Omake

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Cybershot DSC-W290

Wed 05/06/2009 00:26 CDT | Omake | comments (3) | 2,425 Views

Photography is something that I have been interested in since I was a kid.  I have done photography off and on during various times in my life.  It was not until I was in university taking a photography class that I spent time trying to learn more about the art behind it though.

The class even taught darkroom, but I’m much more comfortable with digital medium.  So I decided to get a Canon DSLR.  But carrying around a camera that size isn’t always an option and I wanted something that I could carry with me on a daily basis.  Enter the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290.

I mentioned on my Twitter that I was able to get this camera and the 4GB memory stick a decent price.  This was because I was able to use Sony Reward points I had accumulated over the years to go towards the price of the camera and memory stick.  I recall having to sell a similar program with my current employer and a lot of people would be turned off by the idea.  Sony Rewards is the only reward type program I participate in, but I think its a good deal for the consumer.  How about you, do you participate in any type of reward programs?

I went with the Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo.  Not sure how much better this memory card is compared to the regular 4GB unit, but it seems to work with my camera and came with a card reader so I can’t complain too much.  ^^;

I was disappointed with Fed-Ex though for the delivery.  Not only did the driver leave the box on the doorstep for anyone to take, the box was also crushed in on one side.  Even with a lot of packing, the camera’s box still took some damage thanks to their poor care.

I contacted Sony Customer Support and they did tell me that if the camera was damaged that I could send it in for replacement up to 30 days after it arrives.  So it was nice that I at least had the option if anything was wrong.

The unboxing begins.  Obviously the first thing to greet me was a reminder to register my new product.  Even threw in the incentive of 15% off next accessory purchase if I do so.  I always suggest registering new items if you can.  A lot of companies do it online, usually takes a few moments.  But it has been a life saver for me when it comes time to get warranty repairs.  I highly recommend that you do it.

Other items included instruction manual, limited warranty, and camera software (which you can’t really use on Macs, but that’s okay because I didn’t need it).

Sony requests that if you experience a problem with the camera to not return it to the store.  They would rather you contact their support center to help resolve the issue.  I can understand this policy, but having worked retail for five years I know that many consumers would rather have the issue resolved immediately.  And that usually means taking the item back to the store for refund or exchange.  Not really an option in my case, having got it from Sony directly; but understandable.

Do you return defective items to the store if you have the option to do so?  Or do you work it out with the manufacturer?

Camera included everything you need to get started.  Battery w/ charger and connector cables.  Cables have A/V plugs so you can hook it to a TV for sharing any video you capture with the camera.  It does have the capability of shooting HD movie, but I haven’t tested it yet.  I’ll talk a bit more about the camera’s various features in a future post after I have had time to learn more about all of them.  ^^

I also noticed that dust after I shot these.  Please forgive me, I did try to dust before I took the shots ^^;

The box was crushed in on the empty side of the box where the cables and battery were located.  So the camera was not damaged.  Color options were tan, black, and blue.  The black was out of stock, so I went with blue.  I like it.

The memory stick after I busted it out of its blister pack prison.  My previous experience with memory stick media was with an older Cyber-shot (which I still have) that uses the older blue memory sticks.  Those are a little thicker than these new ones, and twice the length.  The highest capacity memory stick I had then was 64 MB and that was considered a lot those days.  =D

Card reader.  Not sure if this will work with the regular memory stick duo, may get one to try it out.  If it does, than that would be great because I won’t have to buy another card reader.

Also makes me wonder if properly formatted, could these cards could be used for other uses – like creating disk images for instance =3

)

Figured I would take a few test shots.  Just pointing and shooting here.  This is my current desktop setup.  Saber decided to step down and give the Code Geass gang some screen time for now.

Main monitor featuring the Black King and his witch (Lelouch and C.C. from Code Geass).  Came out a bit dark, but I was letting camera do all the work here ^^;

It wouldn’t be my desktop without some knights.  Figured the Knights of the Round would be glad to lend their services to my secondary monitor.

Not matter what is on my desktop, C.C. is always at my side (as well as Kallen).  Camera seemed to switch modes automatically with this shot to macro mode and used flash.  Apparently it can detect the type of picture you are attempting to take if its set to do so.  Talk more about it once I test it further.

Saber is also always near.  A new girl has taken up residence on my desk as well…Buster Machine No 7 (Nono from Diebuster).  This was a figure that I had to scoop up after I missed my chance to get her when she was initially released.  Never seen Diebuster or its prequel Gunbuster.  I just loved her pose and she had what I refer to as “the future cape” (long flowing scarf).

You can see Nono aka Buster Machine No 7 in action below.

A bit over-exposed in my opinion.  Last test shot was of Dark Angel lithograph signed by Kia Asamiya, which I’ll talk more about soon.  Also have Fate / Unlimited Codes box, which is how I got Saber Lily ^^;

Though I haven’t had much time to really experiment with this lovely camera, I do feel that it will work out perfectly for what I have planned.  Been many times that I have wished I had a camera with me.  I wanted something small, thin, with good features; and I do think this camera may fit the bill.

I’ll write back with a more detailed review once I had time to fully explore its features.