Auto Mode (6.5)
Excellent news for the point-and-shooters: the Auto mode is truly an auto mode. It is so automatic that you cannot change metering, white balance, or much else. You do have access to the burst mode and the setup menu, as well as the macro, self-timer, and flash options. But even those options return to default when the Auto mode is selected. So point-and-shooters rejoice; all you have to do is point and shoot. Although, intrigued consumers should be aware, at times, that the W7 overestimates the exposure and sets the shutter duration slower then necessary. This could result in a sequence of blurred shots and missed opportunities. Also, in lower light, the camera's ability to accurately adjust color balance does wane substantially.

Movie Mode (6.5)
Sony included strong movie mode capabilities on the W7; however, it is only fully available to those who also own a Sony MemoryStick Pro — which isn’t included with the camera, of course. (Oh, those marketing executives — always thinking!) The movie mode records VGA-quality videos at a rate of 30 frames per second with the Pro card, but slows to 16 frames per second with the basic MemoryStick card. A 512 MB card retails for $84.99, so if you plan on using the movie mode extensively, consider this as part of your total purchase price. If you’re only shooting video to post on the web and quality is of no importance, there is a Video Mail option available that shoots at 160 x 112 pixels at a choppy 8 frames per second. All of these options can record with audio and play back within the camera — and it actually sounds quite good. Some compact models are now offering optical or digital zoom in their movie modes, but the Sony W7 hasn’t caught on to that trend yet. There is no zoom — optical or digital — available in the movie mode. There are many other options available though: white balance, metering, color effects, focus mode, and even exposure compensation.

Drive / Burst Mode (5.5)
Sony advertises a burst mode that can capture five shots in the highest resolution at a rate of 0.9 frames per second. There is also a multi-burst mode that works more like a slow movie mode, taking 16 frames at a selectable 1/7.5, 1/15, or 1/30^th of a second. Yes, that’s incredibly fast! However, the pictures are taken with 320 x 240 pixels and are saved as a single 1280 x 960 image — although they can play back in the camera sequentially. This is pretty fun to watch in the playback mode, but blowing the low-res shots up on a television screen doesn’t look very good. Sony recommends using this mode for analyzing your golf swing, but not for capturing your kid’s first steps. Basically, don’t use the multi-burst mode on anything worth remembering. To view our speed timing evaluation of the DSC-W7, refer to the Speed / Timing segment of the review (below).

Playback Mode (6.0)
The playback mode is conveniently located on the mode dial and is symbolized by the typical ‘play’ icon. Once the mode is selected, users can access the following options in the menu: Protect, DPOF, Print, Slide, Resize, Rotate, and Divide. There is no on-camera crop feature, but resizing a picture to the 3:2 size will optimize it for 4 x 6-inch prints. The Slide option is just a shortened name for the slide show function, which allows users to select intervals and images. When frames are viewed individually, file info and a histogram can be displayed with each of them. One major drawback is that there is no easy way to delete pictures. Each picture has to be manually selected and deleted. This was possibly designed to avoid accidental, wholesale wipes of pictures - but having to flick through photo after photo proved tedious and frustrating. If users want to immediately view photographs after taking them, they can turn the Auto Review feature on in the Setup menu. Once this is done, pictures will appear on the screen for about three seconds before returning to the live view. Movies can be played back — complete with sound — on the Sony W7. The speaker is on the bottom of the camera and works surprisingly well so long as you move your palm.

Custom Image Presets (6.0)
Providing quick options for point-and-shooters, the W7 offers seven scene modes that are all easily accessible on the mode dial. Most recently released compact cameras offer at least ten presets, although many image presets are more for style than substance (for example, the Food mode on the Casio Z750). The Cyber-shot W7 goes straight for the basics with the following list: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, and Candle. The Twilight Portrait mode uses the slow sync flash, as the camera’s shutter speed will only slow to 1/8 of a second. The shooting menu changes slightly in some scene modes. For example, white balance can be set in every scene except Candle. In the Twilight Portrait mode, the white balance menu’s options are limited to Auto and Flash. The Sony W7 retains some exposure control in the scene modes; users can even access the burst modes when using the Snow, Beach, Landscape, and Soft Snap modes. When users move the mode dial through the scene modes, there is a live view.