Product Reviews

We had high expectations of Sony's CyberShot DSC-W55. The CyberShot DSC-W30 (Labs, Shopper September 2006) was our favourite camera of 2006, and the W55 is newer, higher up Sony's range and costs less.

The two cameras are largely identical to look at, except that the W55 has a bigger 2.5in screen and is available in a range of colours. Inside, there's the predictable resolution rise from six to seven megapixels, but an increased internal memory capacity is the only other difference between the two cameras' specifications. Despite the higher resolution, the W55 is even faster than the

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W30, capturing a shot every 1.3 seconds. The continuous mode remains disappointing, being capable of capturing only four shots at 1fps.

In most of our test photos, the W55 lived up to the high standards set by its predecessor. Exposures displayed a satisfying balance of flattery and accuracy, with punchy colours and natural skin tones. Contrast was often greater than with the other cameras we tested, giving more pleasing results but sometimes losing detail in the highlights. Still, this can be tamed with the dedicated Contrast option in the menu.

Noise was lower than average in low light and the 2cm macro focus gave some stunning close-ups. Focus and detail were up to scratch, but not noticeably better than the 6-megapixel W30. Some photos were distinctly blurry as the auto-focus occasionally failed to lock on to its subject accurately, particularly at telephoto zoom settings. The camera usually knew that it hadn't managed to focus, but it didn't report this back to us particularly clearly, leaving us to find out only after we got the pictures on the computer. It affected only around one in 10 photos, but that's enough to make us wary of recommending the W55.