Photo answers review
Photo answers rating 
The WX1 falls into Sony’s W series and is one of the high-spec compacts in the range. Featuring a 10.2 Exmor R sensor and 5x Optical zoom that’s equivalent to 24-120mm in 35mm terms, this pocket compact shares similarities to Sony’s TX1, another slimline compact that was recently featured in Digital Photo’s compact buyers guide. You can find out more about DP’s January issue by clicking here.
Taking a look at the back of the WX1, there’s quite a few buttons to explore. To the right of the crisp and clear 2.7in screen there’s the mode dial with seven modes to choose from. Sweep panorama mode has been witnessed on other Sony compacts in the past and is an excellent feature to use if you enjoy creating panoramic shots. Depress the shutter and move the camera smoothly in the direction of the arrow on the screen and the WX1 will automatically stitch your shots together for you. It’s as simple as that. Other shooting modes featured include Movie Mode (640x480 30fps) and Intelligent Auto Adjustment mode, which is designed to adjust the compact’s settings for the best results, no matter what subject you’re shooting. Testing this mode showed that it worked well and quickly switched over to macro mode when we were photographing subjects from extremely close distances.
Under the mode dial there’s another cluster of buttons, which control playback, flash, self-timer, and beneath these there’s the menu and delete buttons. The handiest button on the camera is the burst button that’s located on the top-plate alongside the shutter button. It allows you to quickly select from four burst settings, with the high setting letting you to take 10 shots in quick succession at a maximum speed of 10fps. This is handy if you’re at a racetrack or if you’re photographing fast action sports and will help you freeze the action and get the shot you’ve always wanted. The only downside with this mode is that you’ll have to wait for around 13 seconds while the data is recorded to your MS card.
The ISO range of the WX1 stretches from 160-3200. Although it doesn’t stretch as far at the low end as other compacts on the market, the high ISO will be useful if you’re occasionally shooting in dismal lighting conditions. Testing the ISO in studio conditions showed that the results were comparable to Sony’s touch-screen TX1 and importantly there’s no drop in resolution when you crank the ISO up to 1600 or 3200. For day-to-day shooting you’ll be able to shoot comfortably at ISO 400 and you’ll get acceptable results at ISO 800. Pushing past this point you’ll end up sacrificing quality for digital Noise, but at least you’ll still be shooting at 10Mp.
At £260 the Sony WX1 is far from cheap and the price might be more than many are willing to pay for a compact. In the hand the WX1 doesn’t feel as expensive as it perhaps should; the body is a tad plasticky in places, but nevertheless it’s a compact that’s easy to use and offers superb image quality. The handling doesn’t match that of the TX1 either and if you’re after a touch-screen compact that’s lightweight, we’d be tempted to spend £25 more for the exceptional sister model that incorporates the same Exmor R sensor technology.
Specification:
Megapixels: 10.2Mp (3648x2736)
Zoom: 5x Optical (24-120mm in 35mm terms)
Sensor: Exmor R, CMOS Sensor
Aperture: f/2.4-f/5.9
Exposure modes: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash, One Push, One Push Set, High Sensitivity, Soft Snap, Landscape, Twilight Portrait, Twilight, Gourmet, Pet, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Underwater
Shutter: 2sec-1/1600
ISO: 160-3200
Image Stabilisation: Optical Steady Shot
Face Detection: Yes
Minimum focus distance: 5cm
Screen: 2.7in LCD, 230,400 dot
Memory: Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo. Memory Stick PRO Duo High Speed, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, Internal memory (11Mb)
Movie: 1280x720 @ 30fps
Start-up time: 1.6sec
Battery: NP-BG1
Dimensions: 90.5x51.8x19.8mm
Weight: 129g (no battery)
Visit: www.sony.co.uk/product/dsc-w-series/dsc-wx1/tab/overview
In The Box:
In the WX1’s box you can expect to get the following items:
Instruction manual
Battery charger
Multi connection cable
European Warranty card
Rechargeable battery
Wrist strap
Quick reference guide
Power cable
WX1 camera