I agree with the two main reviewers that give this camera high marks. This is my first digital camera, and I have been nothing but pleased with its use. I am not a photo guy, nor do I want to be one, but I did want a camera that would fulfill all the needs that a family with three kids, and their school plays, and their sports events, and their silly moments, etc. could find. I've not been disappointed. Many reviewers of cameras seem to think that if you can't photograph, on the one hand, Saturn's rings; and, on the other hand, warts on a flea's butt, then there is something to complain about. This camera does far more than I'll ever need, and the menus are very easy to utilize. I should also add that I've never read the manual, so that tells you just how intuitive this camera is. I bought it, because after reading several reviews in respected computer magazines it seemed the best camera for the money. After six months of use, I've seen no evidence to falsify that position.

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I love this camera! I have been wanting a good camera for a while now, but one that has all the features i need...This one really works, and I've never had a problem with it!

Don't buy this stupid camera, it's totally sucks software as well as it poor un-respectful customer service. If you're looking for a replacement of sony. I'd strongly recommend Canon PowerShot SD400 5.0MP. It really much better than Sony DSC_W1 with its 9 point auto focus while Sony only has 5 points auto focus. It's much lighter, compact and better quality than Sony.

I have never owned a digital camera before but own 2 quality 35 mm a full size & a pocket size. As I was soon to become a first time Grandmother I decided I needed a digital camera to E mail those pictures around the world. I bought this camera on a Monday & lo & behold my new Grandson arrived on Thursday of that week. Obviously I did not have much experience with this camera at all. The pictures came out beautiful. It is so fast to start up & very fast in between shots. I love how easy it is to look back at your last shot. With the birth of a baby you don't have a lot of time to reshoot if you didn't get the shot. We have taken quite a few with no flash when the baby is awake & found it very steady & the pictures came out great. I love the ease of changing the picture after you've taken it right on the camera to make it a close up. Plus, it keeps the original picture you took. I was nervous about transferring them to my PC. It was my first attempt and I was afraid of losing such priceless pictures. With windows XP all I did was plug the cable into the camera & into the PC & it was done in a couple of minutes. No software needed! I can't say how impressed I am with this camera. I also love the larger viewing screen. For an older person it's a fantasic feature. The fact that you can use 2AA batteries in a pinch instead of rechargables is also a plus. I'm glad I spent a month researching different digital cameras. I believe I made a great choice. I hope my review might save some one else all that time. Also worth mentioning is the rechargable batteries were used for 16 hours the day the baby was born. 114 pictures (on a 256 memory stick) and with family members flipping through the pictures taken so far, all day long. Everyone enjoyed how big the viewing screen is to see the pictures right away. Thank you Sony!

I purchased the Sony W1 5 MP camera about a month ago because numerous photography websites rate it highly for photo quality and battery life, which is a big concern for me as I hike and camp and backpack, and frequently don't have access to the electricity I would need to recharge batteries. I have been pleased with the quality of the photos and I find the camera quite easy to use. However, I am terribly disappointed with the battery life. I first tried using the camera with standard AA's and the batteries ran down after about 20 minutes and 20 photos. Since then I have been using rechargable batteries. I find that they last maybe the duration of a 10 mile hike, with 50 photos.

I do use the zoom a lot, so that must be eating up batteries. However, the reviews that I have read about digital cameras didn't begin to prepare me for the huge difference between the battery life of film and digital cameras. If I were to take this camera on a week-long trip, where I didn't have access to electricity every night, I feel that I would need to pack at least 6 fully charged pairs of batteries to be sure that I wouldn't run out. This just doesn't work for people who hike and camp and backpack. So for people out there like me, who use their cameras when travelling, not just for taking pictures of the family at home, I would not recommend this camera, or possibly any digital camera at this point, as the Sony W1 is one of the highest rated cameras for battery life available right now. I wish someone had given me this warning before I dropped $400 on a digital camera.

A bargain 5.0 mp camera. I would never buy anything other than a Sony camera and this was too sweet a deal to pass up on. I got it for $250.00. It real easy to use, the batteries last a long time before needing to recharge. Lots of great features, I'm still learning to use, takes excellent color photos. and the LCD screen is pretty big so you can get a good preview of what the photos look like before you save them.

If you are just an amateur photographer that is either finally switching from analog to digital or just want a decent camera to take on family vacations or school projects, this is a great camera. It is small, lightweight, and does just about anything you could possibly need it to do. It won't take pictures of hummingbirds feeding across a forest bed, but it will take a decent photo of the grand canyon. The quality of the 3x optical zoom is really good, but the picture is sacrificed slightly as you try to artifically enhance it with the digital zoom. The battery life is good enough to take on extended trips from your hotel or on a hike without having to carry around a charger or spare batteries. If you plan on taking lots of high quality large photos, you will need to get a larger memory stick (64 MB will work, 128 MB even better), but the memory stick it comes with will be enough to photograph your child's birthday party as long as you download the photos onto your computer afterwards. At 5 MegaPixels, this camera will pick up hairs on a persons head and it will even be able to define a flea in the hair. 5 MP is enough to make clear 8x10 prints. There are 6+ MegaPixel cameras out there, but at the consumer level there is really no point in spending the money on one (7.2 MP won't come in handy unless you are making 15x20 prints or are a student taking pictures through a microscope or a telescope--it is more of a prosumer level) All around, while Sony's camera lenses may not compare with Canon or Olympus, Sony makes up for it with their superior knowledge of how to make a great consumer digital device and turn it into a decent digital camera. It is a great value for the price.

I don't write a lot of reviews. But after using the DSC-W1 for the past six months in all types of conditions and saving a bundle on 35mm film development, I had to add to the rave reviews.

The best feature of this camera is the huge display. How many times have you tried other people's cameras with the little display and had to squint to make sure you're getting the picture you wanted?

The only minor issue I've had is an occasional blurred picture. This usually happens if my hand moves while shooting or the person/object in the picture is moving very fast. But this only happens in 1 out of 50 shots or so...

Our digital family pictures come out better than the 35mm ever did. I highly recommend the DSC-W1!

I have been using the DSCW1 for about 8 months. This is my first experience with a digital camera, and although I will be looking for a light SLR at some point, this camera has exceeded my expectations for a point and shoot.
I wanted to address two complaints that I see in other reviews. The first is that the picture isn't sharp, I compared some of my images with those from my wife's 4 Mpixel Olympus, shooting the same subject at the same time. I think the images from the Sony are sharper. The second complaint in another review is that the macro doesn't focus close enough. I get clear photos to around 2 1/2 inches as the specs promise. You need to use spot focusing and be very careful that it focuses on what you want to be clear. I think that an SLR is indicated if you are looking for better close-ups.
The one thing I'm disappointed in is very high contrast scenes. I don't know if this is peculiar to this camera or goes with digital photography. I take lots of pictures in the Colorado Rockies, and I get excessive contrast on the scenes with the dark green forests in the foreground and snow covered peaks in the background. There is a low contrast setting that helps, but not enough.

This nice camera is my third digital. I learned early on that a camera that takes AA batteries is a must. nothing worse than trying to take an excellent shot and find the battery is down and you don't have an extra obscure rechargeable on hand, or if you did, it lost it's charge while not being used. It's easy to buy and carry some lithium AA's for backup. They store for long periods without losing their charge.

The Zeiss lense is a very nice touch. My first camera was an Olympus and it got a scratch on the lense while driving in some rough country. The lense cap kept falling off. My own fault, but the lense seems to be plastic or have some phoney coating on it. Olympus wanted $200 to replace the lense. The nice thing was that it had a remote for the shutter, but it had digital zoom at full zoom and doesn't compare with the clarity of the Sony at full zoom.

I recently took some pics at full zoom, of skydivers, some just before they touched down and all the pics were very clear with no observable blurr. This camera has good battery life too. I am most pleased with this camera.

This fragile little camera is not built to last.

After 9 months of light use, the plastic latches on the interior of the battery compartment door broke. Sony refused to honor warranty and wanted $175 to fix it.

The camera is not robust enough even for moderate use. Sony customer service is a joke.

I read the reviews for this camera in several places online before purchase. I have to say I am quite disappointed. Two out of three images are blurry no matter what and in low light conditions that jumps to five out of six or worse. I have tried every setting, spoken with Sony support, and the only way to get a clear picture is to use a tripod with the timer. When it does take a clear picture they are very nice, you can see a lot of detail and the color rendering is quite good. But what is the point. I have to take several pictures of everything and even then I might not get a clear one. Also, the memory stick that comes with it will not support the highest video resolution - you need a memory stick pro for that. The next time I buy a digital camera I am getting one with image stabilization. What a waste of money.

This camera will take amazing pictures, and the 2.5 inch LCD is quite impressive.
However, I definately would not buy it again.
After 13 months of having the dscw1, it malfunctioned beyond personal repair, and Sony customer service is a joke.
The warrenty ran out a month ago. And sony wants $171 to fix a camera that I paid $350 for.
I am quite upset with the situation, but there's not much that I can do. Just take my advice, and go don't buy this camera; it was not meant to last.

After researching an affordable, good-quality digital camera for months, I bought the Sony DSCW1. I have had this camera for 7 months, and though I do not know about its durability, (I see reviews against it) I absolutely love it. It takes beautiful shots, has a short recovery time, and is user-friendly. The larger-than-usual screen is awesome! I recommend this camera to everyone. :)

I have had my Sony DSCW1 for almost a year now and I think it is great. It takes amazing pictures and is small enough to fit in a pocket. I bought the hardsided carrying case, which has saved the day countless times. I have taken the camera to many different cities and events. I can't tell you how frequently people have commented that my pictures are significantly better than theirs no matter what type of camera they have. I spent a large amount of time researching cameras before buying this one. The large screen, easy use, and wonderful pictures make it a must buy.

My only complaint is pictures look rather grainy in low lighting. The problem can often be solved by using a slave flash, or editting on photo software.

I have read other reviews that claim Sony will not honor its warranty. This is simply not the case. I recently had to send my camera in for repairs. Not only was customer service friendly, efficient, and helpful, but my camera was back to me, good as new, within 2 weeks. I paid NOTHING except the shipping to the repair company.

I have been so happy with this camera that my sister is getting one for christmas this year!

I've had my camera for almost and year and I will admit I have not even looked at the manual. My husband encouraged me to buy this camera because he was issued one by his employer and we could share information and some things like memory sticks etc.

My biggest gripe about the camera is the delay in taking some pictures. It's mostly an indoor problem. In low lighting situations it has over a 4 second delay. With three year olds that's too long! I miss my shot almost 70% of the time! Sometimes it takes so long I'll move the camera to see if it's on or in the right selection and then the camera goes off taking a blurred picture of the ceiling. Other people who have used my camera had the same problem.

I can't make comments about the picture quality because I'm really behind in printing my pictures.

I am glad to see the other reviews that note that this camera gives blurry or fuzzy results. The only time I can guarantee a clear shot is when I'm outside in good daylight and even then I get some blurry ones. We bought this camera a year ago to replace our Sony 3.1 that we bought in 2000 because that one had such a huge delay. I can't afford the delay with my small children or I would dust the old one off because it was so much better. I have had to delete so many really cute shots of my children because they are too blurry to develop. Do not buy this camera for any reason.

I just love this little camera - the look, feel, and quality! While not a "professional" grade camera, it takes excellent digital photos up to 5.1 megapixels. I like it so much that I ordered another as a gift for my son. Too bad Sony decided to drop production of this particular model, but continued with similar models, the DSC-W5 and DSC-W7. I still prefer the original.

Enough reviews have already been done here on this fine camera, so I'll just add what I feel is relevant at this point.
As for those reviewers who had blurry pictures (even outdoors - lol) and tried blaming the camera... um.. nice try ;) For indoors, blur or darkness is caused by USING THE WRONG FLASH MODE. PERIOD. All you do is tap the flash icon in the back (yes, they even put an icon there for the button). Each tap of the icon will adjust the level and intensity of the flash AS WELL AS THE SPEED OF THE SHUTTER. I wish the people having a problem with this aspect actually read the manual before bashing the camera here in a review. As for the camera itself, I've owned mine for 1.5 years without a problem, and I'm still thrilled to use it each time! I'm still always impressed that it will last for days of constant shooting on one set of 2300 mAH NiMH rechargeable AA batteries.

Sony's quality keeps going down. When I got this camera, and after I had used it for a few days it started turning itself off. I thought that it was supposed to do that if I failed to take a picture for more than a few minutes. What I soon learned was that it was running low on battery power and needed to be off most of the time or you would go through batteries like butter. Even when the camera is off and loaded with new cells it will quickly deplete itself. So you have to turn the thing off if you aren't about to shoot...this makes catching that special shot almost impossible, especially since when you do turn it on you then have to wait and wait and wait for the shutter to snap. Forget anything with low light. I used this camera recently to photograph my elderly relatives at a family reunion. They stood still really well, but the slightest head turn resulted in a ruined shot. What did SONY think we were going to do with this camera, photograph the dead?

UPDATE
First off, since many of you who are reading this review may already own this camera, let me say that if your camera keeps shutting down and not allowing any pictures to be taken, use the 3 pixel setting. It may allow you to get at least some use out of the camera. After reading numerous reviews on this unit and comparing the performance of mine to that of a friend who also has it, I have to say that SONY made a slew of defective cameras and this should have been a recall. Some cameras seem to work fine, thus the good reviews. Others, and there are many many of these, shut down unexpectedly, won't work well on the 5 mega pixel setting, take terrible pictures (especially in low light) and generally aren't worth the money you paid for them. Sony's quality keeps going down and since they know they aren't providing the quality, they have charged their tech support with running "interference". In other words they do everything they can to make if your problem. This is the second Sony product that failed on me this year and I have been a loyal Sony fan for years. But after having this and their double layer DVD player also die in one year, I'm changing brands. Whatever you do don't buy this white elephant used. You are very likely to get one of the bad ones.

When I got this camera, and after I had used it for a few days it started turning itself off. I thought that it was supposed to do that if I failed to take a picture for more than a few minutes. What I soon learned was that it was running low on battery power and needed to be off most of the time or you would go through batteries like butter. Even when the camera is off and loaded with new cells it will quickly deplete itself. So you have to turn the thing off if you aren't about to shoot...this makes catching that special shot almost impossible, especially since when you do turn it on you then have to wait and wait and wait for the shutter to snap. Forget anything with low light. I used this camera recently to photograph my elderly relatives at a family reunion. They stood still really well, but the slightest head turn resulted in a ruined shot. What did SONY think we were going to do with this camera, photograph the dead?

After doing a lot of research bought this camera from Amazon. Great camera, using for last 2 years. No issues so far.

For some reason I need to reset the camera setting twice.

this camera worked great for the first month or so, then all the pictures started coming out blurry. if you hold the camera really steady and press the button very slowly, you may get a decent shot. forget about the zoom feature, all close ups are blurry. if you actually move yourself closer to the object it will be clearer, but the zoom feature never takes a clear picture.

From the moment I got this camera, I hated it! The photos mostly come out blurry. Every so often I may get a clear photo but that's few and far between! It automatically shuts off (to save battery life) but way to soon. Turning it back on takes up those precious seconds to get that great shot. I'm not sure if I just don't understand how to use the camera, even though I've read the instructions, or if it's the camera itself. Either way, my old HP worked much better than this camera! Don't waste your money.

Paid a fortune for this terrible camera at Bestbuy right after it came out. It won't even turn on. Let me advise you--neither Bestbuy nor Sony could give a hoot after you've plunked down the cash. You're on your own if you didn't buy one of Bestbuy's exhorbitantly priced "extended warrantys." I was sold this camera with the promise that it was cutting edge, would surely last a lifetime. My brother was so impressed he went out and bought the same camera only to have his break down even sooner. DO NOT, I repeat, do not buy this dud. Unless you have money to burn, spend your hard earned dollars on a camera that lives up to its promises.

I've been very happy with the camera. It does particularly well with high color and high contrast situations, and I have found it to be very nice for photographing scenery and sunsets. Indoor pictures are fine but not exceptional - but many of mine are taken under fluorescent lights, so perhaps I'm not a good judge of that. I like the long-exposure night settings.
Images taken at night with a flash haven't been great; they're very washed out and a few times the flash didn't reach far enough, but I'm not a fan of using a flash anyway, so that doesn't bother me. The videos aren't great either; they look good on the lcd, but are terribly pixilated if they get enlarged at all. However, I bought it as a camera, not a video camera, and it's nice to have video capability if you want to give an impression of how noisy and crazy something is.
My one complaint about the design is that the wheel to change settings can be a little over-sensitive and occasionally turns when I'm just trying to take a picture. This hasn't been a major problem; it's accidentally switched to the long-exposure setting perhaps 5 times in the 15 hundred pictures I've taken with it. This is annoying when it happens, but it wasn't a huge deal any of the times.

In terms of camera construction, I'm very impressed. The camera slipped out of my hands while I was taking a picture and dropped about 4.5 feet to a concrete sidewalk. Both the batteries and the memory card flew out, and I was sure that I had killed it, but it turned back on again when I put the pieces back, and as far as I can tell it still works just fine. The only noticeable damage is that the plastic catch on the battery slot broke, so that while it still closes and holds itself shut, the lid of the battery case no longer lies flush with the body of the camera.

I've been using NiMh batteries; they generally last me for at least 300 pictures if I'm not using the video or the long-exposure features.

As I said, I've been very happy with it. It has some flaws, but they don't bother me too much, and it's a good-but-not-horribly-expensive camera for an amateur photographer like me.

great features great product awsom pic' quality rechargeable battaries that last forever and great vedio shots I LOVE IT

This is a great cramera and performs as expected. If you are in the market for am 8mm camera this one is well worth the money.

Loved the camera at first. But then I noticed that the problems listed below were also the problems many other owners on the internet were having.

1. Battery door tabs break. Must buy entire compartment from Sony.
2. Lens won't retract.
3. Dust specs on the inner lens (inside camera housing). Repair manual will cost money if requested from Sony.
4. Movie-mode will continually go in and out of focus even if aimed at stationary object while on tri-pod.

Get a service plan cause you'll be sending this guy off within a year.

At first the camera worked great. It broke within 6 months. Fortunately, the warrenty paided for the repair the first time - but it took 2 months! It was sent back to me still broken the first time. At 13 months, right after the 1 year warrenty expired, the LCD screen went out. What's the point of owning a digital camera if you can't see the photo? The cover for the batteries is also failing and the shutter no longer closes.

After less than three years of use, and after $300 in additional lenses, my DSC-W1 was inoperable most of the time. After one year of flawless performance, the cheapness of the camera began to show.

First the lens transport mechanism failed, so I sent it in for $180 worth of repairs. Now less than a year later, the camera does not recognize battery levels in any photo/movie mode. It will display a full battery icon, but only after just one photo, it thinks the battery is dead and shuts off. I'd be an idiot to send it for service again for another $180.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a simple, good, compact point-and-shoot camera that will last you a year, Sony's Cybershots will do the trick.

But if you are careful with your equipment and are used to getting three to five years out of your electronic devices, then don't buy a Sony Cybershot. They just don't last.

Exactly the same happened to me. After less than 2 years of use, the lens mechanism broke and had to pay around $200 for repair. After that repair, the batteries lasts enough for 5 or 6 pictures then goes dead, no matter how charged they are. To make it worst, now the flash is dead and there is no available replacements for it, so pretty much it is garbage now.
Otherwise, before it broke the pictures were pretty good, but honestly I prefer the quality and colors of my 2 megapixels Olympus.
I will never buy a Sony camera again, this was a terrible experience, I will try a Canon now.

I dont usually write reviews but reading some recent reviews about my favourite camera (now you guys know I know nothing about cameras) prompted me to throw in my 2 cents

I just love this Sony Cybershot DSC W1.

Cons
- It is bulky. Fits into my pocket but is really think compared to some of the cameras I have seen
- Night shots require a really s tead hand.

Pros
-Photos are phenomenal in bright light
- Used with a stand (and timer to avoid shake when clicking the button) come out great
- Never use more than 3 Meg setting, and my 36 X 24 blow ups look like professional posters.
- With a 512 MB memory stick and 3 Meg setting, i can go through an entire weekend trip without having to download the photographs.

if you are not a professional and just want good casual photographs this will work for you.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert to say there is no better camera out there. Just stating that it works great for me I have owned it since 2004 and have taken over 5000 photographs.. Am still in love with it.

The Sony DSCW1 is a really good 5MP camera, even though it is an older model. It has a Carl Zeis lens which is a good optic. I use it for underwater photo taking with the Sony Marine Pack. My original was accidentally broken and I found a used replacement via Amazon for way less than the price of a new camera.