Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V user reviews (Black)

Pros Excellent Image quality for a compact
Smooth and sharp 1080 60p video
Sweep Panorama creates incredible wide shots
Background Defocus is actually effective in emulating shots taken with more expensive lenses
10 fframes per sec Burst shooting perfect for a

Cons Zoom lens mechanism is not smooth and exhibits shudder while zooming
Menu navigation is a little cumbersome
No color and shaprness adjusment in movie mode
No external battery charger

Summary After trying 3 of the newest and best superzooms, the Panasonic ZS10, the Canon SX230, and the Sony HX9V, the clear winner for me was the Sony. The review of these 3 cameras in dcresource.com is spot on. The Canon arguably had the best image quality though I lthink the HX9V has better IQ over the entire range of lighting comditions. Forget the ZS10, the photos from it are just plain noisy. The video I took with the ZS10 of my son's graduation was aweful. Canon's 1080 24fps video was okay. The 28 Mbps 1080 60p video from the HX9V is so smooth and sharp. I even pitted it against the Panasonic GH2 and the video quality is comparable if not better. But the thing that separated this camera from the other two is the fun features like the Sweep Panorama, Background Defocus, and the 10 fps Burst shooting. They allow you to do more creative photography. I did have to buy an NP-FG1 extra battery and an external charger. All in all, this camera packs a lot of features and takes excellent photos and is a great deal at $350. I used to shoot with SLRs and with small kids, I've learned to sacrifice shot quality for convenience. With the HX9V, I don't feel like I need to go back to lugging a big heavy SLR.

Pros Optical Zoom, pixel count, gps, movie capability and quality, panorama, 3D, dim light performance

Cons Proprietary USB port but comes with cable and outlet attachment, since the camera battery has to be charged in camera using a computer or a wall socket. It's probably a good idea to spring for an external charger and purchase a back up battery anyway, if

Summary This is a phenomenal camera, well worth the money. The zoom function is truly useful and the picture quality seems extremely good, even though it is soooo Sony, meaning a tad soft on purpose. No problem with down loads to your computer, MAC or PC, providing you turn the camera on once hooked up to your computer (that's the green light, not the orange light indicating charging). The supplied battery (no longer produced) is fine, but the replacement battery NP-FG1 is better due to the info capability being in minutes. I want to say it's easy to use but the manual is not particularly helpful, so some people will have a little difficulty, at first, but they should not despair. The learning curve is not particularly steep, even for an advanced camera like this one, and the on camera help manual is, on the other hand, very well done, so you can leave home without the manual. This is a very impressive camera with lots of features. If you have a 3D TV, it is a must buy, even if everything is in its infancy.

Pros 16x Optical Zoom, good Image Stabilization, lot of advanced Features

Cons No Optical Viewfinder, No Pdf manual, No HDMI cable include.

Summary After reading lot of reviews, I pick up this Sony, and I am very happy with the performance.I already bought extra battery and external charger BC-TRN because internal charging is slow (cca 270 min.)

Pros Easy to carry in shirt pocket- great travel camera
LCD screen is viewable in bright sunlight
HD video is amazing when viewed on HD TV
Low-light pics are truly unbelievable; I've never had such good indoor shots without flash
Zoom is sharp and image st

Cons No external battery charger- must charge in camera (can buy external charger separately)
Zoom control is a little sluggish
Image quality is great however I would describe the color saturation as slightly low

Summary I started looking for a new camera to take on a trip to Italy in June and saw the reviews for the Sony DSC- HX9V. Low light shooting without flash was my priority since I knew I'd be in cathedrals and museums where flash is forbidden (photos in general were forbidden in some of them). The camera didn't disappoint- the new Exmor R sensor would come through with flying colors. The video quality was truly outstanding - every bit as good as a full sized video camera. I pretty much left the camera on the intelligent-auto setting with the flash turned off. After 9 days of shooting I came home with more than 640 pictures and videos and was eagerly waiting to see them on the big screen. I was amazed at the quality of the low light pictures and the HD video!
Panorama pictures were a nice bonus- I got really good ones at the Vatican plaza and St. Mark's square. If you get this camera make sure you get a high speed high capacity (at least 16 GB with 15 MB/sec) SD card because the HD video needs fast performance to work well. As stated before the color saturation was a little on the weak side (for my taste anyway) but I was coming from using Canon cameras for years and was used to their slightly oversaturated color. If you are taking a much-anticipated trip somewhere I will gladly recommend this camera to take along- it is worth the $350 price tag. Happy Trails to you!