Digital Camera Repair Blog

Digital cameras are great… except when you are in a low light situation and need to use the flash! Now you have overexposed faces, red eye problems and dark backgrounds. One of the biggest problems with digital cameras has always been low-light shooting!

Sony has finally produced a CMOS sensor that makes sense! I wrote up a long article about lenses and how CCD’s work long ago but will try and explain it as quickly and easily as possible.

The CCD or in this case the CMOS is the part of the camera that captures the image and turns it into a digital signal. Think of it as being where the film would be in a film camera. Typically the sensors (1 million  sensors per megapixel by the way) take up only about HALF the surface area of the CMOS or CCD and the rest is taken up by the wiring needed to connect the sensors and make it all work.

Sony has now released their new back-illuminated CMOS sensor that they claim will capture sharper, more detailed images in low light situations and with less noise and more vibrant colors than those shot with standard CMOS and CCD sensors.

How is the back-illuminated CMOS different?
“Standard front-illuminated CMOS sensors are constructed so that light (after passing through the lens) must then pass through a metal wiring grid before striking the light-sensitive pixel receptors. Consequently, some light is lost. Back-illuminated sensors position the wiring grid beneath the light sensitive pixel receptors – increasing light gathering capability by up to 200% over traditional CMOS sensors.”

You can buy the Sony DSC-WX1 camera on Amazon here.

General Controls:
The WX1 is a small camera, but the control array/user interface does not seem busy or cluttered. Dedicated controls have been kept to the minimum. All controls are logically placed and come easily to hand for right-handed shooters. The WX1′s on/off switch is too small and often requires a second push to power up or power down the camera. The compass switch (4-way controller) is also a bit too small and gives off a fiddly tactile feel – which doesn’t inspire confidence (especially for users with large fingers) in its responsiveness. The mode dial is located in the exact spot where most right-handed shooters will rest their thumb when shooting (and the mode dial is easily turned) meaning users will have to suffer through occasional accidental mode changes.

For some reason the camera is auto exposure only (which limits user input into the creative process), it has no optical viewfinder and, unlike similar digicams from other manufacturers, doesn’t provide direct access (via shortcut menu) to the most commonly changed/adjusted camera settings and functions like white balance, sensitivity, and exposure compensation.

Conclusion:
The WX1 is also ultra-compact, easy to use, has loads of neat features, and it’s stylish in a minimalist sort of way – all reasons why it should appeal to casual photographers and snap-shooters.

Pros:

• Impressive noise management
• Excellent 5x zoom
• 720p movie mode

Cons:

• Slight tendency toward over-exposure
• No direct access to the most commonly changed/adjusted camera settings and functions

Overall I would recommend checking out this camera if you are thinking about it. It does seem to be a good camera for the price; just see if you can try it out in the store first and you are happy with the controls layout.

You can buy the Sony DSC-WX1 camera on Amazon here.

Related posts:

1. Entry Level Sony Alpha DSLR Camera Review