Looked upon from the back, on the left side we find the neatly finished memory compartment and also the video and A/C power connection. The cover closes very precisely and doesn't affect the tight shape of the camera. In the cover itself a small rubber cover is placed. Opening this latter one reveals the A/C power. A beautiful and thorough construction. The opposite side of the camera is equipped with the USB 2.0 port, again, neatly covered by a rubber cover.
On top of the camera once again we find the well-known Command Dial bearing the main programmes. If there is something that can be looked upon as a standard in digital photography, but also in traditional analogue photography, then it is the Command Dial. The wheel can be turned 360 degrees and gives a clear sound (a click) on every programme when dialling it. The shutter release button is placed in the centre of the Command Dial, and has a good and quick response, when pushing it, it is clearly perceptible when the image is taken. Next to the Command Dial a small on/off button is placed, which can be mistaken for the release button in the beginning, but this will be a once-only mistake! |
The back is dominated by the large size TFT screen. This size of no less than 2.5 inch gives the DSC-W1 every clarity it needs. Suddenly the rendering of an index of 9 or 16 images becomes functional. This function is almost standard available on many digital cameras, however never really lives up to its promise on a monitor sized 1.8 inch or less. Above the monitor we find a small optical viewfinder. No problem in itself, in practice the 2.5 inch display will be more appealing to use as a viewfinder than gazing through a small optical viewfinder. Next to the monitor a limited amount of buttons is placed, amongst them the multi-functional control button. The operating panel on the back of the camera is very well-organised and adds to the user-friendliness.
The bottom of the DSC-W1 offers room to the speaker and a small reset button. Almost in the centre a metal universal tripod connection is placed and on the side the battery compartment. The cover can be opened by pushing a small catch and two AA batteries will appear. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1 is a beautifully finished digital camera with a high resolution of 5 Megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens packed in a metal housing. |
