Point and Shoot – Sony DSC-WX80

A while ago I decided I wanted to get a new point-and-shoot camera, particularly one with Wi-Fi capability. I’ve also been wanting to try out a compact from Sony for some time now… in fact I was torn between a NEX and my X-Pro (although I have zero regrets). I ended up buying a DSC-WX80.

I was quite let down at first, especially by how weak this camera’s Wi-Fi capabilities are… for example, I cannot download any new ‘apps’ – one of the reasons I bought it. Images transfer to my Android phone with relative ease, but I haven’t been able to make that work wirelessly with my Apple devices yet. I’m not sure if I’m over my initial disappointment. I’ve only had the camera a short while, and I haven’t really put it to much use.

All of the shots in this post look as they did straight out of the camera. I only cropped and straightened a few of them in Lightroom. This first one was taken several weeks ago at a Taylor’s sandwich shop in downtown Washington, DC. Clearly, it’s not a bad camera. I’m glad I bought it.

There are many different settings that I’ve played with on this camera. The switching mechanism is OK. I mostly use the Superior Auto mode but Intelligent Auto is good too. I’ve used many of the artistic functions too and will continue to do so. What I haven’t done is shoot video, or use the panorama function – surprising, considering panorama is one of the main reasons I wanted a Sony. Maybe the time will come in Trinidad & Tobago…

The camera’s image quality is pretty damn good and the range on the lens is great (16x digital zoom). I’ve always wanted to capture this whole mural with my X-Pro1, but I can never get it all with my 35mm lens (53mm equivalent). No problem with the WX80 that defaults at 25mm.

I took the camera out one day when I went to get some dinner from Super Tacos in Adams Morgan. I just took a few shots while I waited for my food, even though it was a cloudy/rainy day.

Although I have no intention of using it for street photography, I was wondering how this camera would perform in an urban setting. After all, one never knows. I zoomed in on the lady’s face a little. The 8x optical zoom is not bad at all. Of course 10 or 20 would be even better! Still, no complaints here.

It’s a light camera that easily fits in your pocket. It won’t add much weight to your bag… and the black model looks pretty smooth. It powers on fairly quickly too and autofocus is a snap.

It may not be as fun to use as the X-Pro, or as efficient as my 5D, but this camera can deliver nicely if you use it properly. I need to take more pictures with it, but so far, even the more simple ones I’ve taken have been relatively nice. I’m still not sure if I like the images better than my old Canon point-and-shoot, but I definitely like them.

You might have guessed it after seeing the photo above, but I took the Sony DSC-WX80 down to my building’s laundry room, just as I did with my Fuji X-Pro1 a little while ago. The picture to the right might look somewhat familiar for those of you who already follow my blog. Overall, the Sony images weren’t as nice as the Fuji’s, but I think I got a couple decent shots nonetheless. The camera does relatively well in low light without the flash… which unfortunately tends to be a little bit on the strong side, especially at close range. It has decent depth of field for a point-and-shoot, although I still haven’t gotten any notable bokeh from it yet. Portrait mode might do the trick though.

I think the food shots with my Canon point-and-shoot were better. I used to take pictures of almost everything I cooked. Sadly I haven’t been cooking that much since I bought my 5D, but one day I’ll post the brussel sprout picture I took with it and my 100mm macro lens. This is the WX80 version

I was feeling pretty nice the other night… too much to drink! After taking some drunk ass pictures on my walk home from the bar, I took this picture in the elevator, with no flash. It’s pretty cool… unlike the flash version which is wack and not suitable for public consumption!