Sony DSC-W100

Reviewed March 2007

Characteristics

The DSC-W100 is equipped with a 1/1.8 inch (9.1 mm) CCD composed of 8.3 million pixels of which 8.06 million pixels are effective during image capture. Six image sizes are available:

• 8M: 3264 x 2448 pixels
• 3:2: 3264 x 2176
• 5M: 2592 x 1944
• 3M: 2048 x 1536
• 2M: 1632 x 1224
• VGA: 640 x 480
• 16:9: 1920 x 1080

And two JPEG compression levels are available at all image sizes:

• Fine: uses the least compression, in the range of 6:1, and offers the highest image quality.
• Standard: uses a stronger compression, 12:1, which allows recording more images at the expense of some image quality.

CCD sensitivity starts at 80 ISO but can be increased to 100, 200, 400, 800 or 1250 ISO when the camera is set to the Program or Manual modes, or set to Auto which lets the camera adjust sensitivity as required. When any of the Scene modes are used, sensitivity is automatically set by the camera. Generally, the Auto ISO range covers from 80 to 400 ISO, but the Twilight as well as the Manual mode have an upper limit of 125 ISO, while the Twilight Portrait mode tops out at 250 ISO. High Sensitivity mode, on the other hand, ranges up to 1250 ISO.

The DSC-W100 has a 3X Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom with a focal length range of 7.9 to 23.7 mm, the equivalent on a 35 mm camera of a 38 to 114 mm. The lens has two apertures f2.8 or f5.6 at the wide angle end, and f5.2, or f10 at the telephoto end.

These apertures work with a shutter speed range that covers from 1/2000 second to 15 seconds, but the maximum exposure time is only accessible when the DSC-W100 is used in the Manual mode. The Program has a maximum exposure time of 1 second, while the Twilight and Twilight Portrait modes extend to 2 seconds and all other modes only to 1/8 second.

The DSC-W100 is also equipped with a digital zoom — which can be disabled — that operates in either one of two ways:

• Smart: the magnification power of the digital zoom varies with the image sizes selected and the smaller the image size, the greater the magnification effect. The camera uses the full image size of the CCD and crops the image to field of views that would be captured by longer lenses, saving the cropped image at the closest image size. This zoom is not available if the image size is set to 8M, 3:2 or 16:9.
• Precision: is a standard digital zoom that interpolates the centre portion of the image to achieve an effect that gives the same field of view as a 6X optical zoom, but which lowers the image quality because of the interpolation.

The menu system of the DSC-W100 presents menu options in a horizontal row at the bottom of the screen using a mix of text and icons. The number of options that are accessible in the menu changes according to the mode in use, and the Program and Manual modes offer the greatest number of choices. Worth noting, access to some options is dependent on the existing settings of other options:

• Colours decides how the camera records colours:
  • Normal: (default) captures a colour image.
  • Vivid: increases colour saturation.
  • Natural: decreases colour saturation.
  • Sepia: captures a brown colour image.
  • Black and White: records the image in black and white.

• Focus selects the focus method:
  • Multi AF focuses using 5 focus points arranged in a cross with branches extending from the centre of the image.
  • Centre AF uses only the centre focus point.
  • Manual allows setting the focus distance using preset distances (0.5, 1, 3, 7 metres or infinity).
• Metering Mode provides a choice of three patterns: Multi-pattern, Centre-Weighted or Spot.

• WB: controls the white balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent or Flash.
• ISO: serves to set the CCD sensitivity (only when the camera is set to Program or Manual modes) Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800 or 1250 ISO.
• Picture Quality: sets the JPEG compression level, Fine or Standard.

• Rec. Mode serves to select:
  • Normal: captures one image at a time every time the shutter release is pressed.
  • Burst: captures up to 4 images at approximately 1 frame per second at the least compression (Fine) and highest resolution (8M).
  • Multi Burst: captures 16 images at a selectable interval (see below) and saves them into a single 1280 x 960 pixel image. In Playback mode, the images are shown as a short animation which can be used to observe a rapid movement such as a golf swing.

• Interval (This option is only accessible when the Multi Burst mode has been selected) selects the capture interval for the Multi Burst mode (see above): 1/7.5 sec., 1/15 sec., 1/30 sec.
• Flash Level (This option is not accessible if the flash is set to Forced Off) controls the flash output over three levels: + (Plus) , Normal, — (Minus).
• Contrast: offers three levels + (Plus) , Normal, — (Minus).
• Sharpness: controls the sharpness applied by the camera + (Plus) , Normal, — (Minus).
• Setup: is the access to the Setup menu (for more information about the contents of the Setup menu, see the Interface and Software section of the review).

Set to the Movie mode the menu is shorter offering only Colour (Normal, Sepia or Black and White), Focus, Metering Mode and White balance. As with the still image menu, the Movie menu also ends with an access to the Setup menu.

When the DSC-W100 is in Playback mode, options are also presented in a line on the lower part of the monitor:

• Folder: serves to choose the folder from which images will be viewed.
• Protection: to protect images against an accidental erasure, either one at a time, or using the index view.
• DPOF: (Digital Print Order Format) serves to select images that will be printed using a DPOF compatible printer, or printing service.

• Print: serves to print images (the one currently under review, or those in a folder, or those that have been selected using DPOF) when the DSC-W100 is connected directly to a PictBridge compatible printer. The print size can be selected, the number of copies to make of the image, or an index sheet can be printed. The date and time the image was captured can be printed on the image if desired.

• Slide Show: has options that allow setting the interval between images (3, 5, 10, 30 seconds or 1 minute), showing only images that are in a specific folder, or all images on the memory card, and deciding if the show will automatically repeat once the end is reached.

• Resize: serves to make a copy of an image at another image size than the one the image was captured, with the exception of images captured using the 3:2 or 16:9 formats. Should a larger image size that the image's original resolution be selected, the camera will interpolate the image, causing a loss of quality.
• Rotate: serves to change the orientation of the image to the right or to the left in 90° increments.
• Divide: Serves to edit movies by dividing them and re-saving the cut portions.

• Setup: provides access to the Setup menu. (See the Interface and Software section of the review for details about the Setup menu.)

Equipped with a 64MB internal memory, the DSC-W100 is retailed without a memory card. A slot for a Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick Pro Duo, however, is provided next to the battery.

As a guide, the chart below shows approximate capacities for both the internal memory, and an optional 1 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo:

* The remaining image counter for the DSC-W100 can only display up to 9999 and shows >9999 if the number is greater.

The DSC-W100 is powered by a rechargeable Lithium Ion (NP-BG1) battery that is latched in its slot to prevent it from sliding out when the memory card is accessed. A charger (BC-CSG) is included with the camera and it requires approximately 2 hours to recharge a fully depleted battery.

Two external connections are available on the DSC-W100. One, covered by a solid door on the left side of the camera, uses a multi-function cable with three heads at one end that is included with the camera kit:

• Two of the connectors are for A/V out (Mono Sound on the black connector, Video on the yellow connector) which makes it possible to connect the camera to a television. The type of signal output by the camera, NTSC or PAL, can be set in the Setup menu.
• The other head of the multi-function cable is for USB and its communication protocol can be set to:
  • Auto: allowing the camera to detect whether it is connected to a computer or to a PictBridge compatible printer.
  • MassStorage: to have the camera's memory or memory stick recognized as a removable hard disk by a computer.
  • PTP: to automatically transfer images to a computer.

The other external connection is on the upper right side of the cameras, behind a door that opens towards the top. It serves to connect the optional AC Adapter AC-LS5K so the camera can be powered from household current.