Sony DSC Cybershot W570 How to get started

Vintage digital cameras are becoming popular again and if you have recently had an interest and would like to learn more about these cameras I will add some important information here.

On today's post let's focus on Canon Cybershot DSC W570 and the things you need to get this started.

Let's start with a few specs, the camera is a 16.1 megapixel camera. It takes stills at FINE 16mp. In 720p MP4 movie mode the camera shoots 1280 x 720 high definition movies at 30 fps, which is the format when working with a PC. Users will create high quality movies with full use of optical zoom in files small enough to transfer to compatible PC or Mac.

For most people the video specs will appear to be bad compared to the 4k footage most phones can take nowadays. The 720p however is still sharp and detailed enough for regular photos and standard video viewed on the web. It also adds a nostalgia feeling to your content.

About the lens:

Lens: 

The Sony W570 lens is 25-125mm (35mm equivalent) Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lens (f/2.6-6.3 in two steps), using a neutral density (ND) filter of an aperture. The lens is telescoping and when retracted, rests almost completely flush with the camera body, maintaining its slim look. Having a wide-angle lens is always welcome in any size camera and the W570 is no exception. When you start recording movies you won't go quite as wide -- 28mm in 16:9 mode and 34mm in 4:3 -- as the W570 will crop down the sensor in Movie Mode.

The Sony W570 features an Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, which does a very good job keeping things somewhat stable.

Below is a short video showing all the things you need to get started.

Image Resource.com states that

"For Macro focusing, you can get as close as 5cm at wide-angle. While you can't set the camera into Macro manually, the W570's iAuto Mode will automatically adjust for you as your subject swells into view. You'll also have your choice of Spot, Center, or Multi, with 9 Autofocus points, which you can set in the Menu while in Program Mode. Face detection and Smile detection are also available on the Sony W570, with Big Smile, Normal Smile, and Slight Smile as detection options. Pressing the left button on the controller disk activates smile detection, and when your subject smiles sufficiently, the shutter fires. You can also have the camera's face detection prioritize for adult or children's faces."

Controls: 

The external controls are on the small side and are bunched close together. On the back of the camera is a Zoom lever and a slide to switch between three modes: Photo, Sweep Panorama, and Movie Mode. 

A tiny Playback button sits just to the left of the Mode Switch and a four-way controller for the display, Smile Shutter, Flash, and Self-Timer rests beneath. Below are two very small buttons for accessing the camera's menu and the In-Camera Guide/Trash. The Playback button powers up the camera in Playback mode without deploying the lens; pressing it again switches the Sony W570 to record mode.

Movie Mode: 

The Sony W570 movie recording sizes and formats. 

First is HD Fine, capturing 1,280 x 720 at 30fps at 9Mbps; next is Standard, recording 1,280 x 720 at 30fps and 6Mbps; Then there's 640 x 480, at 30fps and 3Mbps. 

Encoding is MP4, and the maximum movie clip is 29 minutes. The quality is will be poor to some but to people seeking vintage look this would be good. 

The controls for movies are as follows The Sony W570 allows you to set the Exposure, White Balance and Metering Mode before you film. The video off the W570 will suffice, but don't expect to be all that impressed.

Believe it or not this camera has an Underwater Movie Mode which optimizes your White Balance and other settings if you're taking the W570 underwater, but you need the underwater housing for it to submerge it. Not doing so will destroy the camera.

Storage and Battery: 

The Sony W570 uses a lithium-ion battery rated by CIPA for 220 images, sufficient for more than a day's worth of photography. The battery is housed in a latched compartment beneath the camera. It pops in and out easily enough, however the plug for the multi-connector cable is adjacent to the battery compartment so the door must be closed if you wish to use the connector cable.

Your photos and videos are stored to either a Memory Stick Duo or SD card. 27MB of internal memory is included (you can store three full resolution images internally), so you'll definitely need a card. If you plan on recording HD videos, SDHC, SDXC at speeds of Class 6 or higher, or Memory Stick PRO Duo Mark 2 cards are recommended.

Below is an Affiliate Link to this particular camera.

Also, if you do make a purchase, I will get a small commission from a qualifying sale which in turn helps me keep creating helpful content for you and others.