Overview
The Sony Cybershot DSC W570 is a mid range, pocket digital camera. It has 16 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom lens. As with most pocket cameras the Cybershot DSC W570 is easy to use and operates as a straightforward point and shoot digital camera.
When it comes to features it has a fairly standard set for this type of camera, although you do get access to the sweep panorama function that Sony have introduced to their range.
There are three different coloured versions available: black, silver and pink.
Why Buy The Sony DSC W570
The Cybershot DSC W570 is likely to be attractive to you if you are looking for a simple snapshot camera that fits easily into a pocket. It has good response times and there is plenty of in camera help available to you.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
16
5x
2.7 inches
91 x 51.5 x 19.1
116g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
5cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC
Features
The 16 megapixels packed onto the sensor are as many as any pocket sized camera offers at the point of writing this review. This number of pixels means you make prints up to poster size.
To my mind the biggest advantage of so many megapixels is that it adds flexibility to the Cybershot DSC W570. This is because when you reduce the number of megapixels you are shooting at more zoom becomes available.
You can make a snapshot sized print from around 4 megapixels, so if you decide you could use a little more zoom power from time to time you can choose to reduce the number of megapixels you are shooting. The absolute maximum zoom you can use is 36x. To access that level of zoom you will have to reduce the number of megapixels to a point where picture quality is only good enough for review on a computer monitor, but there are plenty of steps in between where you can find your ideal balance between megapixels and zoom. Sony is one of only a small number of brands to offer this feature with their digital cameras.
As well as giving you plenty of scope for zooming in the Cybershot DSC W570 also gives you the ability to capture wide scenes through its wide angle lens. The lens has a focal length equivalent to 25 - 125mm in 35mm format.
Other features include the ability to shoot High Definition movies. Image stabilisation has been built in by Sony to help overcome any picture blur caused by unsteady hands. The LCD screen is 2.7 inches in size. For close up work you can focus from around 5cm away from your subject. That is a similar distance to most digital cameras at this price point.
Another example of innovation from Sony is the inclusion of a sweep panorama mode. This gives you an easy way to create panoramic pictures. All you need to do is press down the shutter button and swing the camera round in an arc. Software built into the Cybershot DSC W570 does all the hard work to produce the panorama.
The other area where Sony have added extra options is for shooting portraits. It has face detection to ensure areas around the eyes are in sharp focus. It also has a smile shutter that fires off a photo if the camera detects someone is smiling. Next up is a soft skin setting. This ensures more flattering portrait shots. There is also a special self timer portrait for when you would like to appear in the picture and also a red eye fix feature. This attempts to correct any red eye that blights a portrait shot taken using flash.
Handling
The quality of the LCD screen is about average. Most of the time I had little trouble viewing the screen, but like the majority of digital cameras strong sunlight can make viewing harder. The size of the screen is slightly smaller than other cameras you can pick up in this price range. A larger screen does make composing your pictures that bit easier.
You should find the Cybershot DSC W570 gives fast response times when you take a picture without flash. Reeling off two or three shots is also quite rapid. Turning on flash does have an impact on response times and you are likely to see much longer shutter lag delays when using flash.
Cameras with plenty of room to press your thumb into the back of the camera tend to give you a steadier hold. This all helps to keep your pictures sharp and free of any blur. Sony have achieved this with the Cybershot DSC W570 by rounding off the edges and placing a slider to select the shooting mode on one of these edges out the way of your thumb position. This gives you enough thumb space despite the fact Sony have included buttons to zoom in and out on the back of the camera.
Other controls on the back of the camera include buttons to review photos and video clips, access the menu system and access the in camera guide. The guide helps you find your way around the camera and decreases the time you need to spend learning how to use the various features it has. The guide button has a dual purpose and is used to delete photos when you place the camera in review mode.
There are further controls available to you to change the information displayed on the LCD screen, set the flash mode, activate the self timer and turn on the smile shutter.
The only controls on the top of the camera are to turn it on and to take a picture.
There are 12 options within the main menu and a further 34 set up options. The menus are easy to read and have help text to explain the individual functions.
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shot 1
In terms of sharpness the Cybershot DSC W570 is about a 7 / 10 digital camera. It handles the contrasting light and dark areas of this photo well. Very little detail is lost from the light areas of the boats. The colours are accurate and have a natural look to them.
Outdoor Scenic Shot 2
There is a big difference in picture quality between the centre two thirds of this photo and the sections further towards the edges. Although there is a tendency for wide angle lenses to lose quality towards the edges of a photo the loss of quality is more noticeable with the Cybershot DSC W570 than with most digital cameras. Focusing becomes very soft and purple fringing is also noticeable in the shot. You may not notice this a great deal with small prints, but if you were to compare the quality of this shot with one taken by the Canon IXUS 115 HS you are likely to notice a difference.
Outdoor Scenic Shot 3
Quality is much better when the camera zooms in on your subject. In this example there is very little evidence of any loss of sharpness. Any purple fringing is hardly noticeable.
Outdoor Building
With lower levels of contrast in the shot and a stand out subject in the form of the building this scene is handled well. In this instance picture sharpness is above average. Again there is very little fall off in clarity as you move away from the centre of the picture.
Outdoor Portrait
Moving in a lot closer for a portrait shot is something most digital cameras find easy to do. The Cybershot DSC W570 has no problems. Sharpness levels are fine and colours take on a warm look, without this being overdone. You should have few problems taking portrait snapshots with this camera outside in natural light.
Indoor Portrait With Flash
The portrait taken by the Cybershot DSC W570 with flash turned on is disappointing. It produced a picture that is dull and lacking in life. The amount of light available when the picture was taken was good. Perhaps this has fooled the camera in some way. Whatever the reason, the shot lacks brightness.
Indoor Portrait Without Flash
With flash turned off the camera manages a better effort. Oddly enough the shot is a lot brighter without flash. The camera manages to avoid any noticeable problems with noise.
Macro
For a small compact digital camera the Cybershot DSC W570 produces an acceptable macro shot. If macro photography is important to you the quality is unlikely to be up to the standard you are looking for, but if you think you are only likely to take the occasional macro shot then the quality should suffice. The biggest issue is the lack of brightness in the shot.
Colours
The colours produced by the Cybershot DSC W570 have a warm look to them. There is not the same vividness you see with some digital cameras, especially those made by Canon and Nikon.
Noise
Noise does not appear to be a serious issue for the Cybershot DSC W570. Areas where noise is often noticeable such as in the shady areas around the names of boats where the sunlight does not reach show little evidence of heavy noise levels.
Picture Quality Summary
A lot of manufacturers push lens technology that bit too far when it comes to wide angle lenses. That is the case here. You can work round the problem by making smaller prints of shots where the lens is zoomed out or by ensuring you do not zoom out completely. The indoor portrait with flash is also below par.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.25 seconds
14.25 seconds
1.37 seconds
19.63 seconds
2.85 seconds
Ease of Use
There is noting complicated about this camera. If you find you really struggle with technology you can switch the camera into easy mode. Then it really does become a simple point and shoot camera. There is also an impressive level of help available in camera.
Points I Like
Ease of use - compact size - handling - single shot speed - sweep panorama
Where it Could Improve
Wide angle pictures lose quality - shutter lag with flash - indoor shot with flash
Verdict
The Sony Cybershot DSC W570 has more plus points than negatives. It is not an outstanding digital camera, but at the same time it does a fairly solid job. It scores well for ease of use and has one or two features that you may find hard to find with other brands.
Where to Buy - Sony DSC W570
Test Shots
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Sony DSC W570 Review Sony DSC W570 Specification Sony DSC W570 Sample Images
Review Date
April 2011
