Quite recently I happened to be one of the lucky winners in a competition on a well known review site with the prizes on offer ranging from amazon voucher, Nintendo DS's, experience vouchers, x-boxes and even a Vaio laptop... good prizes in all.
Anyway, I was informed that I had won a digital camera, which was nice, but I didn't know any more about the actual prize, it was just a matter of waiting to see exactly what the camera was.
So when the competition was over and the prizes were sent out I was soon unwrapping a nice sized brown package, which the very kind postman delivered to my door, and when I had the package opened I was pleasantly surprised at what it contained, and very happy with the fact that I had won it on a competition.

I was soon giving the camera a test run, checking out what it could do and how good it could do it.
Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a professional photographer, to me a camera should be able to take a picture with as much ease as possible. I like the 'idiot proof' system most compact digital camera's offer as it makes my life taking snaps a lot easier, so when I read the information booklet that comes with this Sony cyber-shot W220 I was happy to discover that this was one of those idiot proof camera's I so liked.

Firstly, let us get the specs out of the way...

* Size of the unit is approximately 95 x 56 x 22 mm
* 12.1 mega pixels
* Weighing in at around 5 oz (145g)
* Built in microphone and speaker
* 2.7 inch LCD viewing screen.
* Face recognition with priority
* Scene recognition
* Optical zoom
* 4 times digital zoom
* Self timer
* Dynamic Range optimizer
* Steady shot stabiliser
* Smile detection technology
* Red eye reduction
* Built in microphone and speaker
* Video capture mode

Well, that's the main specifications for this Sony camera, but what else does it offer..?

It comes in a range of colours, offering the choice of silver, blue, red and black and it has a built in simple to use editing software so you can play with your pictures without having to transfer them to a PC.
The package comes with a rechargeable battery which will save you messing around with those AA batteries most cameras use.
The manual that comes with the package is easy to understand and explains in plain English exactly what the camera can do and how to do it.
Connecting it to your PC to transfer your photo/videos is easily achieved by using the lead that come with the package or by purchasing a card reader which will work with a Memory Stick PRO Duo & Memory Stick Duo Card.


So, that is what this small Sony offers... Now, what do I think? (and remember, I am by no means a professional when it comes to using a cameras setting).

IN MY OPINION....

It's simple to use, even for me, with the on off button sitting happily on the top of the unit next to the capture button.
The main controls are situated at the back next to the good sized 2.7 inch screen and are pretty straight forward to use, with the little control wheel being turned easily to allow you different selections for taking your photograph, as you turn the little wheel an image appears on the screen plus a short description of the mode you're in.

It starts with an 'Easy shooting' for all those that just want to point and shoot, then onto auto adjustment for those that like to take a little control over the camera.
Then it all gets a little more hard work, (although nothing to begin crying about), with such setting as twilight, twilight portrait, landscape, soft snap, sensitivity setting and more. But these will all become more clearer the more you use the camera and its setting.
You can take shots in several sizes, from VGA to 12 megapixals, including options for 16:9 for HDTVs, but this higher you Mps the fewer shots you can take.
I tend to stick with the 3MPs as I find that size quite adequate, although I have used the 12 MPs a few times when I know I will have to have a larger print of the picture.

The zoom is faster than most compact cameras I have used, making getting that good shot a lot easier before it disappears for ever.
The face detection option can be turned on or off, although when turned on it is rather a handy little option especially as priority can be given to children's or adult faces.
The battery life is great, although this depends on personal usage, but one fully charged battery can handle at least a hundred shots with ease, more if the setting are right, but the re-charge time for a battery is around an hour.

As for the internal memory, well, I found it to be a little short, being 11MB in total, allowing only a couple of pictures in good quality, so it is quite important to purchase a memory stick, (but do note that it is not a 'normal' memory stick you will need but a Memory stick pro duo which is slightly smaller... maybe this is Sony's way of forcing you to buy from them, but there are other dealers who sell the stick pro duo for a smaller price).

I really do like the quality of the 2.7 inch viewing screen as I could clearly see what the lens was pointing at and the picture I had taken before transferring to PC.

The editing software on the camera can be fun to play about with, allowing you to 'play' about with the pictures you have taken with such things as taking a sad face and turning the frown into a smile, (although the results can look rather weird, if not scary at times).

In all, a cracking little camera which is simple to use and fits easily into your pocket with out those nasty bulges.
As I said, I won mine in a competition but after a quick search around I have found that they retail around £150, but for this you get the camera itself, together with a rechargeable battery and battery case, a charger, USB/AV cables to connect to your PC/TV and a wrist strap...

PLEASE NOTE....

I do recommend buying a memory stick pro duo card of at least 1GB (£7.00) and maybe a spare battery (£8.00).

** ONE QUESTION...

Would I have bought this Sony product if I had not won it in a competition?
This is a little tricky to answer...
Before using this camera I'd have to say I would not have paid more than a £100 for a compact camera which I would use for simple picture taking.
But after using it for a while I would have to say that YES, I would gladly pay the £150 price as I find the results are probably as good as some professional cameras with a much higher price tag.

If you choose to buy this Sony Cyber-shot W220 12.1MP digital camera then I can assure you you won't be disappointed one bit.