Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 review

Then there are the more specialised modes. The 'sweeping panorama' option lets you shoot horizontal or vertical panoramas with one press of the shutter release, unlike other cameras, which require you to take several shots. The last two are the 'anti-motion blur' and 'handheld twilight' modes. Both use the camera's ability to quickly capture six images and combine them into one photo with less blur and better detail than you'd get with just one shot. The results are impressive, as long as you don't look too closely at the full-size images. They're quite usable at sizes of 8 by 10 inches or smaller, though.

For those who tend to leave their camera in auto mode, Sony's 'intelligent auto' turns in reliable results, picking from eight scene types (branded 'iSCN') and turning on face detection and image stabilisation.

There are three levels of high-speed, full-resolution shooting, too, and they all live up to Sony's performance claims. Once the photos are shot, however, you have to wait for them to be stored to the memory card, which takes roughly 2 to 3 seconds per photo. The DSC-WX1 also has exposure bracketing that will take one photo at the exposure you select and then two more at plus and minus 0.3EV, 0.7EV or 1.0EV.

Speed demon
The DSC-WX1 is one of the quickest cameras we've tested in its class. The wake-to-first-shot time is 1.5 seconds, with a nearly identical shot-to-shot time of 1.7 seconds. Using the flash only bumps that time up to 2.3 seconds. Shutter lag in bright conditions is a scant 0.3 seconds. In dim lighting, it's only 0.7 seconds. The camera has no continuous-shooting mode, but its high-speed burst mode is capable of snapping 9.6 frames per second at full resolution.

Shooting speed
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1

1.5 

2.3 

1.7 

0.7 

0.3 

Canon Digital IXUS 110 IS

1.4 

3.8 

2.6 

0.6 

0.4 

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR

2.7 

2.5 

1.4 

0.6 

0.5 

Nikon Coolpix S630

3.9 

3.4 

3.1 

0.8 

0.5 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500

2.5 

2.6 

2.2 

1 

0.8 

When it comes to photo quality, the DSC-WX1 is a tough camera to judge. Going strictly by what happens between ISO sensitivities, it's a fairly typical point-and-shoot camera -- it's good up to ISO 200, but, at ISO 400 and beyond, noise reduction mucks up fine details. This is mainly noticeable when pictures are viewed at full size or when heavily cropped.