To date I have used several digital cameras from several different manufacturers. From old 2 and 3MP cameras, up to a 9MP SLR.

When I decided to purchase this camera my main reason was its' abilities to take low light pictures without the flash. Using a flash in the LA Convention Center for picture taking during the Auto show tends to get too many reflections, without flash you get natural looking pictures, more battery power, but until this camera, i could never even get close to the feeling I wanted with the ease, which means more user friendly for quick on the spot moments, no matter the environment.

I researched many camera's before I decided to get this one. I compared all of the features. For the price the W100 blew away the competition. But that is what is just on paper.

Now I actually have the camera and have taken at least a hundred pictures in different situations testing out all the little options, from full auto to full manual.

Using the ISO at 1250 does result in a picture with noise however, the noise is very little, even compared to my Dad's Fuji 9MP SLR.

Although, this is a compact camera, it is big enough to grab onto, but still small enough to look cool.

Having 8MP allows you to really zoom in on a picture, and once again this is a cheap price for 8.1MP.

My brother's have the newer Kodak 5MP compact camera I think it is the 55 model, and my sister just bought the lower sony DSC-W50, which is about 150 cheaper. But even comparing the DSC-W100 to the W50, you would instantly recognize the higher quality.

After using the camera, its' low light sensitivity and lack of picture noise, enable faster shutter times, which is good for night shots, along with the 42-step, 30 sec max exposure time, which is very fun to use, but the higher sensitivity enables you to take pictures of quick moving opjects as well, and you can program the camera for this, but i do wish it had the pre-programmed option for quick moving shots. Although it is not hard to manually set up the shot with a few tweaks. Most of the changes you make manually the LCD will give show you a basic idea of the what you are changing, along with the on screen explanations of every option, which makes the user manual almost pointless, which is a good thing, in this case.

With the camera's inherent ability to take low light shots, this greatly reduces the chance of getting a blurry picture, unless you are really moving. I hate taking a bunch of pictures and getting blurry shots (rememeber I don't like using the flash) but so far out of the hundred pictures, I would say I have had 5, but they were all forseeable, (ie I knew i was moving at the time or the object was moving) And the camera warns you on screen when the capturing time is going to be long enough that you should try and be more stable.

Today I got a picture of a bird in flight up close outside, and it looked like a low motion capture, you could see the feathers in the wing, it was not just a blurred mass.

I have used mostly the manual and semi-manual features which all are very easy to use and take great pictures, if you know what settings to use where. I have not used the fully auto mode very much, as I have not really needed too, the specialized modes pretty much cover everything, I have also not taken many portraits, except of my own face, on full auto and it looks good 95% of the time, and i would say with all the previous cameras I have used including old 35mm slrs and advantix, this is the best camera i have ever had.

So if you are looking for a camera as good or better than some SLR's in all cases except a detachable lens, for the price and size of a sub-compact camera, I highly recommend this camera, it is what it says on paper. But as with any camera if you aren't sure go to the store where they have 50 million on display, just make sure to look at this one, although it might not be in the store yet.

I just purchased this camera and after having the oppurtunity to test it out i must concede that overall i am not the slightest bit impressed.

The first major let-down i experienced the hard-way was that all the great add-ons sony has available for its new DCS-W series are not compatible with this model (despite the fact its currently the most expensive one) and the other models are built on same frame and case...plus for 350+ they dont bother throwing in even a lousy 32mb memory card (sony claims internal memory suffices)

With respect to performance...there were occasional glimmers of hope. Here and there you do get exceptional shots - but the camera is not consistent and unfortunately most of the shots i took were blurry in automatic mode because even the slightest movement ruins the focus (anti-shake is worthless on this)

The shutter speed of the pictures overall was faster than my Sony t1, but considerably slower than a friends Canon SD550. The image processor is loud, and unstable so not the camera if you like to take moving angles.

Next night mode and flash are utterly worthless since the night mode even in a well lit new york city street was horribly glim.

The ISO mode i will say is a tremendous improvement over previous sony models, and the other only functional update in contrast to my 2 year old Sony DSC-T1.

Movie Mode stinks - you cant zoom, sound is poor - but the resolution quality overall is remarkbly good for a camera this size.

Concerning the zoom - there has been no progression in the zoom technology here, 3X is really poor considering ultra-compacts such as the casio exlim offer better zoom ratio.

This camera wont fit in your pocket (so carrying kit or get used to having your wife lug it around in her purse) the case feels cheap, and light, and despite a bright LCD the the buttons are tiny to press and the battery didnt even last me 90 mins on full charge.

End Result - in my opinion this is not a reliable camera, and for $350+ i dont want to risk missing a shot because my hand moved ever so slightly.

Well, unlike "TECHBURN" I took the time to actually study the functioning of this camera and its capabilities before picking it up. After reading his opinion of the camera, I am left thinking that he did not give this camera much of a chance to become a 'keeper'.

After researching many models at [...].

One of the first things I learned, from a very helpfull member at dpreview was to get off the AUTO MODE. Don't let the camera decide what to focus on, you decide. I use the auto-program mode and center autofocus or spot autofocus. No more blurry shots do to the camera 'thinking' of what to focus on.

The second thing to learn is how to hold this camera, and really. ANY small camera. They are small, lightweight and easy to throw out of focus by the slightest movement.

You need to hold it with a firm grip. Not so tight its about to break and you have veins sticking out of your forehead. Just firm. Have each hand push the opposite direction and if you are 'twisting' the camera. This helps the camera focus and stay focused exponentially. Use your finger to push the button, don't use your hole arm. Your pictures will thank you.

In order to get the best picture quality you will want to practice using three things. Aperture, ISO and the FOCUS!! The aperture will help you get the field of vision, the ISO(which I would use any over 400 for large picture prints)if some pictures are getting blurry and take it off auto. This is what will kill 90% of your pictures. It may mean you need to learn a bit more of the technicals of photography. But you will be happy you did, Ansel Adams!

So far I am very pleased with this camera. It doesn't come with a 16mb card but really, what good is one with a 8mp camera? 2 pictures at its highest resolution? I'd rather have a 64mb built in memory that I don't have to pop in or out of the camera. Its much better in my opinion.

Movie mode, eh. What did you really expect? Its a small hand held camera. I wouldn't expect anyone to think of filming their family christmas with a camera. Thats what cam-corders are for. Its like wondering why my camcorder doesn't take razor sharp 8x10 pictures. Its just not hwat they are meant to do. Atleasr not as well as what the other can do.

Zoom is as good as any other ultra compact in its price range. You may be lucky to get 4x optical. But again, pickins are slim and will not happen in this price range.

Over all it is highly recommended. There is no clear winner out there for the ultra compacts or compacts. So, its not the end all, be all of camera's. But untill then it will make any phtographer or novice happy.

PROS:
- better than awarded Cyber-Shot W7
- 8.1 MP resolution (if it's too much you can always use it as a zoom feature)
- compact (pocket-size for every day carry but not to small to drop or loose)
- semi-manual (want to learn about exposure?)
- nice battery life
- 64 Mb internal memory
- 6 m. flash range
- hight sensivity (ISO) for low light pictures (cityscapes, no-flash pics)
- price

CONS:
- flimsy battery/stick door
- no accessories (yet)

The camera is good overall. Wish it would have image stablization and date stamping. Pictures are nice and the camera is easy to use. Like a lot of the reviews says, if you want a point and shoot camera, its good.

I am a tech gadget freak, and very particular with the cameras I own. After a long search for looking for the perfect digicam, it is safe to say that for me the Sony w100 is the overall winner!!! I'm a Canon 350D owner and have tried the Sony N1 since my parents have it, and I must say that I would choose the W100 over it in a heartbeat.

Before purchasing this camera, I tried out all the cybershot cameras, and a few Canons in the mall. It took me a few hours to finally decide that the W100 is "THE" one for me. These were the reasons why I chose the W100...

First of all I needed a camera that still has a viewfinder, since I am so used to taking shots with my Digital SLR, I am already quite used to it. Also when under bright sunlight, it is quite difficult to rely on the 2.5 inch screen when taking photos. I like the manual options that are available compared to the other Sony Cybershot point and shoot digicams that I tried.

Canon might have the edge here. I rarely use the AUTO features of the W100, and sofar I am impressed with the results I've gotten with the manual features of this camera. The Macro Mode is cool, but I think the T9 and T30 has better magnifying capabilities.

Battery life is pretty decent. Flash power is better than the rest, although red eye is still a problem even when the red eye reduction mode is turned on. Lens is great at F2.8 Aperture, not to mention its a Carl Zeiss. Has ISO 1250 but I must say picture quality deteriorates at this range, noise is too visible here.
Realistically, it is only at ISO 800 wherein the noise is not too noticeable.

Pound for pound it's a good Low light Camera. This is where the W100 shines, it is priced lower compared to the T30 (7.1 megapixel) and the N1 (8.1 megapixel) SONY cybershot counterparts. That is why I say the w100 is an overall winner... Try one and I guarantee you won't be disappointed with this pocket rocket camera.

Let me end my review with the PROS and CONS of this camera:

PROS

8.1 MEGAPIXELS
Carl Zeiss Lens
Nice Strong Flash
64mb Internal Memory
Viewfinder
1250 ISO
2.8 Aperture
Image Stabilizer capability as long as there is flash
Fast, excellent shutter response, very good shot to shot speed
Fast startup/shutdown time
Good color accuracy
Very high resolution
Great low-light capabilities
Very capable movie mode
Very fast multi-burst mode, great for sports shots
Large 2.5" LCD display
LCD is usable in very bright light
Bright AF-assist light
Design is compact but usable, fits the hand well
Good battery life
Impressive printed output, at ISO 800

CONS

Look didn't change much compared to the other W series models
Would've wanted a much thinner body
Flimsy Battery and Card Cover
Lack of manual auto white balance options when flash is on
Lack of other AUTO features like fireworks, etc.
Red Eye still visible despite Red Eye reduction mode is on
Noisy at 1250 ISO
Some trouble with household incandescent lighting
Rather contrasty default tone curve
Anti-noise processing trades some subtle subject detail to hold the noise in check
Significant chromatic aberration at wide angle
Soft corners at telephoto
Warm incandescent color balance

In the realm of ultra-compact cameras I've been primarily a Canon user, having owned in succession Canon models S410, SD300, and SD550, although I did own a Sony model T1 prior to the Canons.

My objective in owning an ultra-compact is to have a camera with me conveniently during my normal day (when I might otherwise miss a great photo opportunity) and to get as frameable a potential result as possible within the limitations of the format. I carry the camera hooked to my belt in one of Lowepro's smallest cases (Rezo 10). As long as the camera manages to fit in that case, I'm not too picky about it's size, although the W100 does fill the case to capacity.

I've been interested in the latest ultra-compact model releases for their advertised improvements in reducing the potential for blur while keeping noise under control. Presently, the top end contenders in this area appear to be the Sony DSCW100, the Canon SD700, and the Fujifilm FinePix F30.

As of this review, the six megapixel F30 has not been released, but its precursor (model F10) has substantially better high ISO performance than the other two cameras. The problem with the F10, in addition to some annoying ergonomic issues, is that it's lens exhibits unacceptably high (to me) chromatic aberration. I have yet to see comparative photographic samples from the F30; however, if they have cleared up the CA problem, it may well be the ultra-compact to get.

The SD700 is a six megapixel model that incorporates an image stabilized 4x lens. Unfortunately, comparisons I made among samples on various review sites reveal that the photo quality under decent lighting is clearly inferior to the Canon model SD550. Small details get washed out, perhaps because of the smaller size sensor. With some of their latest releases, Canon seems to be milking their hard earned reputation. For $450 you don't even get a printed manual.

Comparisons among photos taken with the W100 and Canon SD550 show them to be quite similar in detail and sharpness. I'd give the SD550 a slight edge in natural color and contrast realism. But at ISO 200 and beyond, the Canon is quite noisy, while the W100 manages to keep noise at reasonable levels out to ISO 400 under adequate lighting. Still, if the blurring issue doesn't mean that much to you, there would be little point in dumping your SD500/550 for the W100.

My goal in this short review has been to help those concerned primarily with photo quality among ultra-compacts to choose among recent models. Obviously, I've left out scads of factors that might influence your personal decisions. Check out excellent professional review sites like dpreview and dcresource before you buy.

Sony new W100, nicer face lift and a few more function added to the camera with a major increase in megapixel up to 8.1. Surely people will find the megapixel attractive and nothing else on the camera. When I first came in contact with this thing at the store I play with it for a while and find some of the chracteristic on this thing un attractive.

The Design and construction is unthinkable, 8.1 is a nice bargain but the thickness is not. This thing is double what the Sony T7 has to offer. :P Although it's big it doesnt feel that stury like teh Canon SD series... It does feel a bit empty some how and the camera feel as if it's somewhat breakble if i drop it. The screen isnt very impressive for sony's top notch design team. I've sen much better design on their high end T series. So i know they could have done better. What's with the view finder by the way, it got in the way from expanding that 3in screen, without that view finder im sure we could have gotten a nice 3 in screen there.

The features on this thing however is somewhat satisfying. With lots of function and picture modes i find that it's quite good for a sony. Although there is nothign else special like canon features with the color accent and swap mode but it does allow lots of manual control over the camera. So who ever is a pro with manual control they can get themself some awsome picture off of this thing. However if you're a newbie to camera, this sucker will toss you off the table with all the fancy dial and menus.

I've seen sony at work with their images and i must say the detail and uncomparable. I love the detail but with such high megapixel i do get sandy images. Bigger megapixel doesnt mean beter images but it means sandier images. Try to reduce the megapixel of you're not planning to use all of it, it would give nicer images. The lowlight inhouse shooting will require some adjustment in the manual menu, if you dont manually tune it it will give you DARK pictures yes the sony T series' problems, dark dark pictures. But after soem tuning the image will come out just fine. Although sony boasted a 1250 ISO but i doubted i got that much when i used it. Sorry but it just didnt seem like 1250 ISO to me. Sony T30 got better quality in ISO than this. Basic menu options and advance pictures mode are all there so the image quality is all depend on the user.

I find this camera to be fun at first because it got lots of menu for you to kill time on, you can play around with the setting and try to find good setting in certain condition, however, when you seriously need to take a quick picture and require teh right setting, it will be a hassel to get all teh manual setting done by the tiem you take that quick picture you wanted. After a while i get tire of getting into the menu and change settings just to get certain condition images. and the bulkiness of teh camera really get my mood down because there is nothing on this camera i can show off to my friends except the 8.1 megapixel. :P Beside that large chunk of mega pixel, thsi camera is just like other ordinary basic camera with more function to stabilized the 8.1 megapixel.

Value of this camera is quite worth it because you wont find a 8.1 megapixel camera deal for this kind of price :) good price for a 8.1 and instead of getting a cheap version of some weird brand, you can now own a sony 8.1 megapixel for just 100 dollar more :) how does that sound? good deal? 8.1 for 300$? DEAL hehhe.

Inconclusion i find that this camera is nice if you are more experience with camera, if not this is no newbie camera for it require lots of skills adjusting the manual settings to recieve nicer images. The low features and lack of unqiue function make this camera boring, all you can do is point shoot adjust some images (after a while you'll get mad for changing it over and over again hehe). It's not a very luxury type of camera. Didnt enjoy it for long and the picture are way too big on 8.1 so i only ended up using 6.0 mp on that camera so the 8.1 is there for showing off to buddies hehe. Other than that, the camera is .... plain. The back design is horrible, the dial button will wear out after a while because i've experience it before, where the wheel keep on going without stopping hehe. The design is very out of order, some spot is shave in and soem spot are protruding so it's a weird shape camera indeed. The front is nice however, when you turn on the camera the lens pop out REALLY FAST i think if you put your eye right there it can PUNCH you hehehe.

Problems
Only problems are that the cap to the battery hub and memory card hub is very flimsy, it feels as iff you will break it if you dont becareful with it so please DO BE CAREFUL with it :) . Also, lack of features for a 8.1 no unqiue functions i should say. Design isnt very eye catching, it only look attractive in advertising pictures after you see it and hold it you get that frown on your face :( Sandy image some time, the high flash it promise you is very limited, you have to adjust the setting like i mention. You are going to be doing lots of setting changing if you are traveling, every light condition is a setting change hehe. If you want to experience it on your own you may but I would say this camera is recommended for advnace users who are careless about unique features, and only want good pictures and high ISO + MP.

I was looking for a point and shoot camera when I bought this one. I thought I couldn't go wrong with buying Sony. I took this camera to a wedding and all the pictures came out very dark. I tried using different setting with no success. Half of the pictures came out blurry. The lag time is really long. I missed a lot of good shots. I returned this camera and bought Canon. I love it.

I am quite choosy when it comes to selecting the product, brand, and model even to the point of spending a few months comparing, sampling, testing, deciding, then comparing again, sampling again, testing again, and deciding again.

Now, I have made the right decision as the camera continues to exceed my expectations and surprise me with its speed and versatility.

I am amazed that I didn't even have to wait for the camera to write 2,5-megabyte images to its Memory Stick Pro. A 2-gigabyte Memory Stick Pro is so tiny but holds about 500 8,1-megapixel photos!

I like the extensive features as to give me the flexibility in achieving best photos under different conditions.

The downside is slow USB connection: it takes about 45 minutes to transfer 500 8,1-megapixel photos to the computer. I wish for swift FireWire connection. The other is paltry accessories omitting direct power connection to the camera (that one is optional accessories at extra charge). Sony, are you listening?

Lots of good reviews, so I won't be too repetitive, here is the best of the highlights and the small shortcomings...

Pros

Tremendous capability in such a tiny package. (easy shirt pocket)
Size and picture quality are the two biggest benefits of this camera.
Excellent control capability
Amazing flash 18ft no problem in wide mode
movie mode is good quality and lots of capacity
Memory duo is tremendous storage for its size
optical finder a huge plus for fash shooting with fixed focus
Fixed focus setting a big plus for fast candids
Long batter life!


Cons (or things I would like to see)

No RAW file option (not unique to w100)
No 2000 th ss in manual mode
f2.0 would be worth a small increase in size - not unique w100
zoom in movie mode
IS will be a huge bonus when it arrives in these high MP Ultra compacts.
Slow focus - common amongst tiny digicams.


If an optical finder is important to, which is very nice for bright daylight shots, fast composure with zoom, saving battery..., then this camera is one of the few at 8 MP ultra compact with the optical view finder. If you prefer using the LCD for composure, then the N1 with its huge LCD screen would be much easier to use, as the type font sizes on the N1 are huge vs. the W100...so if you need glasses to see small text, the N1 might be less cumbersome as you will probably not need reading glasses for fonts this big. The added cost would be well worth it IMO, as this camera you will not trade up for quite some time....

I marvel something this small can have such amazing photographic capabilities.... in my case, i wanted a camera (in addition to the 15 others I own) to fit in my shirt pocket that I can bring anywhere and have it not be a bother....and the W100 fits the bill perfectly. If you want an ultra compact, but desire some of the other features such as IS, then you often pay a bit of thickness penalty, often .5", which makes the camera much less pocket friendly.... hence why the no IS, but with massive flash capability is a nice mix for preventing blur.

This is a point and shoot camera with many options for adjusting for light and scene conditions. I have taken about a 1000 shots since I got it a month ago. I especially like the speed and ease of use. One welcome feature is that when connected to the computer, the camera memory becomes a searchable "drive." The download time to the computer is very fast. It is not a DSLR nor is it a large lense high resolution camera. To get very sharp and clear photos requires a steady hand and careful attention to lighting conditions. In other than ideal conditions, I will make adjustments (which are easy enough to do) to compensate for backlit subjects or high contrast sun and shadow. But I'm always pushing the limits with cameras. I think most users will be very pleased with this sturdy, easy to use lightweight and solid camera.

We took a lot of good pictures with the camera. It is very easy to use.

I have had a Sony DSC F717 with a 10x zoom for several years and love it. It is, however, a fairly large digital camera. I was looking for a smaller camera I could carry with me all the time in my purse and safely take on a beach vacation. Slipping it in to a sandwich baggy kept it sand free on the beach. Even though I also have a video camera, it never seem to be around when I need it. I was never pleased with the quality of video clips in my older digital. The quality of video in this 8 mgp camera is very good and clips are easily emailed. A great small camera for parents and grandparents and a great value for the money.

Photography afficionados have long had two choices when it comes to buying a digital camera: a tiny everything-automatic portable camera that takes decent pictures or a brick-sized everything-manual professional camera that takes fantastic pictures. Almost a decade after the introduction of the consumer digital camera, Sony has finally taken a swing at combining the best qualities of both worlds into one package, and the DSC-W100 is a solid first effort.

Sony has had the tiny part down for some time - dimensionally, the W100 is on par with other recent Cybershot models and competitor brands' offerings, and features the now-common 2.5" bright LCD display with a minimum of buttons on the back. Aside from the attractive mini-diamondplate face and chrome trim, visually there's little to set this camera apart among the others at your local electronics counter.

Initial toying with the camera doesn't dispel any first impressions. All the prerequisite automatic features are there, the buttons are smartly arranged so all the most common functions are right at hand, it's obviously a point-and-shoot camera. But it's when you begin to delve into the features that you realize that the W100 is something entirely different.

The usual mode knob is there on the back with the Auto mode and Scenes modes, but now there's Program and Manual modes - something standard issue on professional cameras but radically new for a point-and-shoot. This means you can use any combination of auto or manual settings on all functions to get a shot. For example, shooting in a dimly lit room, you can use a slow shutter flash to even out lightning, or turn off the flash with a slower shutter for richer colors, or raise the ISO so you can get a steady shot with a higher shutter speed, or just put it in auto and shoot, etc. All the different possibilities previously reserved just for professional cameras are now at your disposal. The camera is as simple or as involved as you want, and it still fits in your pocket.

I've owned several other digital cameras, both portable and pro, and they've all had somewhat manual features, but the W100 takes it to a new level. Mounting the W100 on a tripod, I attempted to get a long exposure shot of the night sky, something all the other digital cameras have done adequately. Manually setting the shutter speed, the camera displayed the overall exposure value as I adjusted - the camera was telling me before even touching the shutter button if the resulting picture would be dark, bright, or even. I set the shutter as slow as it could go and using the two-second timer, fired away. The picture was amazing; though only a few stars were visible to the eye, the W100 caught the light of well over a hundred. I noticed a bit of radial blur on the stars around the border of the image, only to realize later that the camera was pointed North - the shutter speed was so slow that I was actually *capturing the rotation of the Earth*. Now THAT'S manual.

Sony still has a bit more work to do on the pocket SLR idea. Included with your purchase is an accessories catalog featuring an array of lenses and filters, none of which are compatible with the W100. It's typical of Sony to have a bizarre distribution of features in any given product lineup, but it would seem obvious that the most SLR-like camera should have SLR-like accessories. And W100 owners should disable the Auto Focus Illumination light when shooting people; the blazing red light is great for focusing on inanimate subjects, but could probably be used as a tactical light to blind assailants in a pinch.

Overall, the W100 is a remarkable newcomer that truly raises the bar for what you can expect from a point and shoot pocket camera. Novices are accommodated with full automation, and can learn gradually by trying out individual manual functions while other settings remain automatic. And experienced photogs will be right at home with the Manual mode and wide range of settings. Five stars for what is hopefully Sony's work in progress.

My Sony DSCW100 camera is small but very functional and user friendly, it makes photography an easy and interesting hobby.

I bought this little camera recently from Amazon. Thanks for tremendous service and speedy delivery, Amazon.

The Sony DSC-W100 is terrific. It is very simple to operate. The menu system is well-organized and easy to understand. Inserting the battery and memory card is a snap. The Zeiss lens system yields incredibly sharp photos even at the automatic setting. The flash is pretty powerful,too! I took some shots in a rather dark restaurant, and the pictures came out really nice and clear. The macro function is superb with crisp, well-defined details at very close range.

The powerup time on this camera is fast as well as time between shots. There is very little shutter lag, and you usually get the picture you intended to get. Autofocus can be a little slower until it "finds" the target perfectly in certain situations. But this is no big deal compared to older digicams.

I like being able to switch quickly from viewing the pictures in replay mode back to camera mode by simply tapping the shutter release button lightly. You are quickly ready for another picture.

The camera is not miniature and weighs nearly six ounces, which is not extremely light--but is comfortable to carry or place in purse or pocket.

I also have a Canon Digital Rebel XT, and this little camera does take sharper pictures. Of course, you do not have the versatility of the SLR, but it is a great everyday camera to take along with you for all the shots you would otherwise miss. I highly recommend this camera and recommend purchase from Amazon.

You got to have extremely steady hand, or camera stand to use this camaera.

During my niece wedding, I put in a 2GB of memory and we were trigger happy, we must have took over couple hundred of pictures, however, I am very unhappy about the result. 3 out of 5 pictures are fuzzy, messy, out of focus.

On the other hand, for the pictures that took a few mins to line up and with a very very steady hand, you got a great picture.

Size is good, weight is a bit on the heavy side for the size, but to some people that's good quality.

If you are looking for a digital camera with many high level functions and features, the Sony Cybershot 8.1 mp is a great buy. It is highly affordable and takes photos with excellent precision, day or night. The camera is very user friendly and the ease of use is a plus. The memory stick is sold separately and is a must purchase accessory if you plan to take many photos. I am happy with the clarity of the photos and the video functionality that you may want to have handy. The camera is an excellent buy!!!

I bought this camera several weeks ago and have test-driven it in the forest preserves of Chicago and in Upper Michigan. It does a terrific job. I am an artist who studied film in school and yet never used a digital camera. I wanted something that was kind of between a point and shoot and an SLR. I wanted some manual functions to fool around with, and yet I also wanted the easy shot for family photos and such. I didn't want to start my digital experience on an expensive SLR, so this proved to be a great buy for me. It's very small and compact and yet very powerful.

Best camera I have ever owned. Easy to use even with all the features. Don't be afraid to buy this one.

I have just bought the Sony Cybershot w100 camera little over a month ago and I have only taken 30-40 pictures, I loved it and then it just stopped working, so I recharged the baterry, no luck still the camera wouldn't turn off or on. So Thankfully I had bought a 2nd backup battery charged it and tried the camera again. No it doesn't work it only makes a slight ding sound and shuts off. Basically worthless. It seems like it might have short circuited. But I was so excitted to buy this camera I read all instructions before use, I haven't let anyone else use it and it hasn't been out of my sight, never been dropped, never in extreme hot or cold, always well protected. SO I am going to try to return it or exchange it. I am hoping to get good service or I will be really upset for spending so much money and research just to take 30-40 pictures. Hopefully I can let you know if they stand by their products. Before now I have always been happy with what I have bought from Amazon

The DSCW100 8.1 was a great shirt pocket point and shoot with easy menu directions to the added features built in.

I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE this camera. If you have teens in the house watchout!, they'll definitely want this camera. It is easy to use and well worth the money. When my camera arrived, I was amazed at how small and compact it was. I let my son check it out first and within no time we were both using it. I really love the movie feature. You can record anywhere and everywhere and the sound is excellent. My last camera only recorded, but didn't have any sound. It was nothing compared to this Sony. The 8.1 mega pixels makes the pictures come out great. My sons and I love it. They record all the time and take numerous pictures. I also like that it has internal memory, so if you don't have a memory stick yet, you can still take pictures. The 2.5 inch screen is perfect. It makes it so easy to get a good shot all the time. I have had no problems with this purchase at all. The only thing I would recommend to Sony is to make something that would protect the 2.5 inch screen from getting scratches, just like they do with the optical lens. It is always closed and covered when its not in use. But besides that small detail there, the Sony is a GREAT investment. I will definitely buy Sony again, especially when I decide to update or if I'm looking for a gift to give.

After taking a lot of pictures w/ this camera I thought the pictures were brilliant. I compared the same shots to the canon digital elph sd630. The sony came out sharp and clear as the canon came out just ok. I then uploaded the sony pictures onto my computer and they looked terrible. The pictures weren't clear anymore. The reason for this is the pixels in the screen. After taking a picture and looking at the screen you are looking at 275,000 pixels on a 2.5 inch screen. The canon is a 3 inch screen w/ only 173,000 pixels. So that being said, the screen of the sony fools you into thinking the pictures are going to come out just as clear. They don't!

Pros: Screen size
**easy navigation
**comfortable feel
**iso 1250 (though very noisy, grainy pictures)
**though there is no image stabilizer the pictures still come out great when something is moving

Cons: Very heavy for the size of the camera
**so much red-eye in pictures!
**memory cards cost more than some of the other cameras (the are the pro-duo cards) you can't just use sd cards
**you have to go through 5 menu options to be able to delete all pictures from memory
**not enough scene modes
**no sports or kids mode for moving opjects- so the camera takes pictures at the same rate all the time, as opposed to the canon where if you have it on kids/pets mode the picture takes much faster than auto
**auto white balance is off. my dog is pure white and after the picture was taken he looked yellow
**not enough features
**viewfinder is pointless, you end up rubbing your nose all over the screen just the try to take the picture using the viewfinder, which is very off-center from the actual lense.

Bottom line: Sony is a great brand, but just not for cameras

I love how most people find reviews helpful just because they are positive, even though they might be erroneous or misleading. The Sony DSC-W100 has MARKEDLY worse picture quality than my one-year old Sony DSC-W5 which has just 5 MP. Cost cutting is rampant now. You have been warned. Get a Canon instead.

This camera has proved to be indispensible. The movie feature is wonderful. The picture quality is fantastic. The only downfall I have found is that it is hard to hold steady for those low light shots. I have a 1 Gig memory stick in it and I can't seem to fill it up. It's a great camera for the money and very portable.

Considering the fact that I got this camera for free via Sony's credit card points, I cannot complain much!

Being an amateur photographer, I have a Canon 10d slr 6.1mp. I absolutely love the camera and my expectations were REALLY REALLY high as the sony boasts its Zeis lens which performs 7 out of 10. I just wanted an everyday pocket camera with good, clear pictures.

This is what I have discovered. The w100 really shines when there is ample lighting while using ISO 80 in P mode. I did notice a high amount of noise with indoor photos and some outdoor photos. (Possibly because I was in auto mode and I have been playing around with the settings for a few weeks now). I also encountered a lot of blurry pictures as well, no matter what settings I used w/o the flash.

The reasons why I choose to shoot in P mode are for two reasons.....

1. It overrides the flash outdoors, while sometimes it's necessary, bright outdoor lighting is sufficient enough. If I want flash, I will just turn it on/off manually.

2. The shutter speed reaction time w/o flash is almost instant w/o the shutter lag. You get the option to use ISO 80, or any ISO for that matter. If you are in auto, you have no controls over what settings the camera takes i.e. ISO, flash on/off, etc... In my humble opinion, ISO 80 produces the 'cleanest,clearest' picture possible. The higher the ISO the more noise you get. (Booooooo).

Shutter lag is very noticable when the flash mode is on. A bright orange/reddish light shines on it's subject prior to flashing (red eye). Here is a little trick. Sometimes when you want those candid shots, I'll hold the button down halfway, triggering the orange/reddish light, then once it goes away, you press down fully and the camera will shoot almost intantly. The downside is, you may get the red eye, but you won't be 2-3 seconds late with your picture. I think you can turn the red eye function off, but going through the menu settings takes too long.

Another big difference between the w100 and the w70 besides the megapixel difference is the width! I really wish the w100 was just as skinny, but I can still fit this camera in my somewhat tight fitting jeans pocket without any problems.

I definitely recommend you get a 1gb sd card for a good amount of pictures as well as movie clips without really having to worry about running out of memory.

Movie mode is fun to use! The mic picks up sound well, and the speaker is even better in playback mode. It's a fun feature. With a 1gb sd card, you get roughly 14 minutes in tv quality video, 45 minutes in medium quality video. Not bad at all.

For the price range, I would say this camera holds it's own to other camera's in it's 8.1mp class. When you do get a clear, crisp shot, they come out great and I am pleasantly surprised. If it wasn't free, I would have looked to the Canon sd600-630 series. But all in all, I am pleased with this camera and it's abilities to produce moderate to good quality pictures for every day use.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this camera. It doesn't seem to do too well in low light conditions, however. Minor annoyances include the multi-use cable and the battery/card access door. I'd much rather have separate cables than the four-headed, multi-purpose cable provided. It's overly combersome. The access door is a cheap plastic piece that occasionally pops open inadvertently and leaves me with the feeling that it will eventually break off. The "DC In" door is even flimsier. Minor annoyances aside, with the exception of low-light, the quality of the images is excellent--even when greatly enlarged.

This camera has all the features an avid photog might want, but the simplicity of a point-and-shoot camera... and the price was right on Amazon... $50 cheaper than all the other tech stores I shopped. Great style, great size, and great quality. Sony does it right!

This camera is a good solid camera for someone just looking to snap quick pictures. It does not have some of the more advanced features/adjustments of the similarly priced models from Canon (which is why I rated it lower), but if you have a grandparent or child who just needs to point and shoot this should be easy enough for them. The lowlight setting still seems to come out blurry, but if you set the camera to take several shots in a row, you can get one clear one.

It's easy to use, proper weighted, and slick. When you rotate the big menu button, the name of the function would enlarge on the screen, which is very convenient! It's not the smallest in Sony's family, but small enough. I've taken over 1000 thousand pictures after getting it in Nov. 06.

Small drawbacks: hard to take night shots. I believe it is at least party due to my poor shooting skill, some experts have talked about ways to take night pictures, but I haven't tried.

Hard to find a case. The case recommended on Amazon doesn't fit!! The right case is over $30, leather, and ugly. So I haven't gotten a case for it yet.

Overall speaking, a great camera.

After my old 4 MP Sony (over 3 yrs old)died, it was the perfect excuse to upgrade a bit. Even though I could have bought any product (since I couldn't use my current MemorySticks due to Sony's change in MS form factors), I ended up staying with the Sony.

All of the things I liked with my old Sony (size, ease of use) exist in this new model...but there were a few things that were really good to see!
* instead of a long cable to charge the battery, there is a simple, small adaptor that plugs in the wall. Great for travellers
* much greater charging of the flash
* quicker time to actually 'take' the picture
* excellent new modes: the ISO mode with blur reduction takes pretty good pics at without a tripod (this was impossible before), and takes AWESOME pics if you use a small tripod.
* a button on the camera where you can directly delete (instead of going to a menu)
* extended menu options, including a way to have a user defined setting (like B&W) set to the 'mode' settings on the rotary dial. Much quicker than the old Sony.
* the 'mountain' setting workes really well and has multiple focus zones. Works much better.

All in all, I'm stoked with the device. The only gizmo that I'd rather have is a panarama function that is available in some devices now.

I read a lot about this camera before I purchased it. Apparantly I didn't read enough. All in all it's a great camera. Pretty fast shooting, big LCD, 8.1MP, and easy to use. Shooting at night with the flash leaves something to be desired. The aperature it shoots at when the flash is on, f2.8, is way to wide for shooting in dark with a flash. Which means you'll see a lot of out of focus pictures unless the subject doesn't move much and you get a good focus on them.

EXCELENTE CAMARA FACIL DE OPERAR Y TOMA EXCELENTES FOTOGRAFIAS ESPECIALMENTE LAS NOCTURNAS YA QUE AL TOMAR LAS FOTOS TOMA TODOS LOS FONDOS Y CONTORNOS YA QUE CUENTA CON UN ISO DE 1250 QUE LE DA GRAN SENCIBILIDAD PARA TOMAR FOTOGRAFIAS NOCTURNAS

This camera rocks! I love the semi-manual features and low light settings, compact yet feels substantial (my brother has a camera that is much more plastic and light), takes AMAZING shots (I get compliments on my pictures a lot now), and is a fabulous value.

In fact, I'm on my second W100 because Homeland Security stole my last one from my checked luggage! They must have known how great a camera it is, too. Lesson learned: don't let this baby out of my site! Next to my MacBook, this is definitely my favorite gadget.

Don't hesitate, you won't be disappointed in purchasing this one.

I highly recommend this camera. It is easy to take everywhere and it have all features needed. I'll buy it again, but i don't need two of them.

Bought this for my 17 yr old daughter for Christmas and she loves it! Very easy to use and the software that comes with the camera is excellent. View screen on the camera is huge and the pic quality is an A+. Video option is another great feature.

I have used most of the different options on this camera and so far have enjoyed it very much. It is easy to use and produces greast pictures. I have had other Sony cameras in the past but this is my favorite.

I was impressed by the value I believed I was receiving over other on-line prices I had found for this camera. When the cameras arrived, they did not include media cards which I assume was part of the reason for the lower price. I find this practive deceptive. When you buy a camera, you assume you are at least being provided what is needed to allow basic functions. I was also promised express delivery on my order due to the amount. Instead of the 2-3 day shipping I was expecting, the order took several days to arrive. I thought I was saving time and money, but probably would have been more satisfied by just going to a local store and purchasing the camera.

I've taken tons of pictures for over 35 years, and in a word this camera is "superb". Takes excellent pictures, easy to use, lightweight, it's just perfect. I no longer lug around all of my Nikon SLR equipment, I just tuck this in my pocket and go. Just buy it, you won't be sorry!

GREAT PICTURES, EASY AND COMFORTABLE TO USE, SMALL YET NOT TOO SMALL. NO MORE RED EYES IN THE PICTURES !!!! :) I LOVE IT

I bought this 2 weeks ago. It was very easy to use right out of the box (well after the battery charges). I would have liked to get a digital camera that takes AA's because they are easy to find if your battery runs out. I took this camera to Disney on Ice - even though it is very dark in the arena it took great pictures. I put the software cd into my computer it installed in about 2 seconds,..I hooked the camera up to the USB port on the computer and the pictures were instantly on my computer. I took the pictures I wanted off the memory stick took them to the grocery store and had them print them out. Couldn't be easier. NOTE: You CANNOT use a memory card with this camera. I made the mistake and bought a 1GB only to find out I needed a memory stick duo (about the same price as a memory card). Overall I love this camera...very small fit right in my purse. The shutter speed isn't great but better than most digital cameras. Also, I paid alot less at Best Buy for this.

Ideal for carrying in pocket a versatile high caliber camera suitable for all general picture taking.

This camera is great when it comes to the point-and-click concept. You can either use it in auto and get great pictures, or read the booklet included with the camera and take even better pictures. 8.1MP at $250 is a pretty good bargain. This camera delivers.

I love to travel and this very compact and light camera is easy to take anywhere I want. The ability to trim the picture in the camera is a very big plus, I also enjoyed that feature in the DSC10 and was thrilled that Sony again opted to include it in this later model. Another big plus is the large LCD display but I am also very glad that it has an optical view finder, which makes it sometimes easier in very bright sunlight, when it is hard to see the LCD. I have not tried all the features yet, but am planning to do so soon.

The camera is convenient to carry and takes good pictures of close in scenes. Its fatal weakness for me is that it cannot focus well on distant objects, even when using the fixed infinity focus mode. I bought the camera as a convenient backup for my 8 megapixel digital rebel. There is no comparison in the image quality between the two cameras on scenic shots even though they both have the same pixel count. You won't be able to heavily crop or greatly enlarge scenic shots from the Sony even though this is a big advantage of having the high pixel count image in the first place. I tried two different cameras of this model with the same results. I talked with Sony support and, while they tried to be helpful, they were not able to give any suggestions that improved the distant focus situation. I think this is some kind of design trade-off they made and it kills the deal for me.

The camera is great, easy to use and I like the large image monitor. One draw back is you can't print a date from the pix taken. It does have a date and time calendar, but it only shows before the pix is taken, not the finished product.

I have compared this camera to several other cameras. I already have taken over 300 pictures and found the camer versital and easy to use.Great buy.

I bought this camera for taking pictures when I'm on road trips on my Harley, it takes great pictures while I'm riding, even at speeds up to 70 or 80 m.p.h., it's easy to hold with on to with one hand and use with one hand. Last year I took some beautiful pictures as I rode thru the Black Hills of South Dakota when we went to Sturgis South Dakota. If you want a good, easy to use camera that takes great pictures this is one to check out. My only complant is the lid where the battery and chip goes comes open easy, if you brush your hand across it, it will open, nothing will fall out, but Sony could have made it harder to open.

It is an excellent product but I have to learn more how to use it. I would like to know if I can get photos in Black & White or in other options.

In my opinion, this product is excellente, and the vendor is excellent too, the shipment was very fast, and the price was accord to the product.

thank you for your help,

I recomend you the vendor and the product.

I've now had 3 sony digital cameras and I have loved them all. I started off with the 5.1 mega pixel DSCW5 which was GREAT. I especially love all the preprogrammed settings. After having it for a year I wanted more mega pixels so I upgraded to the 7.2 mega pixel DSCW7. Another GREAT camera! Since I live in Alaska I loved the new preprogrammed setting for snow. After having that for a year I wanted something smaller that would fit in my purse so for 2006 Christmas my husband bought me the 8.2 mega pixel DSCW100. What a GREAT camera! The only thing that is a little disappointing is there aren't as many preprogrammed settings. Other than that is is a really GREAT camera. We just went to Amsterdam and took both the DSCW7 and DSCW100 and the pictures we took were amazing. We went to the zoo and aquarium and I took a lot pictures through the glass at the aquarium, they came out fabulous. There are so good you cannot even tell there is glass between me and the object I took pictures of. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the sony digital cameras are and how easy they are to use. The user manual with the DSCW100 is less than satisfactory but for the most part the camera is self explanatory. The best user manual came with the DSCW5 and the one for the DSCW7 wasn't too bad. I highly recommend this camera along with both the DSCW5 and the DSCW7. However both the DSCW5 and DSCW7 are older models and are more bulky. The DSCW100 is much slimmer and lighter. I have several friends that have or are going to buy this camera because of the quality of my pictures. It really is a great camera.

I Already dropped this sucker on solid street pavement and it still works like new. Great pics, easy to learn!!

Highly recommend this camera. So easy to use. Takes really nice clear pictures.

Carried it throughout Europe for two months ( in my
back pocket) on trains, planes and boats. Super
battery life, smooth shooting features, (shot a
wedding in Austria, made a little travel money),
Just plane terrific. I have yet to explore all the features,
but I'm sure I won't be disappointed. However, I
bought it in March, the price has doubled since.
I guess I got lucky.

I have had this camera for 2 months now and I love it.
There are a few downfalls.
1. If you have never seen this camera in person, its a bit bigger then most of the smaller camera's. So if you are looking for something tiny, this is not it.
2. Also, when you make videos you cannot zoom in at all, so don't purchase this to make videos.

This camera is very user friendly, without the manual it took me a few minutes to play with it & figure everything out. (Plus I have owned a SONY before). It takes beautiful pictures in all kind of lights & environments, you just to need set it on appropriate settings. Also you need to purchase a bigger storage card, if you plan on taking lots of pictures.

It was exactly the camera I was looking for but at half the price I expected to pay.

...and was so happy to have found it.

I love having the 8.1 mega pixels.. because even though most of the time that's overkill... its nice to be able to zoom, and enlarge, whenever needed

I love the look of the metal casing

I love the large LCD screen

I love the many options that the camera gives you to play around with in manual settings... and that i can always go back to "auto" with the rotation of the dial

I love the beach setting, because it does make for wonderful blues that can be seen in the water and sky

I like the option of filming video clips with sound, at the rotation of a dial... and without the frustration of a heavy confusing video camera

I love that the pictures don't look like they came from a digital camera when they are printed out.


If you are looking for a sturdy, compact, quality camera.. and are willing to spend a few extra bucks.. I think you can feel comfortable in choosing this.

Maybe I got a bad one in the bunch. But this camera I bought only takes blurry and grainy pictures. Yes I know to hold the halfway for a second to let it focus, it doesn't matter. It's still blurry. The settings are on auto. I've tried other settings it's the same result.

A waste of 350+ dollars. My old camera (that had a mechanical flaw so I returned it) was much better, with less megapixels (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7). Unfortunately with Sony's camera, I had the feeling it was blurry, but didn't return it in time. Big mistake.

In the end it's all about the lens, not so much megapixels.

I'll never buy from Sony again. It's overpriced, overmarketed and shoddy.

DON'T BUY A CYBERSHOT!!!!!!!!!! I really loved this camera. I bought it to use at work to take pictures and update our website. I loved it so much that I bought one for myself. It was stored in my desk at work and was only used once or twice a month... About 1 year and 3 days after the purchase date, the lcd screen turned white. it just quit working. None of the fixes work. There are hundreds of people saying that this has happened to them with the Cybershot cameras, but since my model number wasn't included in the "recall" for free repair, no one will help. Their customer service stinks. I can pay to send it in to them and pay more than I paid for the camera to get it fixed, or I can trash it and start over. It's been almost a year since I bought my personal one. I'm betting it's days are numbered too...

I have used the heck out of this camera at work. I own the panasonic lumix (hubbie picked it out) and found it to be very hard to use. I was always taking blurry pics. Hubbie loves it but to me it's not user friendly. This camera is! We have the Cybershot 8.1 at work & I use it every chance I get. It takes wonderful pics. Way less blurry "group" shots than my Lumix. Has a much better image stabilizer. I am so happy with this camera. Hubbie still loves the lumix but this one works much better for me. So happy hubbie got it for me for Christmas! Really happy to know that he got it on ebay for about 1/4 the price.

I bought this camera last February, every year, I buy a different camera, each year a better one, On december 2006 I bought a $500.00, 10Mega Pixel digital camera to replace my 6MP, but after going to the store and seeing the SONY W100 I was hooked, I returned the other camera and bought this for $360.00! IT WASN'T easy buying this camera since it was so hard to get.!! Ive had it for a year and I LOVE IT! this is the fisrt year I havent bought a new camera.....

ITS REALLY STURDY, AND IT FEELS GREAT IN MY HADNS, ALL THE BUTTONS ARE LOCATED VERY WELL AND EASY TO LOCATE!,, 8MP ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH, THE PICTURES COME OUT CRISP, VIVID COLORS AND ARE ALWAYS GREAT.. THE BEST THING THAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS CAMERA, IS THE REALLY HIGH ISO. ITS PERFECT, WHEN IM IN A WEDDING AND TAKING PICTURES WITH OUT FLASH THEY COME OUT SHARP NOT BLURRY AND CLEAR!! PERFECT.. i LOVE THIS CAMERA AND WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING. I BOUGHT A 3 YEAR WARRANTY FOR IT WICH DID COST ME A LEG AND AN ARM, BUT THIS IS A CAMERA THAT I PLAN ON HAVING AND USING FOR A LONG TIME! ! THIS CAMERA IS THE BEST, IVE TRIED ALL CAMERAS FROM, FUJI, KODAK, HP, CASIO, POLAROID, CANON, NIKON, SAMSUNG, AND I SAID THAT I WOULD NEVER USE A SONY BECAUSE OF THE MEMORY CARDS.. BUT WHEN I TRIED THIS CAMERA,, MEMORY CARDS WHERE THE LAST THING ON MY MIND!!! LOVE IT!! RECOMENDED 100%%%% BUY IT! ----- IM GOING TO UPLOAD A FEW PHOTOS SO YOU CAN SEE THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURES!! ALL OF MY PICTURES WILL START WITH A TITLE OF '''DSDUARTE'''

First, I bought this camera about a year ago for $249. Why is is being sold for $599 is beyond me. DON'T SPEND THIS MUCH!!! This camera is average at best. 8.1mp is pointless, I can take a picture on a Canon 7.2mp and it is clearer. This camera breaks easily and takes disapointing pictures. I won't be purchasing a Sony camera again. I assumed that it would be a really good one because of Sony's good reputation, but next time I am going with a company that specializes in cameras. Think Canon or Nikon for a superior camera.