The white text and icons that
make up the primary interface of the DSC-W50 in the capture
mode are very legible. Information is presented on the periphery
of the monitor, and does not take away from the view of the
subject. Furthermore, if desired, a histogram can quickly
be displayed to determine the brightness of the image, or
even a composition grid to make sure subjects are aligned
correctly.
The interface is further enhanced through the use of an animation
that follows the movements of the Mode Dial, and which displays
a short explanation of each mode. Moreover, explanations are
also provided for other functions, such as those associated
with the 4-direction control.
The options that compose the menus — still image capture,
movie, or playback — appear aligned at the bottom of
the display, the settings for each option appearing in turn,
as they become highlighted when the menu is navigated. Each
of the menus provides an access to the Setup menu,
an access that uses an animation as the Setup menu replaces
the menu previously on the screen.
The Setup menu presentation is different from the others,
taking over the entire screen. Different sections are identified
by tabs on the left margin of the display, each corresponding
to a screen. The first is called Camera:
AF Mode selects the way the auto focus operates:
Single (S-AF): only focuses when the shutter
release is used.
Monitor (M-AF): constantly adjusts the focus,
and only the AE (auto exposure) is locked when the shutter
release is held at the halfway point.
Digital Zoom offers three options: Smart,
Precision or Off(see the Characteristics
section of the review for more details).
Function Guide: On or Off, decides whether or not
an explanation for camera modes, or functions is displayed
when any of these is selected.
Red-eye Reduction: On or Off, decides whether or
not pre-flashes are emitted prior to the flash firing.
AF Illuminator: Auto or Off. controls whether the
AF assist lamp is used when the ambient light is too low
to guarantee the proper functioning of the auto focus. (The
AF Illuminator also serves as Self-timer indicator.)
Auto Review: selects whether or not a just captured
photo is displayed for 2 seconds.
The next section is called either Memory Stick Tool
if a memory card is in the camera, or Internal Memory Tool.
With a Memory Stick Duo, four options are offered:
Format: to format a memory card, or the internal
memory. The is the only option shown if there is no Memory
Stick in the camera.
Create REC. Folder: serves to create a new folder
into which images and movies will be stored.
Change REC. Folder: serves to change from one folder
to another.
Copy: to copy images or movies between the internal
memory and a Memory Stick Duo.
The last 2 sections of the menu serve to set the basic configuration
of the DSC-W50:
Setup 1:
LCD Backlight: serves to adjust the brightness
of the LCD monitor's backlight (Bright or Normal).
Beep to select when the camera produces sounds:
Shutter only.
Shutter and operations.
Off.
Language: selects the interface language (English,
French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese).
Initialize: resets the camera to its factory default
settings.
Setup 2:
File Number: determines whether images get numbered
consecutively, or re-start at 0001 when the card or internal
memory has been formatted, or a fresh Memory Stick Duo is
used.
USB connect selects the USB protocol:
Auto: lets the camera decide the protocol according
to the device to which it is connected, and is intended
to be used when the W50 is connected to a PictBridge
compatible printer.
MassStorage: allows the camera's memory, or
Memory Stick, to be recognized as a removable hard disk
by a computer.
PTP: (Picture Transfer Protocol) allows
for the automatic transfer of images to a computer.
Video Out: offers a choice of NTSC or PAL, so
that the camera can be connected to a television.
Clock Set: servers to set the internal clock and
calendar of the DSC-W50.
As is so often the case, a folded sheet entitled "Read
Me First" is included with the camera, as well as a small
printed manual. The "Read Me First" sheet offers
minimal information about the camera, and is limited to the
battery, and perfunctory explanations of the modes. The Manual
is a bit more comprehensive, but still glosses rapidly over
most camera functions and provides limited information.
Software
Please note that the software supplied with
the camera can vary from country to country.
A single CD is included with
the DSC-W50 as it is sold in North America, containing a software
suite called Sony Picture Utility that is exclusively
for Microsoft Windows (Me, 2000 Pro, and Xp) computers. The
software is composed of an image browser, guides to use the
program, and USB drivers for operating systems that need them.
Cyber-shot
Viewer, the image browser, starts out by asking for all
image folders to be registered into its database. Images are
presented in what appears to be a random fashion, as they
are drawn from all the registered folders, and the user must
first organize them using the shooting date to see some sort
of logical order.
Images are presented as thumbnails, the size of which is
adjustable, and when an image is highlighted, its shooting
parameters are shown at right.
Aligned above the main window,
a few tools are presented as icons making it possible to rotate
an image, print it, send it by e-mail, or view a slide show.
In addition, one button makes it possible to open a selected
image into an editing window.
The editing window
shows the other images in the folder in a vertical strip on
the left side of the window, while the image to be edited
is shown at a much larger scale in the main window.
Icons aligned above the image are tools to perform an automatic
correction for red-eye, for brightness — adjustable
so that it applies to dark areas, the entire image, or bright
areas — or for contrast, saturation, and sharpness.
One last icon controls a cropping tool.
At first the program appears
a bit confusing, and some time has to be spent to understand
how to organize the images, but even then, locating one specific
image amongst many remains difficult. On the other hand, the
editing tools work rather well, and their use is simple to
understand.
Interface & Software
