Sony W800/B 20.1 MP Review

Sony W800/B 20.1 MP exceeded all of my expectations. It is small, lightweight and very easy to handle with one hand. The pictures are sharp, extremely clear. It has a built in macro lens for shooting small objects like flowers or insects. A powerful 20.1 megapixel super HAD CCD image sensor helps you capture gorgeous images with superb contrast and clarity down to the finest detail.

Pros:

*** Lightweight slim and stylish design: It can fit in small spaces and look and feel like a high quality item.

*** USB charging ability: That is one of the selling points for me. I keep it in my car and I don't want to run out of power any time or go through the hassle of removing the battery and charging it separately ,which requires carrying the charging adapter all the time and also the ability to plug in that adapter. Instead. all I do is to connect it to my 12V car USB charger and it pretty quickly accumulates good amount of charge level... It comes with a wall adapter (5V 0.5A) which connects to a detachable USB cable (so you can use the cable and attach it to any USB charger). But be careful about the USB cable. The standard USB-micro B cable that charges most mobile devices do not work for this type. If you need a replacement or an extra you need to buy a USB-UC E6 cable.

*** Easy menu mode: Practicality should be the main focus in a snapshot device and even my grandfather could get through this menu. One of the most user-friendly interfaces I have seen so far.

*** Panoramic shoot ability: That was a surprise for me. I had not read the product description in detail before buying and that was such a handy function. I used to take panoramic photos by taking tens of photos with my DSLR and stiching them with a software which was both difficult and time consuming. This function does it instantly and produces comparable quality photos.

*** 5X optical zoom: When it comes to zooming, in photographic terms, the less is often more. The best lenses even come with no zoom at all. However for a practical item like this, zoom is essential and 5X is a good range for the optical zoom (it is also critical that you compare the optical zoom capacities of devices and not the digital zoom before making a judgement.)

*** Image quality: As I said above, it does not match the quality of a DSLR and I don't care about the high pixel size either. For cameras with small sensor sizes like snapshots, it is actually better to get a low MP device for sharper images, but this one not bad at all especially in daylight. HD Video quality is also good but again depends on the light.

Cons:

*** Low light performance: Again, I want to stress that I am not expecting professional quality from this device, but I found the low light performance moderate at best. The noise was somewhat irritating even with flash.

*** Slow shutter speed: It has a continuous shooting mode which is supposed to take multiple frames in a short time as long as the shutter button is depressed. However this device has a long long refractory period between shoots that it is not even worth bothering with that mode. You need to decrease the image quality 3 steps to be able to notice some multiple shooting effect and that is not worth it. So if you wish to take a photo of a flying bird or a running person or a passing by car, you don't have much choice to take multiple photos and decide later.

*** Zoom buttons: I like the zoom to be a ring style beneath the shutter button but this is like a plus and minus at the back which is not very convenient.

*** No optical viewfinder: This is not a problem for this model only. Most recent cameras sacrifice from an optical viewfinder and all you get is a digital image on the screen to help you adjust your photo before taking it. First of all it does not give the sense of taking a photo but more importantly digital screen viewfinder drains battery and also performs bad in bright light.

*** Video focusing sound: While recording video of a closely located object (where there is a constant need to re-adjust autofocusing) and if the surrounding is silent, you can hear the sound of focus adjustments in your recording. But as I said that is only obvious in full silence and for short distance recordings.

Overall you like it or not depends on your expectations. For me it is a handy and adequately performing device with quite useful features. I am happy to purchase Sony W800.

Review Sony A3000 Interchangeable Lens Digital 20.1MP

Upon picking up the Sony A3000, the first thing I liked was the feel. It's the perfect sized travel camera for someone used to a bigger DSLR while having a comfortable, deep recessed, rubberized grip. The included 18-55 zoom feels mechanically solid for a kit lens, and it's also fairly sharp corner to corner. Sony A3000 is very little geometric distortion or chromatic aberration.

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Product Description

20.1 MP APS-C size HD image sensor

Sony A3000 uses the same sensor format that Sony builds into its full-sized Alpha DSLR cameras. With 13 times the area of the typical point-and-shoot image sensor, APS-C sensor size makes the difference between “snapshots” and “photographs,” delivering an exceptional combination of high resolution, high sensitivity and gorgeous, blurred backgrounds.

Light body and dependable grip

Using larger, more professional digital cameras can sometimes be awkward to manage and can weigh you down. But, the A3000 offers a lightweight body and a newly developed grip that enables you to hold the camera more securely for worry-free shooting. It provides ease and comfort when you're taking photos on-the-go.

Quick Auto Focus in Live View

If you enjoy taking photos via the large 3.0" LCD screen over the viewfinder, then you'll be thrilled with the performance of the A3000 optimized auto focus feature. It's intuitive operation means you'll never miss the action or get frustrated waiting for your camera to focus as you shoot stunning images or HD video. This is an ideal feature for photographers who prefer to keep contact with their subjects.

Full HD Movies at 60i and 24p

Not only does the A3000 take high resolution, magazine worthy photos, but it can also capture stunning HD movies in your choice of standard 60i or cinematic 24p, all at Full HD 1920x1080 resolution. The AVCHD™ codec delivers stunning Blu-ray™ HD picture quality. Also included is the MP4 codec which offers smaller file size for easier upload to the web for sharing.

I won't go into all the features, you can find that information click here.

My Own Review on Sony A3000 

I must say that the performance is really excellent, especially for the price point. The sensor produces clean and relatively noise-free images up to about 3200 ISO before introducing slight noise. This is perfect for most photography that you will be doing, especially if you are looking into a less expensive model such as this. The image quality is also really quite good and the lens, while a bit tight on the focus ring, seems very nice and solidly built.

The -4 to +3.5 diopter allows for a good range of personal diopter adjustment and this is very important when you are using a non-point-and-shoot camera. The adjustment is easy and smooth, and the control stays solid once adjusted. This adjustment is very important to people who wear glasses, as the adjustment range is good enough to make it so that many people who wear glasses will be able to shoot without glasses.

I think that the design of this camera (aesthetic looks) was a great choice. Sony A3000 looks like a DSLR instead of Sony's other mirrorless cameras. Maybe I am just accustomed to the DSLR look, as my personal cameras are a Canon 5D Mk III and a Canon 6D, but I really do think that this is a nice looking camera that fits well into the hand. The bulge on the right-hand side of the camera provides a comfortable grip like DSLR cameras and will allow you to shoot better and with more stability.

The display on the back of the camera is not as good as I would like, but it is functional and you will be able to tell what you are doing. At the end of the day, you aren't going to view your pictures on your camera, you are going to view them on your computer and then print. Still, I think a higher-resolution/DPI screen would be a nice change to this camera.

Sony A3000 has a fairly extensive manual setting that you should really learn to use, as you will be able to get the best performance out of your camera when you understand your shutter speeds, ISO, aperture, etc. This camera is a great place to start learning and working, and it is also good for people who already understand these settings. This will be an amazing step up for people who are accustomed to using a point-and-shoot camera.

Sony A3000 is now available at Amazon. This item qualifies for 20% Promotional Discount and Free Super Saver Shipping.