Sony's 2007 W-series compact — 8.1MP CCD, Zeiss 35-105mm zoom, Super SteadyShot, optical viewfinder
The Cyber-shot DSC-W90 was a 2007 mid-range model in Sony's W-series, shipping from March of that year in silver and black. It refreshed the W-series formula with more resolution and optical stabilisation while keeping the traditional optical viewfinder that was already disappearing from rivals.
It carried an 8.1-megapixel 1/2.5-inch Super HAD CCD behind a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x zoom covering 35-105mm equivalent, stabilised by Super SteadyShot. Framing was via the 2.5-inch LCD or eye-level optical viewfinder, sensitivity reached ISO 3200, and VGA 640x480 30fps video was supported. 31MB of internal memory backed a Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo slot, and the lithium-ion battery was rated around 350 shots per charge.
Optical stabilisation plus an optical viewfinder is an unusual pairing in a budget 2007 compact, making the W90 more usable than most peers in dim light and in bright sun where LCDs wash out. The high ISO 3200 ceiling is optimistic — noise is heavy — but base-ISO output has the crisp CCD colour this era is bought for.
Check the viewfinder is clear and the SteadyShot system does not produce grinding on startup. The battery is a common Sony compact cell with cheap replacements, but chargers frequently go missing, so confirm one is included. Storage is Memory Stick Duo format; cards up to 8GB are supported, and used stock remains easy to find if not bundled.