Sony - Cybershot W55 Digital Camera Review

I am definitely technically challenged.  I do NOT understand modern technology and confused with a lot of buttons and knobs.  Typically, I had over everything electronic to my 13 year old son who somehow is able to instinctively understand it and set it up for his struggling mother.

I am the picture taker of the family.  I don't think I've been actually in a picture since the late 1980's as I am ALWAYS the one behind the camera.  That's fine with me because I enjoy capturing memories that our family can enjoy for years.  After years of fighting the idea of a digital camera, confused at those I saw in the stores, I decided to give and go shopping for one of my own.

Best Buy is the BEST place to purchase electronics.  The sales staff is so helpful and knowledgeable and really takes the time to explain things in a way I understand.  When I went shopping for my new digital camera, I went to Best Buy.  The salesman understood right away that I was very confused by all the features offered on digital cameras and instantly steered me in the direction of the Sony CyberShot. 

My Best Buy salesman took out the Sony CyberShot and went over all the functions with me.  I was confused, but impressed that I would be able to find all the features in one basic location within the camera.  He showed me other models, some more expensive and some less expensive, but I kept coming back to the Sony CyberShot because I liked the variety of features and it seemed easiest for me to understand.

I paid full price for my Sony CyberShot, which cost right around $ 280.00 at Best Buy.  Yes, I splurged, but I liked everything about this digital camera.  I liked that it had a large 2 1/2" LCD display that I could clearly see through to take a picture.  I liked that it had an optical zoom capacity of 3X that I could control with the flip of a knob.  The price was high (for me) but the Sony CyberShot was the perfect digital camera for me.  I have NEVER regretted my decision to pay the money for this camera as it is everything I need and more.

With the Sony CyberShot (W55) digital camera, you will receive one rechargeable battery, batter charger, USB connector cables for the computer, user manual, wrist strap, and CD Rom.  The memory stick has to be purchased separately, which cost around $ 30.00.  One memory stick holds A LOT of pictures, so I only needed one.  The rechargeable battery slides in at the bottom of the camera, as does the memory stick.  When you need to recharge the battery, just flip a small switch and it pops right out.  The battery slides into the charger and an indicator light comes when it is fully charged.  Then, just pop it back into the camera and you are ready to go.  It is VERY easy to do.

The features of the Sony Cybershot include:

• Nine different camera settings which include: Auto, P-Auto, and Scene Selections for Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, High Sensitivity, Soft Snap, Snow, and Beach environments.
• Short film capability (I think it records 30 seconds worth of film)
• Adjustable color intensity (natural, rich, normal, sepia, black and white
• Adjustable focus (3.0m, 1.0m, 0.5m, center AF and multi AF)
• Automatic flash (you can also turn off the flash or set the flash to always come on)
• Flash level (less, more, or normal)
• Red Eye reduction
• LCD Backlight
• Photo Preview

There are other features that this camera has that I don't really understand.  I know that there is a way to set it on a timer so we could take a family picture (with me included!). 

The camera is fairly slender, and will fit comfortably in my pocket.  It is only about 1" thick and less than 3" long.  It comes with a wrist strap so I can carry it around on my wrist without worry about it sliding it off, as the wrist strap adjusts.   

The Sony CyberShot came with a user manual that is actually not too difficult to understand.  Honestly, though the user menu on the camera itself is fairly easy to navigate, so you can usually find what you are looking for through the menu itself.  However, I still recommend taking the time to read the manual as it helps understand the different between the "photo modes".   I usually use two main settings - the automatic feature and the P-auto, which allows you to preset your favorite settings and the camera will automatically remember those settings when you select "P-auto" on the dial.  However, if you take a lot of beach pictures, or photos by the water, you will likely use the "beach" setting frequently.  If you snap a lot of pictures during the winter, you will enjoy the "snow" setting.

Bottom Line - The Sony CyberShot (W55) is simple to use, and has a lot of fun features to make your photos turn out great.  I can't remember a time when I've spent so much money on anything electronic (besides a t.v.) but I think it was worth every penny.  It's small and compact, easy to understand, and takes great quality pictures.  It's durable and I have NEVER had a single problem with it.