Performance
The Sony WB500 performed reasonably well in our tests. Autofocus was fast and precise, and the system could lock on to the subject even under low light. Metering modes performed well and we did not have any problem with exposures. The camera controlled darkening of corners very well. In fact, we did not observe any darkening at the wideangle end even with the lens wide open. We observed mild pin cushion distortion at the telephoto end from about 600mm equivalent onwards.
The camera produced reasonably sharp images. However, it has to be noted that from 190mm equivalent onwards, you will not get even a full f-stop in aperture. At 100mm, you get critically sharp images only at f/5, and at 750mm, images are unsharp at all apertures (which is limited to f/6.4-8). At 25mm, f/3.5 and f/4 reproduced sharp images, and of these, f/4 was found to be the sharpest. The lens produced heavy flare and ghosting at the wide-angle end with the lens wide open while photographing strong against-the-light subjects. A tinge of purple fringing was seen, but you are not likely to notice it in everyday images and at low magnifications. Auto White Balance performed well with the camera producing cast-free images at most light sources. Native print size is 12.24 x 16.32 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent screen size, images were noise-free up to ISO 200. We observed slight noise from ISO 400 onwards. Images were usable up to ISO 800. Enlarged to 50 percent, we spotted noise at all ISOs. If you can bear with slight noise, you may use the images up to ISO 400. At 100 percent magnification, you could use ISO 80 and 100 if it is absolutely necessary. Video recording was smooth and seamless.
Value for Money
The Sony WB500 retails at Rs.19,990. At this price, the camera is slightly expensive considering the limited aperture and soft images at the telephoto end. |SP
The HDMI port on the bottom plate necessitates the camera to be resting on the LCD or lens while connected to a computer or TV-which is not a good idea
FINAL SCORE 75%
Design and Build Quality 12/15
Key Features 12/15
Ergonomics 11/15
Performance
Autofocus 4.5/5
Metering 4/5
Noise Control 3/5
Sharpness 3/5
Darkening of corners 4.5/5
Flare and CA 3/5
Distortion 4/5
LCD/EVF 4/5
Auto WB 4/5
Sub-Total 34/45
Value for Money 6/10
PLUS
• Compact and lightweight
• 30x optical zoom
MINUS
• Very narrow aperture range
• Noise control could have been better
• Sharpness suffers badly
VERDICT
The Sony WB500 is a compact super zoom camera that can fit in a shirt pocket. The camera is easy to use and fits the budget of the common man. However, if you are looking at uncompromising image quality with manual control, this camera has someserious limitations.
Sujith Gopinath
