Digital Trends

Last year, the point-and-shoot Sony W series was one of the top sellers in the industry simply because the cameras were affordable and took good photos, a pretty winning combo when you think about it. The company has refreshed the lineup to complement the budding forsythias and tulips across the county. The new models range from the DSC-W35, a $179 7.2-megapixel digicam with a 3x optical zoom and a 2-inch LCD screen, up to the $399 12.1-megapixel DSC–W200 due in May (when different flowers will be blooming).

We got our hands on the new DSC-W90 with an 8.1-megapixel imager. What makes this digicam (and other select 2007 Sony’s) stand apart is its new Bionz processor that speeds performance and enables Face Detection, the popular new feature from all camera makers this season. The DSC-W90 seems like a nice package with its 8.1MP CCD, 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, HD output, and sub $300 price. However, as Digital Trends readers well know, we can’t take a manufacturer’s word for anything — the proof is in the shooting and full-bleed prints. So, it was time to put the DSC–W90 in the barrel and see how it stood up…