Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

The Sony W55 is the followup to the successful and popular W50. It's a very good compact camera, easy to carry and easy to use, and reasonably priced - so most people will be happy with it.

Not much has changed from the W50, which in this case is a good thing!

One change is that the W55 is a 7 MP camera, rather than the W50's 6MP. Honestly, that's not a big plus, as they haven't made the sensor that catches the light any larger. Same (good) lenses, same size sensor = the same (good) pictures, but not better. (Though it might help a little on features like Smart Zoom.)

The obvious change is of course the colors. Don't make too much fun of that! There are 4 DSC-W series cameras in our family, colors would have kept my mother-in-law from taking my sister's camera home with her. A little personalization is a good thing.

The internal memory has been expanded (to 56MB), but I've never used the internal memory on the cameras that have had it, so I'm not sure that matters much. It might be worth knowing how to use as a backup, for another dozen or two shots if your card is full, or you have some other problem.

The controls, menus and interface on the W55 are reasonably easy to use. For example, the W55 has easy access to the various scene modes (twilight, etc), with some explanation on the screen of what those mysterious little icons mean (so you might actually use them, since it tells you what they do!). If you're new to digital photography, there will be a learning curve. But if you've used other cameras much, especially Sonys, you can pick this up and use many of the features right away.

Read the short introductory guide that comes with the camera, though!

The rechargeable battery should easily last you for a full day of shooting - hundreds of shots - with no problem. (Be a little wise about turning it off when you're not using it!) So you probably don't need a second battery, unless you're going into the woods for a while. It's nice not to have to mess with bulky AA rechargeables. Also, lithium ion batteries don't have a memory effect, so don't worry about partial recharging. Just charge the battery each night. So - before getting a second battery, try it for a while and see if you need it.

But get a case - something to protect the screen, at least. A fully closed one might help resist rain and splashes a little, too.

You'll also want to get a Memory Stick Pro Duo card - Pro cards are faster, and you need the smaller Duo size with this camera. Get a 1-2GB card so you don't have to think about running out of memory too much - if you shop carefully, you can find them for so little these days that it's well worth avoiding running out of memory. You might want a spare card if you plan to travel for more than a week, or use the video mode often - which is surprisingly good (though a bit dark) if set to fine, but uses enormous amounts of storage at that setting.

You can stretch your memory, and your hard drive space, by using one of the lower-resolution settings to take snapshots. You don't really need 7MP for all your photos!

The W55 will take better photos than those credit-card type cameras that have a tiny lens system - optics will always make a difference in a camera. Any reasonable person will be very happy with the pictures from the W55, given the size of it.

The camera will be a little slow and often take disappointing pictures in low light and dark situations. Try the High ISO mode in low light no-flash situations - the picture quality suffers some, but most people will find it useful. Realistically, no ultra-compact camera will work really well in that situation - if you need that often, think about something with a bigger lens and bigger sensor. Good light always gives the best pictures with any camera. There are limits to what you can currently expect from any ultracompact camera.

The W55 offers enough controls (through the scene modes and the Program mode) to allow a fair amount of control over the pictures, for an automatic camera.

The charger is fairly compact and rated 100-240V, so while you'll need a plug adapter overseas you won't need a voltage converter. The battery charger is a little slow, though probably OK.

Keep this camera charged and handy, and you'll find you take a lot of pictures because it's easy to carry and easy to use!

Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

Easy to use, small enough to carry all the time,
fun

Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

I was sooo excited that this camera exceeded my expectations! I would recomend to EVERYONE !
Only put "weak construction" because the battery latch opening is a little wobbly but nothing horrible :-)

Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

This camera is a great point and shoot for the person who wants minimal maintenance, easy operation, and a size that wont be lost or weigh you down.

Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

Very light and comfy to carry, easy to handle and use, good results

Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

easy to work with.

Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

This camera has it all in a very small package. Once you know to keep steady when taking subjects in low-light conditions - I use the flash whenever the subject is close enough -, the pictures come out sharp and vibrant. A best buy!

Comments about Sony Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/L Blue Digital Camera:

The Sony Cybershot W55 is a great first-time camera, but also has advanced features that an expert would love. Small, lightweight, but still stable in your hand. The LCD screen is huge and very clear. Still not sure about low light pictures, but that's what a good photo program is for. Don't be deceived if the picture looks dark on your LCD screen, Picasa2 by Google will hightlight all flaws. Easy, fun, lightweight and fits in my purse. And, with the included 54mb memory you can take some extra pics if your card gets full.