I bought this camera a few days ago and was a little worried I may not like it after reading a few negative reviews. But I have to say it works very well. This camera is very easy to use. I began taking pictures without even reading the instructions yet and had great results. I was taking pictures at a wedding reception with the lights dimmed and all my pictures turned out great with the exception of a few shots where people were moving. I am going to try a different setting next time for that after I read the directions. :)

I purchase the Sony DSC W290 to replace a DSC w170 that I loved but needed repairs of over $100. This is my 7th Sony Cybershot camera. I am obviously a Sony Cybershot fan. This camera is a big disappointment. It does not through the lense view finder which I knew before I bought it but still want. I am very disappointed that Sony no longer offers a pocket size camera with a thru the lense view finder. In bright sun it is very important. The biggest disappoint is the lag time in taking pictures. The DSC 170 was much faster. It allowed me to turn off lots of the automatic functions that slow down digital cameras. The automatic features are nice in some situations but when I am trying to take picture of my grandchildren they often cause me to miss the shot. I am sorry I bought the camera - I should have known that the low price was too good to be true. This camera is probably good for a beginner but not for any one who wants to take pictures of anything that might move. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black)

Bought this camera after reading a bunch of good reviews. The truth is the picture quality is not that great. When people are not moving the quality is "ok" at best. But if you try snapping a picture of something that is moving all you get is a blur. My 7mp Kodak took much better pictures at a fraction of the price. Going for the popular name brand was not a smart move.

***UPDATE
Couldn't take it anymore so I returned the camera and got a Nikon Coolpix. $60 cheaper and much better! Amazon did a great job handling the return. Thanks!

I purchased the W-290 as a gift for the wife. Got tired of her using my camera. I am a Sony nut, owning no less than 15 sony products. Since day 1 the lens cover/shutter opens and closes slowly or not at all. unacceptable for a sony product. Seems like there is a weak spring in there or something. picture quality is excellent as with all sony cams. software is awesome. After a week of this problem, it is now going in for repairs/replacement. i could have gotten this from a cheaper camera.

We have used our Sony Cyber-Shot camber for about a month. We have had no issues. Like any other electronic gadget, it takes time to know the controls and use it. This camera has one of the best lenses and takes better pictures than a friends 15 Megapixel camera. We love the Stabilization, it works as stated. My mother was able to use this camera and take perfect shots. Previously, when using an older camera without the stabilization, all her pictures were blurry. I would recommend this to anyone who wants quality photos and doesn't mind the extra weight (which is not really an issue with us).

This is truly an amazing product. It takes great pictures and the camera comes with some very easy to use useful features. I like "Smiley Button" feature the best. Click the smiley button and let the camera go to work. The camera will take a picture whenever anyone in the frame smiles. You don't have to worry if you got the shot at the right moment. The camera also takes 720P HD Video. The only feature missing is availability of zoom in the video mode. Overall, I love this camera.

i've purchased this product to replace my w80 since i lost it at an airport -_-" but anyway i loved the fact that i got it for sub200 when it was a dealbreaker here at amazon but i'll give some of the pros and cons so you can make your own decision. the first thing i noticed when i turned on the camera was how big the lens eye was compared to other digicams i've had. random factoid but nonetheless something for you to know.

pros:
- the camera takes 2 shots in a row when it senses low light or over brightness and the 2nd shot is either increased/decreased iso or increased/decreased EV. at first i didnt like it but there are some times where the 2nd shot looked better than the first because it let more light in.
- the 5x optical zoom.
- the full screen with no viewfinder. but i managed to crack the LCD screen by dropping it on a single point -_-" cost me about$60 to repair it but nonetheless i hardly ever used the viewfinder in my previous cameras so if you're like me, this is a pro
- comestically i like the bronze/champagne color which was why i got this camera
- like all sony cybershots, picture quality is great. for all cameras in ideal conditions picture quality is great but i prefer the sony lenses because the colors are almost perfect to life. i bought my brother a canon 860 last year because i didnt want him to have the same camera as me and i noticed that his colors come out more vivid naturally without having the vivid color option on. i've used nikon point and shoots from my friends and their photos from what i seen comes out soft and aren't bold or vivid.

cons:
- in my w80 i was able to turn off the display screen but in this camera i cant. i mean for obvious reasons that it doesnt have a viewfinder but still, it would be nice to take snapshots without telling the world your camera is on
- the 2nd shot as described above is here because sometimes i prefer not to have the 2nd shot taken if i have it on a particular setting but if i want to turn it off i have to go to the menu function
- the shutter button isnt pronounced as my w80 so when i first got it, i had a hard time finding it. it takes some getting used to but still it's a con
- it's not as compact as my w80 but it's still fairly compact in a way

the first thing that i wanted to put it as a con but i can't is because of the macro function. macro almost does not exist for this camera if you wanna take an upclose shot, compared to my w80, but i had to remind myself that the reason why i bought this camera was for POINT AND SHOOT.

the second thing is in low light situations without flash, the photos comes out a bit grainy... but then again, if i wanted something that looked more professional and gave me multiple options to tweak i would've gotten and spent more money. it is what it is everyone... a good budget point and shoot camera. everyone's a critic.

i didnt mention the smile feature on this camera because i almost never use it... but if i do use it a lot i'll update this and let you know if it's anything spectacular

all in all... i'm very happy with my camera and if you dont like it, you're more than welcomed to return it. to each his own.

It's true what they say "You get what you pay for".
At this amazing price for a 12 MP camera don't expect photo studio equipment.
This cam still works after dropping it several times, due to the fact its tiny and very slippery.
Ya I should use those wrist straps but its harder to loop on than a needle & thread.
Picture taking is slow, I don't recommend using if you have kids or animals and want that "perfect" smile/bark. And one thing that annoys me is that the DATE doesn't appear on the photo anymore.
You have to use their software to manually put them in or use windows paint.
You know how I hate installing all this software and spending unnecessary time.
They have a "live" chat support but the person still didn't answer my question.
Eventually s/he said that no Sony Cameras have the "date" function.
I told him I've had several cybershots in the past and they all put the date.
I wish I were a college kid then I'd have time stamping thousands of pictures,
then again how did I have the time to take all those pictures the first place? :)
Too bad, I woulda given this cam 5 stars.

This camera comes with a lot of features, but the picture quality was absolutely terrible. All indoor photos were so blurred they were unprintable in a 4x6 picture. I have used a DLSR for years and was looking for a compact camera for snapshots. After trying all the settings on this camera I failed at getting useable indoor pictures. I returned the camera.

As a positive, the video works great. Unfortunately that is not why I bought the camera.

An outstanding product, good price, and fast service. No complaints. I will be purchasing again from Amazon.com.