sandy beaches, swimming pools, etc.). I’m completely willing to sacrifice quality for the peace of mind I get knowing I will still get fairly decent pictures and my expensive equipment is safe at home.

3 – For web publishing, 7 megapixels is completely overkill. Even 800×600 photographs need to be reduced in size. So this camera has come in handy to take quick shots when I don’t need the high-resolution power of 7 megapixels.

Disclosure :: Sony provided this camera to me for free with the request to review their product. They also encouraged me to write a fully honest review, which I have done (as you can tell!). Sony did not pay any money for this review and did not receive anything in return from me or my company for taking the time to review their product.