I take basic point and shoot pictures of my family and so on. I was really disappointed with the image and focus quality on this camera. If *anything* is moving, it tends to show up as a blur -- even a child waving his hand.

The "camera unsteady" warning came on every time too. I even sat it on a table top, and it still warned "camera unsteady!"

I decided to return it and look for something better.

I just bought this camera recentley and i love it. I upgraded from a 3mp kodak and i'm really satisfied. This camera takes excellent pictures and has a wopping 2.5" lcd screen! If your really into photo, this camera is perfect. sony rocks

I got this camera to replace an older sony digital camera, an F55. I thought 6 years later their product would be much improved. It is a beautiful looking camera, nice LCD, lots of features, BUT blurry pictures and almost impossible to use inside. For some reason this camera (and I tried all sorts of settings) produces a "soft" (out of focus) picture all the time, and inside it's blurry. The little hand indicating camera movement comes on ALL THE TIME inside and I don't move at all. Compared to my older Sony, which produces a clear, crisp picture, I was very disappointed and I am returning this for a refund and will live with the good old camera. I know blur was a problem often cited for the W1 and thought it would be addressed, but No, it was not. Take some pics at a store and then have them display them on the computer, they look OK in the LCD but on the computer, out of focus big time.

I'm not angry with Sony, I love the old one, but I wanted to let buyers know about the focus issues.

If you have any questions regarding this camera, see the reviews for the previous version Sony W-1. Its basically the same camera but the outside casing has change. I LOVE the 2.5" LCD screen. It makes viewing you pictures a breeze (and fun). This is my first digital camera, so I have to get use to the features, but so far...it great. I plan to take this camera to Europe this summer. I will provide an update when I return.

Just a clarification of the negative reviews below - the "little waving hand" does not mean that the camera is moving. Instead, it means that you are trying to take a photo with a setting that would require a very steady hand to get a sharp result. That is why the hand doesn't go away when you put the camera on a table - and you can still take good pictures under these conditions, if the camera is held steady enough. This is a great little camera that I have been totally satisfied with so far. And, just as an aside, this information is in the user's manual, it might be a good idea to read this over before writing bad reviews on this site.

I purchased this camera for my trip to Europe. DISAPPOINTED
is the short review. My sister had an Olympus 3.1 MP and her pictures blew mine way. I had serious clarity and focus problems. My prints were terrible for the most part and I am considering returning this camera. Sorry Sony I was burned this time.

I'm enjoying my new W5. I've had lots of fun taking pictures in every kind of circumstance I can think of.
The camera has the capability of a very long exposure, which I've enjoyed immensely, and the night shots I've taken are super.
I enjoy remodeling. The W5 has a 30mm screw mount, and I purchased the wide-angle lens at my local Sony Style store. I am very happy that I have the capability to add lenses and/or filters.
The person who complains that the "waving hand" shows when the light is low -- yes, it is just a warning -- so you the user knows what's going on. You know if the camer is not stable you could get some fuzziness. I think it's better to know that something requires a little caution, than to get crummy pictures because I didn't know.
It has a large screen, it has a screw mount for lenses/filters, it has a metal screw base for tripod use, it uses regular AA batteries, it uses my old Sony memory (plus the new Sony Pro memory I bought), it takes 640 x 480, 30 frame per second video, with sound, and it's among the lightest in this class.
Honestly, I think it's hard to beat.

This has been the best digital camera i have ever bought! the quality of the picture that it takes enables me to pictures that i am unable to take with a high quality slr. the video quality is not that great but if you are serious about still pictures this is a great investment for someone starting out their digital experiance!

I bought the Sony DSC-W5 few weeks ago, so far I'm quite pleased with it. The choice was between this one and the Canon SD-400, both are 5MP as I think that's the optimum resolution for my use. Looks like both cameras have similar picture quality with a slight edge for the Canon.

So what decided me for the Sony? Mainly these 4 reasons:

- I have a Canon G2, which is slow and bulky, but most of all, after 3 years of use the image quality is degradating. Paid $800 for it 3 years ago, one would expect a longer product life.

-Battery. Canon does not know how to measure battery power, it goes from full to empty in 5mn, that's very frustrating as you have to fully charge the battery the day before you're going to use your camera. Sony gives you a detailed view of the charge left, and even in the case you run out of it, you can plug in 2 plain AA batteries.

- Sony is fast, very fast.

- Sony has a large bright LCD, it's a pleasure to take shots and look at the pictures on the 2.5' lCD.

I found the sony very easy to use, the settings are easily accessible and are memorised through power ups (which is sometimes bothersome as you have to check all your settings before using the camera at the begining of the day)

About blurry pictures, on something like 100 pictures I only had a few that were blurry. Mainly if you press the button half way and wait for the camera to autofocus, you'll get a good picture. Also the flash is required as soon as the luminosity dims a bit. The only defect I could find is on the autofocus, I believe the balanced autofocus feature gets confused on some situations, even simple ones like a mountain landscape with no tree in front.

Setting the autofocus to center may solve the problem. Also Sharpness should be set to "+" otherwise you get very soft images.

Conclusion: A great product for the price, picture quality is fantastic (most of the times), the LCD is a charm to look at.

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 5.1 MegaPixels, this camera will pick up hairs on a persons head and it will even be able to define a flea in the hair. 5.1 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.

This one had everything I was looking for +. Easy to use, good zoom, lots of MP and a large 2.5 LED viewing screen. I have only used the Auto mode and movie mode - but this camera is capable of a lot according to the user guide. I would recommend it!

I bought this camera some one month back. Extremely happy with the quality of pictures, movies it takes. They are of very good quality definitely depends on how you focus and how much you balance the camera while taking night snaps. So far it is the best camera I have ever bought. The secene modes are very good. The large screen is the key factor of buying it. Will definitely recommend it.

Very easy to use. 2.5 in LCD screen is great. Easy to transfer photos to computer. Pictures come out GREAT. Love it!!

I am happy that i purchased this one. I wanted to buy a SONY model and wanted a large LCD screen so went for this one. The internal memory(32 MB) is a very good feature as we need not run for buying a memory stick immediately. People who want to go for a SONY product I would advise to choose this one.

I've been wanting a Sony CyberShot for a while now and this camera is exaactly what I had hoped for. The clarity is great and its very easy to use. My only problem is that while taing pictures in the nighttime mode that captures a person and a bacdrop both the photographer and the object being photographed have to remain totally still or else the picture comes out with double exposers and streaks. Other than that it is great though. And anyways, most of my nighttime pictures look better in normal camera mode anyways.

After much deliberation, I finally decided to purchase this camera due to it's small size, good reviews, and the price at the time (on sale at Target last winter.) Mostly I am happy with my camera. The blurriness doesn't bother me at all since, as a photographer, I like to play with those types of things. (I especially love the nighttime portrait function! The streaks the other reviewers complained about are so much fun.)

Anyway, my two problems with the camera are technical. One, the "M" function simply can't be used, it just continues to say that it's taking the picture and I have to take the batteries out to make it stop. I'm sure it's something that could easily be fixed, but since the warranty is expired I'm stuck for now. The other is that sometimes the camera will think I'm changing the function when I'm not, and has caused problems while I'm trying to take a picture or view them. I think this is a software problem, and probably isolated. A friend of mine bought the same camera and hasn't mentioned any problems with hers.

Overall though, I do like my camera. I use the other functions enough that I don't miss the "M" one too badly, and as for the other problem I can live with it until I can afford a bigger, better camera.

I really like this sony cam but let me get my complaints outta the way 1st. Its kinda big and bulky. It looks small but put in your pants pocket and you'll be annoyed after walking 5 steps. Its also a little on the heavy side. I'm comparing it to the similarly priced Sony T33, a much thinner and lighter camera. If you're shooting something in action you'll probably miss the shot because it takes a few seconds to autofocus. You have to use red eye flash which takes longer and eats the battery faster. Unless you prefer to have red eyes in every pic. But overall I like this camera. The LCD screen is awesome. Its so clear even when you zoom in. You can actually see the pic without having to upload it to your computer screen. This helps b/c you can just retake any bad looking pics. If you only take posed still photos then this camera is all you'll ever need. I use red eye flash because I'm too lazy to go back and remove the red eyes from every pic. I usually shoot 50-100 pics a night. If you only take a few pics then this wont be a problem. But I'm getting ready to return this camera and get a Sony T33 which is basically the same but half the size.

The camera is excelent and the service was fast and without problems.

I purchased this camera as a gift for a very special friend.

I made this purchase based on good service I have had with other Sony cameras/products.

This camera is easy to use.

The large LCD screen easy to view, even in bright light for people like me that have vision problems.

Battery life is good.

My personal camera is the Sony V1, it too is a nice camera, however the screen size is much smaller and the glossy finish makes is almost impossible to view in bright light.

Overall both cameras are very nice. The DSCW-5 is quite a bit smaller and lighter than the V1. Another good feature about the DSCW5 is that is runs on two AA batteries that in an emergency you could purchase from any store.

Battery life however on non-rechargable batteries would not be good, but it is better than haveing a dead specialized battery, like most other cameras have including my V1.

Overall I would reccomend The DSCW5 by Sony

I like the big screen. 5.1 MP is more than enough. Compact design. glad i bought this.

Just to be clear: this is a great camera. It feels solid, starts up instantly, takes good pictures, and has manual controls. It takes AA batteries, has an optical viewfinder, can take expansion lenses, has a huge LCD, and has an AF-assist lamp. Great!

I really like the manual controls. It takes a little while to get used to if you've always been a point-n-shooter like me. But having the controls means that you can take shots that a regular automatic camera in this class would never be able to get. There is actually a 30 second exposure mode, which is very unusual in this class of camera. Read the manual and you will be able to take photos in all lighting conditions.

Unfortunately, even with manual controls this camera suffers in low-light. All cameras without image-stabilization are going to tend to be blurry in low-light. But for some reason, Sony has made their cameras (even the P series cameras) especially sensitive. We were touring around cathedrals in Europe and it is very difficult to get a clear shot because you can't use the flash and the lighting is always a little dark. The solution is to use a tripod, which will give you fantastic pictures. But without one, you have to be creative.

But even so, when you set things up right this camera takes beautiful pictures - well-saturated colors, not much graininess. But it will take some learning. If you just want a camera you can leave on Auto all day, you may want a different brand.

I got this camera after passing on a 4 mp Olympus to my daughter and having my new 5 mp Canon stolen. I ended up almost glad that the Canon was stolen, because my new Sony is so much better. It is easy to use and fast (my husband is a track and cross country coach, and this camera is quick enough to get each runner as they pass during a race) and produces great pictures.

I also like it's size. I'm not a fan of the itsy-bisty, super-thin cameras; I like to have something to hold onto. This is still small, but not credit-card small. I love the big view-screen, though, and it works well in the bright sunlight.

I researched a lot of cameras, then took a chance and bought one I hadn't even looked into. I am so glad I did.

Si no eres un profesional, pero buscas fotos de buena calidad, y requieres poder manipular los parametros de exposición, foco, luz, apertura, etc etc etc, Esta es una muy buena camara.
Al principio, me asustaron los comentarios que decian que las fotos quedaban siempre borrosas. Esto no es cierto, solo tienes que enfocar bien ya sea utilizando el autofoco, lo cual requiere que primero pongas a enfocar la camara antes de tomar la foto(obviamente). O utilizando una escena predeterminada... la camara da muchas posibilidades. La pantalla de 2.5'' es espectacular.
Adelante, buena camara.

I bought this camera like a month ago and i`ve been using it since there, it's realy a good camera and it has covered all my expentancies, I recomend it at all. It works as good as it seems to do

This is the first digital camera I have ever owned and I love it. The large digital display, easy menu, fast access dial, simple AA batteries, and sturdy classic construction make this an excellent camera. It take wonderful pictures that rival my APS in terms of quality. Even 8 x 10's come out nicely. I highly recommend this, especially for first time digital camera users. I was reluctant to give up on using film, but after using this camera, I will never go back.

DID ANY ONE SEE THE PHOTO OF CHESS GAME THATS SO COOL!!!!
THAT GUYS GOOD HIS PICs ARE A+


P.S. LOOK AT THE PICS :)

I did quite a bit of research on compact digital cameras before spending the money. I have tried several different brands in the past so I'm not some Sony-Maniac or anything but let me tell you, I am very impressed with this camera. The display is HUGE and extremely easy to see in all lighting conditions, even in direct sunlight. The buttons are a bit tiny but also intuitive so you don't feel like you're fumbling around trying to snap a shot. The power-up time and time between shots is incredibly short. The camera is light-weight but feels solid, not cheap or flimsy. The dial on the top, which lets you switch the picture mode menu is easy to access and use. The pictures come out sharp and clear and the colors are amazing, not washed out or distorted. The manual features are fairly easy to operate and in fact the camera is so self-explanatory that you can get the camera up and running without even looking at the manual. The software that comes with the camera is decent as well, although if you really like to tweak your pictures, you'll want to upgrade. The fact that you can use AA batteries instead of proprietary batteries is a feature everyone can appreciate. The camera is about the size of a deck of cards so it can be taken with you just about anywhere. The 5.1 megapixels and the 3X optical zoom make this tiny little camera stand up to models much higher in price.

I sure do wish I could be one of the 5 star reviewers of this camera but alas, you'll only get two from me.

Prior to owning this camera I had an Olympus Camedia which took fantastic pictures but was slow to to start, had a long lag time between button press and snap, and a fairly long time before the next shot would take. Because most of my photography is of kids snowboarding and playing hockey, this was a serious drawback.

I purchased the Sony Cybershot DSC-W5 almost a year ago after doing a lot of research and testing many models out at varoius stores. Everything about it seemed perfect. It had every feature I was looking for and did all of it faster than any other camera I could find. The one thing that you can't test at a store, however, is the quality of the pictures. Pity.

In the automatic mode the color quality of the photos is terrible and not at all true, it doesn't handle various lighting situations well, and the photos are often less than crisp. Even after manipulating them on photo software, they are still lacking. I have tried various settings and read and re-read the manual hoping to find some clue to solving the problems.

Interestingly, my sister has the same camera and she is equally disappionted with the photos it takes for the same reasons.

My advice, keep shopping.

After owning this camera for a little over a year now, I still think it was a good value. The size is great, small enough for a pocket but not too small to handle or push all the buttons.

The giant 2.5 inch LCD in the back is great, in fact I hardly ever use the view finder. Battery life is good, especially considering the LCD is almost always on. The camera has a great auto focus system that takes a few minutes of reading to learn how to use, but is very helpful if you actually read up on it.

Picture quality is very good outdoors and pretty good indoors. The flash often creates red-eye, even with the red-eye reduction on. The indoor shots tend to be a little cool in color. Overall the color is good, just not as good as my old Kodak digital camera.

Although the Sony DSC-W5 offers a lot of features in a small package, and takes nice photos, it tends to fall apart after moderate use. This is due to the use of lightweight plastic components where metal should have been employed, and poor mechanical design.

My experience is that Sony does not honor the warranty. So the camera is essentially disposable. Expect a life of 6-12 months. If you want something that will last, go for a traditional camera brand, not something from an consumer electronics manufacturer.

I recieved this camera for my birthday and I can say this is by far the best for it's price. Sure, HP and Canon are cheeper but Sony has a better camera. This thing can take pictures and movies with sound. My old camera was only 640x480(VGA) and could also take 1024x1024 pictures. The Sony can take VGA images for email and websites, 1 Megapixel, 3 Megapixel, 3.2 Megapixels, and 5 Megapixel images. In movie mode, you are only limited by the memory stick. You can also change movie sizes. The 3X optical zoom is a plus. The different modes for shooting are also useful. I have a Sony VAIO laptop so I can just slide the memory stick out and put into my laptop's built in port. If you have a Sony computer, this camera will work wonders. With the LCD on, I can get over an hour of battery life on just 2 AA batteries. I also like the fact it includes rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. I also got extra Duracell 2500mAh NIMH batteries. I got 8 extra batteries so I can shoot and shoot pictures. I got mine at officemax for $299.99 with a free 256MB memory stick. I would wait for this deal to get your camera. The Sony is also very fast when it comes to displaying and saving images. My old 1997 Olympus camera took 10 secs to save and forever to display on the small 1.5in LCD. The Sony takes 3-4 secs or less to save the image and displays them in an instant. The LCD is also large (2.5in) for it's class. With the huge LCD on it really dosen't suck the batteries. (Yeah!)It is a little thicker than the $300.00 Canon ELPH but the Sony is overall better to me. There are so many features that it comes with a tutorial that explains all the settings and picture shooting modes. Overall, I really love this little camera.

We took over 350 pictures in Walt Disney World, two were blurry, the speed of this camera is incredible. I cannot believe how quickly we were able to shoot pictures. I am totally impressed with this camera. We have had a digital HP and Cannon and this is worlds above! I would reccomend this to anyone with children. The cannon took good pictures but the timing was awful. It could take 20 seconds for the camera to be ready for another picture. The Sony was ready in 3 to 5 seconds every time.

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.

Pro:
2.5 inch screen size for easy picture view
cardless 32 mb internal memory
excellent daylight Carl zeiss lense
useful functions and settings

Con:
battery life is not so great when flash is used
lil bit too thick
different settings takes a while to adjust

bottome line:
it's a great camera, and you don't have to purchase expensive replacement battery since the camera will use any AA.
I gave it a four star since some night shots didn't come out as good as i hoped. And if u use red-eye reduction flash mode, the battery life will be short. Also, the camera is lil bit bulky, however, day time pictures are just excellent

I'm blown away by the positive reviews of this camera. It doesn't snap the picture when you hit the button, and the delay is ridiculous when you are trying to shoot pictures of children. It takes too long to reset after the flash goes off. I find that it really only takes consistantly good photos outside on sunny days, mainly because you don't need to deal with the flash. Indoors in low light, forget about it. I don't even waste my time trying. I've been very disappointed by this camera.

Back in March, I bought this $400ish Sony digital camera. 6 weeks into it, it would not power on. I discovered this as my wife was in the hospital giving birth to our second child. Not a good time for a camera to break.

The camera was under warranty so I sent it back, along with proof of purchase and it was repaired and sent back to me. I have since moved to Georgia. Two weeks ago, at Laurens Christmas recital, the camera breaks again. It won't power on...the exact same issue as the first time. So, no pictures there. That's two important times in my life when my digital camera is incapable of taking pictures.

I called Sony, and sent the camera back to them for the same repair. I told them the whole story while he typed away and gave me a 2nd work order number. One week later, I get an e-mail stating they had received the camera but could not repair it because I did not send in my proof of purchase. Now, I'm sure I have that receipt in an unpacked box somewhere, but I don't really know where it is and I don't feel like I should have to go search for it. It's not where I thought it was, and I don't want to go on a massive receipt hunt.

I just got off the phone with customer service. He advised me that if I purchased the camera with a credit card, I could call my CC company and get them to send me a statement which I could fax. Again, I could do all that, but I shouldn't have to. The camera broke twice, it was repaired (sort of) once, and I have been inconvienienced enough. I'm told that they don't keep proof of purchases from previous repairs, thus the need for me to work harder. If I had the receipt to fax in (I don't have a fax machine in my house either), it would make things easier. He'll see what he can do but cannot make any promises.

Here are just a few questions I have from this ordeal:

1. Why do Sony DSCW5's not work properly?
2. They don't keep scans of receipts from repair jobs, but they expect me to have this handy when it suits them?
3. Shouldn't they resolve issues at my convienience, not theirs? Why are they interested in making this easier for customer support and the repair shop at my expense?
4. Why do you have to speak to technical support, then get transferred to customer service, who sends e-mails back to technical support while I am sitting on hold?

the camera is very sensitive to movement and seems to snap blurry photos. When the button is pushed the camera has a delay reaction to the shot and does not respond immediately. I am having to retake many photos because of inaccurate and blurred pics. Have developed many photos that are not clear. I am sorry I spent so much money and did not get quality. I am disappointed in Sony since I have many other products from them that are worth the expense. I am thinking of buying another brand that is more reliable.
Enrica Funari

I bought this camera mainly based on the positive reviews I had read and the brand name. What a disappointment I have had! The camera takes very blurry pictures indoors almost all the time. When I try to take a picture, it flashs a symbol indicating the camera is not stable and the picture could be blurry. However, the symbol keeps on flashing even when I set the camera on a surface (i.e. on a table) - how much more stable can you make the camera to be? Needless to say, the indoor pictures are all fussy and quite bad. I can't beleive a camera from Sony could be such poor quality. I'm now trying to get rid of this camera and buy another one (certainly not Sony).

The camera comes good, and work perfectly

Why settle for less, when you can get a brand new original top-of-the-line Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP camera for Free! I got mine from this web site: http://xrl.us/rebelxt

I absolutely love this camera!!! It is not too big, not too small, so it is easy to hold in your hand. Great pictures!!! The screen in the back is big which makes it so easy to take pictures. (Two of my friends saw it and went out straight away to buy it. They are as happy as I am.) Easy to understand even if you did not read the manual. I carry it everywhere and we take pictures all over the world using the timer and a small tripod. The tripod screws in easily and you can let it stand on almost any small surface. It is definitely worth the money!!!

bought for my mother-in-law because it's point and shoot. she had a cannon that took forever to take the picture, that is if she could get it to register. that cannon ate batteries like nothing i've ever seen. SHE LOVES THIS CAMERA. huge view screen, easy to use, great battery life, easy to download images and actually use the pictures. great for people who just want to point and shoot a great picture. we have a similar model and it's the easiest camera. wonderful pictures. easy to share and get pictures. THANK YOU SONY! WHAT A GREAT PRODUCT! just wish the memory wasn't quite so expensive - the only reason for not the 5 stars. Definately a 4 1/2 star product!!!

I've had this camera since March '05 and have nothing but great results with it. The camera was a gem up until last month when it just suddenly stopped working. Some sort of malfunction with the lens thus preventing me from taking any sort of decent picture. It's now in the repair shop with Sony and hopefully will be back in time to capture my son's first birthday on the 24th.
Am noticing a trend though with the various mechanical complaints. Might want to invest in something different, especially since the warranty only covers the camera for a year. If Sony hadn't agreed to cover the repair costs themselves,the cost out of my pocket would have been $180...told them I'd rather buy a new camera and could guarantee them that it wouldn't be a new Sony.

sony camera's are the worst to repair. they charge you $200.00 for a flash. That is almost the same price as a new one. Buy the other brands. they have local shops that will fix warrenty problems SONY does NOT have this. you have to send it to Texas. I don't even live in a state that touchs Texas. Please Buy a different brand of camrea you will be much happier. the parts and acc. are more as well.

The camera was an excellent one, it took very high-quality pictures; however, it broke a little more than a year after I bought it, it wouldn't power on for an unknown reason, and it was exactly 14 days out of the one-year warranty! The repair cost is rather expensive: $184. I would rather buy a new one than to send it for repair.

If you have kids and want to take pictures of them inside, then do NOT buy this camera. It takes great pictures outdoors. Indoors, most of my pictures of my kids are blurry. I have to take five or more pictures to get one that comes out ok. If your kids are moving while you're trying to take their picture, forget it, they won't come out. I do use this camera for outdoor pictures, but inside I use my Sony CyberShot DSC-P8, it's older, but still takes great indoor pictures.

We bought this a couple months ago to replace a Fuji 2MP camera. I love the sturdy metal case, large LCD and quick response. I read a lot of reviews, one was very feature detailed and sold me on this. Bestbuy kid said that the Canon or other brands would be better. I chose to ignore his "expert opinion" and stick with a brand that has been good for me. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" - I'm sold on Sony. I'm so pleased with the pictures it takes, especially the no flash pictures, they are exeptionally good. I can't imagine having to replace this camera, I think it's the cats meow. But if I ever do buy another camera, no doubt -- it will be another fine Sony product.

I bought my girlfriend this camera last year, and I feel confident giving it an accurate review now that we've been on trips and had a chance to use it under several different circumstances.
Good points include:
1. It's a Sony.
2. You get recharging batteries, but you can use regular batteries if you have to (a feature not available on many Canons).
3. Super user-friendly. Easy to use and easy to hook up to external devices.
4. Beautiful big screen.
5. Very light and portable.
6. You can actually get shots with both the background and the foreground in focus (ex: picture of someone standing 30 feet in front of a waterfall...both person and waterfall come in beautifully).

Not-so-good points:
1. Camera dedicated carrying case costs a bunch (like $40). It's a great case, though.
2. You have to be relatively motionless in order not to get the blur-factor.
3. You really have to be aware of your light. Or you'll get dark shots. I didn't experience this with my much older Canon.
4. 6mp cameras are so cheap now, why get the 5.1?

I am totally satisfied with Product features. For me still it's better than any available product from other company in this segment.
I ranked this product 4 because it manual dial malfunction very often. If I select Album mode it still thinks to be in SnapShot mode and vice-versa. It's out of guarantee and I'll hv to live with it.
Anyway there are many products present in market in this series to go with like W50 or something like that.

I've had this camera for two years. Compared to other cameras I've used, this digital camera is VERY fast. With only five megapixels, I've managed to take some really fine pictures with amazing detail. The macro mode is excellent. This camera is also very durable - I've dropped it at least twice on hard floor but nothing broke.

After using it obsessively for two years though (I was literally attached to this camera), the camera lost some of its reliability. For example, when I'm in the automatic mode, the camera would randomly switch to the review mode for no reason. Also, when I take pictures using the self-timer, the pictures now sometimes turn out blurry - it doesn't make sense to me because nothing holding the camera is moving (the subject isn't moving either).

Also, this camera is rather bulky and heavy compared to some compact digital cameras out in the market today.

This camera is a little confusing to use (even with the manual) when trying to control the settings manually. My photography professor told me that Canon cameras were best for manual picture taking.

Nonetheless, I really think I got an excellent use out of this camera for the time I've had it - I'm quite satisfied.

I was just doing a CR review on digital cameras and decided to add my comments to Amazon (I always check Amazon for reviews of items I'm thinking of purchasing... Thanks Amazon!).

I purchased my DSC-W5 a little over a year ago and have been very pleased with it. The main reasons I decided to purchase this camera was its small size and the fact that you could get an underwater housing for it. I've had other underwater cameras but I found this one to be great above and below the water. With the housing being so small you can use it at the beach/pool or the big waterfest, Songkran, in Thailand without worrying about getting it wet.

The other things that I've really liked since I purchased it is the manual setting (good for underwater and sun sets) and the ability to use standard AA batteries (this has saved me many times when my rechargeable have gone dead). I have also purchased the zoom lens... It helps the 3X zoom. When using the zoom you sometimes get the black hole effect on the edges, but you just have to work around it or crop it later. I've thought about the underwater filters but Sony is very proud of them (ie. to expensive). I just use a Photoshop action in Elements called underwater that I got from the Adobe's share site to color correct pix's.

The video is good also. I've used it for underwater and the high quality setting gives you a pretty good video even on my 50" HD TV. It does eat up a lot of space on the 1G chip, but what do you want... (may need to order a bigger one if they're now available)

Friends of mine have liked my camera so much they've purchased the W7. Another thing I'm hoping is Sony will continue the line so you can purchase accessories in the future (underwater housing, I had an Olympus/5050 with underwater housing, but after a year or so you could not find replacement accessories so I had to buy a new camera (ie. W5).

The only con on the camera is the red eyes from the flash being so close to the lens. But then I use Elements to fix that in a jiffy.

Other features that would make it even better are (Sony are you listening): More manual settings. I would like it to have the infrared capability of other Sony's. Another feature that would be great and don't understand why companies have not added it would be... time-laps photography using the video or still capability.

excellent in all indoor and out door shots. Beautiful and bright LCD panel. Excellent flash and long battery life.

Snaps high quality pictures super fast and came with batteries that seem to last forever! What more could a person want? It even stores video snips effeciently. We've had this camera for several months, used it frequently, and love it.

My only warning is don't let the batteries run low (ok, so they really don't last FOREVER!). We have run into problems where we couldn't properly turn the camera off when the batteries were low.

I did a lot of review of verious camerias prior to purchasing this one. Expecially comairison reviews from a number of resourcs. This one floated to the top of the list and though was a little more expensive than I wanted, having used it, it was worth every penny. The features are far to numerous to note here, but let's just say that the camera is beyond great. What ever complaints that you have about your present digital camera (if you have one), this camer probably solves them. You will have to read the manul to do most of the super features, but it is well worth it. To borrow a saying from an old TV add "BUY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT".

This is a good solid camera that if you use it well it will provide you with good pictures. It is a bit heavy compared to other digital compact cameras but it is solid and functional. Easy menu and good lens.

I've owned this camera a little over a year. It was my 2nd digital camera. It always had focus issues in low-light. I thought it was me, but after working extensively with the manual, after I finally had some time, I discovered that it was the camera. You really need a tripod for those low-light shots. I wasn't able to return it, so I've taken hundreds of pictures with it. It takes beautiful pictures with good light and has a really nice size screen. However, the lens will no longer contract and I get an error message that is unresolvable unless I pay at least $170. I'm just going to get a better quality camera. I will not buy Sony again.

I can't speak to all the advanced, fancy manual options that some highly advanced photography professionals seem to use to rate cameras.

I can say what was most important to me in choosing this camera was:

1. A good flash range for indoor shots beyond 10 feet.
2. A quick focus and reset so that it I can take one or more pictures quickly without having to wait for the camera to reset.
3. A realtively small size and excellent viewfinder.
4. High quality pictures without huge complexity.

This camera is excellent in these areas. I would hightly recommend this for someone who wants great pictures from a realatively small camera without spending a ton for advanced features that most people never use (although these features may be available in this camera - Don't know and don't care)

I bought this camera when I was in Japan in October 2004 and immediately fell in love with it despite its rather short lifespan. Like April Sumner's experience in the review prior to mine, I too received the infamous "error message" with a non-retractable lens. Now I, like her, am stuck with a camera that's not worth fixing. It took some great pix, but also did poorly with a flash as people were washed out when it was used. I did like the versatility of being able to use both regular (Li-technology) and rechargeable batteries. I am not sure if
I would buy another Sony product again.

Well, it seems that we have joined the 1 year club that everyone else who has owned this camera for a year is already in. This camera wont take pictures indoors. Too bad I had to find out this past weekend when my daughter was the flower girl in a wedding and I came home with no shots of her to share with family and friends, not to mention I also have no shots of the bride and groom or any of the wedding itself. What a disapointment. I wish I could sue Sony for the loss of memories that I suffered from this lousy camera.

This is a nice, light and compact camera. I've taken plenty of great shots with it and the LCD display on the back is definitely a plus. However, when trying to shoot in less than perfect lighting conditions it can be tricky to get a shot without blurring the image.

This is my second Sony digital camera. My first was a 4.1 megapixel DSC-S85. It took great pictures -- never blurry -- in all light situations. My only complaint was that as one of the first generation digital cameras, the shutter lag was horrible! So, I had high hopes for the DSC-W5 when my husband gave it to me for Christmas two years ago. While the shutter lag was much improved, I quickly learned that this new camera did not do so well in low light, and if my hand moved in the slightest or unless our children sat less than absolutely still while taking a picture (those of you with kids are laughing right now, right?), the photo came out blurry. However, I became more disappointed when we had owned the camera for just under a year and the dial that allows you to move between modes started malfunctioning. Every time I tried to switch it to review mode, it would stay in camera mode. It was impossible to review photos unless the dial was set precariously between movie mode and review mode. We sent the camera back to Sony, and to their credit, they fixed it within a couple of weeks with no charge. However, it's been about a year since the repair and the dial is starting to malfuction again. The camera is also starting to eat batteries like crazy -- even the expensive rechargable kind. I wish I could recommend this camera since I was so satisfied with the photo quality of the DCS-S85. However, after two years worth of problems with the W5, my advice is to keep looking.

Hi~! I bought this model without knowing that i was getting a piece of jewel~! It's very quick, its image quality is really supreme~! no noise, and the video quality is awesome~! I used several canon and other sony's... but they all had a lot of noise. It is a shame that i was stolen recently... I hope Sony is releasing another product this good. But I bought the W85 last month, but am very disappointed by its high noise and slow speed, and bad video quality.

I have used this camera for several years and I have enjoyed it. If you have extra batteries and memory sticks it helps alot! The only reason I am in the market for a new camera is that I would like the image stabilization feature. I have never really done anything special regarding settings and focus etc., and have been satisfied overall with this camera.

I agree with most of the other negative reviews here- focus problems!! My camera lens is now stuck, and the camera is completely inoperable. It is about 2 years old, so I did get some good use out of it, but I am upgrading. Different brand this time!!