The DSC-W1 is one of 2 recently
released Sony cameras that share the same combination of CCD
and lens, the other being the DSC-P100. The 1/1.8 inch CCD
has a total number of pixels of 5.25 million, of which 5.09
are effective to capture a maximum image size of 2592 x 1944
pixels.
In the Program and Manual modes
CCD can be controlled over a range of 100, 200 or 400 ISO,
or set to Auto which lets the camera adjust it as necessary
over a range of 100 to 320 ISO. In most other modes however,
the DSC-W1 sets the sensitivity automatically.
As noted above, the 3X Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar lens is the same
as the one used with the DSC-P100, a zoom with a focal length of 7.9 to
23.7 mm that is equivalent to
a 38 to 114 mm lens. However, with the DSC-W1 a thick threaded lens
ring makes it possible to attach an adapter on which can be mounted a wide
angle conversion lens (VCLDH0730); a 1.7X telephoto conversion lens (VCLDH1730);
or a 2.6X telephoto conversion lens (VCLDH2630).
The zoom has 2 apertures, f2.8 and
f5.6 at wide angle end, and f5.2 and f10 at the telephoto end.
These apertures are combined with a shutter speed range that
has a possible range of 1/2000 second to 30 seconds when all shooting
modes are taken into account, but which is not available in
its entirety to any one capture mode:
with the Auto, Landscape, Portrait, Beach and Snow modes,
the range of speeds covers 1/2000 to 1/8 second,
for Program and Candle modes, shutter speeds
run from 1/2000 second to 1 second,
using the Manual mode the shutter speeds can be adjusted
from 1/1000 second to 30 seconds,
while with the Twilight and Twilight Portrait modes,
the shutter speeds have a low of 2 seconds, but top out at
1/500 second,
unlike the Sport modes which is limited to 1/2000
second to 1/250 second.
As always, noise reduction is automatically applied to long exposures
of 1/6 second or more.
As explained in the Ergonomics section of this review, the image
size of the DSC-W1 is set using the button
(Image Size/Delete).
In the capture modes, the button
pops-up a short menu for the image sizes available with the
camera:
5M = 2592 x 1944 pixels
3:2 = 2592 x 1728 pixels (proportional to 4x6
and 5x7 prints)
3M = 2048 x 1536 pixels
1M- 1280 x 960 pixels
VGA (E-Mail) = 640 x 480 pixels
Image quality is set in the
regular menu, along with other parameters. The DSC-W1 is
only able to record JPEG images,
at either one of two image quality levels: Fine or Standard.
No uncompressed format
is offered.
While the Auto shooting mode is very limited in the settings that
the user can make — only the Multi-burst or Burst modes can be
selected (see further) — most Scene modes, along with the
Program and Manual modes provide access to items such as metering, white
balance and exposure compensation in the menu:
Exposure Compensation allows adjusting the exposure
over a range of ±2EV in 1/3 EV increments. This
option is not shown when the camera is set to the Manual
shooting mode.
Focus offers three options, either one of two
auto focus systems:
Multi AF: a system that automatically
finds the subject in the central region of the
frame using 1 or more of 5 possible focus points.
Centre AF: a system that focuses
exclusively on what is at the centre of the frame.
Preset Distances: selectable from
0.5 m, 1 m, 3 m, 7 m, or infinity.
In addition, the DSC-W1 is equipped with a focus assistance lamp,
called the AF Illuminator, that allows the AF to operate when the
light is poor. An On/Off option for the AF lamp is provided in
the Setup menu.
Metering offers two metering modes:
Multi metering a type of averaging
that divides the frame into separate areas for
metering and then combines the reading to set the
shutter speed and aperture.
Spot which evaluates the centre
point in the frame.
White Balance provides settings for Auto, Daylight,
Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent.
ISO serves to select the CCD sensitivity from
Auto, 100, 200, and 400 ISO.
Picture Quality selects the level of compression:
Fine: the highest image quality.
Standard: a more compressed format
that allows storing more images.
Rec Mode controls the number of frames the camera
captures when the shutter release is pressed:
Normal: 1 photo at a time.
Burst: the number of images
that can be captured in one burst depends on the image
quality and image size settings, but at 5 megapixel
and Fine up to 9 photos can be captured in a burst).
Multi-burst: records a burst of 16
frames at a frame rate selected in the Interval option
below. Each image is captured at a frame size of 320
x 240 pixel, and forms part of a single 1280 x 960
pixel frame. The camera can then play the sequence
back as short clip that decomposes a fast movement
such as a tennis serve or a golf swing.
Interval: Controls the frame rate of the Multi-burst
mode. Three settings are available: 1/8.5 sec.; 1/15 sec.;
1/30 sec.
Flash Level varies the output of the built-in
flash: increased (+); Normal; or decreased (-).
Picture Effects makes it possible to record the
image as Black and White, or Sepia.
Saturation: increases or decreases the colour
saturation of the image. Less (-), Normal, or more (+).
Contrast: increases or decreases the contrast
for photos. Less (-), Normal, or more (+).
Sharpness: increases or decreases the in-camera
sharpening. Less (-), Normal, or more (+).
In Playback the DSC-W1 has a menu with a slightly
different appearance. Moreover, it operates slightly differently
than the capture mode menu. Each of the functions indicated
on the lower part of the screen do not reveal their options
automatically. Instead it must selected with the centre button
of the 4-way controller.
Folder: serves to select the folder from which
images will be played back.
Protect: marks or un marks images so they cannot
be erased. More images can be tagged using the left and
right arrows. (Note that it does not prevent the image
from being deleted if the Memory Stick is formatted).
DPOF: tags the photo for printing. The right and
left arrows can be used to mark other images for printing.
Print: serves to print photos directly through
USB when the camera is connected to a PictBridge compliant
printer.
Slide: is to present the photos in sequence, one
after other, with a selectable interval time (3, 5, 10,
30 seconds and 1 minute). In addition, the folder can be
selected, and so can whether or not the slide show will
repeat automatically.
Resize: makes it possible to re-size any image
to another size (5M, 3M, 1M, VGA), and save it as a new
file.
Rotate: makes it possible to change the orientation
of an image in 90° increments to the left or right.
Divide: exclusively reserved for movies, this
option allows cutting a movie into 2 parts at any point
within the recording, and saving it as a new movie.
The DSC-W1 is compatible with Memory Stick and Memory Stick
Pro, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Duo Pro in an adapter.
The Memory Stick slot is behind a door on the left side of
the camera.
Sony includes a standard 32MB
Memory Stick as part of the DSC-W1's kit. With the 32MB Memory
Stick the DSC-W1 can store:
Fine
Standard
5M
12
23
3:2
12
23
3M
20
37
1M
50
93
VGA
196
491
The door covering the Memory
Stick slot also covers the DC-in jack and the AV (Audio/Video)
out. The door itself has a smaller door in it to plug in an
optional AC Adapter (AC-LS5), but connecting the camera to
a TV (either NTSC or PAL) requires opening the main door.
Two AA-size batteries power the W1, and Sony provides 2 rechargeable Nickel-Metal
Hydride (Ni-MH) and a charger with the camera. The Charger requires approximately
6 hours to fully charge the 2 Ni-MH batteries.
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Characteristics
button
(Image Size/Delete).
