Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100

Manual Control Options
Unlike past Sony W-series cameras, the W100 offers manual control over shutter speed and aperture. To access these options, the ‘M’ manual mode must be activated and the central button in the multi-selector pushed (there are on-screen directions for this). The shutter speed and aperture appear in the corner; the numbers turn yellow when adjusted. Pressing up and down on the multi-selector controls the shutter speed, while pushing left and right controls the aperture. Other manual control options include focus, metering mode, white balance, and ISO. Many compact models at this price point don’t offer manual control, so it’s nice to see Sony differentiate itself a little in this area. The manual controls are still quite basic, but they are there.

Focus
Auto Focus (7.0)
The Single mode in the setup menu activates the auto focus system only when the button is pushed, saving battery power, while the Monitor selection keeps the system running in real time Center AF and Multi AF, both available from the recording menu, change the focus mode. The Multi AF mode uses a 5-point system and is better for taking group portraits where the subjects take up much of the frame. Center AF is best for individual portraits or a single, centrally located subject. While the auto focus system isn’t incredibly slow, it does have a tiny amount of shutter lag, and requires a moment to take a picture. The W100 can focus from 2.4 inches in the macro mode and from 19.7 inches in the normal focusing mode. In low light, an orange LED assists the auto focus system by sending out a beam of light. This allows the system to see just enough to be able to focus and adds some time to the lag between when the button is pushed and the shutter actually flips. Generally, the auto focus system is decent and quiet, with plenty of options but may result in a few blurry pictures when left to its default settings.

Manual Focus (1.0)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 does not have a true manual focus mode, but does have distances that users can manually select. 0.5 m, 1.0 m, 3.0 m, 7.0 m, and Infinity distance options are available and grouped in the Focus section of the recording menu. These only work in specific situations and aren’t that useful.

ISO (8.75)
With an ISO 1250 rating, the Sony W100 offers the highest sensitivity of any of the W-series digital cameras. Its full range includes the following options: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1250. The ISO options are located in the recording menu and come with a live view. Sony uses Clear RAW imaging technology to reduce noise at the higher end of the sensitivity range; to see how effective it is, see the Noise tests in the Testing/Performance section. Sony cameras this year include a specific High Sensitivity scene mode that is optimized to use the higher end of the ISO sensitivities, so users can capture more natural lighting in dimmer places. This is perfect for snapping a shot of the sleeping baby (although the orange auto focus assist lamp may be a little disturbing) or a photo of the break-dancer burning up the club’s dance floor.

White Balance (5.5)
Also available in the recording menu are the white balance options, which include the following: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, and Flash. These show up as icons, but come with an even more helpful live view. The automatic white balance setting does well in decent lighting, but casts funky colors in low light. In these situations, users will miss a custom white balance setting, which is not available on this model.

Exposure (7.0)
Photographers of all levels can check and tweak the exposure in some way on the W100. Beginners can choose to have the camera automatically set the shutter speed and aperture, or can access a +/- 2 exposure compensation scale by pushing the left side of the multi-selector. Pushing the multi-selector up or down will then brighten or darken the image. Users can also check the exposure by pushing the LCD display mode button, which displays a live histogram. More adventurous photographers can manually control the shutter speed and aperture.

Metering (7.0)
Like many compact digital cameras, the W100 offers three metering mode options: Spot, Center, and Multi. These are located in the recording menu, but don’t have a live view. The Multi option is the camera’s default, and averages the picture by measuring from 49 points throughout the frame. Center displays brackets in the middle of the frame to show where it is metering from; it is a relatively large area when compared with other models’ systems. The Spot option shows a tiny cross in the center of the frame.

Shutter Speed (7.25)
Users can control the shutter speed themselves or can let the camera do it. When the Sony W100 is in charge, the shutter speeds range from 1-1/2000th of a second. Manual control varies from 1/1000th of a second to 30 full seconds. Entering the manual mode and pushing the central button in the multi-selector will access the manual control, and pushing up and down will adjust the shutter speeds. There are 46 options to choose from, and those 1 second or slower use Sony’s noise reduction technology. A live view that gets darker and brighter with changing speed, which is helpful for beginners.

Aperture (4.5)
The central button on the multi-selector also allows users to choose the aperture by scrolling right and left. Its options aren’t as expansive as the shutter speeds, though. The aperture can either be opened or closed; only two steps are available. When the lens is at its widest setting, f/2.8 and f/5.6 options are available. At its most telephoto focal length, the aperture can be adjusted to f/5.2 or f/10. It is nice to have the option of manually adjusting the aperture, but the two-step system just doesn’t provide a breadth of selections.