What are everyone's thoughts and reviews on the Sony Posershot DSCW50 Digital Camera!?

i am trying to compare cameras for an upcoming trip to ireland and i am on a budget, but i dont want to sacrifice quality. and i really dot want a camera with disposable batteries. but i dont know jack about cameras, so any imput would be GREATLY appreciated!

I have been a long-time Sony camera buyer (higher end Prosumer level) and needed a grab-n-go camera and bought the W50 at Sam's Club for under $200, and have loved it. It's quality is good and it feels solid in the hand whether you're pointing at the moon or an arm's length self-portrait. Nice big LCD too.

The battery is a recharge and holds a charge for several hours of off and on use. Still, i bought an extra battery ($30 eBay) to be able to have one charged in my pocket just in case.

To me the point is it feels durable and slips easily into the pocket and has a viewfinder if it's too bright to see the back LCD very well.

1st of all...you can never go wrong with Sony. I have a different model of a Sony Digital Camera & I love mine!

In regard to disposable batteries ... there are rechargeable batteries/chargers for AA and AAA batteries. The plus side it that if your rechargeables go dead you can always go into a store and buy replacements ... if the camera has a special battery you'll need to invest more money to have at least one back up battery (that can set you back a buck for those) and if you forget or lose your "special battery charger" you're basically out of luck ... this is from personal experience !!! I've had sony and canon cameras ... like both, but my next camera will have picture stabilization. Also know that if the camera has only a screen not a view finder you'll go through batteries faster as that screen uses a lot of juice to run, and it's hard to see that screen if you're out in the bright sunlight (also from experience) Enjoy your trip to Ireland !!!

Here's a page to check out:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_...

If you particularly like Sony, consider the DSC-W100. It seems like a much nicer camera in a very similar package. It is 8 MP instead of 6 MP. The sensor is nearly twice as big, which translates into better quality pictures. It rates a half-star above the W50. Of course, it costs more. This page says it is only slightly more, but I checked a few of my favorite suppliers and I see the W50 is actually selling for about $180 in New York, while the W100 is selling for $245-250.

If you can handle the increase in price - which isn't that great in light of your desire for quality - I'd also urge you to consider the Canon Powershot A630. It is right at the same $245-250 price point, but in addition to the same "upgrades" mentioned for the W100 above, it zooms to 140 mm (equiv) instead of 114 mm. It has a larger lens opening at the maximum zoom too, which will help you "get the shot" in lower lighting. Once you DO know jack about cameras, the Canon will let you determine either the aperture or shutter speed or both. The flip-out-and-twist LCD monitor is great for odd angle camera positions, such as very low to the ground or held overhead, as you might want to do in a crowd. Mostly, with your trip in mind, the Canon uses "AA" batteries. While you might like using rechargeable batteries, you will find that "AA" batteries are very convenient and can be bought pretty much anywhere if your battery dies. You can carry a set of Energizer e2 Lithium batteries and they are probably the only backups you need. My son has the Canon A620 and he went to Romania for 10 days and didn't exhaust one set of the e2's.

See this review and look at the sample pictures:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_revi...

With this camera, you will find the memory card is a cute little token of thanks from Canon, but not much more. Buy a 1 GB Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III card. You will NEED the increased capacity and write speed to fully realize the benefits of your camera. The Ultra II would be excellent, but if you are really into video, you might prefer the faster Extreme III

Haha ok first off Canons are a little bit better in quality than Sony though many people may aruge that. Canons tend to have larger sensors too than Sony in Point and Shoot Cameras. Larger sensors are better than lots of megapixels. If you want the bang for your buck go with the Canon A630 or 640. The A630 imagine quality is excellent. I would recommond that for maxium imagine quality for that size of a camera