News: Sony Cyber-shot W290 first look

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 seemed too good to be true when it was announced in February 2009.For less than 0 you get a wide-angle lens with a 5x zoom, 12-megapixel resolution, some of Sony’s advanced automatic shooting options, HD video capture, and a 3-inch LCD all packed into a nice-looking body roughly the size of a deck of cards.Sounds pretty great, right?There had to be something wrong.Well, as with most point-and-shoot cameras of its caliber, the photo quality from the W290 could be a little better and the performance a touch faster.In the end, though, neither was disappointing from this camera (better than expected actually), and if you take into account its attractive price tag, the W290 is tough to beat.Available in silver, black, blue, and bronze, the W290 doesn’t stray from Sony’s typical W-series Cyber-shot appearances.It’s an attractive camera in a pocketable body, but with some weight to it, so you likely won’t forget it’s on you.The silver model we tested noticeably retains fingerprints all over the body, something to keep in mind if that sort of thing bugs you.Actually, if there’s one minor nitpick with the body design it’s that the W290в