Sony Cyber-shot W270 review

The Sony Cyber-shot W270 is a 12.1MP compact that’s small, light and ideal to slip into a pocket. It even comes in a range of funky colours – from black or silver, to red or bronze. The Cyber-shot W270, with its 28mm wide angle lens and 5x optical zoom offers a good range for your everyday snaps, plus there’s even a 720p video mode for good measure. Should it be the W270 that finds itself on your list of compact options? The What Digital Camera Sony Cyber-shot W270 review investigates…

Sony W270 review - Features

The Sony W270 doesn’t have a huge features list, though this will be irrelevant for those looking to pick up a camera for those everyday point and shoot situations. With features such as Super SteadyShot – Sony’s branded version of image stabilisation – you can rest assured that the technology is in the bag to help you get the best shot each time. An Advanced Dual shot mode even snaps a scene twice in difficult lighting conditions so you can chose the best one. The W270’s 12.1MP sensor means your files will be quite large, quite possibly even bigger than you may require for small enlargements, but this can be lowered in the W270’s menu options should you wish to save space.

Modes aren’t overburdening either, with the W270 offering intelligent Auto, Easy shot, Program Auto and a 720p 30 frames per second movie mode, making up the majority of all you’ll need to shoot; though a full manual mode does lack here. Face detection and a quick reference smile detection button – that waits for your subjects to smile before firing the shutter – also feature for optimum portrait shots.

Sony W270 review - Design

A compact camera that can sit snugly in a pocket without causing too much grunt to bear is a good starting point when looking for a svelte little snapper to carry around – the Sony Cyber-shot W270 succeeds on this front, with its small size and low weight having an immediacy about it that will see you happily carry it everywhere.

The Sony W270 keeps most of the controls on the back of the camera, with a thumbwheel to the right to select shooting mode and a d-pad below to toggle flash, macro, display and timer on or off. Zooming from wide to tele via the W/T button is conveniently located on the back of the camera too, which is easily reachable with a thumb when your finger is poised over the shutter button. Just to the right of the shutter there’s also a Smile Detection button – it’s well placed to quickly toggle this on or off without faffing around in menus, plus it’s sat far enough away from the shutter to not cause confusion. Overall the W270 design is simple, neat and well laid out.

Sony W270 review - Performance

The Sony W270 has a 5x optical zoom, meaning wide angle 28mm through to mid-range 140mm shots are possible. The wide angle isn’t a market leader, but 28mm is still notably wide. Those looking for a superzoom telephoto should look elsewhere, as 5x is more appropriate for standard portraits or a good range of shots.

The Sony W270 performs well in many conditions. From bright sunlight to darker conditions the images maintained a good balance of exposure, with a realistic and well-balanced dynamic range throughout. Shooting blue skies or dark bars, flashing friends in the pub or waiting for the Smile Shutter to take effect, the W270 responded well to changes.

Macro mode – whilst not as good as some other closer-to-lens competitors – operated at a respectable hand’s distance from the lens. This meant shallow depth of field shots or relative close-ups were possible and, whilst less creative than some of the super close-up macros out there, provided a useful performance.

Perhaps one of few disappointments is the W270’s limited battery life, which performed below its quoted life from a full charge.

Sony W270 review pages:

- Page 1: Sony W270 review - Features, Design & Performance
- Page 2: Sony W270 review - Image Quality & Value For Money
- Page 3: Sony W270 review specifications / specs
- Page 4: Sony W270 review verdict

Sony W270 review - other What Digital Camera links:

- Compare the W270 with other wide angle compact cameras
- Sony W270 product images
- Sony W270 sample test image gallery