The superzoom market is expanding by leaps and bounds with every camera manufacturer out there launching their own point and shoot cameras with these zoom capabilities. This market is getting truly populated and giving consumers a plethora of options to choose from. These prosumer cameras are targeted at those who want an all-in-one camera featuring ultra zoom capabilities, HD video recording and stylish DSLR looks.
Sony have launched the Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V superzoom camera, which possesses these features and have also thrown in a couple of additional ones such as a GPS compass and 3D sweep panorama. The camera is priced slightly higher than the likes of the Fujifilm FinePix S3300 and the Kodak Easyshare max Z990, but does possess more features than them. Read on to find out if this offering from Sony stacks up to the competition and if it is worth a shot.
Design and Build Quality
Like most superzooms available in the market, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V has the bridge camera look making it appear at first sight like a DSLR. The first thing noticeable on this camera is the large Carl Zeiss lens located at the front of the camera. The lens occupies most of the front of the camera making the design look good. The lens features an option which allows one to zoom in to objects using a ring featured on it. The camera is black and has a specked sort of textured design all over. The large hand grip features a rubber padding, which aids in the handling of this ultrazoom. Weighing at 577g, one can use this camera just with a right hand. However, it is advisable that a person uses both hands to capture images.
The 3-inch flip out screen at the back can be tilted in a way that one can easily click images from either high or low angles. This is a similar to the feature found on the Nikon CoolPix P500. The buttons of this camera are located to the right of the screen. These buttons include a four-way navigational pad for display, continuous shooting, timer and flash. To the side of the camera are also buttons for accessing features like video recording, playback, menu and erase. There is a jog dial located on the top right side of the camera at the back, which can be clicked and used for adjusting various settings like ISO sensitivity, aperture priority, etc. This feature made it very easy for us to adjust the different settings.
On the top of the HX100V are buttons for accessing the electronic view finder (EVF) or LCD display, custom settings, focus and a mode dial, which helps in switching between the various modes of this camera. The on/off button is also located near the mode dial and has an LED backlighting to denote if the camera is on, off or on charging. The colour of the LED is yellow when on and orange when charging. This may not be a grand design implementation, but it surely can be a useful one. The zoom trigger is located next to the shutter release button and is a common design seen on most cameras.
The pop up flash is housed directly above the lens and feels sturdy. The EVF is featured directly at the back of it; making the camera retain its compact properties. A unique, but not uncommon feature of this camera is that it can be charged directly by plugging it to a power source. This removes the hassle of removing the battery every time it needs to be juiced up. Connectivity options are located to the left of the camera near the charging port. These include a mini HDMI and a proprietary USB port. The flaps of these ports are made of plastic and feel sturdy, as well. The battery bay is located underneath and it also houses a slot for the memory card. Though the flap does not have a locking mechanism, the flap is sturdy and it will not open unless intended. The overall design of this camera is really good and it feels sturdy as well.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Resolution
Sensor Resolution 16.2
- Type of Camera
Type of Camera Prosumer
- Sensors
Sensor Type CMOS
Shutter Speed 2-1/4000
ISO Sensitivity Range 100-3200
Optical Viewfinder No
Burst Mode No Information
Manual Focus Yes
- Other Features
Image Stabilizer Yes
- Zoom
Optical Zoom 30x
Digital Zoom 120x
- Lens
Aperture f/2.8-6.3
- Image
Image Format JPEG
- Screen
LCD Size 3.0
Resolution 921K
- Video
Maximum Resolution 1440 x 1080 / 25fps
- Interface
WiFi No
- Connectivity
PictBridge No
- Memory
Type of Card Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card
- Shooting Programmes
Face Detection Yes
- Battery
Rechargeable Battery Type Li-Ion
Number of Batteries 1
Shots 410
- Dimensions
Width 121.6
Depth 93.1
Height 86.6
Weight 525 grams
- More Features
Unique Feature
- After Sales Service
Warranty Period 3
Warranty Period 3
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