12.4.2018

I am so cross right now that I'm going to have to start this review - even though my camera is still on charge and hasn't been used yet. More to follow. Brace yourself...I've had a Sony DSC-W350 14.1 mp camera since 2011 and was delighted with it - up until Sept 2017 when, on a family reunion holiday, the video started playing up. It would keep flashing up Auto / Panoramic messages and stop recording. Having tried the "factory settings reset" and other things (suggested by Sony support) I decided that, for our next holiday (an even bigger reunion) I'd better buy another camera - a DSC-WX350. Because, from what they'd said, a repair to my old one would have potentially cost more than a new camera.My thinking was to take both of them with me and use my old one for stills and new one (with a bigger memory card) for video. Especially as, last time, other family members were picking up my camera and using it.Before the last holiday I'd had to buy new charging and transfer cables as they were both very bulky (see image for external charger - which is good, but had a very heavy, rubber plug).So, my camera came yesterday, batteries today and memory card is yet to arrive. I opened up the box today and first of all was well ticked off to find a battery inside, seeing as I'd bought 2. WHERE on that list of "box contains" does it say battery???? (See image - uploaded just in case they change it)Then we get to the charging method (other image) and have you ever seen anything so convoluted?? Yes, you can use that cable to connect to your PC / Laptop and, yes, I might be able to use my Kindle plug. But what is annoying me more is that the battery shape has changed so I can't even use my old external charger. I wanted to have one charging while using the other...no chance of that now (and I thought I'd checked the FAQs and the online manual enough to have foreseen all these issues - clearly not).It just drives me nuts that, even when I buy the same brand, cables and batteries are incompatible. There's no wonder that there is so much electronic waste in the world. Note how the picture of my "old" external charger has a pink label on the cable? I have soooooooooooo many cables now (some of which only work as data transfers and some as rechargers) that look similar...but are not, that I've had to label them all.Instructions are larger than I've found when I've bought other devices - but VERY lacking. Versions online are better.I'll shut up now. Hopefully things will improve when the memory card comes and I can test it out. Still ticked off about the cables and battery though.13/4/18 update. Memory card arrived...needed a degree in engineering (and long finger nails) to get it out of the blister pack. If you've never had a camera before you might struggle to follow the very sparse instructions of how to insert it. Couldn't figure out how to attach the wrist strap and booklet / PDF don't tell you. Finally found a single image online that gave a hint.Recorded a video walking around the house, without changing any settings. LOT of background hissing on the recording. Will have to search around for some help and test some more. Pictures work fine. As others have mentioned - I hate the shutter button being kept from the edge by the function wheel being in the way. Who designed that?Update 14/4/18. Yesterday I could download photos – today I can’t. Just keep getting “check the connected device”. Tried various things suggested online - changing USB settings, changing USB port, removing and replacing battery, rebooting. All of which were seriously annoying as the cable is only 55cm long and my USB 2.0 ports are on the back of my PC. And you can’t access menu settings while connected, so have to keep pulling the cable out...which I couldn’t do as a proper eject as, while that message was on, my PC wasn’t showing the camera as connected.Found Sony only provide support Mon-Fri (big company like that doesn’t provide Saturday support???) and so, in desperation, tried my Kindle cable – worked first time. Raised a support ticket. NOT a happy bunny.Update 13/5/18: have just been to visit my dad at his home in Spain for 2 weeks, for a big family get together (the impending departure date was stressing me out, when I was having the issues mentioned above). The camera performed well and it was nice to be able to trigger a video at a single button push. Still annoying that the button to take a picture is the 2nd one in from the side and had to constantly tell people when they picked my camera up to snap someone.Quality is good though (of pictures and video) and I've been using a card reader to get the files off.

30.6.2015

This amazing ‘SONY WX500 Compact Digital Camera’ is replacing my aged ‘SONY Cyber-shot’ that has given excellent service but now appears as a poor relation to modern devices. Even so in over 10 years I have not used all the features available as I am an amateur photographer taking mainly family and holiday ‘snaps’. Not only does this new camera eclipse my previous camera with a definition of 18.2 mega pixels instead of 5.1, and an optical zoom of 30x (or image zoom 60x) instead of 3x, it boasts a fantastic array of attributes.I purchased a 32GB memory card (not included) (and neither is a bag or pouch) and I have tried out all basic functions,

16.2.2016

I purchased this to replace a 9 year old Fuji S5700 after spending many hours looking at specs, reviews and looking on camera comparison websites.This had no impact on my choice, however it's an extremely small camera and looks very nice.First impression after taking a number of pictures were disappointing. I think that I've gotten used to seeing pictures on websites that are taken by professionals with very expensive equipment and without considering this was expecting to be able to take the same high quality photos. This is not the case, certainly not on the auto settings at least. Don't get me wrong, the difference between the photos that this camera takes and my old camera are immense and it's clearly a much more modern camera.

2.7.2015

My husband, as a keen and fairly knowledgeable photographer has a digital SLR camera; I - on the other hand - am an 'aim and press the button' type of snapper. However, I think this gem of a camera - whilst not making me the next Annie Liebowitz - has raised me to the level of being able to produce a really decent photograph.I never thought I would rise to the level of 18.2 megapixels and a Zeiss lens, but what a difference they make to the end result - the clarity is outstanding. When using the zoom facility, there is none of the fuzziness that was present when using my old 5 megapixel camera.The card I used to import pictures from this Sony WX500 Compact camera to my desktop contained some

7.6.2014

Hands down probably the best point and shoot camera in its price range. Takes stunning pictures as well as videos which you just cant fault. If you want a small, easy to use camera which adjusts all the settings for you, THIS IS THE ONE!Pros;Very good sensor so the picture quality is just out of this world. Very fast focusing.Automatically adjusts setting so you always get the best results.Very good at low light if you don't want to use the flash. Does some amazing wizardry and results are fantastic!Video is very smooth and with built in optical stability, looks great! Shoots Full HD at 60fps.20x zoom is terrific and stable!Does 360 panorama which is really easy to shoot.Has both Wi-Fi and NFC so you can wirelessly stream your pics to your PC,

2.5.2016

Absolutely stunning. Lightweight, small, but with fantastic optics and nicely engineered - a quality product. I'm a point-and-shoot kind of photographer, but there is no doubt that the camera takes fabulous pictures in a wide variety of conditions. Day time shots are bright and vibrant. Night time shots without flash can be a bit noisy (speckly) but this isn't an issue in anything but the dimmest of conditions. With a flash, there's no red-eye, and the camera does a great job in most flash photo situations, although the pictures can be slightly washed out sometimes - something I think I will get better at avoiding as I get more familiar with the camera. Focusing is quick,

2.1.2015

I'm a serial compact camera buyer having got through a fair few in as many years with the history as follows:Casio EX-Z3Casio EX-Z30Casio EX-Z1200Panasonic FX35Canon HS220(and a couple of waterproof(ish) fuji's)Obviously cameras improve as they go through the ages but this has been the biggest leap since the Panasonic.With the last camera going in the swimming pool with the pram (fortunately no baby), I was comparing the ixus 265, a canon sx200 and the sony wx220 when a black friday knocking another £30 off made me go for this.I've had it for a week and agree with the other comments that the submenus aren't very intuitive but have been using the camera mainly in auto mode which has been handling the variety of conditions very well.

22.12.2015

I wanted a pocketable compact camera with a long zoom lens, and after much deliberation, and searching of the internet, ordered a Sony Cybershot WX500. My new camera arrived about four days ago, and having tried it out in a variety of conditions, I am very pleased with its performance. I am well aware of the limitations of small cameras with tiny sensors, so did not have unrealistic expectations. Sure enough, it struggles to give good results with the zoom lens extended, if conditions are less than bright. However, when there is plenty of light it responds very well indeed. With the lens un-zoomed the camera copes as well as any other comparable compact in all conditions,

11.2.2020

Most bad reviews on here are not for the Sony WX500, but for W800 and others, so best to look closely at what others are reviewing as somehow Amazon have overlapped completely different cameras.To the WX500, I bought the white one about 18 months ago and it's typical Sony, style and functionality. If I'm going on a shoot I will use a DSLR, but this little camera is a real gem. It has PASM, so for those who want a little extra control and to improve their photography. At the time I bought it, I'm not sure if it's still true, but this was the smallest 30x zoom. It does have a small sensor so that has to be taken into consideration, but if not pixel peeping most images are good.Many people will use this has vlogging camera for YT and the like,

24.4.2014

I own, or have used a large number of cameras and most of the time I am sporting a high end compact for some quick shots. My current camera of choice is the Sony RX100 which is simply superb.So it was with some interest I got to try this one which, going by looks, could be a descendant of the RX100 as it echoes the same styling albeit smaller and lighter.First things first, this camera rewards you with some great, no fuss shots and punches well above it’s weight in low light situation. It’s very easy to use and the simple well laid out controls allow you to select what you need without fuss. This is a combination form the great lens and superb sensor and engine.Not only are photo’s superb but it takes great video.

17.11.2016

I bought this camera a little over a year ago (not through Amazon, but for no particular reason). I wanted a lightweight camera that takes good photos and this is it! I love that I don't have to remove the battery in order to charge it. I'm usually surprised with how good the quality of the photos is. The battery lasts a really long time for me. I hardly ever have to charge it, even if I leave the camera to sit for long periods of time.Everything about the controls are fairly self-explanatory. I feel lucky to have such a good little camera at the price (~$80 when I purchased it).I have a pricier camera for paid work and my own art work.

11.6.2016

A good camera which takes good photos. The number of modes on this camera take some getting use to, but they are well worth taking the time to use.The flip-up screen is certainly useful - not only for taking images with friends, but also it can be angled so that it is easier to take photos from a low angle.The only reasons I didn't give this 5 stars was being of the difficulty of downloading the photos onto a computer. On my last digital camera, all the files would download onto the computer without any trouble, but with this camera I needed to change the camera settings, and I still can't manage to find out how to download video files from the camera to a computer (that'll have to be a work in progress).

17.9.2019

I bought this to take pictures for work. It does take fab pictures, better than my Galaxy S8. There are some really cool features; the auto mode selects the right "mode" according to the picture you are taking. It's really fully automated.I like being able to plug it in to any PC, and easily download the pics.Negatives....Surprisingly the build quality isn't that great, I'd expect more from Sony. Some of the components don't really sit flush.There really is a lack of instruction, either in the box or online, to easily be able to work out how to use the more in-depth or manually adjustable features.And the WiFi connectivity requires apps that are truly archaic, clunky and difficult to use ….

2.8.2016

A really good compact camera for the price. Charges quickly, turns on quickly, focuses quickly - all the things you need from a compact. It also has special features for taking pictures at parties, that stabilises the frame quicker and adds more light for vibrancy.However, not amazing for recording if you want to vlog or get some home videos and the quality is slightly lacking, despite the comparatively high 20.1 megapixels. A better optical zoom would also be better. It feels slightly plasticy and low quality in build, but that does make it very light, so depends on personal preference on this.The price definitely sealed it for me, as you can pay double this and only get slightly better quality.

7.3.2017

My last cheap digital camera was a Sony and it lasted for years. This has a larger screen, which is slightly grainy, but once loaded on the computer the photos are superb. There are a number of options on the menu to increase quality to maximum. For me, it is ideal for general shots for keeping in touch with family and friends on Facebook. Very lightweight. The macro function is automatic. Had no trouble in low lighting, and the flash seems well distributed giving a nice overall shot. You have to disconnect a lead from the charger to download onto your computer, and you must also download Sony's own downloading programme (which is a bit basic) as per the instructions given.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W810 - Reviews

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