Sony DSCHX5VB Cyber-shot Digital Camera - Black (10MP, 10x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD Review
Sony DSCHX5VB Cyber-shot Digital Camera - Black (10MP, 10x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD
HX5 A little bundle of fun
Now I am not going to talk too much about awesome picture quality and incredible video, but rather the emotional reason you need this camera. It is, after all, a compact and image quality will not surpass a DSLR but then an entry DSLR is about £800 and is like carrying a mini concrete block when you are negotiating around a sweltering foreign city. This Camera is a compact, and therefore we will look at it as one, you wouldn't compare a ford focus to an Aston Martin would you...different leagues.
The DSLR carriers may look down their nose at this, but I can tell you, nothing has put a bigger smile on my girlfriend's face, except me of course ;) like this has...
BUILD: Feels sturdy and not quite as strong as the Panasonic TZ10 it still feels strong enough to suffer a drop. The battery door is a little flimsy, but that's my only complaint.
STILLS: I would rate them as very good, not exceptional - The reason is that compacts have compact sensors and compact lenses, so you get a compact quality image, but don't let that put you off... Unless you are intending to print your picture the size of a skyscraper, the quality is good for up to A3/2 before you will notice anything. The colours are nice and detail sharp. The lens has a really nice long 10x optical zoom... Pretty much all compacts produce the same quality.. so really there is nothing to really separate them... so lets move on...
MOVIES: I HATE AVCHD and although this camera produces both MP4 and AVCHD video files in FULL HD I must admit I favour the output quality of the AVCHD. What I hate about it is the lack of postproduction editing software out there that supports it. I am an AVID editor and this format causes more headaches, than happy faces. But to the domestic users reading this, you will be fine for recording video and playing back on big TV's which this camera does easily. The software to use if you really want to get your hands dirty is Adobe Premier or Sony's own Vegas software for AVCHD, which apparently just accepts the format straight away and off you go! You don't get either bundled. but there is some fab software... more on that in a sec...
The quality of the Movies are faaaaaantastic! really good beautifully smooth images... HD to me is still like looking at a moving photograph, I love it and this camera really delivers. Sound is what you would expect from a camera this size.
FEATURES: Geo Tagging, put simply this camera will use GPS technology to pinpoint exactly where you are and which way you were facing when you took your shot or video. what a fab idea and with the brilliant Calendar software, which basically lays out all your media in to years, motnhs, day and even hours for easy browsing and the fact that it seems to just pic up all your photos from down the years too, suddenly your digital life is laid out before you... I spent two hours looking through this marvellous calendar and felt quite moved by this kind of self producing document of my life... wow... suddenly I was clicking 2002 and browsing the postage stamp size shots taken on my then breakthrough mobile phone.
Panoramic stitching... Well the day this camera arrived me and the GF took it to the park and this is the feature that really stood out. We had a real giggle creating all sorts of pics and playing with the different ways you could move the camera to create w-i-d-e panoramic shots. Basically you set the camera which way you want to sweep... then standing on the spot, you turn into the position of the start of the move and sweep the camera round, the camera takes a number of shots and then processes all the images to provide an incredible effect. It's almost 3d when you look closely...! Love it.
God I love this little beauty and we're about to drive around Europe with it, It's a brilliant journal, a shooting marvel, a great fun little companion, that will not let you down. It might not produce billboard posters for you... but it will fit into those lovely little trips, and give you an edge not many other compacts can currently provide...
cheers.
Sony DSCHX5VB Cyber-shot Digital Camera - Black (10MP, 10x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD
From Sony
| Price: | £248.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details |
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk
20 new or used available from £205.00
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