A small camera with a big heart

BILLED BY SONY as the smallest compact camera ever to be released, the new Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 features a 30x optical zoom with 18.2-megapixel resolution, optical steady shot technology and a 180-degree tilt LCD screen designed for perfect selfies.

And small it certainly is, slipping easily into both my trouser and shirt pockets for easy carrying around and without causing the material to sag.

The WX500 uses a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens with a 24mm to 720mm focal-length range in 35mm equivalence, making it an all-round camera for landscape, portrait and telephotography shots.

The camera has good low-light performance thanks to the 8.2MP back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor. The unique technology powering the sensor enables it to utilise incidental light more efficiently, doubling its sensitivity compared to conventional CMOS sensors.

The WX500 is powered by BIONZ X image processor that reproduces textures and details in real life, and suppresses visual noise in specific areas to ensure sharp images. 

It can also record high-quality Full HD (1920 x 1080) 60p/50p video and captures fast-moving action moments in XAVCS recording format, which enables high-bit rate recording of up to 50Mbps. However, you will need a high-speed SDXC memory card higher than Class 10 for XAVCS recording.

The WX500 also has built-in Wi-Fi and NFC (Near Field Communication) technology for sharing photos to your Android smartphone or tablet. Its One-Touch Sharing function lets you wirelessly transfer snapshots from the camera to your phone for further sharing on your Facebook wall or other social networks. All you need to do is download and install the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app. You can also use your smartphone or tablet to remotely control the camera by installing the Smart Remote Control app on your mobile device.

The WX500 is fun for taking telephotography shots and the ones I captured during the test were not blurred even with the 30x or 720mm equivalent focal length. That’s thanks to its Optical Steady Shot function, which detects and reduces camera shake.

To take selfies, just flip up the LCD screen and adjust the magnification with the zoom lever. You can compose your selfies beautifully at any angle wherever you are and make yourself look better with the Beauty effect when reviewing the shot on the camera. 

The WX500 has two auto modes: Superior Auto and Intelligent Auto. In Intelligent Auto, the camera shoots with automatic scene recognition. The Superior Auto further enhances the Intelligent Auto and is very good for taking clear images of dark or backlit scenes as it shoots multiple images and creates a composite image of higher quality than Intelligent Auto mode, though processing takes longer.

You can use the mode dial to switch to Programme Auto, Manual Exposure, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Panorama, Scene Selection and Memory Recall.

The Scene Selection mode lets you manually select one of 16 scene modes, including Night Scene, Portrait, Landscape, Advanced Sports Shooting, Gourmet, Pet, Handheld Twilight and Backlight Correction HDR as well as Sunset.

You can also select one of 13 fun picture effects that can be used in certain shooting modes including Programme Auto. The effects include HDR Painting, Toy Camera, Retro Photo, Soft Focus, High Contrast Monochrome and Partial Colour.

The camera provides a Function key for convenient access to certain settings for particular shooting modes without having to bring up the menu. For example, in the Programme Auto mode you can use the Function key to change drive mode, white balance, flash mode, focus area, ISO setting, exposure compensation, metering mode, and picture effects.

During the test, I found that the WX500 captured beautiful portraits, especially when the Soft Skin effect was also applied. The camera also has an auto object-framing feature that can automatically crop the shot into an appropriate composition to look beautiful. Both the original and cropped images are saved, the cropped at the same size as the original image.

The landscape shots were also beautiful with well-saturated colours. Using Sunset mode, I captured the rays of the setting sun against a background of building silhouettes.

The 30x zoom was really useful. It allowed me to get close shots of subjects I could not get physically close to, such as birds.

I was also happy with the quality of its night shots, taken using the Handheld Twilight mode. The mode took multiple shots to create a composite image that showed beautiful lights and gave me a clear and sharp image.

The camera has good performance and is ready for the first shot in less than two seconds. I experienced no lags in shooting time or shutter release. The shooting time interval in modes that require no after-shot processing was also fast.

The WX500 uses Sony’s large-capacity X type lithium-ion battery that can capture up to 400 photos on a single charge. The battery can be recharged with a micro USB cable and is automatically recharged when you connect it to your PC to transfer image files.

The camera isn’t even ridiculously expensive. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 has a suggested retail price of Bt12,990.

 

Key Specs

- Image sensor: 18.2-mega pixels Exmor R CMOS sensor

- Lens: Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T Lens with 24-720mm equivalent focal length and aperture of f/3.5-6.4, 30x optical zoom

- Imaging Processor: BIONZ X

- Image Stabiliser System: (Still image) Optical SteadyShot, (Movie) Optical SteadyShot Intelligent Active Mode, Optical type with electronic compensation, Anti Rolling type

- ISO: ISO80-3200

- Shutter speed: 4 seconds to 1/2000 second

- Monitor: 3-inch 4:3 Xtra Fine TFT LCD with 921,600 dots

- Storage media: Memory Stick Duo, SDXC

- Maximum video recording: XAVC S - 50p 50M(1,920x1,080/50p 

- Battery: 1240mAh, approximately 400 shots per charge

- Interface: micro HDMI, NFC, Wi-Fi, Micro USB

- Dimensions (W x H x D): Approximately. 101.6 x 58.1 x 35.5 mm

- Weight (body only): 209g