Sony DSC-W120 Review

The screen display when in the AUTO (point-n-shoot) mode. Minimal information is displayed and only a few parameters such as image size or recording mode can be changed. Upper left is the battery level that's constantly displayed. The image size is 7 "M"egapixels, the image folder is 101, and there's 214 shots left. You can also see that we have the live histogram and macro focus mode enabled.

Record options in Auto mode:

Image Size - 7M, 5M, 3M, VGA, 3:2 (6M), 16:9+ (5M), 16:9 (2M)

Face Detection - Off, Auto, Children priority, Adult priority

REC Mode - Normal or Burst

Exposure Compensation - ±2.0EV

Red Eye Reduction - Auto, On, Off

Setup - Enters the Setup menu

Program AE mode is also automatic but it offers the user a wealth of options, like white balance, ISO speed, metering, etc. All of this information can be cleared off the screen by pressing "Up" (DISP) on the 4-way controller. Pressing "Up" (DISP) will also enable the live histogram display.

Half-pressing the shutter will activate the autofocus system, if successful the AF marks turn "green" and a green dot s also displayed. You can also see the shutter speed and aperture values.

Here you can see Smile Shutter mode. This is the first model we have seen that features this technology (as of 2/2008). It allows you to press the shutter button, but the camera will not capture an image until your subject is smiling; kind of like a "Smile" self-timer. This is a very useful and "cool" feature that is sure to become more popular on various models to come.

Home menu options:

Shooting - Choose the exposure mode (Auto, Scene, Program, Movie)

View Images - Single image, Index display

Slide show - Slideshow, Music tool

Printing, Other - Print

Manage Memory - Memory tool

Settings - Enters the shooting settings menu

The W120 feature two special 16:9 HDTV modes, 16:9+ (6-megapixels) and 16:9 (2-megapixels). These modes are perfect for displaying images on a wide screen HDTV set.

Record options (except in Auto mode):

Image Size - 7M, 5M, 3M, VGA, 3:2 (6M), 16:9+ (5M), 16:9 (2M)

Face Detection - Off, Auto, Children priority, Adult priority

REC Mode - Normal or Burst

Exposure Compensation - ±2.0EV

ISO - Auto or manually locked at 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent (1, 2, 3), Incandescent, Flash

Flash Level - High, Normal or Low

Red Eye Reduction - Auto, On, Off

Color Mode - Normal, Vivid, Sepia, B&W

Steady Shot - Shooting, On, Off

Setup - Enters the shooting settings menu

Shooting Settings menu:

AF Illuminator - Autofocus assist lamp: Auto or Off

Grid Line - On, off

AF Mode - Single, Monitor (continuous AF when LCD is on)

Digital Zoom - Enable or disable the Smart or Precision digital zoom

Conversion lens - Off, Wide, Tele

Auto Orientation - On, off

Auto Review - On, Off (auto review after capture)

Macro (close-up) focus mode allows you to shoot much closer than normal. The focus range in macro is from 1.6-inches (4cm) to infinity.

Record motion video with audio. The 640×480 "VX Fine" mode is 30fps and requires the use of Memory Stick Duo Pro media to insure that it can stream the data fast enough from the camera. The VX standard mode is also VGA resolution (640×480) but at a lesser 16fps frame rate and can be recorded on regular Memory Stick Duo media. The length of recording is limited only by the space available on the Memory Stick being used.

Movie clips can also be recorded in 320×240 resolution at 8fps, these movies will playback in a smaller window. The advantage is that the file sizes are smaller and more practical for e-mail purposes.

Movie mode options:

Image Size - 640(fine), 640(standard), 320

Exposure Compensation - Offset the exposure metering by ±2.0EV in 1/3EV steps

Metering - Multi-pattern (default), center

Focus - Multi AF, or fixed focus at infinity

White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent (1, 2, 3), Incandescent

Color Mode - Normal, Sepia, B&W

Steady Shot - On, Off

Setup - Enters the shooting settings menu