Sony DSC-HX30V 18.2 Megapixel Extended Zoom Reviews Roundup

Love it.., Raunaq Singh
This camera is just just amazing...gets a lot of crisp pictures (Even at night and in low light) with a lot of different and easy modes to choose from.
I have a Canon SLR 350 D, and since the time I have got this camera my SLR usually sits back at home on short trips where I need good casual photos. Of course this is not an SLR replacement, but surely can be relied on when you are feeling lazy and don't want to carry the bulky SLR and still want good results.

awesome shots, D. Helmanson
sony did it again nice cam take great videos and real nice pictures .. I look at them 14mp cameras and laugh the quality of shots is awesome

Very Nice, KingMJ
So far I am quite happy with this camera! I was looking for an upgrade over my Coolpix camera and after much research, HX30V seemed to be the best compact camera with DSLR features. I am not a professional nor do I claim to know how to use all of the features on this camera, but there are many to learn. The options are vast, picture quality is very good, video quality has been superb. I especially like the ability to take pictures while recording video. The panorama mode is very easy to use and takes great pics. The 3D mode is intriguing, but I haven't viewed pics on a 3D screen yet. The blur-background mode so far has been rather worthless, but you can do focusing yourself and remove the need for a "mode". Battery life so far has been quite good, shooting around 100 pics and about 15 minutes of video at a hockey game only took 1 "bar" of battery life (non-consecutive with constant turning the camera on and off). The auto-modes for picking settings for pictures have been rather flawless so far, but much customization is possible in manual and programmable modes.
However, a few issues have arose through limited use. As you will read elsewhere, the flash is in a terrible location. It is natural to hold the camera on both sides of the camera. But when the flash pops up, I find myself forgetting where it is and it pushes my finger out of the way. I fear breaking the flash motor or dropping the camera altogether. I'm sure with more use, this will become less of an issue. Just annoying.
Also, one of my first uses outdoors, I found the camera to work for a little bit, then froze. I'm assuming it was the cold air that did it, but I had to remove the battery and replace it in order for the lens to go back in and the camera to turn off. I have not had this problem again despite more cold weather use. I not fear how sensitive and fragile the camera may be.
Finally, I have been having problems with the wifi function. Either the camera won't connect to my computer, or freezes after connecting and uploading a picture or two. I have only had success with this process once. Granted I haven't used it a lot, but I would say I'm about 1 for 5 or 1 for 6. Not to mention, it only remembers 1 wireless network and 1 computer. So if you move around and are expecting to just connect to wireless anywhere, expect the set-up time for wireless connection to take as much if not more time than just connecting a cable. Honestly, for the trouble I have been having so far, I find it much easier to just connect the camera to the computer using USB or just removing the card. This feature costs around $100 more to have, and I haven't found the worth in it yet. I haven't given up, but if I could go back, I wouldn't have wasted the extra money. Part of this extra expense is a result of GPS function. I don't use it, and don't find beauty in it. So that can be an extra consideration for those that may use it. I also have not used it to connect to my phone yet, but my expectation is that it will be about as good as the wireless computer function.
Overall, I do love this camera, and I definitely got an upgrade over my coolpix. The pictures come out clear, the image stability has been very nice, the video with full zoom (optical and digital while recording) plus the ability to take pics while recording has been excellent, functionality and options are more than enough for me. All of this added up makes me very happy with this camera. The problems that I have had so far are not enough to keep me from giving this camera 5 stars and recommending it to anyone!

Great camera!! BUT........., John "I am like everyone else, busy! Sometim...
I researched cameras for a long time. The cameras companies have done a nice job at confusing the public! Too bad Steve Jobs didn't create a camera. How about an icamera!
Anyway--this is a great camera!!
One problem though---the Wi-Fi is more of a gimmick. It tells you to download "Play Memories Online" on to your phone. BUT that APP doesn't work.. Through many calls I finally discovered what they really mean is "Play Memories Mobile" It's crazy, there is no mention of this APP anywhere, but that is how you handle the WI-FI. You must also shoot a real small picture to be able to transfer it to you phone. It is a joke! Great camera, I really mean it, but the WI-FI is a total joke!!
IT IS NOT WORTH THE UPGRADE TO THE HX30V. STICK WITH THE 20V!!!!

Great camera!!, John "I am like everyone else, busy! Sometim...
I researched cameras for a long time. The cameras companies have done a nice job at confusing the public! Too bad Steve Jobs didn't create a camera. How about an icamera!
Anyway--this is a great camera!!

Great product - the flash is truly akward, P. Kane
Great Camera. This replaced a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-110 touch screen point and shoot.
As previously reviewed the flash isn't in an area where you can avoid it. Going into this purchased I thought there'd be a way. Haven't found it unless you hold it in a very unstable manner.
The rapid shots are great. My wife likes taking pictures of cats and one is elusive. This camera allows her to get one usable shot out of the ten to twenty.
The illustration feature is fun.

Great point and shoot camera, Vintech
Awesome zoom with some handy features. Great value for money and eacy to use with Play memories app for iphone. Does a fantastic job on both video and pictures. I just swicthed from a DSLR to a point n shoot camera, and i was not disappointed with this gadget. Anyone who has a high need may want to ensure you carry an extra battery that is fully charged. The battery does drain very quickly if you use the flash a lot. But above all a very good product for everyday use.

This is a really nice small camera, Becky O
I did a lot of research before I chose this camera. My husband has a Leica, which has more ability, but is much much bigger and more expensive. Panasonic also makes a great camera, but again, much bigger and somewhat more expensive.
I have had previous Sony Cybershot cameras, and been pleased with the quality. I was looking for a small camera with a long zoom - specifically I wanted a camera small enough that I would want to carry it, but with enough power to bother rather than use my iPhone camera.
I am very pleased with this camera.

Great camera, Phil Armanino
This camera met all my expectations. The clarity of the photos is beautiful. I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants ease of use as well as outstanding results.

Awesome Video!, Ginger Winfrey
I couldn't believe the video quality. I recorded video of two guys on a termite inspection and the quality was super. HD for sure. And I zoomed in and out with ease. I even zoomed in to clearly see an ant attacking a termite. The photos are fantastic as well. So much better than my cheaper Sony. I have to have great zoom for clearing across dark attics to get photos of the bond beam and roof attachments. This camera is a great value for the price.

Easy to Use, Cindy Greenwell
I love using this in low light (like museums that don't allow you to use flash) and in my birdwatching. Zoom works great. I highly recommend this.

Takes wonderful pictures and movies, YeahSoMaybe? "computersandmusicperson"
This camera takes wonderful pictures and movies every time. I find that it's almost hard to take a bad picture with it. Detail and color rendition are superb.
This camera has a mountain of features and capabilities. I confess to not having the time to explore all of them. Generally I set it to "P" (Programmed) and shoot away. It does a great job. They have programmed it right in that I rarely see "noise" in my photos and things are rarely if ever blurry.
Oh! The built-in Anti-Shake! Worth it's weight in gold! I zoomed out to 20X at the beach and hand held these usable pictures of a seagull probably 400 feet away. The Anti-Shake (what I call it) also works very well for the movies. It may be a large factor in why I get a much higher percentage of clear, usable pictures on this camera compared to my old Fuji A70 (God bless it, it's gathering dust now..).
Taking pictures using Manual setting: Occasionally I will set force flash (Always On) or No flash. It's easy to do. The fill flash this camera provides is very natural looking. I have (once or twice) raised the the still sensitivity (ISO rating) to 3200 / 6400 and turned off the flash. It gets a greenish muted Rembrandt look - but I'm not complaining. Even at that sensitivity the rendering "noise" is at least smooth and even. It's still a usable, recognizable photo even if it looks like an artsy impressionistic dream.
MOVIES: Movies are very very good considering the scope of this camera and price point. What is REALLY cool is that when you zoom, the focus tracks / refocuses very quickly and there is no motor noise on the * stereo * soundtrack. While this camera is capable of 1900 X 1080 60frame per second progressive output, I generally take the movies on the "lowest" (ha!) quality setting which is 60i 1440X1080 Reason? "Shareability" tied to sheer size of the data output. I can still fit a 7 minute movie on a CD to mail to relatives at the bottom quality video setting. It still looks pretty good on our LG 60" plasma. Anything above that resolution setting is pretty much best streamed from a hard drive or, if you do snail mail (USPS), plan on sending a cheap USB drive to your relatives. (Some of the 8GB drives are down to $5 bucks now on Amazon.)
MINOR complaints:
1. I confess that I get lost in features or menus sometimes and simply power cycle the camera to get out of it all. It works. It may be humiliating but it works. : ) I simply don't have the time it would take to understand the absolute plethora of features this camera has.
2. If it is brightly sunny, you'll find yourself shrouding or shielding your eyes so that you can see the screen framing and readout. It's an annoyance with most modern cameras and this is the * one * place where a DSLR outshines this camera. HOWEVER..... * THIS * camera is quite pocketable. It's not micro but I have not problems putting it in a standard shirt pocket or front pants pocket.
3. When you open the battery hatch cover it seems a bit fragile. I see that complaint on a lot of cameras. What is more of a concern is the little blue colored, retractable, plastic retainer "footie" clip thing that holds in the battery. Be very gentle when you toggle this to release the battery. It's a design that works but your dealing with a delicate piece of engineering there. Common sense and good judgment.
OVERALL CAMERA BUILD QUALITY: Superb. The lens resolution is very crisp. Color rendition is excellent. The lens is marked as a "Sony Lens G" but I think they've been learning a LOT from Zeiss on their nicer cameras.
SUMMARY: This camera is NO slouch on quality. For what I paid (around $310.00 on a Xmas special) I feel I got an awesome deal. The pictures generally all look so good, I have to sometimes force myself to delete some of the similar near duplicates as I can't decide. We upload pictures to Shutterfly and the 8X10's look fabulous. I don't need anything else, this suits me just fine! Sony must know they have a winner here as the price is now $100 more. It's worth it!
If I lost this, I would mourn and buy another one immediately. It's that good.
ACCESSORIES I BOUGHT:
Class 10 (data transfer speed) SDHC flash memory card SanDisk 8GB Extreme SDHC Class 10 High Performance Memory Card (SDSDX3-008G-P31) $18.68 as of March 2013. Don't buy a Class 4 or 6 card as it will make your save times longer. Also, be aware that there are many bogus SD cars out there that "say" they are Class 10 but are rebadged or misrepresented Class 4 or 6. Buy from a reputable brand and vendor.
Case - Sony LCSCSU/B DSC Carrying Case $13.50 Very good case for very little money. While it has a strap, I used the belt pass-through. It works GREAT! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00336EHAM/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Highly recommended.
Spare batteries and Charger: Wasabi Power Battery and Charger Kit for Sony $22.99 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049XR5MK/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Works as good as the factory battery. While I have yet to run a single battery charge to zero, I've come close. If you're vacationing, having two batteries is a wise idea as you can't just buy these at the corner drug store.
P.S. The GPS and Wi-Fi, I could care less about. I can't speak to or review those features as I have not used them. Someday...

Great small camera with good zoom, MaryAnn Kennington-Duncan
I am just a "point and shoot" kind of photographer and I love this camera. It is small but has great zoom and fast focus. The panorama mode is really great. Love that you don't have to switch setting to take movies.

So much better than anticipated . . ., Happy Camper
I have no complaints whatsoever about buying or using this camera. I researched and bought it a couple of weeks before leaving on an out-of-town trip and had no trouble operating it right away and in a variety of conditions such as night/day, indoors/out, closeup/distance, low-light/sun, etc. The zoom is incredible and I never felt I lost a shot because of not being able to get close enough. I used the camera on "superior auto" for the most part and have since used settings more suitable for action, low-light etc. I did however buy an extra battery, memory card and a charger that plugs directly into a wall outlet which were indespensible on a long trip. I have tried out the video feature which seems to work quite well and expect to use it more in the future. I owned a Cannon Cybershot before purchasing this Sony model and can't be sure if the similarities may have added to the Sony's ease of use or not. I am completely satisfied with the purchase and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who has reviewed the camera's features and feel it might meet their expectations. Over the years, I have worked my way through a variety of digital camers (Olympus, Panasonic, Nikon, Cannon) and this is the best camera so far at producing great pictures with minimum fuss and bother.

Great camera...see the other reviews...but to add something new read below..., Sumint99
So I have found that for someone with a moderate to advanced amount of tech skills setting up the wireless transfer is still a bit of pain and will not always play nicely.
I have both a PC and Mac and I finally got the PC to accept wireless transfer with a bit of effort and a few hours, but after endless hours and the absolutely most horrific Sony telephone support EVER...I could never get the Mac to accept the wireless transfer which is unfortunate because the wireless transfer actually converts the videos files to a format usable on a mac. Direct import of these via a card reader are useless in iMovie. So is it iMovie or Sony to blame? Well I blame Sony as they claim to have this uber cool wireless transfer option that you pay extra for.
So if you are not tech savy, or want to save yourself the hair pulling experience of dealing with sony telephone support skip this wireless feature all together for the Mac user.
Other than that the other reviews are spot on about how great this little camera is a taking great photos with tons of zoom & superb macros. Just remember its not a DSLR or 4/3rd but it is damn nice.
I had a Panasonic 4/3rds and its pictures were noticeably sharper, but that camera was more expensive and required 2-3 lens to do what this little camera does in a smaller form factor. I'm no professional and the quality of pics and vids is till above and beyond any point and shoot, I've owned in the past.

Get to know this camera--you'll be surprised at the capacity, Elmaz Abinader "elmaza"
After I dropped and hurt my DSLR EOS, I knew I didn't want a big camera again, but i was addicted to the qualities, especially zoom capacity and ability to manipulate speed and aperture. I shoot under varying conditions, indoors and out. I read many reviews and although i was warned about the positioning of the pop up flash, I went ahead and purchased it. Since I have, a month ago, I have shot indoors, low light, at the beach, in the dark woods and from a distance. The outcome was amazing and the need to use the flash hardly exists. I have never been into pre-sets but that is the trick to this camera, to use the "scn" component and choose the conditions. The choices are broad, and I find, the more I learn about its capacity, the sharper the pictures are. I would award it 5 stars, but yes, that pop up flash is placed right where you put your finger to hold the camera.

Works great, John Rhea
The camera is nice little camera and replaced an old point and shoot camera. The wifi takes a little getting use to but is operational.

Cyber Shot HX30V, M. Raja "Miker"
The product arrived on time.
Based on many reviews, this appears to one of the best cameras for this price and at this quality level. The initial picture indicate that the quality is excellent. The camera is easy to use and handle. I have not used it enough to comment on various features.
The only problem I have had is with the wi-fi feature. It is very SLOW to connect and transfer photos. I would not buy this camera just for the wifi (You can buy HX20V if you don't need wifi).
This is one of the best cameras I have owned and I will use it a lot this spring and summer.

Great Camera, Ed Jacobson
We purchased this camera about 5 days before our overseas trip and it was easy to use and worked wonderfully.
The only annoying problem is exporting videos from the camera to a computer as one MUST use Sony's PlayMemoriesHome software (built into the camera and loads onto one's computer). We ran into problems many times, resulting in duplicate photos and videos. Very annoying requirement from Sony.

Great camera!, V. Heimerich
VERY clear video - indoor footage loves like live television.
Very good photo clarity and color.
Love, love, love having the in-camera info guide.
As others have mentioned, it is not the speediest shot to shot, due to process time for low light settings, etc. The pop-up flash also takes getting used to, since it comes up right where most people hold the camera with their left hand.