Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290

Overview

The W290 is a small, sleek device that would fit into a small bag or pocket. At just under an inch thick, it's not the slimmest model out there, but it's small enough to be very portable. It's also pretty light, at just 6.1 ounces.
 

The W290 has a sleek, clean design

Front

The W290 goes for a fairly minimalist approach; the only features on the front are the lens, the AF illuminator, a series of small holes for the microphone and the flash.
 

The lens of the W290 protrudes from the front of the body

Back

Most of the space on the back is taken up by the 3-inch LCD screen, which is clear and bright. To the right of this is the (from the top) zoom control, the mode dial, playback button, 4-way controller and buttons for the on-screen menu and image deletion.
 

The W290 has a large, clear 3-inch LCD screen

Sides

Like most thin compact cameras, the sides of the W290 are not particularly feature-filled. The left side (below) has no features at all, except a small bit of text reminding you that the camera has a 5x zoom lens.
 

The left side of the W290

The right side is a little more exciting, as this is where the wrist strap loop lives.
 

The right side of the W290

Top

A handful of controls are present on the top of the W290. There are a few holes that cover a small speaker, the on/off button and the smile shutter button. The latter one sets the camera to only take a photo when the subject is smiling.
 

The button on the far right is the smile shutter, which takes the photo when it detects a smile

Bottom

The bottom of the W290 has a handful of features; from the left we have the cover for the battery and memory card compartment, the tripod socket (which is filled with an anti-pilfering device in this photo) and the connector that the single cable that offers video output and the USB connection plugs into. There is an optional dock available as well that was not available to photograph at the PMA show.
 

The bottom of the W290