Sony DSC-HX200V 18.2 Megapixel Extended Zoom Reviews Roundup
Sony announces five new "H-Series" Cyber-shot SuperZoom cameras - the DSC-HX200V, DSC-HX30V, DSC-HX20V, DSC-HX10V and DSC-H90. The HX200V (30x zoom), HX30V (20x zoom), HX20V (20x zoom) and HX10V (16x zoom) all have a new Sony 18.2 Megapixels Exmor R CMOS sensor featuring fast AutoFocus speeds of approximately 0.13 seconds in daylight and 0.21 seconds in low-light shooting situations. It features Clear Image Zoom digital zoom technology, which boosts optical zoom to 2x virtual capabilities while maintaining full resolution. These new models has Optical Steady Shot to reduce any blurring caused by camera shake during shooting.
The HX200V features Extra High Sensitivity technology which enhances low-light shooting capabilities. It comes with a 3.0-inch 921k dot resolution tilting LCD screen and supports Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920x1080/60p) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode (3 way shake cancelling). there's an embedded GPS functionality as well as the Photo Creativity interface and 9 Picture Effect options for creating unique, custom-styled photos and video. The DSC-HX200V is available in black this March for $480.
Sony DSC-HX200V Sample Photos on Flickr
Sony DSC-HX200V Camera Reviews Roundup
| Imaging Resource: "Sony packs a ton of features into the HX200V superzoom and, for many people, it will offer more than enough camera for a range of shooting situations. Anyone who likes to travel but doesn't want to lug around an expensive DSLR camera body and a bevy of interchangeable lenses might find the Sony HX200V to be the ideal traveling companion. And that's before we even mention the built-in GPS function that lets you geo-t..." - Nov 14 2012 More » | |
| Trusted Reviews: "As with other higher-end Sony compact models, the HX200V comes with the full compliment of proprietary shooting modes, namedly Sweep Panorama, Backlight Correct HDR, Handheld Twilight and Portrait modes. Although these are primarily aimed as convenience tools for the less experienced user they all perform quite well in use and offer a straightforward and much more time-efficient alternative to capturing your images..." - Oct 24 2012 More » | |
| Digital Camera Info: "Based in part on the spec sheet but mostly on the price tag, the Sony Cyber-shot HX200V sits in the top tier of superzoom cameras, circa late 2012. It features a long zoom lens and a high-res sensor that unlocks fast performance and excellent video options. It has an eye-level electronic viewfinder that some photographers find essential, and it gives you the option to control the exposure yourself or let the camera..." - Oct 18 2012 More » | |
| LetsGoDigital: "Shooting with the Sony DSC-HX200V camera is a pleasure; the user-friendly menu and the many manual and automatic settings make it possible for anyone to work with this camera. Almost all photos shot with the Sony HX200V were sharp. The camera has an Extra High Sensitivity mode for shooting clear, noiseless photos in low-light circumstances. In the manual mode, a shutter time of 30 seconds can be selected, which make..." - Sep 22 2012 More » | |
| Camera Labs: "The Sony Cyber-shot HX200V is a camera that's hard not to like. It has some little niggles which can infuriate, like the lens cap that stops the lens from extending when you switch it on and the interminably long main menu, but it makes up for those shortcomings in so many ways. Small things like the In-Camera guide, the eye sensor and the manual focus/zoom ring all go to make a camera that's a pleasure to use from..." - Sep 10 2012 More » | |
| CNET US: "The photo quality from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V is very good to excellent, though it really depends on your needs and expectations. If you're considering buying this instead of a high-resolution digital SLR, you'd be disappointed. Like all of Sony's 2012 18-megapixel Cyber-shots, most pictures viewed at full size aren't impressive. However, there's plenty of usable resolution here, particularly if you're shoot..." - Jun 07 2012 More » | |
| ePhotoZine: "Images are well exposed, with good colour reproduction. Background Defocus mode gives the effect of using a large aperture on a DSLR, blurring the background while keep your subject in focus. High sensitivity modes gives well exposed, bright pictures in low light. When using Superior Auto mode, the camera will (if it decides it's necessary) take multiple frames and combine then into a single image to reduce noise. P..." - Jun 02 2012 More » | |
| What Digital Camera: "Starting with the positives, images captured with the Sony HX200V display an impressive dynamic range right out of the camera, with both shadow and highlight detail retained even in images containing high contrast. The camera's metering also performs well in this regard, with images generally proving evenly exposed and thus needing very little work out of the camera. The news unfortunately is not all good. The model..." - May 20 2012 More » | |
| Pocket-lint: "When we reviewed the HX100V in May 2011, we remarked that although image quality was good, the 16.2-megapixel sensor wasn't able to pull off the "critical detail" that we'd hoped for. So for Sony to squeeze in yet another two million pixels and up the resolution to 18.2-megapixels in the HX200V set alarm bells ringing. More megapixels spread across the same 1/2.3in sensor surface means light is spread more..." - May 11 2012 More » | |
| Digital Camera Review: "Sony's new super zoom, the HX200 combines a gaggle of features such as GPS, a smile shutter, face detection, anti-blink technology, background defocus, a panorama sweep mode and one-touch full HD video capture capability in a relatively small, DSLR-like package with a big zoom lens and a high resolution sensor, at least by point-and-shoot standards. The camera establishes autofocus fairly quickly in good conditions..." - Apr 26 2012 More » | |
| Photography BLOG: "Undoubtedly the biggest recommendation we have with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V is that, by daylight, we were able to achieve sharp results shooting handheld with it with greater consistency than we have been able to achieve with pretty much any super zoom camera to date. The hand-held twilight mode selectable from within the scene modes also comes in very useful by night. Simply put, if you line up a trick-sy sh..." - Apr 18 2012 More » | |
| Digital Camera Resource Page: "Camera performance is one of the DSC-HX200V's strong suits. The camera starts up fairly quickly for a super zoom (1.9 secs). Sony promised strong AF performance on this camera, and it doesn't disappoint in the least. The HX200V will lock focus in 0.1 - 0.3 seconds at wide-angle, and not much longer at the telephoto end. Even low light focusing was impressive, with delays stay at or below the one second mark. Shutter..." - Apr 18 2012 More » | |
| DPI: "Simply put, the Sony Cyber-shot HX200V wants to cater and make life as smooth flowing as possible for the majority of folks looking for a camera with plenty of optical zoom and would like to be able to adjust camera settings, but it might not impress the small crowd of enthusiasts and professionals who would like to squeeze out more from the camera. If you're looking for a super-zoom camera without wanting to adjust..." - Apr 12 2012 More » | |
| Trusted Reviews: "Image quality is, however, going to be closer to that of an advanced compact than an SLR or micro Four Thirds snapper like the Sony NEX-5n. It uses a high-power 18.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, but at just 1/2.3in in size, it can't promise the low light performance of something packing a full APS-C sensor - although Sony claims the sensor is much more sensitive than the previous model. The pay-offs in build and feel are..." - Mar 02 2012 More » | |
| What Digital Camera: "The HX200V has a 1080p (50fps) HD movie mode can be accessed via the one-touch movie button, and it's now possible to capture 13-megapixel, 16:9 stills during movie recording without interrupting the recording. On the HX200V's rear is a 920k-dot Xtra Fine LCD that has a wide viewing angle and is mounted on a tilt-bracket for vertical adjustment. This makes for easy overhead or waist-level shooting, though therer's s..." - Mar 01 2012 More » |
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User Review of the camera - Sony DSC-HX200V
Best camera I have ever owned!, Eric A Simaga
I purchased this camera to take on my recent honeymoon to Costa Rica as we knew our old Sony poiint nad shoot wouldn't cut it anymore. I could not be happier with the quality of pictures this camera takes. There are certainly people more savvy than me that could probably take much better photos with it than I, but you will not be disappointed with the standard default setttings that optimizes everything for you. Also, the optical zoom on this camera is incredible for the camera being so compact. I could not be happier with this purchase. It also didn't hurt that we picked up cheap on Amazon because Sony was subsidizing their products for some reason.
love it!, Ashley
Great camera for pictures of the kids and their school programs. Not too complicated but not too basic. Love the options.
Needs a better instruction manual, james yates
I like this camera very much, but the manual might as well have not been included. It tells almost nothing about the operation of the camera. I hope there is a more comprehensive manual on-line.
Better than SLR for non-pro/non-hobbyist, Mitch Gibson "Master of Tools"
This camera is nothing short of amazing. I got it to replace a Nikon DSLR that was stolen, and I like this one much better. Not as many bells and whistles, but I didn't know what to do with the bells and whistles anyway. The lens is incredible, the zoom is outstanding, using the features is intuitive, and the LCD is so great I doubt I'll use the viewfinder even once. This camera is absolutely perfect, and the videos it takes are of incredible quality. Buy one.
Pretty good Point & Shoot camera, Patricia P.
I've tested 11 cameras previous to this one. So far this one is best for a point & shoot with a long zoom. The Clear Image zoom doubles your range without any noticeable loss of quality, but turn off the Digital zoom. The Image Stabilization is excellent, until you enter the Clear Image Zoom range. The image quality is excellent for daytime shots and the flash has an impressive range. Night time zoomed shots leave a larger sensor to be desired, however an SLR with that much zoom would be cost prohibitive. Play around with Contrast, Sharpness, Noise Reduction to see how "low", "standard", or "high" work in combination for your shooting situation. Get to know the settings of this camera. The ISO up to 1600 is very good, but try setting it to 100 and let the camera automatically adjust the shutter speed and aperture. Play with the shutter speed and aperture to see how they affect the picture, especially with those moon shots. The Superior Auto with its automatic High Dynamic Range can give you surprisingly good photos in difficult lighting. The tilting screen is very handy, and the viewfinder, tho not great (but better than some), works in a pinch. The eye sensor for the viewfinder is a plus. The grip is good. You learn to remember to remove the lens cap before powering up the camera. And yes, a threaded lens would be nice so we can use a protective filter. I need to investigate to see if there is an adapter. Disappointed AVCHD video is not compatible with Mac, but the MP4 is pretty good. The jog dial to access frequently used settings is handy. The battery life is excellent! A stand alone charger would be appreciated, instead of the cumbersome long cords and transformer that are space eaters and awkward in the camera bag.
To all the people remarking about slow focus, slow between shots, slow after changing a setting or changing a mode on the dial - simply press the shutter button half way in any of those situations and the window will immediately return to "ready" to shoot, no waiting.
To those who are wanting the User Guide handy, pretty much the whole Guide is inside your camera. Check it out.
I am so impressed with the quality of this camera's image and ease of use, I am having the urge to go SLR for even more and better. But for now, for a point & shoot, this is the best I have tried.
Great all around camera especially for travel, Timbo
I bought this primarily for the zoom and I had liked Sony camera in the past. I recently used this on a trip and it delivered in all ways but one. Its panorama feature is too automated. You sweep the camera and it does the rest, however if you're like me and want more control, or want to access the individual shots to make the panorama on a PC, then you're out of luck. The zoom is great as well as the image stabilization, and even the over zoom is useable. If you look at the individual pixels you'll see a bunch of noise and noise reduction artifacts, however in practice if you shoot at the maximum resolution and reduce the image for printing or albums, most of that noise fades away. Think of it like scanning a newspaper or magazine picture at high res. You'll see all the dots, however if you shrink it by 50%, the dot screening goes away. Anyway, great camera. Its too bad it seems this year's model lacks the GPS but does give you a bigger zoom.
Best Value, august walker
This is a great camera, especially for the price. It is not too heavy, has quality lens, and good workmenship.
It is in the spirit of Minelta
Great camera!, Sandra Pappenfus
I love this camera. It's easy to use. It has automatic everything. It takes photos fast. The battery holds it's charge for a long time. It has many great features.
An affordable High End camera, A. Sainz
I am impressed with the easy of use and the great capabilities of this camera. The automatic settings are good enough to get very good pictures and video in almost any light condition, distance from subject, etc. This camera allows you to shoot video and perform zoom in and out at the same time, so it works pretty well as a video camera too, besides the image quality is really great.
I had a Canon camera which suddenly died for no reason, and exactly the same happened to one of my friends recently. Personally I do not like the images from Canon cameras very much, I really prefer the colors and durability of SONY.
Love the zoom and the pictures, J. Skiff
I returned a Panasonic because this camera had a better zoom and the landscape pictures were beautiful. The exposure on automatic + is beautiful. I do a lot of landscape and it handles multiple lighting and landscape scenes beautifully. I've been a Canon and Panasonic user for years, but this one is my favorite.
Excellent camera!, Juke
Have used for about 2 months, still learning the options. Have had multiple digitals over ten years, and usually photo edit most pix. Pix from this are most always so clean, don't require any "touch-up". Only complaint: When holding camera to shoot with one hand (right), tendency to hit the flash on/auto button with thumb. Other wise, I love it.
Product came in great condition., Sean
I bought this camera for the sake of just starting photography. This is a super easy to use camera. Has amazing zoom, and great quality. The camera came in great condition and I couldn't be happier with the pictures.
Lightweight and crisp pictures, Becky Taylor
I have used a Canon DSLR for several years and the weight of the camera/lens began to cause pain in my hands and wrists. Based on other reviews I purchased the Sony. It is so much more lightweight, but you have the feel of holding a larger camera. I needed lens stability and have had no issues with blurry pictures (except for fast moving grandkids). I'm still trying to get familiar with all the multiple settings, but overall I really like this camera.
Great camera good price, Robert Schildgen
easy to use, very low cost picture processing, good price. It comes with small amount of memory only good for about 17 pics. Plan early to get a level 4- 16 gig for about $12 san disk card. Lens cap pops off if you forget and turn it on. No haze filter included. Many extra shoot scenes, pan, close up, faces, kids, animals, etc. I like the low light capability, dont even have to use flash for many evening scenes. I can recommend it highly. Note the v stands for GPS which can be added to memory record for each shot.
I thought it would be a well sturdy camera But still great., Andrew
I needed an affordable 1080/60p camera for a project this summer, so I went with this one. I really thought it would be a well weighted sturdy camera, but not really. It was a little light and a little hallow where you hold the camera. The camera lens is actually where all the weight is. Also, the zooming in/out is a little slow, it doesn't go as quickly as other cameras. But despite that, its a very good camera. Beautiful photos and great quality video mode.
Sony Cyber-Shot, Tammie "Tammie"
I LOVE THIS CAMERA!! The first photos I took were of a full moon - they were so clear that I was amazed!!! The more I use it, the more I wonder how I lived without it!!!
Just simple and excellent, MOHAMMAD M NAJAR
This was simply a great camera. The photo quality is 1000x better any other camera brand in this price range. Before getting this unit, i tried Canon, Nikon, and Samsung equivalents but they just didnt match up to the quality of this Sony Cybershot camera. Highly recommended.
Great camera, great price!, JIM WEAR JR
This was a great purchase and I really like this camera. I can only say good things about this purchase experience.
Thank you very much!
Sony DSC-HX200V, George J. Biehl "GEOMILO"
I got this for a trip/cruise to Portugal and Spain as I did not want to haul around my much heavier DSLR. While this is not a slip in pocket camera it is relatively light and I was amazed at the versatility and quality. I highly recommend it. It was really good at low light situations where a flash was not called for.
Great Camera, Charlie
This is a great camera and it shoots great pics. The software is fun and easy to use. I would recommend this camera to everyone.