I have owned 3 Sony cameras of similar model. The first one the LCD screen broke (cracked) while taking a picture. Honestly I did not drop it. Sony would not fix it staing I must have dropped it. I bought another one because I had the battery, and Pro-duo card. The next one I bought, I had troubles with the lens not coming out. You have to pop it w/ your hand or pull a bit on the lens to dislodge the gears. I need this camera for my business, so after beating the crap out of the 2nd one and getting nowhere but frustrated, I was forced to buy another one because I had card and batteries. I swore I wouldn't buy another one , but I found the W-55 (7.2) one sale (less than $100) so I bought another one. One year later the same thing has happened. I will give Sony props though. I am a home inspector, so I take these cameras into dirty places. But I have read that the lens getting stuck is common problem. When the lens will not fully retract, the thing will not work. Eventually it will cease to come out at all.
Battery life is excellent, picture quality is average, movie mode is garbage. Needlesstosay, I will not buy any more... even if it is on sale.

I use this camera in my job. I have taken thousands of pictures (kitchen renovation - before and after) I am not a photographer and the shots are fabulous and it is incredibly easy to use. However, just as it past the 1-year mark - the lens will not come out. Sony however said they could fix it for a flat rate of $91 (includes shipping to Georgia) so I am making a decision to replace it or fix it. But it is a great little camera

This is a very nice camera. The picture quality, the movie mode, the facilites, the functions are vast and quite satisfactory. However, blurred images and red-eye problems are there but can be avoided if snaps are taken carefully, not really the issues! Still, this one is good especially for indoor photography! As far as outdoor photography is concerened, the objects like trees, flowers and plants need to be closed for up to the mark performance! Not a regrettable one in short!

This camera has a lot of great features, like how if you dont use it for a while and its still on it'll turn off, or how you can zoom in really close, and it has a kind of laser light so you can focus on exactly what you want to capture. Great for taking pictures of urself.

I loved this camera very much until it broke but other then that this camera take geat pictures in light and dark. I also watched pictures and videos on tv and the videos didnt mess up at all.
P.S. I believe i broke the camera by keep dropping it

I bought the DSC-W50 (the predecessor to the W55—the W50 isn't listed here) for my wife just over a year ago. We travel every year and so she wanted a reliable compact camera that would last.

We figured that Sony was a good bet. We were wrong. During the middle of a trip to Mexico the camera stopped working; one day it turned off (with the lens still extended) and never turned back on. It will cost over $100 to have it repaired.

You must be joking.

After researching the problem, I found that not only were there dozens of complaints about the W50 (and W55) but that this issue extended to many, many other Sony models that use the same technology. There are hundreds of irate customers out there with Sony cameras that have stopped working, and most typically just months after the 1-year warranty period has expired.

Inform yourself:
www.fixya.com/support/p472665-sony_cyber_shot_dsc_w50_digital_camera/solutions
answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result?p=sony+cyber-shot+turn+on
www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/sony-cybershot-dscw5_product-reviews.html

All the complaints are the same: Won't turn on; Lens doesn't open/close; Won't take pictures, etc.

We now have a $240 Sony brick thanks to faulty engineering that is shared among ALL Cyber-shot models.

Trust me, buy a Canon.

I loved this camera until the screen shattered on it, i have no idea how i was so careful with it!!! But i think overall a great camera and i plan on buying it a second time now.

I bought this camera for a trip to China. We got some great pics day and night. City lights showed well, the flash did well for portrait night shots. Bus tours were not so successful - bleary since we were moving. Overall, good camera.

Only problem, is the zoom lever is difficult to control, and now it is in being serviced because the lever is jammed. Service tech says it's unusual, he still recommends Sony for low service calls.

I just got back from vacation and it took perfect pictures. I uploaded them on my 50" tv and they were perfect. No distortion at all.

I am a lay-person when it comes to cameras. I haven't owned one since the days of 35mm film. But to capture those moments I can't stand to miss out on, I started doing some research. I wanted a camera between $150-$250 (preferably cheaper, as the memory card will add to the price). I need the camera I picked to take good long-range and portrait pictures, as well as decent indoor (fluorescent) ones.

My selections came down to just a handful, and I decided on the w55. It seemed like such a good deal, especially since the refurbished camera was 10% off the original price. (Of course, in retrospect, the mountain of refurbished stock should have sent off some warning lights in my head.)

The w55 did well in full light and long-distance shots. Portraits were a breeze. And I loved the ease of scrolling through the menus! This camera was a joy! But at night, the lovable Hyde became a Jekyll; suddenly, every shot I tried to take gave me a "shaky hand" warning and came out VERY blurry. The flash was awful as well. Not just one bring flash, but three in a row, so bad that my fiance refused to pose for any pictures. I tried different settings, but the joy I had experienced with settings that afternoon became a horror. The pictures became hazier and grainier the more I tried to fix the problem. And that shaky hand warning...! Oh, how I loathed it!

In the end, I ended up taking my w55 back to the store and purchasing a Canon SD1000 instead. The Canon isn't as user-friendly, but the upgrade is, imho, well-worth the extra $20. Shaky-hand warnings still pop up, but there is a button (or series of buttons) to push to focus/raise the ISO further.

If you are looking for a casual vacation camera, I'd honestly go with the w55 for the convenience. However, if the quality of your pictures is aq concern, the SD1000 is a better camera.

What a great buy Ive had a Canon and a Fuji and for pictures and ease of use the Sony W55 beats them all hands down .

Yes I love my new 55 the only thing I don't like is that you can't delete all pictures at one time.. But I like everything else about it takes good pictures.

the guy at the place told me it would be wonderful and the best camera. so i bought it. i got home and it wasnt so good. it doesnt even haver black and white on it. wow.

I have used W55 sony digicam and i advice all the people to buy the said camera it is simply excellent in such price range and battery life is quite decent.thumbs up to sony 4 producing a stylish gadget.

I don't now maybe 1 % from production, this camera have trouble, i bring to sony center, and they promises to fix my camera, they said the lens problems, not in mechanic but in pictures problem.

Sony still repair my camera and waiting the spare part, they promise if too long they will give another new camera for me.

How Sony loses the QC control for this camera ???
Even Sony service center is good

This is good little camera, my hand is too big for this this camera. MS Duo stick can be share with my PSP (playstation Portable ) can be direct play in psp !

It nice combination W55 and PSP !

Good Camera

Very compact and has features of some of the more advanced amatuer cameras. The video is very good. I only wished that it had a more powerful zoom. The camera is built tough, battery life is very good.

Camera took excellent pictures for 5 months. The worst operational problem is the selection knob on the camera. I moves so easy, that the setting changes just from handling the camera. It has to be checked frequently to make sure it has not moved. However, after 5 months, LCD screen stopped working. Sony warranty will not repair the screen. Sony does not honor their warranty on this camera. Look for a more durable camera with a better warranty.

I love this cam. This the best that i ever had.My friends and i tour in Bohol, Philippines with Spencer (our Tour Guide +639285484881) and there was never a site we miss. All the pictures we've taken where perfect. The auto focus is excellent. Even i tiny Hill in the Cholate Hills are clear even if is so far away. I never regret buying this!

hi friends, we enjoyed our tour with sony cyber shot w55. thanks once again sony w55

i, myself, bought me a Kodak z812, and chose for my parents this little body.. sony w55.. and guess what, i fell in love with it right away...
one thing that may bother you, is the battery door. but i haven't experienced any problems yet, however it is plastic.. and you could feel it.
otherwise, super cam. picture quality, amazed me. performance also. features, all that you may need and a little more. look - cute. sounds nice :)
battery life super long. in other words, i'm jelous to give it to my parents.. macros just fabulous, all flowers become twice the size of my monitor.. beautiful.

i absolutly love this camera its perfectfor carrying around and capturing wonderful pictures..it has great memory and i think more people should buy it :]]

it works so good when I print the pictures they come out so clear it is pretty expensive but it is well worth the price

I got the camera as a graduation gift and I am veeeery pleased with the beautiful photos the camera takes, however time and time again my camera had many problems. The lens didn't retract and i had to send it to get repaired. it wouldn't allow me to look at the photos i took at all (and after getting it fixed it still doesn't allow me to look at them sometimes) for the picture quality, the camera is excellent, but a lot of money was put into this camera and its constantly giving me problems. i would recommend the camera, but GET A WARRANTY.

I must admit that I've owned ONLY Sony cameras recently, as I believe they're the best. I don't care if you have to pay slightly more for them—they're worth it! I just pop this one in my pocket and go. It's wonderful. And, the photos are fabulous!

cute excellent camera but price is still higher to buy

just what everyone else says, great deal for the money. I guess it's been replaced by another higher mega-pixel model but really who needs more than 7? Purchased an underwater case for $34 off B&H.com that makes this little camera an amazing deal. Like everyone else has said, it does best in bright conditions (like the beach).

This camera is small, and built solid.The on screen menu,and scene shot selection is very helpful.The lens is automatically completely retracted,and protected when the camera is turned off.It is very easy to use in the total auto mode,and takes excellent pictures,yet in other modes many manuel adjustment options are available.The memory can be expanded greatly with the Sony memory stick duo,but in my opinion, for most people, if you buy a extra 1gb stick duo you will have the ability to take hundreds,and hundreds of pictures before you have to download,and erase.The battery lasts a long time,before it needs to be recharged.The best feature I found so far is during the review option,when you zoom in for a closer look at the picture,if you like the zoomed picture,which you can also adjust side to side and up,and down,with this camera you can actually save the adjusted picture,and still retain the original,this is great feature to remove unwanted objects from your picture.The last feature I will mention is the fact it has a viewfinder,which many camera's its size no longer have,this is very useful in bright sunlight,when the screen is difficult to see.This camera can also auto focus in poor light conditions,because it has a low light focus illuminator.
All in all this is one great little camera,with many features,some of which I have not yet explored
I think I made the right choice in buying it.

This is my second sony because I dropped them both into the ocean. Yes I HAVE learned my lesson! However I love this carmera when I would go out with my friends it fit perfect in my purse and easy to use while intoxicated. However it does not take very good fast action shots and the dial to change the setting is easily moved so when you took your last picture it might have been on auto but it might not be on auto for your next picture so check before snapping. I am now buying a cannon because it was a great camera before I got my sony. The main reason I got this sony was for vanity, I mean it is pink!

i't so good to use and the pictures taken by it is really very good

I can only recommend this camera.

Upgrading from the also excellent W5 I get higher resolution - amazing close-up capabilities and improved user interface.

The smaller chassis seems to wobble the microphone a bit though. You can't win 'em all :)

it is just a perfect camera in everything

I am really impress with the video quality of this camera,its simply amazing!,I am not very much satisfied with the images especially in low-light,However one of the reason I got this camera over canon is because of its appearance which is simply fabulous,price and lithium batteries which in other camera is offered at a higher price.

its an excellant camera and probably the best in this price range. Photos are crisp and clear in good lighting conditions and under the flash. just one problem is that picture quality is not good in low light conditions.

Nice looks bt nt so good photography.Photos are terrible in low light condition as the flash is limited to around 5-6 feet.Outside photo graphy in daytime is good bt only 3X Zoom doesnt make any sense.I will advice you 2 look at some other cameras before buying the W55.I have checked the DSC H9.Its more than excellent.

It's an excellent camera.
Picture quality is the excellent.

This is my third digital camera. I bought it as a every day camera. After using three weeks, I hate to say it, but my Nikon D-70 is going to spend a lot of time in the closet. I am impressed with the quality of the pictures it takes, as well as it's features.For instance, it has a very useful micro mode. Like Fuji, Sony takes good pictures at high ISO levels. It also has a viewfinder-a rarity in small cameras today and still needed in bright sun light. The flash is decent for a camera this size. All at a price of $200.
If you are interested in a small point-and shoot, consider the W-55 Sony.

Fast and the pictures are very clear. I like it a lot. No regrets!

This is a very good product and it's realy worth it.

Oh My goodness, my parents got me this beautiful sony camera, pink, and i love it! No problems so far at all, color, great, size-perfect, and overall camera five star rating all the way, new users, don't think twice about getting this camera! p.s picture quality rocks!!!!!!

I purchase sony cybershot w55 1 month back. It is a marvellous item from sony.Performance/picture quality is mind boggling.I found only one demerit in this item is that it does not allow date stamping in picture. However date stamping can be done using Picture Motion Software provided with this camera but inserting the date by going through individual file is a bit cumbersome.

i like sony products very much it was a part of my life