Sony DSC-W200

Reviewed September 2007

Characteristics

The DSC-W200 uses a 1/1.72 inch (9.29 mm) CCD composed of 12.38 million pixels, of which 12.1 million (12.1 megapixel) are effective to record an image. Images can be captured at any of seven sizes:

Following the current fad with some manufacturers, the DSC-W200 offers no compression level choice to the user, and instead compresses images according to its own determination of how much the image can be compressed before the image quality becomes unacceptable. At the highest image quality, 12M, the least compression ratio is in the range of 9:1 (compressed vs uncompressed) but, depending on the subject, it is often higher and has been observed as high as 30.8:1, a level that turns a 12.1 megapixel image that would have an uncompressed file size of 34.3 MB, to a 1.1 MB file.

The W200's CCD sensitivity range starts at 100 ISO, and can be manually set 200, 400, 800, 1600 or even 3200 ISO. An Auto ISO mode is also available, allowing the camera to automatically adjust the sensitivity from 100 to 800 ISO, and when the Extra High Sensitivity mode is used, 6400 ISO is used.

The DSC-W200 is equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom, 7.6 to 22.8 mm, the equivalent of a 35 to 105 mm on a 35 mm format camera. Apertures begin at f2.8 at the wide angle end and f5.5 at the telephoto end. When the Manual shooting mode is used, apertures of f2.8, f5.6 and f8 can be set when the zoom is set to the wide angle end, becoming f5.5, f11 and f16 at the maximum telephoto setting.

The shutter speed range of the camera covers from a fast 1/2000 second to a long exposure time of 30 seconds, but either range is not available to all modes, and in most cases 1/8 second is the longest exposure possible, while the Manual mode tops out at 1/1000 second.

In common with most compact Sony digital cameras, the DSC-W200 also offers a digital zoom, which can operate in either one of two modes:

• Smart Zoom, operates only when the image size is set to a size less than 12M or 3:2, as it crops the central portion of the full-size frame to produce a field of view comparable to a longer focal length than the maximum optical magnification.
• Precision, which functions like “traditional” digital zooms, cropping the central part of the image, and interpolating it to the currently selected image size, thereby causing a loss of image sharpness.

As with other recent Sony cameras, on-screen settings for the W200 are divided into those that can be accessed immediately through the MENU button, and those accessible through the HOME button. When the MENU button is used, the greatest number of options are presented when the camera is set to the Program or Manual modes:

• Scene Selection (only when the Mode Dial is set to SCN): presents the Scene modes available (not shown).
• Image Size: serves to select the image size (see above).
• Face Detection (only with Auto or Portrait modes): On or Off. Allows the camera to detect one or more faces and focus on them.
• Rec Mode offers two options:
  • Burst: captures up to 100 images, slowing down after three images while they are stored in memory, at a maximum frame rate of 1 frame per 1/2 second.
  • Bracketing: over three exposures with a selectable increment of ±1/3, ±2/3 or ±1 EV.
• Colour (only with P, M and Movie modes): Normal, Vivid (increases saturation), Natural (decreases saturation), Sepia, or Black and White (only Normal, Sepia and Black and White are available in the Movie mode).
• ISO (only with P and M modes): 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 ISO.
• EV (All mode except Manual): serves to compensate the exposure over a range of ± 2 EV in 0.3 EV increments.
• Metering Mode (only with P, M and Movie modes) selects the metering pattern:
  • Multi: averaging pattern.
  • Centre: centre-weighted pattern.
  • Spot (still image only): meters a small area at the centre of the frame exclusively.
• Focus (only with P, M and Movie modes) selects the focus area:
  • Multi-AF: focuses using a wide area AF zone around the centre of the frame.
  • Centre AF: focuses on a subject located in a central part of the frame.
  • Spot AF (only with Still Images): focuses at the precise centre of the frame.
• White Balance (only with P, M, High ISO, Extra High ISO and Movie): Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1 (white), Fluorescent 2 (natural white) Fluorescent 3 (day white), Incandescent, Flash.

• Flash Level (only with P and M modes) adjusts the output of the flash: (—) reduces flash output, (+) increases flash output.
• Red-eye Reduction (in all modes except High ISO, Extra High ISO, Twilight, Fireworks and Movie mode):
  • Auto, only operates when using face detection.
  • On always strobes before a flash photo.
  • Off, does not strobe.

• Contrast (only with P and M modes only) More (+), Normal, or Less (—), or D-R which adjusts the contrast automatically.
• Sharpness (only with P, A, S, M) : Sharper (+), Normal, or Softer (—).

• SteadyShot selects the stabilizer mode:
  • Shooting: stabilizes the image when the image is captured.
  • Continuous: stabilizes the image continuously (less effective than Shooting).
  • Off: turns off the stabilizer (must be used when the camera is stabilized physically such as when it is mounted on a tripod).
• Setup: accesses the Shooting Settings, which are the same as those accessed through the Home Screen (see the Interface and Software section of the review).

The HOME button however, displays the Home screen, which as Sony describes it in the camera's PDF manual, is the gateway to all camera functions. Depending on the current camera mode — capture or playback — the Home screen starts with Shooting or Playback. The Shooting option simply takes the user back to the current shooting mode. The Playback screen, on the other hand, offers a choice of 3 options (see further). The other sections of the Home Screen are:

• Printing, Other:
  • Print: serves to select images to be printed (see further).
  • Music Tool: serves to download more music to be used in conjunction with slide shows, or format the memory area containing music (the W200 comes pre-loaded with some background music).

• Manage Memory contains a single option (Format) when the internal memory is used, or four options when a Memory Stick is used:
  • Format serves to format the Memory Stick or the internal memory.
  • Create REC. Folder: allows creating a new folder into which images will be stored.
  • Change Rec. Folder: serves to switch from one folder to another.
  • Copy: serves to copy images or movies from the internal memory to a Memory Stick.

The last section is Setup and it contains settings that control the basic configuration of the camera. For more information about this section, please see the Interface and Software section of the review.

As explained above with the camera set to the Playback mode, the HOME button presents Playback section first, and its 3 options:

• Single Image: simply returns the user to the image currently under review.
• Index Display presents images in Index view, the same display that is accessible by pressing the W side of the zoom control twice.
• Slide Show, the third option, presents images in an automatic slide show, with selectable background music, transition effects, a selectable interval time, and allows making the slide show loop or not.

With the W200 set to the Playback mode, the MENU button presents another menu called the Viewing Menu. Its options appear superimposed over the image under review:

• Delete: serves to delete the image under review, or multiple images, or all those contained in a specific folder.
• Slide Show is the same function as the one available in the Home Screen (see above).
• Retouch offers options to change a selected image:
  • Soft Focus, softens the look of an image.
  • Partial Colour allows selecting a point in the image that will remain in colour while the rest becomes black and white.
  • Fisheye Lens allows adding a fisheye effect, the intensity of which can be varied.
  • Cross Filter adds a starburst effect to light sources in the image.
  • Trimming allows trimming a part of an image and then re-saving the trimmed section as a new image.
  • Red-eye Correction automatically removes the red-eye effect in an image.

• Protect serves to protect an image against any accidental deletion.
• DPOF allows selecting images to be printed.
• Print (this function is the same as the one presented on the Home Screen) serves to print images once the camera is connected directly, via USB, to a PictBridge compatible printer. The number of prints of each photo can be selected as well as the print size or the creation of an index sheet, and the date and time when the image was captured can be superimposed on the print or not.

• Rotate: serves to change the orientation of an image in 90° increments towards the left or the right. Movies or images captured using Multi-burst cannot be rotated.
• Folder serves to select the folder from which images will be read.

The DSC-W200 is equipped with a 31 MB internal memory and with a Memory Stick Duo slot located next to the battery slot that can be used with an optional Memory Stick Duo with capacities up to 8 GB.

The chart below shows approximate image and movie capacities for both the internal memory and a 2 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo:

The DSC-W200 is powered by a rechargeable Lithium Ion (NP-BG1) battery. A battery charger (BC-CSG) is included with the camera, and recharging a fully depleted battery requires approximately 330 minutes, or nearly 6 hours.

The only external connection of the DSC-W200 is a Multi-connector that is located near the tripod mount, on the underside of the camera. The connector has no cover. A multi-purpose cable is supplied in the kit, providing connections for A/V and USB (2.0 Hi-Speed) at one end, and the connector for the camera at the other (shown below).

• 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.
  • Mass Storage: 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.