Full Specifications and FeaturesSensorLensScreenViewfinderCameraFlashRecordingInterfacePowerOthersSize WeightColor OptionsWhats In The BoxFeaturesWorks with iMovie and Final Cut Pro X

Introduction

Travelzoom cameras (compact cameras with upwards of an 18x zoom range) are hot property in the camera world, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX350’s USP is that it’s the world’s smallest and lightest camera to pack a 20x zoom lens. This gets Sony’s Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation system to compensate for camera shake in low light or when zooming in to the max. Sony has also equipped the DSC-WX350 with a back-illuminated 18.2MP Exmor R sensor, promising plenty of detail in low light and a maximum standard sensitivity of ISO3200 (expandable to ISO12800). Helping the sensor perform at its best is a new BIONZ X image processor that’ll also allow you to shoot Full HD video with stereo sound, along with a continuous shooting rate of 10fps for a 10-shot burst. Add in Wi-Fi connectivity, thirteen creative effects filters and a clever Superior Auto shooting mode and you’ve got a lot of camera for around £239 / €289 / $299.

Build quality and handling

Solid, smart and good-looking, the Cybershot WX350 is a sleek compact camera with a beautifully designed exterior. Light enough to hold in one hand with no issues, the outer casing feels very durable, and it’s slim enough to fit into the pocket of even a tight pair of jeans.

While we didn’t find it particularly problematic, the flash is situated on the front left, which could potentially be obscured by fingers – it’s something to bear in mind when holding the camera. The rest of the buttons and functions, however, seem to be well placed and easy enough to reach.

Shooting mode can be changed via a scrolling dial on the top of the WX350, while image settings, camera and Wi-Fi settings are accessed via the menu button. The LCD screen is large and clear, taking up the majority of the space, although this makes the buttons feel rather small.

There’s also a scroll wheel on the back that can be used to cycle through some of the settings or photos during playback, as well as a four-way control pad that gives access to timer and drive mode, display settings, flash and the Photo Creativity art filters.

It’s available in white too.

Oddly, you can’t access the full set of filters unless you’re in Program Auto Mode, during which they’re not accessible via the Photo Creativity button (as they are in all the other shooting modes). Instead they are buried in the main menu system.

While image previews straight after a shot is taken can appear to be very noisy, when viewing via the playback button or on a computer they are much sharper. This can be adjusted by setting the display quality to ‘high’ in the setup options, although this will decrease battery life, so leave it on standard if you want to save your battery.

We had a couple of issues when trying to connect to the Wi-Fi during testing. We found that it was easy enough to send photos to a smartphone using the companion app, but trying to control the camera via a smartphone was more problematic and only worked 50% of the time.

When it does work, however, you can use your smartphone to adjust the zoom, self timer and flash, and you can choose to save the photos to your phone as well as on the camera, which is pretty useful.

The instructions to set up the Wi-Fi could be a little clearer. It isn’t very obvious that you need to download an app in order to be able to transfer photos back and forth, as it’s not mentioned in the on-camera instructions.

If you’ve never used a Sony camera before, you may need to spend some time familiarising yourself with the menu system, which can be a little tricky to navigate at first as there are quite a few sub-menus and headings to scroll through to find the setting you want.

Thankfully, Sony has taken the decision to unify all of its menu systems, so if you’ve used a camera from its DSLT or CSC range, you’ll likely be more at home. Although this is the type of camera that you’ll often use in fully automatic mode, if you do want to take control of certain settings, it’s not the quickest.

Once you get used to the quirks of the WX350 it’s relatively simple to find your way around, but it’s worth noting that there are very few shortcuts available if you want to change setting quickly. It’s a shame there isn’t a function menu like there is on other Sony cameras, as this would probably make it quicker to adjust settings when needed.

Характеристики и результаты тестирования Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX350