The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX80 ($199.99 direct) is a compact camera that delivers sharp photos, even in lower light. It manages to squeeze an 8x zoom lens and Wi-Fi into a tiny frame, but a smallish, low-resolution rear display prevents it from earning top honors. The Canon PowerShot Elph 330 HS is still our Editors’ Choice for mid-priced compact cameras, but if you are working within a tight budget and can live with a 230k-dot LCD, the WX80 is worth a look.
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Design and Features
The WX80 measures just 2.1 by 3.8 by 0.9 inches (HWD) and is light at 4.4 ounces. It’s not the absolute smallest camera in its class, but it’s hard to imagine a camera that manages to pack any sort of physical controls into a body that’s smaller. Nikon’s tiny Coolpix S01 is just 2.1 by 3.1 by 0.7 inches, but it relies entirely on a touch-screen interface to achieve that feat.
The lens is an 8x design—the Coolpix S01 only manages a 3x ratio. It covers a 28-224mm (35mm equivalent) focal range, and like others in its class has a rather modest f/3.3-6.3 aperture. This means that the amount of light gathered will diminish as you zoom in; thankfully the WX80 features optical stabilization and performs acceptably at higher ISO sensitivity settings to balance this out.
View all The camera’s controls are a bit smaller than most, a necessity to fit them onto the body. This may turn off shooters with larger hands; I found it just a little uncomfortable to use. The top zoom rocker is tight and doesn’t extend out from the front; I had no issues pulling it to the right to zoom in, but pushing it to the left to zoom out could be a little uncomfortable. Rear controls are a bit better, but tightly grouped. There’s a toggle switch to change between standard still shooting, an in-camera panorama mode, and video recording.
The four-way controller has options to change the amount of information displayed on the LCD, to enable burst shooting, to set the self-timer, and to adjust the flash output. It doubles as a spinning control wheel that will allow you to change the shooting mode (two types of automatic shooting, Program, art filters, scene modes, and 3D are supported), or to scroll through the on-screen menu.
That’s launched by pressing the Menu button. From here you can change the recorded image size, adjust exposure value compensation, set the ISO, adjust the white balance, and set the metering and focus areas. You’ll also be able to toggle the various forms of face and smile detection from here, set the movie resolution, and set the resolution of the still photos that can be captured when a movie is recording.
The rear LCD itself is the weakest link in an otherwise strong camera. It’s only 2.7 inches in size and packs a meager 230k-dot resolution. That puts it on the same level as the no-frills Canon PowerShot Elph 115 IS, and places it behind the 3-inch 460k-dot displayed found on the Elph 130 IS and Elph 330 HS in terms of sharpness. It’s just not as sharp in comparison, and the viewing angles are not as good as those of better displays.
There’s Wi-Fi built into the camera, so you can transfer photos directly from it to your smartphone or tablet. You’ll need to pair your device with the camera via Wi-Fi and launch the free PlayMemories Mobile app (available for iOS or Android), but once that’s done it only takes a few seconds to copy a photo from the WX80 to your phone. You can also view images and movies wirelessly on a connected HDTV, or transfer them over Wi-Fi to your PC.
One Wi-Fi feature that’s available here, but not on every connected camera, is the ability to use your phone or tablet as a remote viewfinder. You can zoom in and out, toggle video and still recording, enable the self-timer, control the flash, and fire the shutter, all from the PlayMemories app. This function is accessed via the shooting menu, just as the function to transfer photos to your phone, computer, or TV is accessed from the playback menu.
Performance and Conclusions
The WX80 requires a full 2 seconds to power on and grab a shot, but is otherwise a speedy performer. Its shutter lag is only 0.1-second and it can record a 10-shot burst at 6.7 frames per second. You will have to wait about 8.5 seconds after the burst to take another shot as the photos are written to the memory card. The Samsung DV150F is faster to start at 1.5 seconds, but it requires a 1.5-second wait between shots and records an excruciating 0.4-second shutter lag.
According to Imatest, the WX80′s lens is sharp. We require an image of our SFR Plus test chart to score 1,800 lines per picture height using center-weighted scoring to pass muster. The WX80 scores 2,036 lines on this test, and close examination of test shots on a calibrated NED MultiSync PA271w display confirm that the camera is capable of capturing impressive detail when you consider its size.
Imatest also checks photos for noise, which can give photos a grainy look at high ISO settings. The WX80 actually keeps noise below 1.5 percent through ISO 400, and records just 1.6 percent at ISO 800. Noise levels drop back down as the sensitivity increases to ISO 1600 and above, through its top sensitivity of ISO 12800. This is a clear sign of in-camera noise reduction taking hold, and it’s especially clear at ISO 12800 as photos are washed out in terms of color saturation and are devoid of any fine texture or detail at that setting. In reality the WX80 lags behind the Canon Elph 330 HS at higher ISOs, albeit just slightly. Images from the Elph look slightly sharper than those from the WX80 through ISO 1600, and both cameras have erased any textures and fine lines by the time they’re set to ISO 3200.
The WX80 records video in AVCHD format at 1080i60 quality. The output file is actually 30 frames per second, but still looks smooth. Audio is clear, and the sound of the lens isn’t noticeable on the soundtrack. But the footage is a bit flat, lacking the contrast that we’re used to seeing. Dynamic range is also compromised, as white objects in our test scene show clipped highlights while the rest of the scene is properly exposed. There’s no dedicated battery charger included, so you’ll have to charge the removable battery inside the camera via an included AC adapter. This connects to the micro USB port, and there’s also a micro HDMI port if you want to plug the WX80 into an HDTV. It’s a Sony camera, so Memory Stick Duo formats are supported, as are standard SD, SHDC, and SDXC cards.
There’s a lot that’s good about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX80. Its image quality is excellent, we’d feel comfortable shooting with it through ISO 1600, and the 8x zoom range is quite useful. The Wi-Fi is easy to use, and even supports remote control of the camera via your iOS or Android device. It’s not without its flaws. We noticed some issues with the dynamic range of the video, the controls are a bit cramped, and the rear LCD is disappointing for a camera at this price point. If you can afford it, go for our Editors’ Choice, the Canon PowerShot Elph 330 HS; it’s about $30 more. But if that’s a bit of a reach, or if you prefer the smaller body size, the WX80 will reward you with good images.
Article source: http://ekantipur.com/2013/06/05/business/sony-rolls-out-two-semi-pro-cameras/372782.html
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX80
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