very solid camera with excellent performance.

I purchased my DSC-S60 in July ‘05 after much on-line research. According the counter, I have taken over 4700 pictures as of writing this. I have seen some other reviews which were negative, based mostly on defective units. I guess some lemons always find their way off the production line.

In the 3+ years I’ve owned it I have been very pleased with it. It has been ultra dependable, I’ve used it in temperature ranges from -10c to +35c. It’s been rained on many times without any ill affects. It’s gone with me on four long vacations and used on countless other occasions. Soon after buying it I bought a hard shell case which I recommend to anyone. I believe this had a part in keeping the camera in working order for this length of time.

It’s very difficult in this price range to find a digital camera with functional manual features. I have taken many long exposure shots up to 30 seconds, with nothing more than a table top tripod which have turned out great. You can toggle between 2 aperture settings usually f2.8 to f5.6. Depending on lighting conditions it can sometimes be f5.6 to f 11. I like the way you can control setting such as Sharpness, Contrast and Saturation. You can take B&W and Sepia tone pictures.. You can get some wonderful effects when you switch the metering from Multi to Spot metering. I like the way you can override the focus from auto to manual, especially to infinity, which makes it great when shooting from behind a window. You can compensate exposure from +2 OEV to -2 OEV, great for bracketing exposures of tough subject matter. I get my best results when I use the P program mode, but I also got good results with M manual and A auto.

The one feature that sold me on this camera in the first place is the in camera cropping and trimming. You can zoom in on a picture you have already taken (up to a factor of 4x) reposition or recompose the picture and then save it at the same resolution or you can resize it to a lesser MP all the way down to VGA. This is a feature I could never live without. I would never buy another camera without it.

The bummer about this camera. The maximum 400 ISO setting is not very good. There is considerable visual ‘noise’ in under exposed areas of images. In low light conditions, out of the flash range, the results can be very under whelming with considerable motion blur.

Excellent color, video capturing and sound, Has all kinds of functionalities, 2.5 LCD display WOW at this pice NO CAMERA can offer. It has close up photo capturing function gives great color photos. I even tried on flowers and insects- got the best results.

I have had my camera for almost 2 years now and I have absolutely LOVED it! It takes AWESOME pictures and AMAZING videos!! Everyone has truly been impressed with the pics and videos I have taken with it. The only things I would say need improvement are the time it takes between pressing the flash and when the pic actually takes and the low lighting when doing video. Regardless of that, I have still be completely pleased with my purchase and will continue to use this camera for long into the future.

Has been sent back twice already for the same problem. Turns off by itself, or will not turn on. Sony has fixed it twice under warranty. I get stuck with the postage charge. Guess Sony will just keep fixing it, incompetently, till the warranty runs out. Never buy another Sony

This camera was awesome to start, it took great quality pictures, never blurred on action photos, lots of options...Until it stopped turning on after having it for about 8 months. It tries to turn on but cant unless its on direct power. I suggest its not worth it in the long run.

I bought the camera and it was fine for about 7 months until it started shutting off on me..i had used the rechargeable batteries before and it was fine until recently..i've sent it to sony 2x already and am sending it again this week..i've told them i'm extremely unsatisfied !!!

This is a nice little all around camera with MPEG movie VX. Take great video, and the pictures come out nice as well. The only complaint I have found about this camera after a year of use is it's low light capabilities. The pictures at my son's school play (inside the gym) didn't show up very well and I was quite disappointed about that.Other than that it's a nice little camera.

I love my camera. It takes great pictures and easy to use. I recommend this camera to everone I meet.

I have owned this camera for about 6 months, and all of a sudden it stopped turning on. I could view old pictures I took, but as soon as I turn the know to take new ones, it shuts off. I am very dissapointed. I owned a Kodak for 4 years with no pproblems at all!!! I have had this camera for only 6 months, and it is completely broken. Today is my college graduation, and I am very dissapointed to know that Sony is so unreliable. I would NOT recommend this camera to ANYONE. i wish I would have speny $5 on a disposable, rather than spending $200 on this piece of crap.

I had been very happy with my purchase of the DSC-S60 until recently. I took thousands of pictures the first six months that I owned it. Then all of a sudden I started getting the 'turn off the camera and turn on again' message. Well I worked with that till it became most annoying and finally sent it in for repair. I received it back saying that they had performed many calibrations etc and included a warning about the proper batteries that I should use. I have only used the recommended NiHD re chargables I purchased with the camera. So, it is happening all over again. Got the message twice today. and where do I go from here. I am very di ssapointed, have several trips scheduled this summer and a big once a life time tour to China scheduled this fall...what camera will I be taking?

theres is no professional touch for the photos taken with S60. Rest every thing ok. Great video quality especially 640 Fine mode.

I have been using this piece since last 10 months and i should this is a very good product.

Thanks to Sony for this wonderful camera for beginners. Thanks to Sony again for the Carl-Zeiss lens. The picture quality is JUST fantastic. I have compared the picture quality with all competetors including Canon, Olympus, Fuji, Kodak...etc. but none of these are even any where close to the picture quality that Sony offered on this camera. Brightness and Sharpness of the image even on a night shot are superb. The only problem I see with this camera (infact with any point and shoot cameras with flash close to the lens).. yes I am talking abt RED-EYE! But this can be avoided with a little skill in taking the pictures. I was a beginner when started but its just a matter of time and interest on how to take great pictures.

All in all this is a great camera for the price ( I paid $ 225 for this camera 13 months ago! it should be much cheaper now!!) and worth every single penny for its picture quality. I recommend to everybody who would like to take great pictures even as a beginner!

I like my Cybershot DSCS60! I use rechargeable Duracell batteries and it runs forever! I agree with some of the other reviewers when they say that the flash is too bright sometimes, but my Mac fixes that in iPhoto. The ambiant shots are amazing and the timed shots are nice too. I would recommend this camera to anyone.

Bought this beauty for a trip to the Dominican Republic — got back at 3am this morning with over 200 pictures and movies. Used the alka batts provided (wrong!) and then my NiMH rechargeables kicked in (took 3 sets of batteries with me, all charged up) and the experience was awesome! The movies are almost Oscar quality(!) and the point-and-shoot capability for the stills was a lifesaver on many occasions, especially shooting from the front seat of a bus being driven by a maniac (there is no other kind in the DR!). Overall, a great camera, almost as good as my Cybershot 707 and my H1 but better, really, because the S60 travelled in my shorts pocket for the whole trip!

I am fully satisfied with the camera. I bought it just before my tour to Shimla, Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, India. Photos taken are beautiful. But I would request you to kindly send me via my e-mail (soumen146@rediffmail.com) the booklet "Read this first" which I have lost. It will help me to be more familiar with the camera. Please send it.

This camera is so great. During the ride home, i was taking pictures of moving things, and the pictures came out great. The only thing i can't figure out is how to delete all the pictures at the same time. Do i have to do each one at one time?

Having owned four other SONY digital cameras I recently bought a S60 to replace my 2megapixel Sony. The item worked great at the beginning. I love the brightness graph on the LCD. One day out of the blue when I turned the unit on, the lens was stuck and it would say "Turn unit off and back on". User Manual does not give any advice on this besides the line "A error with the lens has caused a malfunction". I could not rtn the item to Best Buy because of their 14day return policy. Luckily I was able to get a repair ticket open with SONY to get it fixed. I have sent the camera in and waiting for it to return. This has definitely left a bad taste. Seems that this and similar issues are a well known for this generation. I am suprised that a reputable brand like SONY would release such a poor quality product...

before it i had worked with the sony p52 and it was great. so i decide to buy only sony camera. i find sony s60 look like p52 functionally. but after one week. when i want to get photo it automatically turn off. without any message and warning about battry loose.

i have not used a lot of cameras but i have handled some very popular other big-branded cameras in the same category and i have to admit that i have been loving my sony s60.

very fast with very easy menu items.

i just miss a comprehensive tutorial.

otherwise and even then i am loving this camera.

I own the DSC-W7 and it exhibits the same flaw with AA alkaline batteries. I can probably take 10 pictures before the cameras shuts it self off, with the zoom lens extended. I spoke to Sony and they blamed it on the batteries, when it's a coverup for a problem with their camera. The fix: use 2000+ maH Ni-MH batteries (also confirmed by another reviewer here). Regular alkalines and this camera don't mix.

I have had this one for the last 3-4 months. Have already taken over a 1000 pics with it. I am extremely pleased with it. THe M and P mode gives amazing flexibility for a point and shoot camera at this price. Only one problem - whenever I use the flash - my photos take on a yellow tinge. I am not sure why this is caused, but this is irrespective of the surrounding background / walls / etc. Otherwise even in low lights, or daylight it gives amazing pics. Anyone who knows solution to the yello tinge factor - can you please get back to me?

Thanks.

Two weeks ago I bought the SONY s-60, and now I regret every single cent I paid for it. It�s not a digital camera, it�s a disaster camera. There�s not enough color in the pictures, the focus is very poor and the flash is a big disappointment. My friend owns a SONY s-90 but it occurs the it has the same defects. I believe that most SONY digitals are low in picture quality so I recon think twice when you want to buy a SONY.

Same problems, untill I used Energizer 2500mah rechargable NiMH batteries!

It worked fine for the first day, then second time it had a dark screen, said access, and turned itself off leaving the lens open and extended.
Sony tried to fix it over the phone but couldn't. I exchanged it for a new one, and after about twenty shots it did the same thing. I tried to reset as Sony had me do with the last one, and still nothing.
After being off for twenty minutes, it turned back on and worked for a few pictures, then it did it again. Back it goes.

First of all I had to learn how to use the camera, after selecting proper settings I noticed it gives very good results.

It's worth to buy this camera for amature photography and personal use.

Thanks

its a good camera picture quality wise but need some changes like its need a belt like professional cameras to hang in the neck other wise its good camera

I will not waste your time and rehash what happened. Just read the other reviews on this site that talk about this camera being defective. I experienced the same thing and am in the process of returning the camera for a refund. My previous Sony Cybershot camera was wonderful though, so not all sony's products are junk. This particular model just seems to have a defect, STAY AWAY!

I have had this thing for 3 weeks I used it twice and the same thing happened to me it turns off in camera mode but I can look at the pictures I have already taken........but I can not take new pics......its a bad camera people save your money and stay away from it

As a first time digital camera buyer, I think this product is excellent! I reasearched for quite a while before choosing a camera and this one got excellent reviews in almost all the consumer repsorts I checked out. The quality is really great compared to other cameras in this price range and the zoom is very good for beginners (like me) and amateurs.

In response to what other owners above said about the battery thing, I too had that problem once and it was because of the batteries (I usually use rechargeable ones but i was one a trip and they were still recharging). All I had to do, though was go back to the rechargable NiMH batteries and I haven't had that problem since. I would recommend this camera to anyone and everyone!

P.S. It also takes pictures more quickly than the Cannon PowerShot and Nikon CoolPix.

I bought a Sony S60 on 12/19 based on the Sony name and the price. I checked this site for reviews to see if I had made a wise choice and was surprised to see poor reviews. My first night with the camera was fine. It worked great. Well not 24 hours later I had the same problems that the other reviewers had. It would only turn on in review mode and then when turned to picture mode it would turn off. I was shocked! I immediately returned it and purchased a Sony DSC-W5. I hope with the different model and considerably higher price that I won't have any worries. I'm going to trust the Sony name and try my new one out.

I could copy and paste every bad review on this site for my review. I bought this for my daughter for Christmas. After 10 pictures, it shut off, lens still out. I was able to turn it back on and it worked briefly, but got progressively worse over the next couple of hours until it would not turn on at all. This has to be an inherent problem for so many people to have it. There should be a recall. I have always been happy with Sony cameras until now. Also, suggest you don't buy from BestBuy.com and pick up from a Best Buy store. They compete and obviously do not want to work in harmony with one another, totally counter to what should be customer service.

For a point-and-shoot compact style camera, I was extremely impressed when I'd purchased it. This model has been with me for a while now, and it now has a few battle scars. I had to have the motor that extends the lens replaced once after someone whom was handling it dropped the unit onto concrete. It was worth the money to repair, I still use it and I probably won't ever resell it or trade it in (I intend to purchase an SLR next). And batteries... I don't know what the other users are talking about- I have four pairs of NiMH batteries that I use and charge regularly. It's excellent on batteries compared to previous models. The quality of the images taken is excellent, due to the digital image processor and the high quality all-glass lens. Lastly, I love the manual controls. They're a rarity for these kinds of cameras directed toward consumers whom are 'beginners' and 'amateurs' mostly.

Short exposure time with very accurate photo, point shoot and here is an excelent pic. The control on the top neep to be impoved because if not in good position your will have probs, for the rest the pictures cant be better.

This is not a camara for morons, but thats what i love about it. You can put it on auto and it will take fine pics, but sometimes the focus is a bit off or the flash is a little too bright. But use another setting (Dark, Scenic, etc) and it truly shines. (and everyone complaining about the batteries- turn the flash off! The exposure is longer and the colors become richer and the detail more striking. And you can take 200 pics per battery change!) My favorite mood is P[rogram], where you can choose the OEV, ISO, Saturation, Sharpness, Contrast and more. Once you learn how to use these, your pictures will be unbelievable. It took me a month to master it, and now the photos are some of the best ive ever seen in my life. All the promblems people complain about can be solved by simple investigation. If you arent lazy with this camera, it will reward you like none other. I strongly urge you to buy it.

I bought two s60's from Staples last week. One for me and one for a gift. My camera shot about 10 beautiful photos the first day, then the next day it would not power up in picture mode. I returned it for a new one, and the new camera has the exact same problem after only a few shots. Based on previous posts, it seems that there may be a serious problem with these cameras. I'm worried about the one I purchased as a gift. Buyer beware! I certainly would not buy one from a retailer who does not offer a full $ back guarantee.

so far so good, the quality is excellent my pics in the PC,
i had committed a mistake with it,
i had switched on the camera with the lens facing the table side(accidently), the lens was struggling to project forward but it was unable to do so, but after that i had taken photos it was as good as the earlier shots. will it cause any problem in the future....

this is the worst camera ever, it can't even be turned on, it says access and then turns off and the lens remains open. The only way to close it again is hook it to the usb cable (so it gets power from there) and then you can turn it off to close the lens. There's something really defunct with the battery system inside. New batteries don't make a difference, they work for about 10 minutes...after shooting some pics it's the same all over again.

I posted a review on my S60 a while ago and had problems with the unit turning off...just to amend my review, I tried the unit with several types of batteries, including brand-new freshly charged 2300MAh NiMH batteries. Same problem.

Believe me, I'm not a neophyte when it comes to figuring out how things should work. The people at Best Buy even put their own batteries into the thing...same problem. I find it's still a quality issue, and I'm still surprised that Sony's highly touted Stamina battery life system would allow new, never used batteries to cause this kind of problem in their cameras...

This is my first digital camera, but I am not new to cameras, owning a professional Rolliflex SLR, a quality Olympus SLR, and even a point-and-shoot Canon Sureshot basic film camera. However, of all of these cameras, I think I am going to like this little Sony best of all! The reviews that state it is difficult or that it failed are user problems, not the camera. Best advice is to read the instruction book, mine also had a CD Tutorial program that I could play on my computer, and definitely get AA NiMH rechargeable batteries. The lens quality of the Carl Zeiss lens cannot be beat! This is a superb camera for novices as well as experienced users. I don't think for the money that I could have found a higher quality camera. And even for more money, I don't think you can find one this well made, easy to use, rendering the quality photos this camera produces. I have no regrets in having purchased this camera!

I've owned this camera for a week and it is pretty good. I love all the features it has, but I wish it had more scene modes. The ones it provides are fine though. The pictures are very high quality. At first when I bought this camera, I wasn't very good at taking pictures, so I thought it was a horrible camera. Turns out that when I practiced more and looked at the CD that was provided with the camera, I became an expert in no time. I love the smart zoom feature of the camera. It is much better than digital zoom, which degrades image quality. For all the people that say this camera has a bad battery life..DO NOT LISTEN! If you use NiMH batteries, the battery life is excellent. Alkalines(the type of batteries included with the camera) are horrible, as it is for most digital cameras. For that other issue about the camera turning off when switching to picture mode blah blah blah...I had the same problem. The problem was, I was using alkaline batteries and they couldn't power up the camera. When I replaced the batteries..tada..it worked. All in all, this camera is very good for a lot of purposes and the price is just right. The only reason why I gave this camera a 4 star rating was because of the 3X optical zoom, which is a bit little for me.

Firstly, I would like to explain the problems other users are having. When the batteries have expired, the lense may protrude but then switch off. Obviously, with no battery life, photos can't be taken (review mode does not drain as much power). So try changing the batteries occasionally ;)

Now, about the camera. As you would expect from a Sony, especially with its Carl Zeiss lens, the image quality can't be beaten. I selected this camera over the following, mostly due to its superior quality, even at full resolution: Fuji Finepix 350, Canon Powershot A520 and Olympus D-595 zoom.

The movie mode uses MPEG encoding, so the quality is much less noisy than other models and the file size is much smaller. Sound quality could be a bit better (mono only), but I don't purchase still cameras for their movie modes.

The 2.00" LCD display is clear, and remains visible- even in the brightest sunlight. It features several shooting modes, including manual exposures.

I was also very impressed with the digital zoom. You would expect the optical to be precision perfect, and it doesn't disappoint, but the digital zoom has far less graininess than other point-and-shoot cameras.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with every aspect of this camera. Great job Sony!

Purchased the S-60 2 months ago. The camera just has too many ajustments that it drives me crazy. The focus is difficult at best. Rechargeable batteries are a must.

I too have owned 2 of these cameras in the past 3 days. I bought the first one from Fry's on Saturday and it worked for a little while but then all of a sudden it would not turn on in the picture or video modes. It would only turn on in the viewer mode. I thought that I received a faulty camera so I returned it Monday for a brand new one. Today is Tuesday and the same thing is happening! I wanted to buy a Sony camera since I have a Sony laptop, but this is making me consider an entirely different brand all together.

I had two S60s in three days. On both, I had this problem: I could turn the camera on in 'review' mode, but when I'd switch to any of the photo taking modes, the camera would turn off. If I tried to turn the camera on in 'photo' mode, the screen would say 'Accessing', the lens would extend, then the camera would turn off.

On the first one, I thought it was just a quirk, but I returned it to a completely different Best Buy in a different state, got another one, and the same thing happened a day and a half later.

I returned that one and picked up a Canon A510. no problems with that one. I did notice that Sony has really steeply discounted the S60 lately, and you can't even get one in one of the big retailers anymore. It almost smells of then trying to dump a known bad product.

Just good enough to take smooth pictures. i recommend it for first timers but not for semi pros or serious photographers. Really sucks battery.But overall 7 out of 10.
Let you know if anything any issues come up worth mentioning.

I'm a first-time digital camera owner that did a fair amount of research before buying. The Sony S60 is one of the best values out there. It has great features and takes excellent pictures. My only complaint is it sucks AA alkaline batteries dry in 30 minutes of use, and they go dead even faster if you're using the flash. At first I thought the camera was defective. I haven't tried NiMH batteries yet, but I hope it's a big improvement. I really don't understand how people can say that this camera has "impressive" battery life. Other than that I'm very pleased.

I bought this camera yesterday, upgrading from the old Sony Cybershot DSC-P31 2 megapixal and I am absolutely in love with it. The pictures are sharp and clear, and the camera is easy to use.
I only have one tidbit of advice. Do not use the batteries included with the camera, they'll be dead within an hour.

This camera is horrible, i bought it sunday returning it today. The picture quality is not good. I am upgrading from a 1.3MP camera which takes better pictures than this. All these great reviews people, have you developed pictures yet? This camera isnt worth $20. In fact, it is so bad, I am willing to pay a $30 restocking fee just not to deal with it. The auto focus is horrible, the pictures are horrible and the battery life sucks. I already went through 2 sets of batterys.

DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA. I am un-bias, I only care about quality and this camera does not have it. Nor am I picky, it is just a bad camera.

Bought this camera after my last camera DSC P71 would only turn on for review and set up, not for taking pictures. It was 3 years old. Bought the S60 to replace it, within 5 days it was doing the same thing - it would try to turn on in a picture taking mode and then flip off. Very disappointing

this camera has really good battery life, the auto controls are great and it allows you some manual overides (like ISO settings) which is very handy.

the only thing i'm unhappy about is the delay under low light.... it's takes a while to snap the pic when set to fine quality. but all round it's an excellent buy and i'm chuffed!

I noticed a yellow tinge in some of the photos taken , has anyone else experianced this ?

I've been very very happy with this camera! It takes sharp and very clear pictures. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat!

After searching and searching for a great camera with great picture quality, fast response and long battery life - this is the camera that has all three factors! and for this price! WOW. THe only difference between the S60 and the S90 is the LCD size. and that the S90 comes with a recharger for the batteries - but since i had an older sony camera, i didn't need that charger. I'm just waiting for my 1GB memory stick and I'll be on my way to Costa Rica to enjoy the rainforest! Thanks Sony. PS When looking for a camera - i really paid attention to the user reviews - professional and regulars - so this one is for real! Get the camera!

I've got a friend who has a $800 digital camera and this little Sony takes just as good pictures!! I've been very very happy with this camera and would buy enother one tomorrow if needed.

I had very little experience with digital cameras, so was apprehensive at first. But SC60 was absolutely perfect. The setups and general operating procedures are easy, the screen is large, and the pictures are fabulous even in dark tight spaces. Excellent buy.

This is an excellent camera with reasonable price and bright pictures, long battery life compared to my previous "toy" camera Fujifilm Finepix 40i. I'm very satisfied with results. It is very fast to start and easy to use.

Great camera, I was going to go for the 5.0 megapixel model but I settled for the s60 and I have no regrets, it does a super job.

takes great pictures and moves very good low light performance. Besides it is very fast. I owned it for almost two weeks and I did saw it has very impressive battery life. Overall it is excellent choice the same as sony dsc-s90.

Sony has out done themselves again. This camera is by far the best one I have owned. After 6 digital cameras ranging from 250 to 500 I have to say that this one tops them all. Why you ask? Quality and Quantity. The very first day I had the camera I accidentally dropped it on my drive way only to find out that this camera wasn't even scratched and continued to work like NEW! (I don't recommend you try this though.) I love this camera and all it features. THE DSC-S60 was a great choice. Thanks Sony!