Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V Camera Review (B00328HR76)
This little black number in Sony’s Cyber-Shot family looks like any other digital camera, but is outstanding in its features! Not only does the 10.2 megapixel DSC-HX5V have a 10x wide-angle zoom lens, an advanced Image Stabilization system, and a 3 Inch LCD screen with an anti-reflective coating, it can also shoot 1080i AVCD HD video with HDMI output, even recording in MP4 format.
Featuring an “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, this Cyber-Shot maximizes the top of the range G-Lens’ capabilities making for stunning photos with minimal grain and noise, even in low light situations. As the lens has 10x optical zoom, and is a 25mm equivalent wide-angle, you will be able to take any type of photo you want, be it portraits, sports or landscapes.
Jam packed full of other cool and useful features, this DSC-HX5V will be ready for whatever you throw at it. For example, in low light situations, the Anti-Motion Blur Mode will take six photos almost simultaneously with a high shutter speed, and then combine them to produce one sharp, clear image that you will be amazed with. Working in a similar way, the Handheld Twilight Mode means that you can take a great photo even in low light without a flash or tripod.
iSweep Panorama Mode means that you can simply press down the shutter, and sweep across a landscape, and the camera will take a number of pictures and stitch them together into one beautiful panorama to show off the landscape at its very best.
The HX5V can also take up to 10 frames per second if high-speed shooting is what you need. Perfect for capturing all the action, the camera also automatically reduces the distortion that can happen when taking photos of fast moving objects.
Perfect for travelling, this Sony camera also includes a GPS receiver so that you can record the time and place of each of your photos.
If you want the convenience of just being able to point and shoot, you can use the Intelligent Auto Mode and the Intelligent Scene recognition Mode, which will analyze your frame with its faces, lighting and movement and decide what the best settings are to make sure that you capture the moment in the best way possible.
Making it easy and fun to display your photos, you can use Photomusic which allows you to add a soundtrack to your slideshow.
Pros
One DSLR user was amazed at the quality of the photos from this little Cyber-Shot. He was particularly impressed with the quality of the Panoramic photos using the iSweep Mode, and also with the quality of the HD video.
Another person said that the quality of his low-light shots were also impressive compared to some taken with other digital cameras.
Cons
Although sometimes useful, many people found that the GPS feature quickly drained the batteries.
Other people felt that the pictures turned out a little on the soft side, and needed to be sharpened in a photo editing program.
A couple of people missed the option of more manual functions in such an advanced compact camera.
A camera full of surprises, this Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX5V has all of the quality and all of the functions that you could ever want, and more, all packed into a lightweight and compact body. A great choice at a great price.