Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10 Pro Reviews

The Sony WX10 delivers a nice blend of point-and-shoot features with a number of settings that more advanced users will appreciate. Sony's innovative Sweep Panorama Mode gets a nice improvement and the addition of 3D gives the tech savvy something to sink their teeth into. As far as shooting is concerned, the Sony WX10 was at times sluggish, particularly in Superior Auto, but at other times it was quite quick, with very impressive full-autofocus shutter lag times, easily rivaling SLRs. We found the controls a bit cramped, so those with large fingers might not like the Sony WX10. Having to choose from multiple Auto modes is confusing, but shooting in Program gave us fewer problems. The beauty of the Sony WX10's Superior Auto is that you can turn to it when you know you're going to need it, rather than going through the trouble of setting up a special mode. Image quality gave us pause initially, primarily because of the overaggressive noise suppression and the artifacts it creates. But the Sony WX10 redeems itself in the printed results, with none of the artifacts affecting the image on paper. Unless you plan to crop heavily from images and post them online, the Sony WX10's images will print and reduce for online viewing just fine.

Given that at the end of the day this is basically a point and shoot camera pure and simple, Sony has packed a lot of functionality into the WX10 that should save those who want to occasionally do something other than pointing and shooting getting rapidly bored. Having said that the camera is a reliably consistent tool when left to its own devices. For a snapshot model it exceeds expectations by being better than average as regards response times and the expansive nature of the feature set, so anyone upgrading from a basic point and shoot should find plenty to interest them without the environment being too unfamiliar.

Offering brains as well as beauty, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10 falls between your auto everything snapshot and enthusiast-targeted premium compacts such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, Canon PowerShot S95 et al. It offers a best of both worlds, providing reliable results when all you want to do is just point and shoot, with the added extra of limited manual control - and a whole host of gimmicky effects - when you do occasionally want to, if not exactly push, then possibly stretch the envelope. The mostly metal build and sophisticated styling go some way to justifying a price tag heading towards (but just under) £300, but to be honest once you’ve used the camera for a bit these just become mere icing on an already appetising cake.

As a truly pocketable camera, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10 stands out for its 7X-optical-zoom lens and its unique modes for low-light shots, panorama images, and 3D stills. Shortcomings include its small buttons, lack of image sharpness, and very limited manual controls. As a day-to-day snapshot camera, it offers a lot more than most competitors do, including some of the smoothest 1080i video capture we've seen. Its price may be a bit high considering its trade-offs, but if pure portability is at the top of your wish list, it's hard to think of another ultracompact camera with this many creative shooting modes. It's tons of fun.

As a truly pocketable camera, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10 stands out for its 7x optical-zoom lens and its unique modes for low-light shots, panorama images, and 3D stills. Shortcomings include its small buttons, lack of image sharpness and very limited manual controls. As a day-to-day snapshot camera, it offers a lot more than most competitors do, including some of the smoothest 1080i video capture we've seen. The WX10's price is a bit high, considering its trade-offs; on the other hand, if pure portability is at the top of your wish list, it's hard to think of another ultra-compact camera with this many creative shooting modes. And it's tons of fun.