Overview
The Sony DSC W35 is a simple, yet effective digital camera. It is just about small enough to squeeze into a pocket and is in fact one of the cheaper pocket sized digital cameras. I would describe the DSC W35 as an easy to use, pocket sized digital camera. It has seven megapixels and a three times optical zoom lens.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
7
3x
2 inches
90 x 59 x 23mm
118g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
20cm
No
No
Lithium ion rechargeable
Memory Stick Duo
Image Quality
When it comes to image quality I have to say I was very impressed by the DSC W35. It didn't get every photo spot on, but when you take the price of this camera into account I think it did very well indeed.
Starting off with the outdoor scenic type shots I don't really have any complaints at all. I like the colours, sharpness is above average, the camera handles sun glare well and all in all produces a pretty good picture.
Taking a closer look at the first photo I think the overall result is very pleasing. The colours look natural and the contrast between lighter and darker areas works well. Focusing is better than many cameras manage to produce and the photos stay sharp towards the edges.
Looking at the second outdoor shot, this is taken without the zoom lens being used. Here the DSC W35 does lose a little sharpness as you move towards the edges.
It is the same with the third test shot. This one is taken with the zoom lens being fully extended. Again the camera does lose a degree of sharpness towards the edges, but I am still more than happy with the overall result.
As I have already mentioned I like the colours the camera produces. This view is supported by the dedicated test for colours. Although the colours are strong they are not overly so. The colours are also well balanced.
Moving on to the portrait shots the results are more mixed. The outdoor shot works well. There is not too much I have to say about this photo other than that it compares well with other similar priced cameras. Again there is a natural feel to the colours.
Taking a portrait shot indoors in poorer light is a tougher test for the DSC W35. Here I would like to have seen the photo a little brighter and the focusing also stepped up a notch. You may achieve better results if you step in a little closer to give the flash and auto focus illuminator more of a chance.
The other indoor test of beer bottles produces a good result. This photo is taken in very dark conditions and suggests that if you are able to get in close enough the camera is still able to work well in darker conditions.
One area where I struggled was with the macro shot. I tried a number of slightly different positions for the DSC W35, but I was unable to come up with a photo I was really happy with.
Finally the camera does well enough when taking photos at higher ISO settings. As ever noise and therefore a loss of quality is introduced as you move through the levels. At ISO 400 the camera performs on a par with many other similar cameras. Once you push the setting up to ISO 1000 you do start to lose quite a lot of picture quality.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
Testing for shutter lag I was able to take a single photo in 0.27 seconds and five photos in 6.15 seconds. These are good times. When I turned the flash on the times increased, but only by a small amount. With flash a single photo took 0.42 seconds and five photos took 8.90 seconds. All in all a good performance.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Features
The focal length of the 3x optical zoom lens is equivalent to 38 - 114mm in 35mm format. Up to 14x smart zoom is available as well as digital zoom. Smart zoom becomes available when you shoot at lower resolutions. The maximum aperture is f2.8 - f5.2. For close up work the DSC W35 can focus from 2cm away from the subject in macro mode.
To help you improve the quality of your photos there are a selection of scene modes available (Twilight, Twilight portrait, Soft snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, High Sensitivity). When you select a scene mode the camera uses what it believes to be the optimum settings for the shot.
The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 3.9m. This falls to 2m when the zoom lens is in use. Flash modes are: Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Synchro, No Flash. Red eye reduction can also be used.
The DSC W35 is one of the few pocket sized digital cameras with an optical viewfinder. There is also a 2" LCD screen. This is made up of around 115,000 pixels.
For printing 4 x 6" photos there is a special 3:2 aspect ratio you can use. This means that none of the photo has to be trimmed to fit on the paper. There is also a special 16:9 aspect ratio for displaying images on a wide angle television screen. Be aware though that this is at a low resolution and will affect the quality of any prints you may wish to make later.
Among the more advanced features are exposure compensation (+/- 2.0EV, 1/ 3 EV step), white balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash), metering (Multi Pattern, Centre weighted, Spot) and ISO (Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000). You can also adjust levels of sharpness, saturation and contrast and use different colours (rich, natural, sepia and black and white). The shutter speed is controlled by the camera and works in a range between 1/8 and 1/2000 seconds. There is also a burst mode. This lets you fire off a maximum of four shots at a rate of around 0.9 frames per second.
Movies can be recorded at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. The maximum recording speed is 30 frames per second. Sound can be captured. You can zoom in and out before you start shooting, but not while recording is in progress.
Sony supplies cables and software to connect the DSC W35 to a television, compatible printer and a computer. You can also add wide angle and telephoto conversion lenses to the camera. This makes it one of the most versatile pocket sized cameras you can find.
Ease of Use
I found everything quite straightforward and in the right place. Having a control dial on the back of the camera makes using it that bit easier in my opinion. It brings a number of settings out where you can see them and places them at your fingertips without over complicating matters. The Sony menu system isd one of the simpler ones and everything is in the same place. All you need to do is roll through until you find the setting you are looking for.
Cost
In terms of price you can pick up the DSC W35 for £110. This shows just how far the cost of digital cameras has fallen over the past year or two. Up until recently you would have to have paid a lot more for a pocket sized digital camera. Other similar models are the Panasonic DMC FX3 (£135), Olympus FE-230 (£120) and the Pentax Optio S7 (£110).
Style
Sony have produced a very neat and tidy camera with the DSC W35. It may not be as stylish as some of the pocket sized cameras you can buy, but it is still a very compact model. Looks wise there is little to really make it grab your attention, but it is not an unattractive camera either with a shiny aluminium front.
It has dimensions of 89 x 57 x 23mm. At 116g it is one of the lightest cameras you can buy.
Batteries and Memory Cards
The DSC W35 is compatible with Memory Stick Duo cards. You can also use the Pro versions of this type of card, although I am not convinced you will see any great benefit from spending the extra money. Perhaps if you find movies not as smooth as you like you could try these faster cards. Sony have built 56mb of memory into the camera. I was able to take 20 shots before the memory was full. This should be enough to give the camera a decent test.
Click here to save money on Memory Stick Duo.
Points I like:
Value for money
Add conversion lenses
Viewfinder
Overall picture quality
Large internal memory
Where it is not so hot:
Indoor portrait could have been better
Summary
I am impressed by the Sony DSC W35. It is inexpensive, easy to use and picture quality is good too. I would think that for anyone looking for a pocket sized digital camera who does not want to spend a fortune this is likely to prove a very attractive camera.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Sony DSC W35 Review Sony DSC W35 Specification Sony DSC W35 Sample Images
Review Date
April 2007
