Sony W1

[Richard M Hammer]

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain to operate.

How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1. Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

 

[GaryM04]

Took me a while to get the hang of it. Now I can get pretty sharp images esp outside in good light. Shots in low light with flash won't win any awards, but then again what P&S camera will in that situation. Gotta use manual to bump up the ISO to 200 and smack the shutter speed up a notch or 3

Menus are fine, once you get used to it. If I were to return it........I dont know what I would get. It snot a DSLR so dont expect DSLR images. Take it for what it is. Fun,easy to carry and great colour representation

Sure I get a few shots that arent crisp, so I take a few. Theres always USM in Photoshop !

Movie mode is cool, I email my videos, so lower quality is fine and its better than carrying around my video cam too.

So to sum up.....as I said in another posting .......I think I am happy with my W1 !!! The more I play with it, the better it gets

Oh yeh, I was told to try a hard reset on the camera. Funnny thing is, I think it made a difference. I am now getting better, sharper images. You should try it too.

GARY

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

--
GaryM
Sony DSC-W1
Toronto, Canada

'I wish I didn't know now...what I didn't know then'
(Bob Seger - 1980 something ?)

 

[OCJohn]

I took mine back because the redeye was really bad (the weak flash combined with the flash location... incidentally, same set up as V3).

But, other than the redeye issue, I thought it was a great camera. Amazingly fast start up, awesome 2.5" LCD, I had a Sony before so I thought the menus were fine. Good P&S pictures. And, incredible movie mode. If they'd have just moved the flash over a little...

So, what did I get instead? Well, I had done a ton of research, and had decided that the W1 was the "perfect" P&S camera, and when it turned out not to be, I went the other direction to a prosumer model -- the best one of which turned out to be the A2, which I love.

For xmas, because I still want a pocket size P&S, I'm considering either the Sony M1 (I want an MPEG 4 movie mode on a P&S) or the Panasonic FZ7, which has image stablization, which I think you need with a tiny little camera (which are very difficult to hold really still, unlike a larger, sturdier camera with more mass).

There are so many choices in each category (compact P&S, mid-size P&S, prosumer, dSLR), it's such a hard decision. There's no perfect camera. I really encourage anyone considering a camera to go to Best Buy, or some place like that, where you can fiddle with each of the cameras, so you can get an idea of what feels good to you, and then do the heavy due dilligence.

Good luck!!!

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

 

[Richard M Hammer]

I want to thank you both for your reply. I think I will open the box and try it out for myself. If I don't like it I can always return it. I will hold off ordering a larger card until I know I want to keep it.
Richard

But, other than the redeye issue, I thought it was a great camera.
Amazingly fast start up, awesome 2.5" LCD, I had a Sony before so I
thought the menus were fine. Good P&S pictures. And, incredible
movie mode. If they'd have just moved the flash over a little...

So, what did I get instead? Well, I had done a ton of research, and
had decided that the W1 was the "perfect" P&S camera, and when it
turned out not to be, I went the other direction to a prosumer
model -- the best one of which turned out to be the A2, which I
love.

For xmas, because I still want a pocket size P&S, I'm considering
either the Sony M1 (I want an MPEG 4 movie mode on a P&S) or the
Panasonic FZ7, which has image stablization, which I think you need
with a tiny little camera (which are very difficult to hold really
still, unlike a larger, sturdier camera with more mass).

There are so many choices in each category (compact P&S, mid-size
P&S, prosumer, dSLR), it's such a hard decision. There's no perfect
camera. I really encourage anyone considering a camera to go to
Best Buy, or some place like that, where you can fiddle with each
of the cameras, so you can get an idea of what feels good to you,
and then do the heavy due dilligence.

Good luck!!!

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

 

[paki boy]

canon agents r evry where bashing this littel finest cam in it price and class
here is my web for samples
http://www.myawais.tk

c my posts all r W1 shots canon camera in auto mode even take shutter speeed lower then 1 sec so blured pic evry time in low light with out tripod or sligh movement of subject that canon was A300 withno manual controls like in W1.in auto w1 lowest shutter speed is 1/8 without flash and 1/40 with flash so better pix indoor
i love W1 never fails u to take instant pix or battry

Menus are fine, once you get used to it. If I were to return
it........I dont know what I would get. It snot a DSLR so dont
expect DSLR images. Take it for what it is. Fun,easy to carry and
great colour representation

Sure I get a few shots that arent crisp, so I take a few. Theres
always USM in Photoshop !

Movie mode is cool, I email my videos, so lower quality is fine and
its better than carrying around my video cam too.

So to sum up.....as I said in another posting .......I think I am
happy with my W1 !!! The more I play with it, the better it gets

Oh yeh, I was told to try a hard reset on the camera. Funnny thing
is, I think it made a difference. I am now getting better, sharper
images. You should try it too.

GARY

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

--
GaryM
Sony DSC-W1
Toronto, Canada

'I wish I didn't know now...what I didn't know then'
(Bob Seger - 1980 something ?)

--
work work and only work (Quaid-e-Azam)
doublew one

 

[hada]

Hi Rich,

Did you open the box? how is your experience with it?

I opened mine yetsrday, ,took about 100 shots, bad very bad.. then out of the blue, photos turned out good, really good... especially in my wife's hands. I guess I drank too much coffee to hold it still enough...

anyway, I ordered V1 in a frustration move yesterday, before the good pics came out.. but I like the W12, its soooo cooolll....

The good photos from the W1(2) are way much better than Canon A95!
better buy an Aldi cam instead of the canon....

cheers

But, other than the redeye issue, I thought it was a great camera.
Amazingly fast start up, awesome 2.5" LCD, I had a Sony before so I
thought the menus were fine. Good P&S pictures. And, incredible
movie mode. If they'd have just moved the flash over a little...

So, what did I get instead? Well, I had done a ton of research, and
had decided that the W1 was the "perfect" P&S camera, and when it
turned out not to be, I went the other direction to a prosumer
model -- the best one of which turned out to be the A2, which I
love.

For xmas, because I still want a pocket size P&S, I'm considering
either the Sony M1 (I want an MPEG 4 movie mode on a P&S) or the
Panasonic FZ7, which has image stablization, which I think you need
with a tiny little camera (which are very difficult to hold really
still, unlike a larger, sturdier camera with more mass).

There are so many choices in each category (compact P&S, mid-size
P&S, prosumer, dSLR), it's such a hard decision. There's no perfect
camera. I really encourage anyone considering a camera to go to
Best Buy, or some place like that, where you can fiddle with each
of the cameras, so you can get an idea of what feels good to you,
and then do the heavy due dilligence.

Good luck!!!

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

 

[Dr. Htein Lin]

How about Canon SD200/300? less pixl., no manual mode, cannot use accessories lens, smaller LCD, but ultracompact.

And also anyone know which camera will be faster in action shot? I am also considering this 2 DC to choice.

But, other than the redeye issue, I thought it was a great camera.
Amazingly fast start up, awesome 2.5" LCD, I had a Sony before so I
thought the menus were fine. Good P&S pictures. And, incredible
movie mode. If they'd have just moved the flash over a little...

So, what did I get instead? Well, I had done a ton of research, and
had decided that the W1 was the "perfect" P&S camera, and when it
turned out not to be, I went the other direction to a prosumer
model -- the best one of which turned out to be the A2, which I
love.

For xmas, because I still want a pocket size P&S, I'm considering
either the Sony M1 (I want an MPEG 4 movie mode on a P&S) or the
Panasonic FZ7, which has image stablization, which I think you need
with a tiny little camera (which are very difficult to hold really
still, unlike a larger, sturdier camera with more mass).

There are so many choices in each category (compact P&S, mid-size
P&S, prosumer, dSLR), it's such a hard decision. There's no perfect
camera. I really encourage anyone considering a camera to go to
Best Buy, or some place like that, where you can fiddle with each
of the cameras, so you can get an idea of what feels good to you,
and then do the heavy due dilligence.

Good luck!!!

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

 

[chrislewis]

to find any camera that is faster than the W1.

 

[chrislewis]

This post popped up the first month the camera was out.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=9147828

 

[Matt Kuether]

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

What you have to consider is that a lot of people out there are Canon sheep when it comes to digicams. Be it ultracompact, prosumer, or DSLR, anytime a new camera comes out from Canon it is always the best no matter what. I see this all of the time on other boards I read. Someone mentions they want a small digicam and everyone is like "CANON! EVERYTHING ELSE SUCKS!" Likely the posts you read on that other board were from die-hard Canon users.

I have a W1 and I think it is a great little camera. It is small, fast, amazing battery life, and an a huge LCD.

Red eye is a problem with all small digicams since the flash is located so close to the lens. Yes, redeye happens. Is it a big deal to remove when it does? No. Is the W1 much worse than other digicams? I don't think so.

The menu system is fine to me, I don't really understand what people are complaining about. The menu is fine. It might be nice to have a few more buttons on the camera for selecting things but the camera is small, there isn't room for a lot of buttons.

If the W1 has one problem it's that it often selects shutter speeds in program/auto mode that are difficult to hand-hold and get a crisp shot. This only happens in low-light situations of course. Due to this I am usually in manual mode so I can select a slightly higher shutter speed. I find manual mode incredibly useful and really I think this is one of the big selling points of the camera.

I should also say that I owned a Canon S410 for a little while. I returned it as I was unimpressed with it. I like the W1 much better.

All in all I love my W1. It doesn't take DSLR quality pictures, but then again it's not a DSLR! It can take a bit of time to learn the W1, make sure you give it a chance.

--
-Matt

 

[hada]

I did open the W1, but I then ordered the V1... I like the W1 a lot, its really a nice cam to jold, LCD is nice, and boy is it fast... On the other hand, I have focus trouble, i.e. I do not know where it focuses in auto? so I end up having photos which are smoothed or blurred in the importnt parts. Second, the slow shutter of 1/40 or 1/30 is not for me, I drink too much coffee to not let the cam shake... So, although I love the W1, there is room for only one cam... ansd since its about 20 euro difference, I"ll get the uglier, bigger, sloweeeer V1...

Am I wrong...
I would like to hear your opinions...

Cheers,

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

What you have to consider is that a lot of people out there are
Canon sheep when it comes to digicams. Be it ultracompact,
prosumer, or DSLR, anytime a new camera comes out from Canon it is
always the best no matter what. I see this all of the time on other
boards I read. Someone mentions they want a small digicam and
everyone is like "CANON! EVERYTHING ELSE SUCKS!" Likely the posts
you read on that other board were from die-hard Canon users.

I have a W1 and I think it is a great little camera. It is small,
fast, amazing battery life, and an a huge LCD.

Red eye is a problem with all small digicams since the flash is
located so close to the lens. Yes, redeye happens. Is it a big deal
to remove when it does? No. Is the W1 much worse than other
digicams? I don't think so.

The menu system is fine to me, I don't really understand what
people are complaining about. The menu is fine. It might be nice to
have a few more buttons on the camera for selecting things but the
camera is small, there isn't room for a lot of buttons.

If the W1 has one problem it's that it often selects shutter speeds
in program/auto mode that are difficult to hand-hold and get a
crisp shot. This only happens in low-light situations of course.
Due to this I am usually in manual mode so I can select a slightly
higher shutter speed. I find manual mode incredibly useful and
really I think this is one of the big selling points of the camera.

I should also say that I owned a Canon S410 for a little while. I
returned it as I was unimpressed with it. I like the W1 much better.

All in all I love my W1. It doesn't take DSLR quality pictures, but
then again it's not a DSLR! It can take a bit of time to learn the
W1, make sure you give it a chance.

--
-Matt

 

[chrislewis]

Just set your W1 to monitor focusing. This keeps the image in focus at all times. No more blurry pics.

 

[Muriel S]

First, set the sharpening to High - it does wonders.
Second, use Program, not Auto.
Third - hold the camera very steady.

Do all these things and get good shots. I still have to do some night shot testing and flash photos. So far, so good. I have the black version.
--
Muriel - 5 4 0 0, 9 9 5, SB22s, 3 1 0 0, W C-6 3, T C-2 E,
DPR and Pbase supporter
FCAS Charter Member

 

[danfok]

Richard,

I have the W1 for a few months now. Although it is not perfect, it is a rather impressing small camera. I did take many good photos although I did have some bad ones. In fact, all Sony p&s cameras (P150, P100, V1 etc) use the same default shutter speed of 1/40 for flash photo (I try it in a Sony style shop) so it makes not much differences if you choose another Sony camera if this is something matter.

On the other hand, although I am not crazy about Canon cameras, my research suggested that Canon is better in terms of image smoothness, espeically on hair, grass and trees. But when comes to speed, Sony surely wins.

So it is your choice.

Daniel.

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

 

[Richard M Hammer]

No I haven't opened it yet. I'm trying to sell my Nikon Coolpix 3100 before I open up the box. Hopefully soon it will be sold.

Did you open the box? how is your experience with it?

I opened mine yetsrday, ,took about 100 shots, bad very bad.. then
out of the blue, photos turned out good, really good... especially
in my wife's hands. I guess I drank too much coffee to hold it
still enough...

anyway, I ordered V1 in a frustration move yesterday, before the
good pics came out.. but I like the W12, its soooo cooolll....

The good photos from the W1(2) are way much better than Canon A95!
better buy an Aldi cam instead of the canon....

cheers

But, other than the redeye issue, I thought it was a great camera.
Amazingly fast start up, awesome 2.5" LCD, I had a Sony before so I
thought the menus were fine. Good P&S pictures. And, incredible
movie mode. If they'd have just moved the flash over a little...

So, what did I get instead? Well, I had done a ton of research, and
had decided that the W1 was the "perfect" P&S camera, and when it
turned out not to be, I went the other direction to a prosumer
model -- the best one of which turned out to be the A2, which I
love.

For xmas, because I still want a pocket size P&S, I'm considering
either the Sony M1 (I want an MPEG 4 movie mode on a P&S) or the
Panasonic FZ7, which has image stablization, which I think you need
with a tiny little camera (which are very difficult to hold really
still, unlike a larger, sturdier camera with more mass).

There are so many choices in each category (compact P&S, mid-size
P&S, prosumer, dSLR), it's such a hard decision. There's no perfect
camera. I really encourage anyone considering a camera to go to
Best Buy, or some place like that, where you can fiddle with each
of the cameras, so you can get an idea of what feels good to you,
and then do the heavy due dilligence.

Good luck!!!

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?

 

[hada]

I opened mine, amazon.de are cool about it, so If I return it no problem.

As for the experience, W1 (I had black version, which is nicer and comes with 2 more batts and a case) , Its a real little gem as people say, BUT you have to learn a little how to work with it, here are my tips:

1. do not over look the shaking hand, unless you have extremely steady hand!!

2. always look at the bottom of the screen to see what shutter spead and aperture are chosen in auto (or P mode). try to avoid 1/40 spead, again unless you have extremely solid hand!
3. P-mode is better than green auto, it shows you where u focus..

4. In M mode try to look for the high F number for nice depth of field, otherwise most objects you shoot are slightly out of focus.

I returned mine for the V1 maily because its the same camera (slower, bigger, but lighter!!) and has many more options which I like to play with, and because the first day of W1 shooting I wasnt aware of the above 4 tips, so I had lousy shots...

Did you open the box? how is your experience with it?

I opened mine yetsrday, ,took about 100 shots, bad very bad.. then
out of the blue, photos turned out good, really good... especially
in my wife's hands. I guess I drank too much coffee to hold it
still enough...

anyway, I ordered V1 in a frustration move yesterday, before the
good pics came out.. but I like the W12, its soooo cooolll....

The good photos from the W1(2) are way much better than Canon A95!
better buy an Aldi cam instead of the canon....

cheers

But, other than the redeye issue, I thought it was a great camera.
Amazingly fast start up, awesome 2.5" LCD, I had a Sony before so I
thought the menus were fine. Good P&S pictures. And, incredible
movie mode. If they'd have just moved the flash over a little...

So, what did I get instead? Well, I had done a ton of research, and
had decided that the W1 was the "perfect" P&S camera, and when it
turned out not to be, I went the other direction to a prosumer
model -- the best one of which turned out to be the A2, which I
love.

For xmas, because I still want a pocket size P&S, I'm considering
either the Sony M1 (I want an MPEG 4 movie mode on a P&S) or the
Panasonic FZ7, which has image stablization, which I think you need
with a tiny little camera (which are very difficult to hold really
still, unlike a larger, sturdier camera with more mass).

There are so many choices in each category (compact P&S, mid-size
P&S, prosumer, dSLR), it's such a hard decision. There's no perfect
camera. I really encourage anyone considering a camera to go to
Best Buy, or some place like that, where you can fiddle with each
of the cameras, so you can get an idea of what feels good to you,
and then do the heavy due dilligence.

Good luck!!!

I just read in a bulletin board room that the Sony W1 is basicly a
horrible camera.
They complained about red eye and they said that the menu is a pain
to operate.
How do you current owners/user feel about the quality of the W1.
Is the menu hard to operate?
If you could return yours, what would you buy instead of the W1?