Over the years the Sony Cyber-shot digital camera has been a popular point-and-shoot camera, so when they announced a new Cyber-shot with a Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom wide (28mm) lens that takes photos at 12.1 megapixels and shoots 720p HD video. The camera that we looked at is part of the Sony “W” series. Like other Cyber-shots, the W290 is a compact point-and-shoot camera.

This camera comes with a package which contains the camera itself, a wrist strap, a type G Sony lithium ion rechargeable battery, the battery charger, a combination USB and video cable, an instruction manual, and a software disk. You will note that the charger does not have a cable. Rather, is the type where the plug flips out from the back of the charger. This is a nice feature that makes it more the charger more portable and easier to handle. The camera itself is compact enough to fit in a shirt pocket. It measures 3 7/8″ x 2 3/8″ x 29/32″ (9.76 cm x 5.74 cm x 2.26 cm) and weighs in at approximately 6.1 oz. (174 g) with battery and memory stick. It is available in silver, black, blue and bronze. This camera costs around $180.