Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: DSC-WX1/B
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 is a great, fast-performing snapshot camera that falters on photo quality.
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CNET editors' review
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 price range: $299.00 - $349.99
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 09/30/2009
The good: Well-designed; several fun, useful features; good low-light and overall performance.
The bad: Mixed photo quality.
The bottom line: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 is a great, fast-performing snapshot camera that falters on photo quality.
Good low-light shooting without help from a flash is a rarely attained goal in the world of compact cameras. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 does it with three of the company's own components: a new sensor design, a high-end lens, and a fast image processor. The combination pays off for low-light photos as well as several other features. However, though the WX1 is capable of delivering fast performance and some very good photos, those expecting extraordinary results equal to its features will likely be let down.
| Key specs | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 |
| Price (MSRP) | $349.99 |
| Dimensions (WHD) | 3.6 x 2 x 0.8 inches |
| Weight (with battery and media) | 5.2 ounces |
| Megapixels, image sensor size, type | 10 megapixels, 1/2.4-inch Exmor R CMOS |
| LCD size, resolution/viewfinder | 2.7-inch LCD, 230K dots/None |
| Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) | 5x, f2.4-5.9, 24-120mm (35mm equivalent) |
| File format (still/video) | JPEG/MPEG-4 (.MP4) |
| Highest resolution size (still/video) | 3,648x2,736 pixels/1,280x720 at 30fps |
| Image stabilization type | Optical and digital |
| Battery type, rated life | Li-ion rechargeable, 350 shots |
One of the most remarkable things about the WX1 is the amount of technology Sony crammed into such a tiny, lightweight body. Due to its back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor and a fast Sony G f2.4 wide-angle lens, the camera has most of the same capabilities as the considerably larger HX1. Both the sensor and the G lens are of the quality found in Sony's dSLR and prosumer camcorder lines.
Sony managed to get almost all of the controls on to the back of the camera without making it feel cramped and confusing and while allowing for a secure one-handed grip that doesn't result in accidental button presses or mode dial changes. There are just three buttons on top: the usual power and shutter-release buttons, and one at the far right for turning on high-speed shooting. The power button is oddly far from the shutter release, just left of the camera's center. While this quickens turning the camera on with your left hand, it also makes it easy to accidentally turn the camera off.
A single Menu button gives you access to shooting controls as well as a selection for seeing all settings. What's also nice is the camera's capability to warn you about adjusting certain settings. For example, if you set the WX1 to spot meter light, you won't be able to turn on Face Detection. The WX1 tells you onscreen that Face Detection is not available because of Spot metering being selected. Cameras from other vendors generally make you guess what needs to be shut off in order to turn on a blacked-out option.
| General shooting options | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 |
| ISO sensitivity (full resolution) | Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 |
| White balance | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent 1, 2, and 3, Flash, Underwater 1 and 2, Custom |
| Recording modes | Program Auto, Scene Recognition Auto, Easy, Sweep Panorama, Anti Motion Blur, Handheld Twilight, SCN, Movie |
| Focus modes | 9-point, Spot AF, Center-weighted AF, Macro AF |
| Metering | Multipattern, Center-weighted average, Spot |
| Color effects | None |
| Burst mode shot limit (full resolution) | 10 photos |
Outside of a few specialty shooting modes, Sony keeps shooting options reasonably basic on the WX1. Though you won't find full control over aperture or shutter speed, you do get something on the Mode dial for just about every point-and-shoot user. Going around the dial, you have a Movie mode capable of 720p HD-quality video with use of the optical zoom (you will hear the motor moving, however); Program Auto with access to ISO, exposure, white balance, focus, and metering; Sony's Intelligent Auto; Easy mode that takes away all but a couple basic shooting options; and SCN, which lets you select from 11 scene situations, but automatically handles all other settings.
Then, there are the more specialized modes. The Sweeping Panorama option lets you shoot horizontal or vertical panoramas with one press of the shutter release; this is unlike other cameras that require you to take several shots. The last two are the Anti Motion Blur and Handheld Twilight modes. Both use the camera's capability to quickly capture six images and combine them into one photo with less blur and better detail than you would otherwise get with just one shot. The results are impressive as long as you don't look too closely at the images at full size. They are quite usable at 8x10 inches or smaller, though.
If you tend to leave it in Auto mode, Sony's Intelligent Auto turned in reliable results, as it picks from eight scene types (branded iSCN) and turns on face detection and image stabilization. Sony's iSCN can be set to Auto or Advanced, the difference being that in difficult lighting the camera will automatically take two shots with different settings so you have a better chance of getting a good photo. There are three levels of high-speed full-resolution shooting, too, that all live up to Sony's performance claims. However, once the photos are shot you have to wait for them to be stored to the memory card--roughly 2 to 3 seconds for each photo taken. Also worth mentioning is that the WX1 has exposure bracketing that will take three photos, one at the exposure you select and then two more at plus and minus 0.3EV, 0.7EV, or 1.0EV.
Fast performance is not an issue for the WX1; it's one of the quickest cameras we've tested in its class. The wake-to-first-shot time is 1.5 seconds with a nearly identical shot-to-shot time of 1.7 seconds. Using the flash only bumps that time out to 2.3 seconds. Shutter lag in bright conditions is a scant 0.3 second; in dim lighting it's only 0.7 second. The camera has no continuous shooting mode, but its high-speed burst mode is capable of snapping off 9.6 frames per second at full resolution.
When it comes to photo quality, the WX1 is a tough camera to judge. Going strictly by what happens between ISO sensitivities, the camera is a fairly typical point-and-shoot; good up to ISO 200, but from ISO 400 and above, noise reduction mucks up fine details. This is mainly noticeable when pictures are viewed at 100 percent or when heavily cropped.
The WX1's consistent color performance across sensitivities up to ISO 1600 keeps them usable for 8x10 prints and smaller. Photos at ISO 3200 look washed out, but can be printed at 4x6 inches and smaller--assuming you're not terribly picky. There's some color noise/artifacts at all ISOs, including the lowest setting of ISO 160. If you're going to make poster-size prints and stare at them from a foot away, you're probably going to be disappointed with what you see.
The WX1 has impressive center sharpness, though photos soften up out to the sides. All in all, though, the lens on this camera is pretty great. There's surprisingly little barrel distortion considering how wide it is. There's no pincushioning at the lens's longest position, and I didn't see much in the way of chromatic aberration. Color, white balance, and exposure were all excellent from the WX1--nice, natural, and vibrant.
What it really comes down to with the WX1 is expectations. Just because Sony used a sensor found in its high-end camcorders and a lens based on those from its Alpha digital SLRs, should you expect excellent photo quality? It certainly sounds reasonable. But in the end the WX1 is still a point-and-shoot, capable of above average photos under challenging conditions where most other cameras in its class fail. It's a fun little camera to use, too.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Time to first shot | |
Typical shot-to-shot time (flash) | |
Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Shutter lag (dim) | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test digital cameras.
User reviews
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Small, Fast and Excellent low-light photos
by kemosis on November 10, 2009
Pros: Starts up fast, features are impressive, blur reduction is nice, and most photos can be taken without a flash.
Cons: Very few cons.. can't think of any off the top of my head.
Summary: If you're looking for a really nice point & shoot camera with a lot of features.. this is the one. Low light photos are impressive and the movies look ...
Summary: If you're looking for a really nice point & shoot camera with a lot of features.. this is the one. Low light photos are impressive and the movies look very crisp.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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great photo quality, brilliant colors.
by namanc6 on November 3, 2009
Pros: ease of use, panoramic mode, great zoom and photo quality. full of features easy enough to use, even for a beginner.
Cons: even though movie mode records in 720p, the quality is a little sub par, unless the camera itself remains still or moves to change scenery very slowly.
Summary: It is a great digital camera. easy to use and full of features. great photo quality. This camera does not disappoint.
Summary: It is a great digital camera. easy to use and full of features. great photo quality. This camera does not disappoint.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The little low light camera that is really amazing
by hotmail123 on October 17, 2009
Pros: I am really amazed by the innovative low light technology. Nice 24mm super wide lens. Simple easy Panorama photo taking. Nice MP4 video. Expensive.
Cons: There is 1 major flaw in the camera design....when u try to take flash photos, the flash is blocked by the lens which extends out of the camera....it cast a large dark shadow & ruined the left lower portion of the flash photo.
Summary: I just bought this little camera & is really amazed by the nice low light photos I can take. It is a lot more expensive than other compact camera, but ...
Summary: I just bought this little camera & is really amazed by the nice low light photos I can take. It is a lot more expensive than other compact camera, but the 24mm super wide lens enables you to take group photos inside a very small room (i.e. within very tight space). Taking Panorama photo take it to even higher level (but how to print it is another thing). The camera has a big flaw when it comes to taking flash photos..when u try to take flash photos, the flash is blocked by the lens which extends out of the camera....it cast a large dark shadow on the left lower portion of the flash photo & ruin everything.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome Little Camera That Blows The Lowlight Paradigm.
by mariowar on October 3, 2009
Pros: Bright Lens F2.4 24mm Handheld Panorama and Twilight( vertical-horizontal) 5 X zoom
Very Good image quality at daylight and Excellent at lowlight.Cons: It would be nice to have manual control for Aperture and Shutter Speed.
Also it lacks Sharpness control and color settings ( Vivid, B/W etc...)Summary: This tiny and incredibly fast camera draws a line in history. The powerful Sensor, processor and bright lens allows to take lowlight pictures like never before in compact camera world. ...
Summary: This tiny and incredibly fast camera draws a line in history. The powerful Sensor, processor and bright lens allows to take lowlight pictures like never before in compact camera world.
Let the Pictures do the talking:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/dsc-wx1/1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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GOOD Camera i love it..........
by utsav anand on October 3, 2009
Pros: i buy it because of it compact define body the capturing of image in low light is too good.
but yes it is a expensive deal but shore sony g lence it a good one and the shot of 24 mm wide it just fantastic .Cons: the wide shot of 24 mm just make u capture everything .
sweep panorama is fun.
the quality to SONY G lens is too good
and the image which are clicked in low light is also bright .Summary: only 2 things must be more given then i can give it full 5 star.
1. the zooming is only 5x they should give us more
&
2.the video ...Summary: only 2 things must be more given then i can give it full 5 star.
1. the zooming is only 5x they should give us more
&
2.the video quality is of 720p they should give 1080 HD.
if they will give these 2 more features the it will sorely replace DSC hx1.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not great Image quality, fast-performing camera.
by sanjeevkumarg on October 1, 2009
Pros: Fast-performing camera, really compact, Great looks - Black, Simple and stylish, Easy operation, Great battery stamina - 350 shots/charge, Good Auto settings.
Cons: Poor image quality, noisy pictures, Poor quality at high ISO settings.Simple and stylish, Expensive
Summary: a fine back-pocket camera as long as your photo-quality expectations are reasonable. Video quality was good, too, but again you don't get use of the 5x zoom while you'...
Summary: a fine back-pocket camera as long as your photo-quality expectations are reasonable. Video quality was good, too, but again you don't get use of the 5x zoom while you're recording. Also, if you want to view it on an HDTV, you'll need to pony up for a proprietary component cable that connects to the multi-use terminal on the camera's bottom.
The Sony Cyber-shot is a compelling package. Unless you're extraordinarily picky about your photo quality, it's a great pocket camera at a reasonable price with a solid combination of features, usability, and design.2 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fast camera, great features ... poor photo quality
by elmarphil on November 23, 2009
Pros: It's a fast camera with lots of bell and whistles. I love the sweep panorama feature, the hand held twighlight, the exposure bracketing, dual shot, HD video with zoom, high ISO feature and its great innovation. Menu navigation is great.
Cons: Poor photo quality, Noisy photos. The lens barrel casts shadows on certain photos when using flash.
Summary: I hated Sony digital cameras almost all my life. I have tried dozens year after year. The photo quality has the same, ie. (mixed bag), some great, mostly err.... Until ...
Summary: I hated Sony digital cameras almost all my life. I have tried dozens year after year. The photo quality has the same, ie. (mixed bag), some great, mostly err.... Until I read about this Exmor R technology. I got excited in buying this camera. One thing I noticed instantly is that its sleeker and slimmer compared to other Wseries camera.
On the firmware side, Menu navigation is easily understood. I still read the manuals for other info like shortcuts and techniques.
On usage, It's light and nice to hold
On photo quality, I noted the following:
Panorama photos using sweep panorama are fine when used on daylight, but on low light situations, panorama photos look very bad. However, if you print it small, the noise may not be noticed that much.
Most of the photos I took without flash and has auto ISO setting has lots of noise. Probably beacuse of high ISO setting which the camera imposes.
The lens barrel casts shadows on certain photos when using the built-in flash. This occurs at certain distance range. This shadowing effect is probably due to it wide angle lens. It captures so much area.
Hand held twighlight mode is not 100% blur free. Photos I took using this mode looked great on small views. However, when I zoomed in on them on my monitor, I notice lots of soft edges. The good news about this however, is that noise level is down to nearly zero.
The high price isn't justifiable. -
Another flawed review
by zupcsics on October 6, 2009
Pros: Form factor, wide angle lens
Cons: Hello ... Proprietarty memory format!
Summary: The exclusive use of/reliance on a proprietarty memory format deserves to be at least mentioned, and really should be highlighted in the "The Bad" section and the product summary!
Summary: The exclusive use of/reliance on a proprietarty memory format deserves to be at least mentioned, and really should be highlighted in the "The Bad" section and the product summary!
0 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good camera, but proprietary Sony turns it to crap
by kasrhp1 on October 2, 2009
Pros: Excellent low light photography. Build quality, lens, 24mm wide angle, sweep panorama, 10fps burst.
Cons: Do not buy this unless you plan on buying a Sony specific memory stick. I bought a Sansa stick, and it has a pop up saying this wont work every time I turn it on. Well, it does work, works fine.
Summary: Sony, bottom line needs to get out of their proprietary world. This is a very good camera crippled by Sony's need to keep everything branded to themselves. I have ...
Summary: Sony, bottom line needs to get out of their proprietary world. This is a very good camera crippled by Sony's need to keep everything branded to themselves. I have an 8gb Sansa memory stick pro duo. It worked in my previous Sony digital camera no problem. But, in the WX1, there is a popup everytime I turn the camera on, or move in and out of the menu that says: This "memory stick" may not record or play.
Sorry, it should read Sandisk. My error.
But it does. SONY, there are only 2 companies that make your dumb little memory sticks. You and Sansa. You also partnered with Sansa on the making of this mem card. How can you then have the new camera designed to make someone have to get your stick? I know you are a pathetic proprietary company, but this is pathetic. Get out of your own world and listen to the consumer one time. Because of this, I refuse to keep your camera. Regardless of how much I like your camera, I refuse to be forced to buy YOUR proprietary crap. I can handle having a memory stick vs a SD card(still stupid, but whatever), but to cut out your only other competitor, and again, who you partnered with. Sony, I have the PS3, the MDR-NC60's, a blu-ray player, and countless other gadgets from you guys. This is my limit.
Updated on Oct 3, 2009
As for my rant, Sony deserves every right to get a pathetic review for this. I said in my comments how the camera is. I like it very much. There are many great features, and the image quality is very solid. This is a great camera to show users the amazing things they can do with cameras now a days. The sweep panorama is very good, but still not as refined as stitching. The IS0-3200 images are very good, and show lots of detail. This still is not a slr replacement by any means. I would rather classify this as a very good compact that will show users the world of photography. This would be a good gateway-camera.
But, my star rating is accurate. Sony does not need to leave everything proprietary. While the idea of having to buy a Sony branded stick might not mean anything to some people, I find it garbage. They are in the process now of standardizing cell phone chargers. Why not cameras, at least ones that make the same type.1 out of 15 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: DSC-WX1/B
- Description: The DSCWX1 W series Cyber-shot camera delivers superior image quality thanks to an "Exmor R" CMOS sensor and "BIONZ" imaging processor. The "Exmor R" CMOS sensor is high-speed and approximately twice as sensitive as conventional CMOS sensors and boasts 50% less noise than previous versions. The WX1 also features Sony's super wide-angle 24 mm (35 mm equivalent) fast f/2.4 "G Lens" for superior image quality. In addition, the integrated sweep panorama mode allows you to capture the full picture every time! To achieve its delightfully compact form, Sony slimmed the WX1 way down, sparing no effort to reduce dimensions to a bare minimum. But don't let its small size fool you. This lithe little Cyber-shot boasts outstanding operability thanks to controls logically positioned and easily identifiable for maximum ease-of-use. All Sony Cyber-shot cameras feature a high-speed "BIONZ" imaging processor that delivers brilliant, lifelike images. High resolution, natural color, smooth tonal gradation, minimal noise and fast processing - a potent combination for photos as rich and vivid as your imagination.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 3.6 in
- Depth 0.8 in
- Height 2 in
- Weight 4.2 oz
- Body Material Metal
Main Features
- Resolution 10.2 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type Exmor R CMOS
- Total Pixels 10,600,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 10,200,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 160, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO auto
- Digital Zoom 2 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Pet, Snow, Beach, Gourmet, Fireworks, Landscape, Soft snap, Underwater, Twilight mode, High sensitivity, Twilight portrait
- Image Stabilizer Optical (Steady Shot)
- Max Shutter Speed 1/1600 sec
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom. This camera utilizes built-in Super SteadyShot stabilization to assist in taking sharper pictures.
- Min Shutter Speed 2 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Multi-segment, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Auto Exposure Bracketing 3 steps in 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV steps
- Face Detection Yes
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Flash, Cloudy, Daylight, Underwater, Incandescent, Fluorescent light (daylight), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (warm white)
- Digital Video Format MPEG-4
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture MPEG-4 - 1280 x 720, MPEG-4 - 640 x 480
Memory / Storage
- Supported Flash Memory Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo
- Integrated Memory 11 MB
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage JPEG 3648 x 2736, JPEG 2592 x 1944, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 3648 x 2432, JPEG 3648 x 2056, JPEG 1920 x 1080
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 8 in - 16.4 ft
- Features AF illuminator
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 4.25 mm - 21.25 mm - F/2.4-5.9
- Focal Length 4.25 mm - 21.25 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 24 - 120 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 2 in
- Lens Aperture F/2.4-5.9
- Optical Zoom 5 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 5 group(s) / 6 element(s)
- Features ED glass, Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features DPOF support, Direct print, Face detection, Audio recording, Auto power save, Date/time stamp, Built-in speaker, Cropping an image, PictBridge support, PRINT Image Matching, Progressive scanning, Touch-screen control, In-camera red-eye fix, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, 720p HD movie recording, Digital noise reduction, Dynamic Range Optimizer, RGB primary color filter, Sweep Panorama technology, Blink Detection technology, Smile Detection technology, Camera orientation detection, Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN), Automatic display brightness adjustment
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 230,400 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
- Microphone Technology Electret condenser
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x Component video output
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x Memory Stick PRO Duo
Software
- Software Drivers & Utilities, Sony Picture Motion Browser
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.3 - 10.5
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included USB cable, A/V cable
Power
- Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery Sony NP-BG1
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Sony
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.sonystyle.com
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
