Physical Tour

On the center-left of the camera is the 3x optical zoom, surrounded by a stainless steel-looking ring that’s also polycarbonate. The ring has etching that spells out the name of the lens and its range– Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar, 2.8-5.2/6.3-18.9. The first range is its aperture and the second is its focal range.

All the way left near the top of the camera is a small round focusing light and then above that is the rectangular flash. In the center top of the front of the camera is another round opening for its optical viewfinder. On the top left of the camera is the Sony brand in raised letters and on the bottom left it says "Cyber-shot," also in raised letters. All the way on the right, in the center, is a silver polycarbonate nub that serves as a finger grip.

**Back
**On the back right of the camera is its control dial with ten settings. Below that are a display button and a menu button, and below that to the right is a four-way controller. At the very bottom is a button for creating an index display of images or for trashing images. Make sure you know which mode it’s in before using that button!

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W50

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W30

The rest of the main portion of the back is taken up by the LCD display – 2.5 inches for the W50 and 2 inches for the W30. Above the display are a small playback button, two status lights and the optical viewfinder, which is so small it’s barely usable, though its very existence is a novelty. On the left rear of the camera is a small speaker for playback of movies. Below the LCD screen is part of a hatch-like door that overlaps the bottom of the camera for the memory card and the battery.

**Left
**Aside from a small metal screw and writing that states the camera has a "3x Optical Zoom" the rest of this side of the camera is pretty blank. There’s a thin lip with a slight curve where the front and back faceplates come together.

**Right
**The right side of the camera is another place where the two models differ. The W50, the slightly higher end model, has a steel band on the right side of the camera to lock the front and back sections together. On the W30, the front and back polycarbonate sections are joined together with a thin indenture and two screws. Both models have a metal exposed strap lug and plastic covering at the top for the USB and A/V in/out connections.

**Top
**There’s a power button in the center of the top of both models that lights up green when it’s on – a nice, higher-end feature in these obviously lower-end models. The top of the camera is also the one place on the body where you see some actual metal. The top is banded with stainless steel and has writing that says "MPEGMOVIEVX on the left side." The shutter release button is also made out of steel and, thankfully, large enough to get a finger on. Surrounding the shutter release on the right side is a steel zoom rocker that’s fairly easy to use.

**Bottom
**Carved out of the polycarbonate on the bottom is a tripod mount. There’s also a hatch-like sliding door that molds over part of the back of the camera, revealing space for Sony’s proprietary MemoryStick cards – MemoryStick Duo and MemoryStick PRO Duo – and for the camera’s Lithium-ion batteries.

Components

Viewfinder
**

**Contrary to many other compact cameras in this category, the W30/W50 includes an optical viewfinder. While it’s tiny and its coverage seems questionable – we’ll test it fully in a forthcoming complete review – it’s nice to see Sony providing it as an option. There are some people who can’t live without an optical viewfinder and in bright settings where you can’t see the LCD, they’re a definite plus.

**LCD Screen
**The LCD screen sizes on these two models are about average for compact cameras these days, but their pixel counts run below average. On the W50, which has a 2.5-inch TFT LCD, approximately 115,000 pixels fill the screen and produce images that are slightly off and live previews that are sluggish and shaky.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W50

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W30*

The W30, with its 2-inch TFT LCD and only about 85,000 pixels, produces results that are even worse. Objects in the live preview had a bluish and magenta cast and shots reviewed in playback were mediocre at best. Maybe consumers are still enamored with the size of large LCDs alone; if not, these LCDs will disappoint. Put these low-res screens next to LCDs with some real pixels and we’re sure consumers will take the extra pixels over large screen sizes every time.
**

**
**Flash
**Flash on the W30/W50 at Auto ISO ranges from 6" to 7’10" (0.2-2.4mm). When using the maximum ISO 1000 setting however, flash ranges from 2’7" to 24’ (0.8-7.3m). Overall, the flash seemed adequate for a camera this size though we’ll test its capabilities further in a follow-up full review. Aside from the auto setting, there are several useful flash modes: Fill-in, Slow Synchro, Forced Flash Off and Red-Eye Reduction which uses a pre-flash. There’s also an AF illuminator and flash exposure compensation.

**Zoom Lens
**Zoom capability on these models is 3x with a focal range of 6.3mm to 18.9 mm, or 38 – 114mm in 35mm equivalent. Minimum focus range is 19.7 inches and Macro focus range goes from 2-30cm. Using digital zoom, which actually "crops" the digital image itself and thereby degrades it, these models can zoom in an additional 6x.

While the lens seemed generally good, there was no way to get a real sense of its capabilities since image playback on these LCD screens was so poor. We’ll look at lens quality in depth in a follow-up full review.

Design / Layout

**Model Design / Appearance
**The design of these new silver Cyber-shots seems like a knock-off of the Canon Digital ELPH line, but with a plastic-like polycarbonate construction instead of stainless steel. While that makes them lighter to carry around it also makes them feel cheap. There are some nice metal appointments, particularly at the top of the camera, but overall the effect of the polycarbonate is to make the W30/W50 feel disposable.

Along with a little bit more steel on the sides, the W50 also is brushed metallic, versus glossy metallic, giving it a slightly higher-end feel. It is "metallic" though, not real metal. If you’re someone for whom style and robustness in construction aren’t that important but portability and low cost are, these models might be for you.

**Size / Portability
**At 3.5" (W) x 2.3" (H) x 0.9", the W30/W50 are on the small end for compacts, though there are a few models that are smaller. Since they’re made mostly of polycarbonate rather than metal, they’re also extremely light at 5.5 ounces. While they won’t impress with their style or feature sets, they’d probably be great for travel since they don’t take up much room, are lightweight, and seem fairly scratch resistant.

**Handling Ability
**Handling on these models is about average. There’s nothing really to set them apart from the pack, aside from a pretty decent top control section with a responsive zoom knob and a nice illuminated power switch—aside from the now-rare optical viewfinders. Otherwise though, the W30/W50 is kind of dull. It feels acceptable okay in your hands, feels okay when you’re taking pictures, and feels okay in your pocket.

**Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
**Button layout on the back is also about average, though it is nice having the control dial towards the top so you can change modes easily while shooting with just one hand. The four-way controller is fairly responsive and Sony does a good job of providing enough room for all the buttons without trying to squeeze them into one section. With cameras this small, that’s about all you can ask for. It would be nice to see them incorporate a jog dial on the back, but that could be asking a lot for cameras that are lower-end.

Having the trash button also serve as the index image button is certainly a questionable choice, but this is the Sony way. Look for more in-depth analysis in an upcoming full review.

**Menus
**Menus on the W30/W50, while not exactly revolutionary, do have a brisk feel to them when changing from mode to mode. Some basic animation will pop up on the LCD to indicate which menu you are in. In shooting mode, the menu will show the user a box in the center to indicate the area where the camera is locking in focus. The shooting mode will also display basic info to the user including the ISO setting, what burst mode it’s on, image size and flash status. The user also has the option of turning on the camera’s live histogram to check exposure. Overall, the user interface seems improved from previous models and is fairly easy to navigate.

Sony is also following the trend of some other camera manufacturers of putting a new function guide into its menu system. Consumers baffled by the odd iconography for functions on cameras will appreciate the new guide, which gives a text explanation on the LCD for each shooting function. Some of the text is pretty obvious, but some does offer easy-to-follow basic tips for shooting better pictures. More advanced users can choose to turn this feature off.

**Ease of Use
**Overall, initial impressions show the Sony W30/W50 to be relatively straightforward to use. The menu system features snazzy animations to transition from one function to another but nothing in the way of a revolutionary interface. It’s basic and isn’t confusing, but it’s not particularly thrilling either. Button layout is also fairly straightforward and the motorized zoom on the steel zoom rocker on top is quick and responsive. Having a little green light surrounding the power button on top is a nice touch and helps the user locate the camera in the dark. It’s also nice that Sony throws in an optical viewfinder on the camera which helps for composing shots in bright light. It’s also a nice deviation from a trend away from optical viewfinders in this slim, compact category.

Modes

**Auto Mode
**The W30/40’s auto mode is symbolized by a traditional green camera icon on the control dial. By going with the so-called "green zone," the user turns over all automatic control to the camera, which then adjusts for shutter speed, aperture, exposure, ISO etc. In the green setting, though, the camera display will tell you more about what’s going on with your picture-taking than most models in this class, including an easy-to-read histogram in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. A helpful guide feature, mentioned earlier, gives text explanations of the many icons in the camera’s settings.

**Movie Mode
**The M30/M50 shoots MPEG-1 video, a standardized format that is highly compatible and playable on almost all computers. For some reason, Sony has labeled this feature on the top of the cameras as "MPEG MOVIE VX," though the marketing material makes no mention of what this means exactly. The camera can shoot movies in three formats– MPEG VX Fine (640 x 480, 30 fps) with audio, MPEG VX Standard (640 x 480, 16.6 fps) with audio, and Video Mail (160 x 112, 8.0 fps). It should be noted though that in order to shoot at the highest MPEG VX Fine setting, pricey MemoryStick PRO Duo media is required. Sadly, this is the case for all Sony compacts.

**Drive / Burst Mode
**Not exactly a speed demon, the W30/W50 has two burst modes – regular Burst, which can shoot 1.4 frames per second at the full 6 MPs of resolution for three consecutive frames; or Multi Burst, which can shoot 98 consecutive frames at 1.4 fps in VGA quality. At best, these cameras can capture a sequence no faster than someone blowing out the candles at birthday party.

**Playback Mode
**Playback mode is pretty basic in these models. Along with reviewing images one by one, the W30/W50 lets you look them as indexes of four or 16. But despite some digging, we could find no slide show features or in-camera editing in the W30/W50 during the time we were able to spend with them at PMA, though Sony says they come with options of slide show, trim and resize for stills, and a divide option for movie clips. In a follow-up full review we’ll examine if these features are buried in some illogical place in the menus.

**Custom Image Presets
**Unlike some rivals that have put over two dozen custom presets in their cameras, the W30/W50 has only a handful by comparison – Snow, Beach, Landscape, Portrait mode, Twilight mode and Twilight portrait. Whether this is a stab by Sony to cut down on costs or whether it’s just based around observations that consumers don’t use most of the presets they’re offered is hard to say. Nonetheless, the essentials are there without much else to get in the user’s way.

Control Options

**Manual Control Options
**There aren’t many manual options on the W30/W50, which is no surprise considering most cameras in its class don’t offer too much in the way of manual control. The camera does have a rather wide ISO range that’s adjustable, a trio of metering settings and some preset white balance settings, but that’s about it.

**Focus
***Auto Focus
*The auto focus on the W30/W50 features a five area multi-point auto focus and a Center AF. In brief tests, the focus was pretty snappy, locking in on a subject with a slight touch of the shutter button. Minimum focus range is 19.7 inches and from 2-30 cm in Marco.

*Manual Focus
*All focus on the W30/W60 is handled automatically by the camera, though the user can choose between two auto mode settings – 5 area Multi-Point AF or Center AF.

**Metering
**Metering can be set to Spot, Multi-segment or Center-weighted, which are fairly standard options.

**Exposure
**The W30 allows the user to adjust from –2 to +2 EV in 1/3 steps, which is a pretty standard range for cameras in its class.

**White Balance
**In the default mode, White balance is set at auto. The user though can select from five pre-sets – daylight, cloudy, fluorescent, incandescent or flash. The lack of a manual setting is a bit of a disappointment, though.

**ISO
**ISO on the W30/W50 is actually one of the more unique features on these models. In addition to its auto setting, the user can choose ISOs from 80 to 1000, a pretty broad range for a petite camera like this. It’s nice that manufacturers are beginning to pay attention to ISO sensitivity and low-light shooting, even in the lower-end models.

Sony is also spotlighting something it misleadingly calls Clear RAW imaging technology. No, it has nothing to do with shooting in the RAW format, which is an uncompressed setting familiar to pros who use it to get the most out of their images. Sony’s Clear RAW technology is supposed to allow the user to up the camera’s ISO without increasing picture noise. Again, this is something we weren’t able to fully test in our time with these models at the Sony PMA booth, but we’ll be looking at them more fully in an upcoming full review.

**Shutter Speed
**The shutter speed range in Auto mode on the W30/W50 ranges from 1/8th to 1/2000th of a second and 1 second to 1/2000 of a second in Program Auto. There’s no way to manually select shutter speeds on these models.

**Aperture
**On the W30/W50, aperture ranges from f/2.8 to f/5.2, but the user cannot select it.

Image Parameters

**Picture Quality / Size Options
**There are a wide range of image size options on the W30/W50 – Fine JPEG at 2816 x 2112 pixels, Normal JPEG at 2816 x 2112, Fine JPEG at 2816 x 1872, Normal JPEG at 2816 x 1872, Fine JPEG at 2048 x 1536, Normal JPEG at 2048 x 1536, Fine JPEG at 1920 x 1080, Normal JPEG at 1920 x 1080, Fine JPEG at 1632 x 1224, Normal JPEG at 1632 x 1224, Fine JPEG at 640 x 480 and Normal JPEG at 640 x 480. With so many sizes to choose from, it’s no wonder some novice consumers find digital cameras so confusing.

**Picture Effects Mode
**The only picture effects we could find on these models were for color – black & white, natural, rich and sepia.

Connectivity / Extras

**Connectivity
***Software
*These models come with basic software, Sony’s Cyber-shot Viewer 1.0 plus USB drivers for Windows only.

*Jacks, Ports, Plugs
*The W30/W50 has ports for USB 2.0, composite video/audio output and a DC power input. Not all compacts come with a DC input option, so this is nice.

*Direct Print Options
*These cameras can print directly to any PictBridge compliant printer.

*Battery
*One of the standout features on Sony’s cameras has always been their battery life. On these models, using the "Stamina" Lithium-Ion NP-BG1, the W30 has been rated by CIPA at up to 400 shots and on the W50 at up to 390 shots.

*Memory
*Both cameras have 32 MB of internal memory, which is great if you don’t have a MemoryStick handy. However, we almost always recommend purchasing extra memory anyway.

Overall Impressions

**Value
**At just $230 for the W30 and about $250 for W50, these cameras are pretty good deals. They do feel a bit on the cheap side, mostly because they are made of a plastic-like polycarbonate. Of the two, the W50 is probably the better deal; for just $20 extra you get half an inch more of an LCD with a lot more screen resolution and some nicer design elements.

While from a distance these look like higher-end cameras, once you pick them up you’ll know you’re dealing with an entry level product. But if you’re on a budget and want a pretty decent digital camera without a lot of frills, these could be for you. We’ll be able to give you a better value judgment on these models after we put them through some testing and know more about their picture quality.

**Who It’s For
***Point-and-Shooters - *These are well suited for the point-and-shoot crowd through they’re surely not going to win a lot of style or performance points. In features and looks, they’re a bit dull.

Budget Consumers – Budget consumers should definitely take a look at these models. With 6 MPs of resolution and some basic but solid features, they’re a good bargain.

*Gadget Freaks – *Gadget freaks will have very little interest in these basic cameras.

Manual Control Freaks – There’s nothing in the way of real manual control to attract manual control freaks.

*Pros / Serious Hobbyists – *Pros and serious hobbyists would probably shun these cheap-feeling, entry level models from a company that primarily deals with consumer electronics.

Conclusion

**

Conclusion
**There’s no two ways around it – these cameras were made to look like higher-priced models, but once you pick them up and play with them, you’ll definitely notice that they’re on the lower end. But that could be fine. If you’re looking for a classy, upscale slim camera that’s made entirely of metal, you’ll want to look elsewhere. However, if you want something that is small, light and has a pretty decent sensor and some good features for an affordable price, the new W30 and W50 might be right for you. They’re definitely not going to bowl anyone over with their looks (which are pretty conventional) or the construction (which feels like it’s made mostly of plastic), but they will give you adequate functionality and take decent snapshots without giving your bank account too much of a hit in the process. Wait for our full testing, however, to see if this value equation is accurate.