The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W710 was an entry-level W-series compact announced in January 2013, positioned at the bottom of the range beside the longer-zoom W730. It arrived as smartphones were hollowing out the budget compact market, making it one of the final generations of cheap CCD Cyber-shots.
It packs a 16.1-megapixel 1/2.3-inch Super HAD CCD and a 5x zoom spanning 28-140mm equivalent at f/3.2-6.5. The rear has a 2.7-inch 230k-dot ClearPhoto TFT, video tops out at 720p/25fps, and cards can be Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo, SD/SDHC or microSD. The NP-BN battery is rated around 220 shots and the whole camera weighs about 114g; stabilisation is electronic rather than optical.
Operation is aimed squarely at beginners: Intelligent Auto, 360 Sweep Panorama, Smile Shutter and scene modes, with no manual exposure. It makes a light, cheap carry-anywhere camera, though the dense CCD gets noisy quickly above base ISO and the lens is slow at the long end.
Used stock is plentiful and cheap, so hold out for a clean example: unmarked screen, smooth lens travel and a working flash. NP-BN batteries and USB chargers are easy to replace, and SD support keeps media simple. Test telephoto shots in decent light since there is no optical stabilisation to lean on.