I was looking for a small camera to keep with me when I do not want to lug my big and heavy pro-class DSLR, and I think that Sony usually works for me pretty well. It is easy to use and relatively high performance for a compact point and shoot camera and can produce good pictures under a variety of conditions, when used properly.
I usually take my camera shopping pay close attention to the lens, and Sony comes with a Carl-Zeiss 4x zoom lens, angled toward the wide angle end of the spectrum. I support generally smaller zoom range if it means getting a better picture quality, and it is precisely the approach Sony gear. Yes, you can get 5x - even 10x - zoom camera like this, but in my experience that the sacrifice in image quality is not worth it. Sony 4x usually mean I get quite stable lens performance in a useful zoom range. To be clear, beats any DSLR with a good quality lens on the pants the little lens on this type of compact camera, but it is the type of animal ... Also, if I do something where best performance is a requirement, with my heavy DSLR and lenses that cost ten times what this Sony does - it is not the task I have in mind for Sony anyway.
The 14.1MP sensor seems to be of high quality, as long as you use the camera for good and even lighting. How the camera games are somewhat low light (high ISO), or where there is considerable dynamic range (difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image). In good conditions - bright and evenly lit - the sensor provides excellent detail, certainly far more than enough for email, web or print up to maybe A3 (13x19cm cm). Yet during the more challenging lighting, will Sony be a bit disappointing ... where a large DSLR can capture detail in highlights and shadows, Sony tends to blow out highlights or shadows will turn into a sea of black. Again, this is really normal for cameras with small image sensors - Sony performance is really good considering the small form factor and product prices.
The camera's built-in software is also very good and helps to capture lots of details, even if the images are compressed to a manageable size JPG files. In Photoshop, I compared the Sony-compressed image to a similar image taken by a professional quality DSLR, and there are few if any differences due to image processing. Noise reduction and sharpness are handled well and there are few digital artifacts are visible. This is truly the best results I've seen for a camera in this price range.
Regarding design quality, the camera is solid and seems well built. Most controls are simple to use and you do not get that feeling of "fight" against it. The 2.7 "LCD screen is sharp and easy to use, although it may be difficult in bright sunlight or for those like me with aging eyes, struggling with small text on the screen. Performance is generally fast and do not wait for camera to figure out what to do next. The camera is small, and one thing that helps me is Sony's well-designed image stabilization function. I usually have difficulty with small cameras and stable image stabilization helps me to get sharp pictures under most conditions.
Sony adds a host of smart features like Panorama Shooting, which allows you to take multiple images of a scene and then have them "stitched" together in the camera for a wide panoramic view. I have similar programs in Photoshop to do this, but it's cool to see it implemented in the camera. Sony also provides a useful HDR (High Dynamic Range) capability of the camera, giving you a way to deal with some otherwise difficult scenes. Both these features make up for the camera's limitations, such as low dynamic range capability of small sensors and the limited zoom range. Sony makes it easy to upload pictures and videos to popular sharing sites, you save a few steps away from doing this on your computer.
The camera can also record HD (720p) video at up to half an hour long. I rarely use this feature, so other than to say it works, I'll leave that one to the other reviewers.
I was considering several other options from Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and also the new Leica X1. I like the Nikon, since the software and menus are the same as my DSLR (a Nikon too). Canon seems to give slightly better picture quality. I've owned several Pentax point-and-shoot digital cameras and found them sturdy and durable. And of course, is the Leica in a class by itself when it comes to quality. Still, while all of these competitors offer unique advantages, it seemed that total package of price and service to be the best with Sony - at least today.
Overall, given the price I am satisfied with the Sony DSC-W350 and would recommend it to anyone who wants a cheap, easy to use digital camera that delivers good quality images under various conditions.
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