Sony Cybershot DSCW170/B 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot (Black)

I am not a professional photographer but I enjoy taking pictures.This camera lets me do just that.I find myself looking for things to photograph as I'm driving or walking..some times it's very annoying because it's a little hard to turn that, "lookin for shots", off.It's like ,if I said to you DON'T think of the color Blue!The camera is easy to carry,so I take it everywhere.The batteries have not run out on me yet,but I do recharge it every night.I think the video it takes is really good but not as good a camcorder.So camcorder=9.5/10 and Sony DSC-W170=8.5/10.Also,erasing a shot you just took and did not like is fairly easy, but yet, just difficult enough that you won't erase by mistake.There are a lot of "practical" features to this camera,some I've discovered just playing with the camera.But some you must read the user manual.The camera also has a "Users Handbook" which I feel is better than the Owners Manual but they both have very useful information for the camera.I really like taking a picture,seeing it immediately,and knowing if its a keeper,or,I need to take it again.Result...you have a camera full of pictures you want and no bloopers.Next..upload to a computer or printer for hard copy pictures or e-mail to whomever you wish!One last comment!Another reason I purchased this camera was the combo of 28mm"Zeiss"lens with 5x OPTICAL Zoom.Together they make a fine combination for taking great photos and you don't have too be a genius.I hope you will enjoy this camera as much as I do!Well,as they say..It just does'nt get any better.If you buy it,they will come...beautiful pictures that is!

This Camera Was Well Planed When They Designed It. There Are Way Too Many Features To List. You Can Take Pictures From Low Res All The Way Up To 16:9 Wide Screen capability And Huge Size Files and Ultra high resolution. Get The 8 Gig Mark II Chip And You can Get Almost 4000 Picture @ Over 3 Meg A Piece. The Quality Of The Pictures And The Size of The Camera Will Astound You And It fits In The Palm Of Your Hand. The Stibility Control Can Take A Picture Even If You Have A Condition That Wont Allow You Hands From Shaking. Also The Camera Has 10.1 Mega Pixels. Great Product At A Great Price What More Can I Say!!!!!

The camera works fine, but is it any better than the several dozen competitors in this price range? Is it so much better that customers should have to put up with the Sony proprietary memory card and USB cables? My daughter promptly lost the cable....no biggie, surely one of our other dozen USB cables we have here would work....only took a moment to see that the camera connector is totally unique and no where near any kind of industry standard. And Sony wants $35+ for a replacement cable. Best deal here on Amazon is $20. All other USB cables (standard connectors) are way less than $15. and of course, can't just pop out the memory card and plug it into my laptop reader....nope, it's proprietary as well. gee, thanx for that.Why does Sony insist on steadfastly refusing to use any industry standards? Makes ya think that maybe the Sony engineers and management are still a bit miffed at loosing the Beta/VHS battles back in the 80's.....come on Sony - get over it and quit taking your customers for a ride with your proprietary, but no better than any other manufacturer's, connectors and memory cards.Because of Sony's obvious arrogance and contempt for their customers, I will never buy another Sony product, nor recommend one.

I agree with the "poor image quality" review and would add the following comment: The camera appears to optimize speed of the shot with available light by summing pixels together, hence the objectionable softening of the image. It's trading off the blurring of a slow shutter with the blurring from putting pixels together to get enough light.The camera also gives you some control of the processing through the "Program Auto" mode, where you have access to settings like ISO (film speed). When I switch from Auto Adjustment to Program Auto and set the film speed to 80, which forces the camera NOT to sum pixels (much), the resolution of the image is quite visibly improved. Because I've slowed the camera down, though, using this setting frequently requires a tripod. I get acceptably sharp images in natural light when using ISO 80, and if necessary can experiment with turning off other corrections like the Dynamic Range Optimizer.With all that said, I got this camera for snapshots and for that purpose it cannot be beat. Yes the softening of the pictures gets worse in low light (pixel summing again) but the camera gets good pictures in ridiculously low-light situations. I have found virtually no situation in which I could not get the shot, in natural light, no matter how little of that there is.The camera is pocketable, slim, lightweight, and that automatic optimizing means it's always good for the shot. For those reasons, this is the camera I use.One objection: mine has an annoying habit of spontaneously switching modes (display mode back to camera mode, or auto to easy and then back). It's intermittent -- it comes and goes. It has not yet stopped me from getting a shot, just a nuisance. Don't know if it's in the design or just a problem with my camera.