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Overall Rating

Updated review
UPDATE: 5/5/07 As mentioned below, my original W90 had some issues. After exchanging the camera, I can verify that my original was bad and the new one performed much better. However, even the new one had serious grain issues in all but the brightest light in “AUTO” mode. In program mode, flash pictures also looked flat and grainy unless you manually reduced the ISO to 200. I really wanted to like this camera, but after struggling with the second camera for a week, I decided to return it and bought a Canon 800IS. In my opinion, the Canon is significantly better in all but near dark conditions. The image stabilization on the Canon is also significantly better.

I had my choices narrowed down between a Canon and the Sony W90. My daughter has an older P200 Sony and it takes fantastic pictures so I opted for the W90. The first few daylight pictures I took showed color blotching (not noisy or grainy) when viewed at actual size on the computer. Low light photos also had MUCH more noise visible than the P200 even at ISO 200. I have now taken ~1000 pictures in all lighting conditions and would rate the camera as follows:

Bright light/ daylight outside: Excellent pictures
Medium light /clouds: Very good to excellent
Dusk and night shots: Amazing! especially with high ISO setting
Medium/Low indoor lighting: good (with post processing)
Indoor lighting with flash: Grainy with auto setting, Good with 200ISO

I was initially disappointed that the picture quality with indoor lighting without flash was not as good as my daughters P200. However after many test shots comparing the two, I believe the major difference is that the W90 takes a lighter picture with more detail while the P200 is darker with more noise reduction done inside the camera. Any simple photo program can remove the noise and make the pictures as good with at least as much (or more) detail than the P200. Note that these pictures were taken at a low room light level that would normally require flash so this will likely rarely or never be an issue for most users.

Although I have not taken many pictures with flash, all I have taken have turned out very crisp and well lit with no noticeable noise. The noise issue above is ONLY with low light and no flash.

The dusk and night shots were what really impress. I took about a dozen hand-held shots after sunset. Although about 1/2 of the shots were blurry due to my hands shaking, the other 1/2 were excellent with good exposure and excellent detail and no detectable blurring. Obviously the image stabilization can only do so much. The pictures were obviously grainy (ISO1600) at actual size zoom on the computer, but looked good when viewing the whole picture. I emphasize that these were taken in lighting that my daughter’s ISO400 camera just would not have been able to take at all.

Several of the options are also very handy. The ability to select the light metering point is extremely useful when shooting at sunset or with lighted objects at night. The camera allows either full frame, center frame, or center point metering. Similar options are available for focus.

Continual burst mode was actually useful as the camera takes pictures quickly. I was able to capture a bird from perched to about 5′ in the air using the burst mode (~4 pictures)all with excellent clarity and capturing the birds wings without blur.

If it were not for the color blotching at ISOs from 125 to 400 I would give this 5 stars. I have decided to exchange this camera for another to see if I just have one that is defective. It is such an obvious problem that others would have certainly mentioned it if it was a design flaw.

Overall Rating

Great Camera
Rated 5 stars.