Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 Digital Camera Review

Front (8.0)
On the front of the W7, to the left of the lens, is a nicely sized finger swell. This swell gives the user a comfortable place to place their index finger. There is a black elongated oval on the finger swell, appearing to be rubber, but it is not — the coloration is purely deceptive, I mean decorative.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7’s basic rectangular shape and silver metallic case apply a simple and traditional overtone to the W7’s aesthetic. The design works for the camera, redirecting attention to the image quality and handling ability of the camera, rather than a hollow, flashy appearance. The lens is recessed in a glossy silver, double stepped ring. Telescoped out in two sections, the lens is hidden behind two matte black guillotine-style shutters. Above the lens is the obligatory black lettered credit to the optical designer: Carl Zeiss. Below and to the left of the lens opening is the lens model, “Vario-Tessar” and on the bottom right, arcing upward “2.8-5, 2/7, 9-23,7” which expresses the focal length and F-stop ratings of the lens.

The face of the W7 is not very wide for its components, clustering the lens, viewfinder, and flash together just right of the center of the camera. The flash is rectangular and formed into the frame. The viewfinder sits on the top right edge under a gray, raised plastic window. On the upper left edge of the lens ring housing sits the self-timer lamp/AF illuminator in a slit notch in the outer lens ring. On the left of the flash is the W7’s four-hole mic for sound recording.

The ever-important Sony branding is modestly displayed in raised silver letters on the upper left side, positioned above a silver colored sticker. The sticker boasts the camera’s 7.2 megapixels on the top, as well as the Zeiss brand name and the 2.5-inch LCD monitor. The sticker does peel off, by the way. On the bottom right edge of the camera’s face are the words “3x optical zoom” above the Cyber-shot logo.

Back (8.0)
From behind, the W7 looks very much like its predecessor, the W1, with a few design alterations rendered to the embossed Cyber-shot logo and a raised panel around the control cluster removed. As with the W1, three quarters of the W7’s back is taken up by the dominant 2.5-inch LCD screen, starting from the left edge. The viewfinder sits on the top left edge and to its right are the small double stacked lamps for the AE/AF lock/self-timer (green) and the flash/record lamp (orange). Along the top right edge is the rocking two-way zoom control. Inset on the rocker button’s left side is the wide-angle “W” and on the right is the “T” indicating control of the telephoto region. Magnification icons sit above the left/right switch, whereas on the W1 the same icons sat beneath the button. Also on the left side of the button is a black icon for index mode when reviewing the photos taken.

Beneath the zoom button are six raised bumps for a thumb grip. Directly to its left is the icon for the LCD display on/off button which sits right below the zoom. Beneath the LCD button is the Menu button, which allows access to most of the W7’s exposure settings.

Towards the bottom right edge of the W7 is a cluster of five buttons which control a variety of functions and make up the navigational panel. With one button in the center to render selections, the remaining four are positioned as directional points on a compass. Unlike the W1, the up/down/left/right arrows on the W7 are taken off the buttons and turned into black icons surrounding the control cluster. On the top button is a black flash icon; on the bottom button is the self-timer icon. The left button controls “quick review” which selects the last picture taken; it is represented by a small thin-lined box with a play arrow inside swooping to the right. The right button, with the familiar black tulip, controls the macro (close-up) shooting function. The center button, without any icons or embellishments, acts as the “enter” control for selecting menu items.

To the bottom left of the five button control cluster is the trash/image size control. In shooting mode, pressing this button will allow you to select the size and quality of the photos. Once users enter into the playback mode on the top dial, the button then acts as a delete function. One drawback to this setup is that there is no way to delete all of the pictures at once with this button; each photo must be manually selected and deleted — a cumbersome and time-consuming process.

On the very bottom right edge is a small rectangular red light (access lamp) which lights up when the camera is switched on. It is designed as a visual reminder that when that light is on the memory stick should never be removed.

Left Side (6.5)
In the center of the left side of the Cyber-shot W7 is the A/V out and USB port, both covered by a gray rubber cover which opens when the user pulls upwards. The port cover stays in place with a tight “t” shaped tab and shouldn’t open accidentally. A shiny silver band runs down the side.

Right Side (6.5)
Other than a shiny silver band, which runs around the majority of the W7’s frame, there is nothing to speak of on the W7’s right side - no ports or controls. However, there is a small plastic cover that opens upward and allows the user to connect a Sony AC-LS5K AC adapter.

Top (8.0)
With the silver band continuing to wrap the camera, the Cyber-shot promo material continues as well in small satiny lettering on the left side of the top of the Sony W7. Close to the camera’s center line is the power button, which is smooth, shiny, and silver, like the band in which it sits. To its right is the lime green power light and on the right top edge is the main mode dial. In the center of the mode dial is the smooth shutter button. The distinct placement and separation of the shutter and power buttons is a wise move by Sony. This is the same arrangement as the Cyber-shot W1.

The top dial is larger than average and has vertical serrations around the edge to aid rotation. Atop the mode dial are the icons for the seven preset shooting modes (Twilight, Beach, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Candle, Soft Snap, and Snow), as well as auto, program auto, manual, playback and movie mode. An icon missing from the W7 mode that was on W1 is the Setup selection. The Sony W7 also adds a little snowman to the dial to cover shooting in the bright white reflective light of snow.

Bottom (8.0)
On the left side of the bottom is the W7’s five-hole speaker, set in a shallow divot. To the right, near the battery/memory stick cover, is the tripod socket. The battery/memory stick cover opens by pressing a button while pushing towards the edge of the cover with the thumb, and the silver band seen elsewhere around the frame doesn’t continue across the cover.