Memory

This camera has 32 MB of internal memory. It's best to think of it as a reserve tank, should you fill up your Memory Stick®. The DSC-W5 doesn't come with a Memory Stick, but it will accept almost any variety of Memory Stick. You'll want to purchase at least one stick, because the internal memory will only hold about 12 shots at the highest image quality setting.

Lens

The Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens has a focal length of 7.9mm to 23.7mm, which is equivalent to 38mm to 114mm in 35mm photography.The camera has a 5-area multi-point autofocus. The camera calculates the distance in five areas to the top, bottom, left, right and in the center of the image. This is helpful when your subject is not centered in the frame. You can also choose Center AF, which focuses only on the subject framed in the AF range finder in the center of the image.

You get three autofocus Modes:

• Single AF: This mode is good for shooting stationary subjects.
• Monitor AF: This mode shortens the time needed for focusing. The camera continuously adjusts the focus.
• AF Illuminator: The AF (auto focus) Illuminator briefly provides fill light to focus more easily on a nearby subject in dark surroundings.

There's also a macro focus mode, for capturing extreme close-ups. I used the macro focus mode to catch this delicate daffodil. With the zoom set fully wide, the camera can focus on objects that are less than 3 inches from the lens.

Macro mode made this detailed daffodil close-up possible.

Outstanding battery life

Sony claims that the Real Imaging Processor consumes up to 70 percent less power than the off-the-shelf processors used in many other cameras. This means you get hundreds of shots before you have to recharge the DSC-W5's included "AA" NiMH batteries (you can also use regular alkaline batteries in a pinch). The included batteries take approximately 6 hours to fully charge.

Viewing your shots

You can view your shots on the camera's screen or use the included adapter to view them on a TV screen. In addition to viewing images one-by-one in full screen, you can view multiple images at once in the index mode. This feature lets you to display nine or sixteen images at a time, allowing you to easily find the image you want and select it for full-screen display.

The Slide Show function lets you play back images one after the other. The interval between the pictures can be adjusted, allowing you to choose 3, 5, 10, and 30 seconds or 1 minute.You can enlarge a recorded still image up to five times the size of the original image. You can also record the enlarged item as a new file. To select the area to be enlarged, you can move the enlargement "frame" up/down/left/right with the arrow buttons, and adjust the zoom with the W/T button.

Printer-friendly features

Using the supplied USB cable, you can connect this camera directly to any PictBridge-compliant printer and make prints.The DSC-W5 conforms to Exif Print, a worldwide standard. Camera settings (such as exposure mode, white balance, exposure time) and scene data are recorded to the image file when it is captured. Printers compatible with Exif Print are able to use this information to automatically "correct" your images and make better-looking prints.

Conclusion

Using this camera gave me a good sense of its strong points. Here's how I would sum this camera up:

Who's it for?

Beginning and mid-level shooters who want a compact camera with plenty of versatility. It also makes a great second camera for an advanced photographer.

Highlights

• Impressive 2.5" LCD viewscreen makes framing shots and reviewing pictures easy.
• Real Imaging Processor produces remarkably fast response, minimizing shutter lag and maximizing battery life.
• Flash-based tutorial on included CD-ROM that is much easier to learn from than the owner's manual.

Concerns

• No sports (fast shutter) scene mode.