Let’s get right into our Sony W830 review!
For all of those who still love traditional cameras, who don’t want to give their kids a smartphone for taking photos and videos, who don’t want to bring phones to the beach, who just want to take photos that day and that’s it – there is a cheap and great camera for those purposes. That is the Sony W830.
Take a look at this extensive Sony W830 review divided into several parts based on the complexity of details, and see whether you want it or not.
Short Overview
The Sony DSC-W830 is a compact camera with 8x optical zoom and a mid-range 20.1MP CCD sensor. Introduced in the Cyber-shot line in early 2014, the model is equipped with a 2.7-inch screen and can record high-definition video in 720p resolution. You cannot manually control the exposure, but the automatic scene detection function is provided. Intelligent Auto Exposure lets you take photos when a smile appears in the camera’s field of vision. Optical image stabilization is also provided.
One of the great problems that digital cameras have always had was the capture of shaky photos, but with this camera you will never suffer it again, since it will help you get more stable images and, therefore, sharper and more defined, reducing small movements and jerks.
This model includes a rechargeable battery, AC power cord, adapter, hand strap, multi USB cable, instruction manual, plus 8GB memory card, and a sleeve. It is capable of playing movies (videos), images, or making a slide show.
The cameras appeared simultaneously with the W800 and W810 models, which offer a similar set of features and specifications with 5x and 6x optical zoom respectively. The WX series has high magnification, the presence of a CMOS sensor, a wide range of functions, and Wi-Fi connections. In principle, the Sony DSC W830 possible in line with its attractive price of $100 US. But could it be an even better camera?
Sony W830 Review
In case you found the previous overview to be incomplete, here is a bit longer text about W830 and its properties.
Design
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 digital camera will not disappoint amateur photographers who are looking for a camera that you can put in your shirt or jeans pocket and forget about it. The model is very compact, a few millimeters smaller in height and width than the Nikon Coolpix S3600, and is a few grams lighter as well. However, its thickness is 23mm to 3mm larger than the Nikon camera, but this is due to the protruding lens, and the Sony DSC W830 body itself is even a little thinner. In general, the model looks and feels a little more compact than its direct competitor.
With its smaller size, the model is not as sleek as the Coolpix S3600. The edges are rounded on both sides, but the combination of a flat top panel with protruding optics makes the overall look not so modern and elegant. The S3600 seems to be much wider than the W830, both externally and in control capabilities. On the top panel, there is a power switch, which is in line with the surface, silver-like all controls, and a strip that goes with the case.
Then comes the close button. No zoom lever – this function is performed by the rear panel slider. The shutter release has an oblong shape and, like the power button, does not protrude beyond the surface of the Sony DSC-W830. Reviews say that it can cause discomfort, because it is not easy to find, and the degree of depression at which exposure is measured and autofocus is activated is very small. Instead of measuring or focusing on exposure, you can inadvertently take pictures.
Behind, in the upper right corner, is the above-mentioned swing. Below, surrounded by the play, delete, and menu call buttons, is the navigation bar. To the right is a slider made of black plastic. It has 3 positions: the upper one corresponds to the current shooting mode set in the menu, the middle one puts the camera in panorama mode, and the lower one the video. There is no separate video button, and releasing the shutter allows you to start and pause recording.
Screen
To the right of the controls is a 2.7-inch 230,000-dot LCD screen. In cloudy weather and indoors, the screen allows you to crop and view photos, but the brightness of the image is not enough. According to the owners, the small resolution display is not a problem.
Also, it is possible to adjust more parameters in the menu, but at the same time the image becomes less contrast and degrades viewing in bright conditions, and at the same time reduces battery life.
Flash
The built-in flash is located on the front panel on the right and just above the lens. Its maximum working distance is 3.2 m, which is less than 3.5 m for the S3600. These parameters are usually calculated at a sensitivity of 1600 ISO, so when shooting with lower settings, the range will be significantly shorter – less than 1 m per 100 ISO. However, camera flashes near the subject are sufficient.
Battery Life
With a fully charged battery, the Sony DSC-W830 can take 210 photos. Its capacity is enough for 230 shots, the quality of which for both cameras corresponds to the fairly average capabilities of budget compact devices. The battery can be charged using the included charger by connecting the camera via the supplied standard USB cable to a laptop or other power source.
Users are pleased that Sony has switched to standard USB ports, as it has become possible to use any cables with a Micro B connector. The camera outputs (including A/V) are located on the bottom panel, which is a bit unusual.
Performance
The Sony DSC-W830 activates slowly – it takes more than 3 seconds to prepare for shooting after pressing the power button. True, most compact cameras in this price range will take at least a few seconds, and most users are unlikely to notice the difference. You can, of course, leave the device turned on so it’s always ready to capture the right moment, but that will affect the battery, and power management isn’t a remarkable feature of the model. After 2 minutes of inactivity, the camera automatically shuts off and there is no standby mode, such as the Coolpix S3600.
The continuous shooting speed is quite mediocre and is equal to 0.8 fps. Not much, but the camera can maintain that pace in a series of up to 100 frames, of course, if you have the patience to keep your finger on the shutter for more than 2 minutes. and has its own button, and Easy mode turns the Sony DSC-W8300 into the simplest compact camera.
Autofocus
The W830 has 5 AF modes. The 9-point is accepted by default but does not seem completely confident, especially in low light. There are 2 modes of autofocus of different sizes, but unlike the S3600, the AF area cannot be moved around the frame. Tracking mode starts by pressing the center button on the control panel and pressing it again blocks the AF on the target.
In practice, with good lighting and a clear distinction between subject and background, the autofocus system works very well. Unlike the Coolpix S3600, you don’t have to select the AF tracking item from the menu first, so that while the camera is ready, the subject will not disappear from view. The only minor drawback is that when you cancel autofocus, the W830 returns to the default mode, not the previously set one. In addition, the model supports a face recognition function that can be activated in the shooting settings menu.
Key Features
In the following section, we will dive deeper into some of the key aspects of the Sony W830.
Sharp and stable images: Optical SteadyShot reduces the effects of small movements and shakes and alters lens elements to compensate, keeping all videos and photos sharp and stable.
Effortless photo editing: With beauty effects, you can edit or retouch images on the fly to improve the overall finish of your shots and make your friends’ portraits crisp and clear, even in sweeping panoramic shots.
The largest image with 360° panoramic sweep: Press the button and pan from side to side or top to bottom. The camera automatically stitches a burst of frames at high speed to create full panoramic photos that capture the entire scene.
One setting for every scene: Intelligent auto mode automatically adjusts camera settings to suit shooting conditions. You’ll get fast and impressive results without complex manual controls.
The Sony DSC-W830 camera is equipped with a 20.1-megapixel sensor, which captures an image with a maximum size of 5152 × 3864 pixels. Photos are saved in JPEG format, which compresses the file size to 8 MB. The sensitivity range is 80-3200 ISO, and the shutter speeds are 1/1600-1 s in programmed automatic mode and 1/1600-2 s in Intelligent Auto.
Specs
Of course, tech-savvies will need more information about this product, therefore the following text will serve as a full spec Sony W830 review.
- Sensor type: 1/2.3-inch Super HAD CCD (7.76 mm)
- Effective pixels: Approx. 20.1 megapixels
- Lens type: Vario-Tessar 8 elements in 7 groups (with 5 aspherical elements)
- F-number: F3.3(W)-6.3(T)
- Focal length: f/4.5–36 mm
- Optical Zoom: 8x (Optical Zoom is available during movie recording)
- Digital Zoom (Photos): Precise Digital Zoom, Approx. 32x / Intelligent Zoom (10 Megapixels, Approx. 11x / 5 Megapixels, Approx. 15x / VGA, Approx. 64x / 2 Megapixels (16: 9), Approx. 21x)
- Digital zoom (videos): Precise Digital zoom, approx. 32x
- Image stabilization: Yes
- Steadyshot: Optical
- Focus type: Auto
- Focus mode: multi-point AF, center-focus AF, spot AF, tracking focus, face-tracking focus
- Focus range: iAuto: AF (W: approx. 5 cm (0.16 feet) to infinity, T: approx. 150 cm (4.92 feet) to infinity) / Program Auto: AF (W: approx. 5 cm) feet) to infinity, T: approximately 150 cm (4.92 feet) to infinity)
- External flash mode: Auto / Flash On / Slow Synchro / Flash Off / Advanced Flash / Advanced Flash
- Screen type: 6.7 cm (2.7″) (4:3) / 230,400 dots / ClearPhoto / TFT LCD screen
- Aperture speed: iAuto (2″–1/1600), Program Auto (1″ –1/1600)
- Internal memory: Approx. 27 MB
- Compatible recording media: Memory Stick™ Duo, Memory Stick
- Memory card format manufactured by Sony. This format has been improved over the years so that other formats used by Sony devices have emerged from it
- PRO Duo Memory; Memory Stick PRO Duo (high speed); Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo Memory; Memory Stick XC-HG Duo™; Memory Stick Micro
- Video recording mode: mp4, VGA
- Recording format: Photos: JPEG, videos: mp4 (AVC/H.264)
- Image processor: BIONZ image processor
- Shooting mode: Intelligent Auto, Panorama, Auto Program, Easy Shooting, Picture Effect, Scene Selection
- Sequential shooting speed (max.): Approx. 0.8 frames per second (100 shots)
- Self-timer: Off / 10 s. / 2 s / portrait 1 / portrait 2
- Scene Selection: High Sensitivity, Night Scene, Night Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Soft Skin, Beach, Snow Snow), Fireworks (Fireworks), Gourmet (Gourmet), Pet Mode (Pet)
- Picture Effect: Camera toy, pop color, partially colored, softly highlighted
- Panorama (shooting): 360 Sweep Panorama
- Shooting functions: Face Detection, Smile Shutter, Grid Line
- Exposure compensation: +/- 2.0 EV, 1/3 EV step
- ISO sensitivity (photos): Automatic / 80 // 100/200/400/800/1600/3200
- ISO sensitivity (videos): Automatic: (ISO 250–1250)
- Power consumption (camera): Approx. 1.2 W.
- Battery life (CIPA, photo): Approx. 210 / approx. 100 min
- Input / output ports: Multiple (AV / USB), fast USB connection (USB 2.0)
- Color: black, silver, pink, purple
- Dimensions (WxHxD) (CIPA): 93.1 x 52.5 x 22.5 mm
- Weight (CIPA): Approx. 120 g (with battery and Memory Stick DUO™), Approx. 104 g (body only)
Advantages
- Get very good quality photographs, good color, and great detail
- It is very small and weighs very little, so you can transport it wherever and whenever you want without problems
- It is intuitive, with good optics, panoramic, and easy to use, ideal even for the smallest of the house
- Ideal as an off-road digital camera to always carry it with you
- The battery is charged directly in the camera, there is no separate charger for the battery
- Its intelligent auto mode adjusts camera settings automatically
- It has a self-timer, as well as an image stabilizer
- Its manufacturing materials are quite acceptable and adjusted to the price it has
- You can edit or retouch images on the fly to improve the overall finish of the images you take with your camera
- Includes cover to protect it from bumps and dust, as well as 8GB memory card
Disadvantages
- The sound of the videos you record is not the best
- Can’t take low-light photos that are of high quality
- It takes a long time to save photos to the memory card
- As a low-mid-range camera, the functions that this model has are somewhat basic but sufficient if you do not have great demands.
- The cover included is quite simple and does not have a rope to hang around the neck, although it can be hung on the belt
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A Final Word From Run Gun Shoot
The Sony DSC-W830 digital camera in a very compact body and at a low price provides 8x optical zoom and a huge resolution of 20.1 megapixels. Although the feasibility of such a solution is controversial, the model provides decent image quality and allows large images to be captured. Also, the camera records video well, unless, of course, a resolution of 720p can be considered satisfactory. The camera doesn’t have a special video capture button, but it’s easy to toggle the capture mode switch. There are 2 HD quality options that give good results, although the CCD sensor works poorly at high brightness.
Other key features include a wide range of autofocus modes (without AF shift), a smart timer, shutter release options, and, of course, 360-degree full-frame panoramic shooting. By the way, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 has pretty mediocre specifications. Although there are many autofocus options, the system does not work well in low light. According to user reviews, the 2.7-inch LCD screen is not the best, and the camera does not have a Wi-Fi module. Shooting is slow, less than 1 fps, the choice of special effects filters is limited, and battery life is low because there is no power management system.
Sony DSC-W830 is an affordable digital camera that offers great value for money. It is a very small, light, and compact camera with great features for those looking for a quality model but without high-end features.
Based on a variety of Sony W830 reviews, the device’s main negative point is that photographs with low lighting cannot be taken clearly. The sound of the videos he records are not the best. Sony DSC-W830 is ideal for people who are not looking for much photography specialization. In general, the image quality matches the capabilities of compact cameras.
Our opinion?
The Sony W830 price-to-performance ratio makes it a worthy low-cost acquisition. A thumbs up from Run Gun Shoot! We’ve hope you enjoyed this Sony W830 review.
