09Sep sony dscw80

Great outdoor camera, terrible indoors!
I bought this camera May 2008 after my previous Sony W1 was stolen. I needed a replacement quickly so I didn't do any research or read online reviews. (I had owned 2 previous Sony cameras, so I was confident I would get a good product.) I was a little skeptical about the smaller compact size, but on the first day I owned it I walked outside and took a few shots of my landscape (very colorful, as I have lots of flowers) and I was pleased. Kept it the rest of the summer, taking mostly outdoor (poolside & landscape shots). I also fell in love with it's small size, making it a dream to carry in a pocket or purse. I found a small zipper cover at Staples that fits it's perfectly (for only , compared to Sony's soft-case). It wasn't until we had a family gathering in the fall that I realized the down-side of this camera. Most of the indoor pictures are grainy & just not very crisp. The camera struggles in lower light conditions, even in a moderately lit room. If a flash is used, faces look white & washed out and eyes are always red. Of course, editing eyes is always an option, but this gets old when you have to edit every single indoor photo you take. However, I'm still a fan of Sony cameras, so I'm trading this one for a more expensive model. I'm hoping the DSC-H10 or H50 will make he a happier camper! Again, if you just need to take outdoor shots, like on your job or something, this is a fantastic camera. If you need good clear pics of people indoors (like weddings, dinners, parties, etc) DON'T count on this one.

Do not buy this Camera
I got this camera last year to replace my Canon SD10 which i loved and i still love becasue it works better than this new DSC-W80. It takes blurry pictures, shutter is too slow and its just a piece of junk. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone! and trust me there is no operator error, i owned many cameras and i know how to take a picture.

Overall, disappointed
My wife bought this camera about 10 months ago, in (long advance) preparation for a trip this winter. She has been using a Nikon Coolpix 8700 that she's very pleased with, but wanted something pocketable. She has some balance issues, so the "Steady Shot" image stabilization was attractive. After reading reviews in a leading consumer publication, she bought the DSC-W80.

Positives: Outdoors, it does very well. Colors are warm and true. The image stabilization works well (I have a mild hand tremor, so I'm a good tester...) Sharpness is acceptable.

Negatives: Indoors, not so hot. As has been posted elswhere, when the camera is faced with dim illumination, the in-camera processing creates a lot of noise, which obliterates most detail in the images. The flash is feeble, and somewhat slow to fire. It commonly produces a "hot spot" in the center of the image, rather than even lighting. The menu system is much less intuitive than on the Nikons we both have, or on some of the Canons I've been looking at. One of the strangest things I have run into is that you can set the size of the captured file (i.e. number of MP), but not the display resolution. For example, a 7MP image comes up on screen as a 72 px/inch, 42.67 X 32 inch image. If you bring that image up on screen in Photoshop, and zoom in to 100%, you're looking at an oddly pixelated image for what should be your highest quality setting. The only cure I've found for on-screen viewing is to run it through Photoshop and resize it both by size and by pixels/inch. Now maybe that's just a Sony oddity that has only stymied me, but I thought it was worth putting out there. Hopefully this is useful information for you.

An outstanding pocket camera
I bought the Sony DSC-W80 on clearance from Compusa 9 months ago. I had went in hoping to score a Canon SD-1000, but the DSC-W80 was on of the alternates I was considering and the price was right. Right after I bought, I found out my sister in law went into labor and my niece was going to be born that evening. Needless to say the camera got a work out right then. First off, in low light situations, especially without the flash, the images will get really grainy. My understanding is that this is because to make these cameras so small, the photosensor is very small as well, which means it won't work as well in a low light environment, if this concerns you, step up to a slightly large point and shoot digital camera, it won't be pocket sized, but you'll get better low light images.

I was able to get great photo's and videos of my nieces birth with a 1gb memory stick installed, but I did notice the low light issue, again, that's the trade off for a camera this small, so I can live with it. Since then, I carry this camera with me all of the time, and it works great, I can usually get by with charging the battery once a week, and downloading the photos off at the same time. The thing takes outstanding photo's, I use it at the highest resolution for photo's and they are very sharp. When I'm shooting movies, I use standard quality, and get a decent balance between image quality and file size, the built in mike does a remarkable job picking up audio while shooting videos.

Considering this camera was my second choice it has been a welcome surprise that has done a remarkably good job as a constant carry camera. Now I just need a DSLR....

Another Great Sony Digital Camera!
I've had this camera for a year, and all I can say is WOW. This is my third Sony digital camera, and I have never been disappointed with any of them. If you're an amatuer photographer, just looking for something to take pictures for the web, or you want to get good family shots, this is a fantastic little workhorse at a price that will fit almost any budget.

My biggest reason for loving this camera is the double anti-blur technology. The drawback of these newer, lighter cameras is that they are more diffcult to hold steady, and I have always had trouble getting a good, clear shot without shaking a bit anyway. How many times have you taken a dozen shots of the same thing in the hopes of getting one decent, clear picture? You'll never have to take more than one shot again with this camera-- you get crystal clear results *every single time*, even if you purposely wave it around. The 7.1 megapixel images are MORE than plenty to get great printed images (and the video is nothing to sneeze at either!).

Don't be thrown off by images of the camera itself. It's actually very small and lightweight. The battery lasts a long time, but takes a long time to charge (one of my only complaints), and you can get a single memory stick PRO duo in a 1 or 2 gig size at a low price, which will hold LOTS of pictures. I do wish it took a standard SD card. That, and the long battery charging time make this a four star product instead of five for me.

If you're shopping for a digital camera, this is a great choice even though it's been out for at least over a year. However, be sure you also check out the updated model, Sony Cybershot DSCW150 8.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot (Silver), and compare the features. Overall I still highly recommend this camera!