Sony Cyber-shot® DSC-W120 Digital Camera

When I met my husband I had been looking for a digital camera.  So, I used to joke that I got a camera and the husband came with it.  Since he had a very nice Sony DSC S75 I stopped looking for one of my own and just started sharing his.  I have logged many miles and many photos with his somewhat large but always reliable camera.  I did, however, seek out a cell phone that had a camera function so that I could always have one on hand since his is too big to carry all the time.  But, let's face it, as much as I love my Sony Ericsson P910 Smart Phone, its photos leave a lot to be desired.  I also got a Sony HandyCam thinking that I'd appreciate the streamlined option of having movies or still photos.  What I found was that my husband's clunky camera took better pictures than movies and the Sony HandyCam took better movies than still pictures.

All of my trials are now out the window though since my husband surprised me with a Sony Cyber-shot for Christmas.  I am a loyal Sony fan so the brand alone scored big points with me.  And I am thrilled that I can take high quality shots from this tiny camera.  And since it's so tiny I can always keep it with me to document the life of our three year old son.  The camera is less than 1" thick.  It is approximately 3 1/2" wide and 2" tall and weighs less than six ounces.  I have already compared prints from this camera with my husband's and also with the Sony HandyCam.  This camera is equal or better to my husband's and both look much clearer and not as grainy as the HandyCam's. 

Initially I was concerned about the power button and my clumsy fingers.  I can't even operate an iPhone so the small size and slight recession of this smaller than pencil eraser sized power button was daunting yet remarkably easily conquered and a waste of my worrying.  The shutter release button is right next to the power button, on the top right side.  It is a wide, slender oval and completely different from the power button so there is no chance of confusion, even if you're not looking.  My camera came with the wrist strap already attached on the top right corner.  I like the location of this because when it is wrapped around my fingers I have a habit of putting my thumb on the back of the camera.  Since the LCD screen is on the left side I am not making thumb prints.  According to the maunal I thought I was missing a carring case but after a second reading I realized that was only with a different model.

The LCD screen is approximately 2" wide by 1 1/2" tall.  The front of the camera is very sleek.  Even the shutter area is only minimally raised.  The overall design of this camera makes it super-easy to slip into a pocket or purse.  The bottom of the camera includes a connection for the cable, a spot for a tripod, and a door that provides access to the battey and memory card.  The camera uses the ProDuo sticks.  I was very surprised that not even a low volume one came with the camera.  But since my Sony Ericsson P910a also uses them I had some on hand.  To put the card in my Sony Vaio, as well as many other computers and printers, you'll need a converter which usually comes with any ProDuo purchase.

I read the instruction manual from cover to cover and felt like it was a bit lacking but overall was helpful.  Upon turning on the camera for the first time, after charging the battery, you'll need to set the date.  A whole manual page is devoted to this and it really is a simple operation.  The charger is also nicely designed and sleek.  It is a box about the size of the camera.  The two pronged plug folds in for storage and the battery sits within the box so there are no cables running anywhere when it is charging.

Once charged up and the date is set the picture taking begins!  There are two main spots on the back of the camera that direct how the camera performs.  Underneath the zoom toggle switch, on the right side, is the Mode dial.  There are a lot of modes on this camera!  Each one unique and very understandable.  As you go around the dial you'll find:  the green camera icon indicates the automatic mode.  EASY includes helpful indicators on the LCD screen for lining up the shot.  ISO mode takes great pictures in low light with no flash.  The icon of two people, one dark and one light, takes "soft" pictures like portraits.  The mountain icon is good for distance shooting of landscapes.  The person with the moon icon maintains the nighttime effect but captures the subject with appropriate lighting.  SCN lets you choose a scene, like beach or fireworks, so the camera can adjust itself according to pre-programmed settings for optimal picture taking.  The film strip shoots movies.  I have a hard time remembering that when using a primarily camera unit for movie taking I cannot turn the unit sideways as I would when taking a picture of something tall.  When you record sideways your playback is full of sideways people and objects.  P programs the shutter speed automatically.  I skipped the smile feature which comes between ISO and soft.  We had a hard time with this feature.  It sounds wonderful - focus on a subject, press the shutter button half way down to lock them in, and as soon as the camera recognizes a smile it will take a picture.  Just what every parent needs - right?  My husband and I spent quite a bit of time making the biggest, goofiest smiles with little success.  I adjusted the "smile meter" to the lowest setting and got better results but it still is not as wonderful as it sounds.  And, a significant change in lighting or the position of the subject will cancel the feature.  Don't get me wrong - it is nice, but I wouldn't buy the camera solely for this feature.

The camera also has a self-timer with either a two or ten second delay.  I can't imagine ever using the two second delay.  The ten second is barely enough time to run to the sofa and take a picture with your family.  If you were tripoding and joining a large group I'm not sure ten seconds would be long enough.

The other control area on the camera is under the mode dial.  There is a round doughnut button that moves in four directions and has a smaller "select" button in the middle of it.  Around this round button, at the four "corners" are smaller round buttons.  The Menu button at the 11 o'clock position takes you to an on screen menu and then the directional arrow doughnut helps you move through it.  The Home button at the two o'clock position cancels the menus and returns to picture taking mode.  The Review button at the seven o'clock position shows you the pictures you've taken.  I like that this camera provides the option to "select multiple" and delete them all at once.  The Music button in the five o'clock position allows you to make presentations and set them to music.  While this sounds like a lovely feature it is probably more advanced than I'll ever get.  I prefer traditional scrapbooking.  On the circular doughnut are four final features:  Macro, DISP, flash and timer.  The camera also comes with a CD-ROM but I doubt I'll dig into those features within the next few years.