Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120 review

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon Digital IXUS 80

2.1

1

0.4

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130

1.4

1.8

0.4

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120

1.3

1.8

0.5

Fujifilm FinePix F40fd

2.5

1.1

0.5

Nikon Coolpix S51c

3.4

4.2

0.9

Image quality
The W120's photos look crisp, and colours appear neutral and accurate. Close inspection reveals some image artefacts, but they're within an acceptable range for a camera of this class. Noise stays low up to ISO 400, and then noticeable grain begins to develop and starts to obscure finer details, such as small text and the textures of objects.

Shots taken at ISO 800 look fuzzy but remain quite usable for both online use and small prints. From ISO 1,600 to the camera's maximum sensitivity of ISO 3,200, noise obscures or destroys most fine details and the majority of shadow detail is obliterated. While they don't make good prints, these high-sensitivity shots still might be useful for emailing or uploading to the Web under the right circumstances.

Conclusion
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120 is a perfectly fine compact camera. Its quick performance, good picture quality and surprisingly robust feature set make it a solid choice in the budget category. The Cyber-shot DSC-W130 dwarfs it in nearly every way, however.

For about £20 more, you can get a camera with a higher resolution, quicker performance and many onboard editing tools. If you're committed to a sub-£150 price tag or just really want a blue camera, the W120 serves its purpose well. If you can spend the extra few quid, though, make the upgrade to the W130.

Additional editing by Nick Hide