Smart_Photography_-_January_2016_

external storage. The camera features

multi-use terminal, Mini HDMI, Wi-

Fi and NFC. The device is powered

by a 1240mAh Li-ion battery pack

(supplied). It can be charged through

USB cable. The camera has dimensions

of 101.6 x 58.1 x 35.5 mm (W x H x

D) and weighs 236g with battery and

Memory Stick.

Ergonomics

As mentioned in the Build Quality

section, the WB500 does not have a

well-defined hand grip. The metal

surface is slippery. Also, in cold

weather, it can get very uncomfortable

to hold. Although we cannot complain

about the buttons and dials being

too tiny for a camera of this size,

we feel that it can be a problem for

people with larger hands. The HDMI

ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1600 ISO 3200

NOISE

port on the bottom plate necessitates

the camera to be resting on the LCD

or lens while connected to another

device. This can cause scratches on

the screen or damage the protective

shutter in front of the lens. We found

it difficult to use the flash pop-up

lever since it is very tiny. The screen

appeared rather dull by today’s

standards.

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 wide-

angle 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

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Smart Photography January 2016