Review on Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W230 12 MP Digital Camera With 4X Optical Zoom And Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Dark Red) by Charles Alfian

I've bought several of these little digital cameras over the last 15 years and this little Sony hasn't lost its relevance. Of course, it has more pixels than older cameras, but with around 8 megapixels, parameters such as shutter speed and optical quality are more important for image quality. For this reason, I prefer to buy from experienced, quality camera manufacturers rather than from consumer electronics manufacturers like Sony. My Nikon and Canon digital cameras have been taking great pictures since I first bought a Nikon Cool-pix around 1997. I decided to give this Sony a try because of the large screen and better-than-average telephoto range. I'm happy to report that Sony is keeping up with the camera pros. Maybe it's the Carl Zeiss optics - I assumed Sony had just bought the rights to use the name, but it's actually a decent lens system. The telephoto lens does a good job and the shots are as sharp as the competition throughout the zoom range. Color balance and exposure metering are also excellent. My kids love playing with the smile feature and making videos, which while not as good as a dedicated camcorder, are better than no action at all. The LCD is big and clear, and we don't lose sight of the rangefinder at all. Battery life is good. Overall excellent quality and functionality. We've only had problems with Sony TVs since about 1990, and our only Sony camcorder was a reliability disaster. This camera is likely to be from a completely different branch of the company though, as all the controls work and the device feels solid. It has been used a lot for almost a year, we have it and have had no problems. Software and hardware work great. My only gripe and the reason why this review can't be given 5 stars is the non-standard memory card. Why can't Sony use an industry standard like Micro SD and stop forcing its proprietary versions on people? They've been trying this since beta max and it never worked. With this attitude, they harm their products and their customers by trying to squeeze extra pennies out of people. A very short-sighted business practice. But this camera's other great features make Sony's silly stick ignore it - just allow a few extra bucks for 'stick tax'. Digital cameras are what they are, sadly one day Sony will replace this little gem with something that has more megapixels and should be of great value since it's being phased out. If you can, grab one - the newer model doesn't take better pictures. In the meantime, if you're looking for a camera of this class, it should be on your list.