Hugh Watkins:

Rating

I’ve been waiting a long time for someone to develop this camera and Sony finally did it.

Pros: GPS, Compass, Picture Quality, AVCHD (1080i), Weight, Shutter Speed

Cons:

No GPS Coordinates on screen, just simple indication of GPS Lock

Compass Bearing hard to decipher, just simple compass needle

This camera is a winner, no it won’t replace your GPS or your DSLR (ok honestly it may replace my DSLR, the image quality is fantastic!), but for what I wanted which is a way to record life from the hiking trail this is the camera to buy.

I run secretfalls dot com and I like to be out in the woods hiking, but lugging the DSLR, Camcorder and the GPS, then trying to Geocode after the trip was just time consuming and bulky. I really wanted a small, light weight camera that would geo tag and shoot high quality video and the Sony DSC-HX5V is it. I reckon the still image quality is as excellent as my Nikon DSLR, the video quality is not as high as my Sony Camcorder but is more than brilliant for the web footage I shoot.

The GPS once it has a lock appears very accurate, although it would be nice to have a screen to show actual coordinates to compare to my Garmin. You can turn on the camera and shoot a picture in 2-3 seconds which is much better than my previous Nikon.

I ran through a couple of the shots I made looking at actual EXIF data for the GPS latitude and longitude, it looks to be accurate to around 15-20 feet when I have 3 satellite lock. My Garmin GPS 60CSx is my gold standard and it can typically get me to within 5 feet. The Sony apparently only locks onto 3 satellites and updates at 15 second intervals (I’m sure to save battery). I’m not complaining this is brilliant for my use.

*UPDATE Low light photography absolutely rocks on this camera, I’ve taken pictures while leaving work at dusk and the quality is still very excellent. Can’t wait to take some shots sitting around the campfire.

T. Pinsonneault:

Rating

I’m usually a digital SLR user, but I’ve been waiting for a camera like this to come out so I have something to place in my pocket. The features that really made me choose to buy this camera were:

1. AVCHD 1080i FULL QUALITY video. Check the bitrate — it’s the same as the camcorders. Better than the flip or handheld ‘HD’ bitrates

2. Wide Picture Stitching. I am astounded by the quality of these pictures. Dumbfounded. Check out the ones I’ve posted.

3. GPS Tagging. Yep- been waiting for this since iPhoto introduced the feature into its software.

4. Low-light performance. For a point-and-shoot, you’re not going to beat this. Sure, it’s no DSLR, but it’s pretty fantastic for the price.

5. Price- a zillion features and a really reasonable price!!!

Mac Compatibility:

I tried out the camera with iMovie, and it worked seamlessly!!! I imported 2 minutes of low-light video footage AVCHD in about 30 seconds from an SDHC Class-6 card. Also used the camera with iPhoto and Aperture, and everything worked fantastic.

Update: I’ve had time to play around with the different settings — you can see some of my results in the customer uploaded images. The panoramas today came out fantastic! I am still awed by this feature (amazon’s tiny photos don’t do it justice). Shooting inside in the MOMA was brilliant. Outside, I tried the HDR mode, with limited success (still need to experiment, but see what I got). The handheld twilight mode does what it is supposed to, impressively.

G. Dada:

Rating

Not too long ago cameras in the “point and shoot” category were considered toys for most advanced amateur photographers. The difference in picture quality and control between a point and shoot and an SLR camera was enormous. That gap has been closing especially in the last two years. With this new Sony HX5V that gap does not exist anymore.

I am an advanced amateur photographer. Photography is my passion and has been for many years. My “main” camera is a Nikon D5000 with a Nikkor 18-200 VR II lens. This is a new, high-end model with an incredible lens, worth probably $1500. After using the Sony HX5V for a week, I am seriously considering selling my Nikon simply because it is hard to justify the price difference.

Let’s start with picture quality. The two main elements in a digital camera are the lens and the sensor. Up until now, point and shoot cameras have used CCD sensors, which are inferior to CMOS sensors, used in most DSLRs. The difference is especially noticeable in low-light conditions. CMOS sensors produce much less noise and higher picture quality at high sensitivity (ISO setting). The Sony HX5V is one of the first compact cameras to use a CMOS sensor. 10 megapixels is more than what 99.99% of people will ever need.

The lens is very versatile: unlike most zooms, this one starts at 25mm wide angle, which means you can take fantastic pictures indoors when you are close to your subject. It has a 10X optical zoom, enough for most purposes. It is one of Sony’s “G” lenses, which means it is made with the same quality standards as their lenses for DSLRs costing hundreds of dollars. The zoom is controlled with a button (like with most compact cameras) as opposed to manually (as with most DSLRs) which is a drawback of this format. The Sony would sometimes guess I wanted to go full zoom and go all the way – similar to electric car windows that roll all the way down after pressing the button for a second.

After looking at the specs and the online photos I expected the camera to be larger, but it is really smaller than my smart phone and smaller than the Lumix TZ4 camera it replaces. It fits in my jeans pocket comfortably and I can carry it in my portfolio at all times, which is a huge advantage over any DSLR. The camera is light, the battery lasts a long time and the screen is very bright.

The Flash is surprisingly excellent. It took some pictures of people indoors, a couple pictures in bright light where I used the flash to fill-in the shadows and then I took a picture of our kitchen (like the ones you see in a realtor ad) and was surprised by the even illumination and sharpness of the picture. Surely beats my Nikon’s built-in flash.

On Saturday I took a picture of my daughter’s Birthday cake with ISO 3200 setting. The Sony has a cool feature where it takes a couple low-light pictures and combines them to produce a better image. The results are absolutely incredible. I rival any DSLR small of $5,000 to top the quality.

At the Austin Rodeo this weekend, I tried the burst shooting mode at the pig races (really). The ability to take 10 shots per second means you won’t lose the action. Yesterday at a park downtown I used the panorama feature to pan across the landscape and the Sony took care of building and stitching multiple images into one, it looked perfect!

Some people will delight in the ability to shoot movies at full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 @ 60 frames per second. I is really nice to be able to zoom while shooting video. Movie mode is only a button away, so it is very convenient.

The camera includes a GPS sensor and a compass, which means every photo (outdoors, where the camera can get a satellite signal) will be tagged with the precise location and orientation where it was shot.

Face detection and smile detection will ensure you get all your people in focus and that you will capture the smile you are looking for. There is a full manual mode and an simple mode – making both me (the advanced photographer) and my wife (novice photographer) pleased with the same camera.

Last, but not least, the camera includes a HDR function that takes three pictures with different light settings and combines them into one, providing the best image possible for high-contrast scenarios. I plot to test this feature in the next few days.

Essentially, the Sony HX5V gives you the same quality sensor (CMOS) and lens (G-class) as you would get with a DSLR with a powerful 10X zoom and tons of cool features. For $350 (list) it is an absolute steal. If you can afford it, it is a no brainer. If you are thinking about buying a DSLR, this Sony could give you a better camera at a fraction of the cost.

Sample photos available at: http://sonyhx5v.myphotoalbum.com/

gobears:

Rating

This camera does not have the same image quality as say the Canon S90 or the Panasonic LX3. Nevertheless, I would say the image quality is excellent for a point and shoot and the colors are certainly an improvement over the Sony WX1. If you want more in-depth analysis on pixels and IQ, I suggest doing a search on dpreview or look at images on flickr or picasa to draw your own conclusions. There are also a number of reviews online such as cameralabs and imaging-resource.

With that being said, what makes this camera so fantastic are its features. And there are a lot of them! I personally delight in the panoramic shots and being able to capture expansive scenery in one swoop. The smile detection feature is also a lot of fun as I find my family and friends posing in front of the camera and trying to trigger the smile shutter. The anti-motion blur is useful to reduce camera shake. For instance, if you zoom in 10X optically or 20X digitally, it is hard to keep your hands steady, but if you use anti-motion blur with its 6 superimposed images, the pictures come out clear. Nice!

Features:

- iSweep Panoramic: improved version over the Sony WX1. You do get a “ghosting” effect with quick moving objects. But, for people that are walking, the subject appears only once.

- Anti-Motion Blur: takes 6 shots with one press of the shutter and superimposes the images to make one image with no blur. I find this feature useful when you can’t keep your hands still such as in a crowded stadium/concert/bar or when you’re zoomed in on a distant subject.

- Handheld Twilight: same thing as Anti-Motion Blur but the colors are warmer. Use this setting for low-light or night pictures for excellent results.

- 1080i/720p HD Movie: Video appears smooth with the new Active Mode stabilization and you can optically zoom 10X while recording. It also has stereo sound but the left and right microphones are located on top of the camera, so you have to be careful when holding it to not cover the mic.

- HDMI Output: the camera comes with an HDMI adaptor to hook up to your HD TV. It does not come with the cable, so I bought this one and it works Mediabridge Ultra Series – 6ft High Speed HDMI Cable – Version 1.3 Category 2 Certified – 1080p – Blu-Ray – PS3.

- Slideshows: seems very minor, but I particularly delight in being able to upload your own music onto the camera. So with the HDMI adaptor and cable, you can instantly play your own slideshows for friends and family. If you do not have an HD TV, the camera also comes with a standard A/V cable bundle

- GPS and compass: From my experience, it locks on in about 10-15 seconds. It varies depending on climate and location. And I have been able to have the GPS lock on indoors as well. But, I do not use it and I have it turned off. I can see it being useful for travel or hiking.

- High Dynamic Range: Takes two shots at two different exposures and superimposes them to capture detail that would be lost in shadows. It works but I wish it took 3 shots from bracketing instead of just two shots.

- 10 fps: It does take 10 pictures in one second in full resolution. But, it takes about 15 seconds to store those 10 shots and in that time you cannot take another picture. You can change the burst mode to 5 fps and 2 fps which is a nice option.

- Smile Shutter: camera has face detection and smile detection as it will automatically take a picture whenever it detects a smile. I find it pretty accurate and it’s fun for the kids to test if the camera can read their smirk or joker-like smile.

- Manual Mode: allows you to pick a shutter speed between 30 seconds to 1/1600th of a second. but only allows two aperture settings – at wide angle at f3.5 and f8 and at telephoto it is at f5.6 and f13. the shutter speed is useful if you have a tripod and you want to capture more light. but the camera is lacking in shutter and aperture priority.

Overall, a fantastic camera and a lot of FUN to use. It has a ton of features to accommodate nearly any setting. Whether or not this is the right camera for you..well you have to evaluate your priorities, do you want better image quality and portability then look at the Canon S90 or Panasonic LX3. If you want high zoom and HD video in a small package, then also take a look at the Panasonic ZS7 and Canon SX210IS in addition to this camera.

If you already bought the camera, I suggest the Case Logic TBC-302 Camera Case. It fits it perfectly and the front zipper pocket allows you to store 2 extra batteries or 1 battery and extra memory card. You can let it hang off of your belt loop or you can take the carabiner off and just stick it in your pocket (which I do). It’s small enough to fit in loose fitting jeans/slacks or cargo shorts.

Caselogic TBC-302 Ultra Compact Camera Case with Storage (Black)

I also bought the ZAGG Invisible Screen Protector for the Sony DSC-H20. It’s not listed for this model but both cameras have 3 inch LCD screens and it fits.