Probably need replacement for Sony Cybershot W1

[sunzi]

Hi,

just in the middle of my vacation the camera stopped working. When turning the camera on, the lens moves back and forth and stops somewhere in the middle in an undefined position.
I was using the camera as is but also unsing a wideangle extension (x0.7)
The general feature set was o.k. when I bought it and probably has not shifted much since then.

Now my questions:
1.) Is it worth to have it repaired in light of having to scrap the extension too if I would buy a new camera and the lens would not fit.

2.) What would be the logical choice to buy for me if I want something similar just better.

3.) Same as 2.) but also considering other brands.


Sunzi

[AndyfromVA]

If it costs more than $50 to repair, I'd buy another camera. The Sony W-120 is an excellent ultracompact and can be had for $200.

As an alternative to Sony, Canon's A590IS or A570IS are a bit larger but both are excellent all-around cameras. Also, they are considerably less expensive than the Sony W-120.

[sunzi]

Thank you Andy,

as far as the W120 is concerned I will not be able to re-use the wide angle adapter but have to sell it.
In that case I probably would look for a camera model where the lens can cover 28mm.

cheers

sunzi

[KCook]

Very few cameras with 28mm WA for under $200. Try the Fuji FinePix F480 and Nikon Coolpix P50.

Kelly Cook

[sunzi]

O.K. if the budget was higher would this change anything?
Also I would be willing to wait two months or so.
When I bought the W1 3,5 years ago the price was $450

I am not into too many MP as at a given sensor size the area/pixel gets smaller the more MP the whole sensor has. At low light conditions the noise therefore goes up....

Thank you for your thoughts

sunzi

[KCook]

Don't know how hard some of these would be to come by in Germany. However in the US market, between $200 - $300, there are the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, Nikon Coolpix S600, Pany FX33, Pany FX55, Pany TZ3, and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170. Most of these are ultracompacts. Exception is the TZ3, which is a compact.

If a more bulky SLR-like camera with superzoom is Ok, then add the Fuji FinePix S8000fd, Olympus SP-560, and Pany FZ18.

All of the above cameras get down to 28mm.

Kelly

[sunzi]

Hi Kelly,

thank you for the selection of cameras to look into.

What is your opinion on the Pany Lumix DMC-FX500?

It will be equipped with a Leica-DC-Vario-Elmarit lens and covers down to 25mm w/o too much distorsion!


Sunzi

[KCook]

Call me a Luddite, but I have a hard time with the very concept of shelling out $400 for a teeny tiny ultracompact. Size aside, the specs for the FX500 are quite impressive. Not only does the lens get down to 25mm, it's also an f/2.8, which beats a lot of the competition. Some folks hate touch screens. I haven't owned one, but have played with the Sony T-series with TS in the store. While I'm not going to make a TS a must-have feature, I rather enjoyed the Sony version. The touch directed spot metering does seem like it would be a whole lot easier than "point camera at exposure target - carefully squeeze trigger button half way - then reframe shot" game that most cameras require. Where did you find the info on image distortion? My searches turned up only Blog happy talk, no detailed tests. One of these Blogs said the camera would not be released until May.

As a hopeless cheapskate, my ultracompact budget would never stretch any farther than the Nikon S600 or Sony W170. But that's just me.

Kelly

[sunzi]

Thank you Kelly,

call me old fashioned but I was attracted by the lens and its construction of the Lumix. Isn't that the core element of a good camera. The quality, and size of the sensor not necessarily the # of pixels is the other heavyweight.

I agree with you on the the price/performance ratio. However, doesn't the Lumix play in another league?

Sunzi

[KCook]

An argument could be made giving the Lumix lens an edge. My digital cameras are Canons, so clearly I don't see the Canon lens as a poor choice. Or the Nikons for that matter. If I did feel that I needed to move my picture quality up to "another league", I'd simply go shopping for a DSLR.

Kelly

[sunzi]

Good point, Kelly.

Will decide between the FX500, S600 and the W170 once the streetprice in known and some reviews of owners are available.

Thank you

Sunzi