Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX500 Review – My New Favourite Travel Camera!

Anyone who’s used to traveling with a DSLR will understand the struggle of lugging it around on long hikes, which is why I decided to invest in a compact camera.

I did a lot of research before buying the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX500, but boy am I glad I did. It’s everything I could have hoped for, in fact, it’s my new favourite travel camera.

So here’s an honest review of the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX500!

Sony WX500 Specs

If you know what you’re looking for from a camera, you’ll no doubt be interested in the tech specs. So here are the specs of the Sony WX500 so that you can compare it to other cameras.

Sony Cyber Shot DSC-WX500 Review

If you’re not sure whether or not the Sony WX500 is for you, here’s everything you need to know about it – the good and the bad (because nothing’s perfect).

It’s a great price

I was expecting to have to fork out loads for a decent compact camera, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the Sony WX500 was relatively cheap (around $250). For a camera this decent, I was expecting it to be much more expensive.

It’s so compact!

This Sony camera is smaller than my phone, which means it’s super easy to carry around. It can fit easily in a pocket, and it’s no effort to carry at all, because it’s just so light. This means it’s perfect for those looking for a camera that has the quality of a DSLR, but the portability of a compact camera or phone.

The quality is amazing

Lately people have been saying that there’s no point paying for a camera when smartphone cameras are so good, and to a certain extent, they are right. Phone cameras are now as good, if not better, than a lot of the really cheap cameras out there. But even the late iPhone X can only shoot in 12MP, whereas this Sony can shoot 18.2MP photos. This is almost as good as a lot of the super expensive DSLRs out there! And the colours is incredible too, so vivid! Take a look at the picture below, which I took using my Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX500.  You might notice it can also focus on certain things, whilst blurring out the rest, something that most DSLR users will be used to doing. The video quality is also quite impressive. Whilst it’s not 4K, the 1080p video quality is more than amazing. You get a crisp and clear shot, and it’s great at automatically adjusting the exposure when you move around and the light changes. If you were certain that you wanted 4K video quality, you could always go for the model up from this one, the only reason I didn’t was because I wasn’t too fussed about it being of professional quality – I just wanted a good travel camera. But if you’re interested in compact 4K Sony cameras, you can find them here!

The image stabilisation is great

More and more people are wanting their cameras to have image stabilisation, so don’t worry, Sony thought about that, and you can shoot super smooth videos of ypourself playing at https://www.red-dog-casino.org/. I must admit that until now I hadn’t used a camera with image stabilisation, I’d just been using a handheld gimbal, so I was more than impressed.

There are so many different modes!

I was so impressed by how many different modes and setting options there were on the WX500. There are beauty modes which make your skin look softer, scenery modes depending on what type of setting you’re shooting in (snow, night, fireworks, restaurant etc.) You can even edit pictures a little on the camera in playback mode. You can add smooth skin effects, teeth whitening effects, you can even make your eyes look wider! The intelligent auto mode also means you don’t have to worry about knowing what settings do what. It picks the best mode and settings for you so that your pictures and footage always look top notch.

It’s really easy to film with it

Before I got this camera, I wasn’t particularly big on filming, I was more of a photographer than a videographer. But it’s just so easy that I had to give it a go (check out my YouTube and you’ll see my videos).  The 180 degree rotatable screen means that you can film yourself and see exactly what the camera sees. This is also great for taking selfies. Plus the ‘movie’ button means that regardless of what mode you’re in, you can start filming with just one button click.

It’s so easy to transfer your photos

The camera has it’s own Wi-Fi, which means that you can easily send your pictures wirelessly to your phone or tablet. For me, this is perfect, because I always edit my photos and share my photos on my phone. Plus, I can’t always be bothered to connect my cameras to my laptop and wait for everything to import. If you prefer using a wire to connect your camera to a computer though, don’t panic, you can of course do this as well! And for videos, you’ll need to do this, as you can’t send videos wirelessly.

The battery lasts forever

The battery life is great on this Sony Cyber-shot. I used mine constantly for about three days (taking pictures) before it died. The battery obviously doesn’t last quite as long when filming, but this is the same with all cameras.

The zoom is incredible

Being a fan of DSLRs, previously if I wanted to zoom, I’d lug around some super heavy zoom lens, like my Sigma 150-600mm. And no way was I expecting this tiny little Sony camera to have a zoom that was anywhere near as decent as that, but I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I recently learned that the Sony WX500 was the world’s smallest superzoom camera when it was released. The WX500 has both digital and optical zoom, it can zoom a certain distance optically, but then switches to digital zoom. So obviously when it switches to digital zoom the quality starts to drop, but still the distance that you can zoom with this thing is amazing. If you’re hoping for top quality shots, obviously a DSLR with a zoom lens is a much better option, but if like me, you just want a decent camera that you can occasionally zoom with, you’re not going to be disappointed in the slightest.

It’s not so good at macro

My main issue with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 is that it’s not great at taking close up photos. If something is too close, it simply can’t focus on it. But then again, I bought this to be a travel camera, and I don’t often need to take close up photos unless I’m getting artsy.

It’s a little delicate

The only thing I’d say about it is that it feels quite delicate. It’s not really the sort of camera you can throw around or drop, and expect it to be fine. But then, I suppose if you want a rugged camera, that’s when you go for a GoPro. I managed to make mine a little more durable with a screen protector and a case that meant I could wear it around my neck (as I would with a DSLR) and protect it from any bashes.

So to sum up…

The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX500 is definitely the camera to get if you want a top quality travel camera, for a reasonable price. It does everything you could ever need it to do, and it produces top quality pictures and videos.