Product Reviews (24)
I like it, but I don't love it.
Strengths: Clear images, nice size LCD, compact, great menu.
Weakness: HD is full of it, Wide shots = less pixels.
Well, I like this camera right out of the box, its small, simple, and easy to use. Menu features like most Sony product, are easy, and to the point. Nothing really complicated. I have taken millions pictures by now, and they look great. Red-eye still an issue, but I have started to take pictures in a new way to eliminate that.
LCD size is perfect for this camera, size itself is great for keeping in your pocket for a quick pic.
What I don't like is "HD" is just a word here. Can't take high res pics in HD mode or wide mode......which really is a bad thing.
Battery life is great, I get about 180 pics per charge, sometimes more.
By aceskull - Oct 31, 2007
good camera for a good price
Strengths: image stabilization, high sensitivity, good color contrast
Weakness: no infolithium (minute indicator like previous generations), auto mode uses flash too much even in sunny outdoor environments
it's very good camera for a very good price- same size as the more expensive t100 but weighs lighter (t100 is 5x optical zoom and compact lens). image shooting could be faster. i own a cybershot p100 and that still takes faster pictures in daytime compared to the w80, but the image quality is more consistent in the w80 with the possibility of overexposure, unfortunately. battery life is also shorter than the p100 due to the smaller battery capacity, which is disappointing, especially since there is no infolithium to tell the user the number of minutes remaining. last bar of battery does not last long!!!! beware!
By bylin2000 - Aug 8, 2007
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 Digital Camera
Strengths: Excellent LCD display, Clear Pictures, Easy Transfer of Photos, Excellent Steadyshot (captures active image)
Weakness: Small, Limited internal memory (31MB), does not come with memory stick
Purchased this for my wife who wanted a quality point and shoot. Not only can it be used as a point and shoot, but it has a variety of settings that can be adjusted for an advanced user.
A comment for camera purchasers in general, individuals with large hands may want to consider a compact instead of a sub-compact. Although the sub-compact is nice for carrying around, it can be a challenge to use.
Battery life has been excellent, but I recommend getting an extra one since this uses a rechargeable proprietary battery. If the battery runs down you can NOT just go to a store and buy more. Cost for a new battery is around $50.
Internal memory is really not worth much (31MB). Need to be prepared to buy a Memory Stick right away.
We have used this camera to take pictures of active children. My favorite part of this camera, so far, has been how well the camera captures images of children who are moving. The resulting image is sharp and clear.
An additional feature that we were not even aware of is how the camera has a built in slide show program. Just plug the camera into a television (cable is provided) and start the slide show. There are a variety of music tracks to choose from and a variety of different types of slide shows to choose from.
Overall, my wife is very pleased with this camera (she has smaller hands).
By michaelrader - Dec 21, 2007
Sony Cybershot DSC-W80
Strengths: Form factor, color, speed, high ISO, optical image stabilizer.
Weakness: No image check during record. No control over lense retract. No orientation sensor for auto rotate during playback. Shuttle button easy to be pressed by mistake
I bought the Canon SD800 IS. Very disappointed with Canon in-door color. Decided to get the Sony DSC-W80. Very happy with the color balance in-door and out-door. IS is great , along with the ISO 1600 (3200 is too noisy). I had a good photo of the speed sign when we were travelling at 70mph while taking the picture on Mass Pike.
- Pros:
- Well balanced color (this is why I chose it), fast start up and low shutter lag.
- Very good movie (MPEG1)
- Very fast continuous shooting.
- usable ISO and manual focus, good for heme park and kids.
- Very nice 1080i full HD output with music in playback. My wife loves this feature on the big screen TV. You can also download you won music into the stick.
Cons:
- Does not have selectable compression ratio for JPEG, my 5-year old Olympus C3000 has this.
- No Sharpness selection
- Lense retracts automatically in quick playback after some seconds. Very annoying as it takes time to extends again when the shutter button is depressed.
- Memory stick is more expensive
- Cannot find an after market battery, only OEM, expensive ($40)
- Shutter button can easily be depressed by mistake in playback, the camera then turns to record mode.
- No explicit ISO control, this would have been very useful feature.
I would recommend this if you want a pocket camera that does the job at all time.
By lontoto - May 13, 2007
Sony CyberShot DSC-W80
Strengths: Small size, easy to use, big monitor, lots of megapixels
Weakness: Dials are a little hard to turn. Red eye is a problem in spite of promise of red eye reduction.
This camera is a great camera that fits well in a pocket or purse size, The monitor large and is easy to see even in bright sunlight. Though the menus are easy to maneuver through, the dials are a bit small and hard to turn, especially with stiff fingers. Red eye is not automatic but has to be turned on. I seem to get more red eye than I did with my older model Sony which is the only disappointment but a BIG one with this camera. It is a pain to turn on red-eye reduction before you even know if the shot will have red eyes in it. It is a bit expensive when you consider you do not get a case or a decent memory card in it.
By jrhusar - Jun 27, 2007
Sony Cybershot DSC-W80
Strengths: Small, Sturdy feel, high ISO, Image stabilizer, view finder
Weakness: Expensive battery, unable to zoom while video recording, memory stick.
I have an old big Fuji S7000 with me and I really love. But I can't take it with me everyday and the low light indoor image really bother me.
So I decide to find a different camera that my Fuji can't do and got this DSC-W80 after decide no Canon SD800.
- This exactly fit my need, small enough to be in my purse everyday. The images most time are clear, and the low light image is good. I am even able to shoot under no light with flash function.
- It got a study look and feel. I only apply a screen protector to big LCD screen and toss it into my band bag. I don't use camera case.
- Video is good. However, I can't zoom it while shooting, which is quite disappointed.
- Color is good and well balance. The only cons I don't like is the skin tone is not as good as my Fuji.
- View finder is great option under the sun. Not many compact/small camera has that feature.
- Battery life is pretty good, I have shooting more than 200 pictures and some videos. Battery life sign shows still very good.
- Memory stick is expensive and same as the battery. Since the battery life is good, I don't expect I need the spare battery. I got lucky to get a 4 GB memory stick for under 40 before tax.
Over all speaking, I am pretty happy and recommend this camera.
By jc2007 - May 28, 2007
Sony DSC-W80
Strengths: Stylish, Compact, Optical Image stabilizer, Optical viewfinder
Weakness: Memory Stick Pro Duo is much expensive than the SD card
Whenever I saw this, I like it. It is compact, and good looking. For the quality, it is more than enough for my normal usage. Much better than my current A530. The time to take to get the first shoot is quick, this is very useful when I take pictures for my kids. And the picture to picture time also short. Something I do not like is: the memory stick and battery. The memory stick is much expensive than the generic SD cards, and it does not EAT normal rechargeable AA battery.
By yong0450 - Jun 27, 2007
Sony Cybershot W80 - a decent buy
Strengths: very user friendly, sharp images with the steady shot, fast performance, great battery life
Weakness: no zoom during filming, have to remove battery from camera to charge
I was hesitant to buy a sony cybershot because my friend has an older model, but after reading reviews, I decided to replace my old olympus with this one. The W80 is A LOT better than the older cybershot models, with the pictures a lot clearer due to an improved flash and image stabilization. The dial makes it easy to switch between action shots and regular random shots. And the high definition was a nice touch -- the pictures are so clear when uploaded. While it's not as thin as other cameras I was looking at (Nikon coolpix and Fuji), it's still pretty lightweight. There really aren't too many negatives with this camera, just little annoyances like having to push several buttons before a photo is deleted and not being able to zoom during filming. For the price I paid, it was definitely a great buy.
By Berriez427 - Aug 3, 2007
Very good camera for its price!
Strengths: Fast picture shoot time Great dark pictures (Flash is amazing) Macro is amazing! Overall picture quality is absolutely stunning (as usual with Sony)
Weakness: View window sometimes shows different than picture Flash can be too strong sometimes and cause a nasty glare Not very skinny (Wife wanted super slim cam)
The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W80 was the camera that me and my wife chose to purchase. We looked over almost every camera and tested just about every model from most manufacturers. Overall, the Sony just offered more at its price point (~$200.00).
Sony's quality definitely shines through on this device. It offers an amazing flash that makes even the darkest photos bright and lifelike. In a pitch black room, you can shoot a picture and it looks as if all the lights were on. Sometimes this can get you in trouble (glare from reflective surfaces), but overall, very nice for a quick night shot!
It also offers one of the quickest from-press-to-shot times I've ever seen in a camera. We usually are snapping pictures when time matters and it's really great to be able to snap it quick and let everyone get on with what they're doing. This quickness allows for us to get more pictures of our friends and trips because it is such a short shoot-time.
My final comment has to do with the macro (up close) function of the camera. I must say, of all the cameras we tested, the DSC-W80 had the best macro ability. We can take close ups just as well as a normal high-cost shudder camera. This is great for technical uses of the camera, as well as for those times when you have to get a picture of every little detail.
Overall I'd rate this camera a 9/10. It has some great features that stand out among its competition at the ~$200 range.
By compuchef2k - Nov 28, 2007
Fantastic Digicam
Strengths: Nice photos, short learning curve, optical IS
Weakness: Memory stick less than ideal
Got a great deal and I love this camera. I use it primarily for outdoor photography and it does better than either my Pentax 7MP or Olympus. Until I owned this camera I never thought that image stabilization was anything but a marketing scam, but the photos this camera takes are so clear that I've been won over. Would rebuy again in a second.
By brownstem - Sep 20, 2007
There is something better out there.
Strengths: Battery life, features, 7MP
Weakness: blurry pictures, color could be better, video shooting horrible.
This sony product hasn't been my favorite, it has more flaws than advantages. Pictures not under sunlight, don't always come out great, I've checked every kind of setting but still not good. Sometimes even if the camera isn't moving the pictures come out blurry. 7Mp is great but when you try to take wide shots the pixels are reduced under HD ohh I hate that. Shooting video on this camera isn't something to brag about I've seen better. Color contrast could be better as well. The only thing I like is the batter life, it lasts for about 4 to 5 hours of constant picture taking but I'm sure as with most batteries that will go away.
Save your money buy something else.
By imran2 - Jan 31, 2008
NIce camera
Strengths: Great image quality with image stablization
Weakness: None so far
This camera is well built, small and very portable. Very easy to carry it around. The image quality is very good, especially in low light situation with the high ISO. The "steady shot" help reduce the blur to produce better pictures.
By tyronechow - Dec 13, 2007
Was impressed, not anymore
Strengths: Great pictures, great size
Weakness: Expensive proprietary SD card required. Apparently not too reliable.
This seemed like such a perfect camera, light, great pictures easy to use, Sony is a good name. BUT unfortunately the camera quit on the first trip after "wonderful" 3 month warranty was up. Won't turn on, lense won't deploy. Cost of fix more than the camera cost. What a rip.
By anonymous; - May 12, 2008
Lacks indoor consistency, ISO 3200 useless
Strengths: Small, video is nice, looks good
Weakness: weak flash, indoor pictures are blurry or noisy
I had a cannon S45 and had been using it for last 4-5 years was pretty happy with it, but thought that why not try something new and as newer cameras had features like face detection, smaller size etc.
Till now I find the picture quality of this W80 same or inferior to old S45.
The video quality is better though, maybe not as good as a cam but acceptable.
We mostly take pictures of kids indoors, I just wanted a point and shoot where the auto mode in the camera will give me decent pictures.
The first few pictures I took indoor and then downloaded in the computer, I was horrified at the amount of noise in the picture, after researching found that to be an issue in low light conditions, after changing the ISO to 100 the noise reduces but you have to be careful or else the picture becomes blurry.
Now I have to keep changing modes for different lighting conditions, beats the whole point of "Point and Shoot".
Even after that the pictures are not consistent, some are nice but others turn out blurry.
I was thinking of returning this and buying something else but see that most new cameras with high ISO have the noise issue.
The flash is also not that powerful.
Most of the Sony products also have the proprietary cables/memory stick etc..
By anonymous; - Mar 10, 2008
It's alright
Strengths: Lightweight Fast working Long Battery life
Weakness: Hard to navigate menu Tiny buttons Blurry photos
I'm an amateur when it comes to photography.
I was looking for a point and shoot camera that would deliver crisp and clear photos but unfortunately the results varies.
On a good day, they come out very crisp.
On other days, the faces of my friends were incredibly blurred and fuzzy.
Perhaps it's because I have unsteady hands but I just found that it was very hard to get a clean picture free of blurs. Furthermore, with the lighting you get indoors, the pictures turn out fairly yellow or orange hued unless you used flash.
It's my first camera and I'll stick by it until it breaks but I wouldn't buy it again simply because it doesn't deliver a clean shot of people 80% of the time
By anonymous; - Mar 5, 2008
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80
Strengths: Great picture quality; good low light performance
Weakness: use more expensive memery stick
This is a very good camera. Its picture quality is one of the best along with Canon. This camera is small and light so very easy to carry around. It also has image stabilization that helps when you use zoom.
By h_c_i_a - Dec 5, 2007
Awesome Quality for Price
Strengths: Very fast start up time, great color, Rich and crisp photo's, sturdy feel, new menu organization very fast and self explanatory.
Weakness: Considering the price, none... To nit-pick, zoom could be better, the selector wheel does turn a little easy when pulling it out of your pocket, but not enough to complain about.
I've had the camera for 3 weeks and taken over 1000 photo's with it(I got it right before vacation). It has a very well-built feel. Picture quality is great and I found that everyone on vacation wanted a copy of MY pictures because they all turned out so good. One of my most favorite things about the camera is that when you turn the selector wheel, the camera gives you a brief description of what that icon does, which is nice when you are trying to change settings in a hurry. Overall, it is by far the best camera I've ever owned for the price I paid for it.
By anonymous; - Aug 8, 2007
Camera with good images
Strengths: Good images Image stabilization Small and compact camera. Easy to use. Start up is very fast.
Weakness: Supplied battery charger is very slow! Red eye reduction does not work all the time.
I purchased the camera a few weeks ago and so far I like the features. The camera is small and light and it can easily fit into one's pockets. What I like about it is the pictures are good especially in daylight. The other edit functions are also fun (like fish eye and partial color effect). Camera start up is also very fast, around one second. The image stabilization also works. Pictures at high ISO is grainy. The red eye reduction doesn't seem to work all the time because sometimes it can detect red-eye only in one eye, sometimes it's not able to detect anything. The supplied battery charger is so slow (around 4 hours!), so it's a must to have a spare battery or buy a faster charger. Even though the charger is slow, at least the battery life is good. Another thing I've noticed is that while using the camera and the battery becomes empty, the cover of the lens does not close and therefore you cannot keep the camera into a camera bag, so I will have to put on a new battery (or you should charge the battery first) to be able to close it. Overall, it's a good camera and I would recommend it.
By anonymous; - Jun 6, 2007
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 (silver)
THE GOOD: Attractive new display; great performance and pictures. THE BAD: Small buttons can sometimes feel awkward. THE BOTTOM LINE: With a shiny new interface, fast performance, and great pictures, the DSC-W80 sits on the top of the budget snapshot heap.
Read Full Review
By cnet.com - Mar 30, 2007
ReviewGist for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 Digital Camera
Image is Good according to 9 Digital Camera experts. -- "photos were well-exposed, with pleasing colors, and minimal purple fringing."-dcresource.com -- "The photos themselves looked great, with sharp details and accurate colors"-review.zdnet.com -- "Very Good Unit"-circuitcity.com Read more to find expert opinions on more features like Video, Optics, Interface, Battery, etc.
Read Full Review
By reviewgist.com - Jan 23, 2010
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 Total Solution
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 Total Solution receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 3.05 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #25 Compact digital camera of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market...
Read Full Review
By TopTenREVIEWS.com - Jan 26, 2009
Sony Cybershot DSC-W80
Testseek.com has collected 15 expert reviews for Sony Cybershot DSC-W80 and the average expert rating is 72 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.
Read Full Review
By testseek.com - Nov 7, 2008
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80
The Sony Cyber-shot W80 is a compact bargain, including the hottest technology Sony has introduced in its 2007 lineup. The Sony W80 has a Bionz processor that helps speed up its built-in face detection technology, Super SteadyShot, in-camera editing, and even adds an HD output socket. The Sony W80 does give away detail to hold onto color at higher ISO settings, but most users won't mind that...
Read Full Review
By Imaging Resource - Sep 24, 2007
DCRP Review: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80
I've been a fan of Sony's Cyber-shot W-series cameras for the last few years, so I had high hopes for the DSC-W80. While it has some nice improvements over earlier models, the DSC-W80's sub-par image quality, lack of manual controls, and clunky interface were a disappointment. Same goes for the camera's limited face detection and borderline useless ISO 3200 mode. The W80 is good enough for those...
Read Full Review
By DCResource - May 25, 2007