Connectivity
Software (4.0)
Extremely basic Cyber-shot Viewer v1.0 software comes with the Sony W30. This software allows the user to view files from a Folder view, which either displays adjustable-size thumbnail pictures or detailed shooting information, or a Calendar view. Calendar mode allows users find pictures by dates and times, a method which works best if they remember to set the camera’s clock.
Double-clicking on an image makes it appear in a separate View/Edit window. From here, users can rotate the image and adjust the following options: automatic correction, brightness correction, saturation, sharpness, red-eye reduction, and trimming. Users can also email and print their photos. While the Cyber-shot Viewer software is very low-end, even prompting users to register folders for loading rather than automatically loading pictures, it is about what one should expect with a $229 digital camera.
Jacks, ports, plugs (6.0)
Two rubber doors on the camera body house separate jacks: the DC-in power adaptor on the right side and the AV-out and USB jacks below the LCD screen. The AV is NTSC and PAL selectable; users can play slide shows whether they’re in Paris or New York. The USB jack is 2.0 Hi-speed, so downloading photos to the computer shouldn’t take long at all.
Direct Print Options (6.0)
The PictBridge-compatible Sony W30 has a DPOF system that shines in playback mode. When users view nine images at a time, they can quickly select which pictures to print or, with one click, choose to print them all. Printing options are limited to a date stamp, however, and users have no choice about the number of prints or paper size. There is no designated print button on the W30, so users must select the Print option from the playback menu when the order is finalized and the USB cable connected to the printer.
Battery (7.25)
A skinny NP-BG1 lithium-ion battery powers the Sony W30. The tiny battery comes with a separate wall-mount charger which does its duty, and lasts for 400 shots between charges. Users can stretch battery life even further by using the optical viewfinder and turning off the LCD screen.
Memory (5.0)
The Sony Cyber-shot W30 comes with 32 MB of internal memory, but that isn’t enough to capture an entire three-day vacation. Users will have to invest in a Sony Memory Stick of some sort, preferably a Pro Duo card, which ensures the faster frame rate on the movie mode. Sony tested cards up to 2 GB for this digital camera, and found that the W30 does not support the Access Control security function found on higher end Memory Stick media. Since W30 users are unlikely to own a Memory Stick that costs more than the camera, however, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Other features (2.5)
Digital zoom – Users can select Precision zoom if they want to see unflattering jagged stair-step lines. The Smart Zoom feature, which works in lower resolutions, avoids that problem by using the whole image sensor to zoom rather than a cropped portion. When users shoot at 3-megapixels, they can zoom to 4.1x. At 2 megapixels, they can zoom to 5.2x, and at VGA resolution, the zoom is a long 13x.
Power Save Mode – This mode, which shuts the W30 off after 3 minutes of activity, is for people who have left their car lights on at night only to come out in the morning and find their battery dead. It is relatively easy to find in the setup menu.
