Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 9.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization and 3.0 Inch LCD
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 9.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization and 3.0 Inch LCD
See it at Amazon.com for $397.00Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
A "dad's" review: the perfect camera for both still & video.
(5 out of 5) by S. Banks on Jun 25, 2009 (Houston, Tx United States)I am not a pro photog but my iphoto library is over 18,000 images of family & travel pics. So, when it comes to digital photography, I have been there since day 1. I have friends who buy the $2500 digital camera, thats not for me. I want a camera in the sub $500 range as I know I will be buying a newer one in a few years.
What impressed me about this camera frankly is the HD video capabilities. Speaking to the Dad's out there, you know the drill. You go on vacation or some event and you want to shoot stills and video. So that means you lug both the still camera & the video camera. You are constantly swapping cameras to get both stills & video and that means you're also lugging around both power adapters or batteries & related media. You cease to become part of the vacation and become the "official photographer." You end up behind the camera and not in front of it.
Enter the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 9MP, this baby shoots exceptional still photos and also HD video on the same media card (so get a big one). If you set the video to Fine quality, you get gorgeous wonderful HD video you can edit or burn to DVD. And now you have cut your gear in half. I think the camera is applying image stabilization to the video but you still need to hold it pretty steady. It also sports a stereo to capture amazing audio quality.
The camera features are stunning also, the panorama mode is endless fun, the twilight setting is luscious and the "easy mode" is great for when you must reluctantly hand the camera over to someone else to shoot pics. There are plenty of detailed reviews for this camera and all give it a very good score.
Will this rival a dedicated camcorder? Not in features but the image quality is great. If you want gorgeous stills and also the ability to capture a modicum of HD video, this is the camera for you. I took it to the beach last week and it was great to finally carry just 1 camera.
Small note, for the last few models (and this one) Sony has been using this miracle of a battery charger. No longer do you get this huge awkward battery charger & cable nightmare - you get this tiny, "deck of card" sized charger that you put the battery into and plug right into a wall socket. I can't tell you how great this for travel. Former sony cameras came with this enormous charger and cable that was twice the weight of the camera itself.
What impressed me about this camera frankly is the HD video capabilities. Speaking to the Dad's out there, you know the drill. You go on vacation or some event and you want to shoot stills and video. So that means you lug both the still camera & the video camera. You are constantly swapping cameras to get both stills & video and that means you're also lugging around both power adapters or batteries & related media. You cease to become part of the vacation and become the "official photographer." You end up behind the camera and not in front of it.
Enter the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 9MP, this baby shoots exceptional still photos and also HD video on the same media card (so get a big one). If you set the video to Fine quality, you get gorgeous wonderful HD video you can edit or burn to DVD. And now you have cut your gear in half. I think the camera is applying image stabilization to the video but you still need to hold it pretty steady. It also sports a stereo to capture amazing audio quality.
The camera features are stunning also, the panorama mode is endless fun, the twilight setting is luscious and the "easy mode" is great for when you must reluctantly hand the camera over to someone else to shoot pics. There are plenty of detailed reviews for this camera and all give it a very good score.
Will this rival a dedicated camcorder? Not in features but the image quality is great. If you want gorgeous stills and also the ability to capture a modicum of HD video, this is the camera for you. I took it to the beach last week and it was great to finally carry just 1 camera.
Small note, for the last few models (and this one) Sony has been using this miracle of a battery charger. No longer do you get this huge awkward battery charger & cable nightmare - you get this tiny, "deck of card" sized charger that you put the battery into and plug right into a wall socket. I can't tell you how great this for travel. Former sony cameras came with this enormous charger and cable that was twice the weight of the camera itself.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Great Camera for a Photography Newbie
(5 out of 5) by Steven Hernandez on Jun 4, 2009 (Chicago, Illinois)Before I had this camera, I had a point and shoot compact - the Hewlett-Packard R607. After time, I noticed that I desired more of my photos. My photos lacked depth of field, vibrance, resolution, and detail. I started reading about photography and associated terms such as aperture value, shutter speed, ISO, exposure, white balance, and metering. I quickly learned the basics of photography by visiting a few websites and determined that the camera I had wouldn't hack it for me anymore.
I researched a number of cameras and landed at a review site that previewed this camera. I compared it with some of the competition, noting that the Sony DSC-HX1 has some amazing features such as the hand-held twilight mode, anti-motion blur, sweep panorama mode, 10fps continuous shooting, and rechargeable batteries (would you believe some of the competitors use AA's). After a lot of reading and debating, I decided on the DSC-HX1.
In regards to the sweep-panorama mode: It works fantastically, both during the day and at night.
The video is smooth and a high enough quality to please the eye. This is, of course, an upgrade for me from 640 x 480 resolution video. As I moved the camera in tight on subjects, zoom or not, I immediately noticed the Optical SteadyShot image stabalization working remarkably to make my video look steady and professional-like. No tripod needed here. I took the DSC-HX1 to a Killers concert where I was far enough away that I need 15-20x zoom if I wanted to get tight shots on the band members. With proper camera holding posture (keeping it tight to my chest and using the digital viewfinder) and the SteadyShot, I was able to pull off some video that would not have been remotely possible with my limmited-zoom, no stability, HP camera.
The image quality is what you would expect from a "bridge-camera." The camera's CMOS sensor capture daylight pictures with remarkable vibrance and detail appropriate to this camera's market. Night shots at ISO 100-200 given appropriate lighting look great. Night shots and darker indoor shots at ISO 400-800 show a degree of noise that you would expect from a sensor of this size. I have often found myself adjusting my aperture and shutter values to allow me to use ISO 400 vice ISO 800 if at all possible. I have not had to use ISO 1600 or 3200 manually yet - so I can't vouch for them, but I would venture to say they should only be used if it is absolutely necessary.
I have not yet tested the hand-held twilight mode or anti-motion blur modes yet. When I do, I will edit this review.
Battery life is stupendous. It is far superior to my HP camera and I far prefer taking the battery out and plugging it into the wall. The charger for the batter is small enough to fit into the small side pocket of my camera bag. It beats having to carry around a charger.
The articulating LCD screen is bright, clear, and reveals enough detail to make a good judgment of the composition of your photo. Only under direct bright sunlight is it difficult to see. If this is the case, simply switch to the digital viewfinder.
The viewfinder is useful in high-light situations or when keeping the camera close to your chest to maximize your steady shot. I can't say that it is as good as the viewfinder that you'll find in a DSLR and as a result, would submit that you only use it if you need to. The good thing is, that you can correct the focus of the image in the viewfinder via an adjustment wheel on the housing.
The burst shot mode is great. At 10, 5, or 2 FPS, you can stop motion in time and catch those special moments. Beware though, that after you've released the shutter button of you've captured 10 pictures, the camera must pause to write these files from buffer to the memory card. This might be a show stopper for some who are not sure when precisely that special moment will occur. You will have to allow time for the camera to catch up with writing the images to the memory card.
The camera does, of course, weight more than your typical compact, but less than a DSLR. It's portable enough and weighs little enough that it doesn't strain the neck when worn for prolonged amounts of time. I've worn it for 3-4 hours and felt little discomfort if any.
For the price, I feel it's a great camera. There are a lot of compact cameras that cost nearly as much and have only half the power, speed, and capability.
All things considered, I think this is a great camera for someone who wants great capability without the bulk and weight of a DSLR, and is willing to work within the confines of the camera itself with few customizing accessories available.
I researched a number of cameras and landed at a review site that previewed this camera. I compared it with some of the competition, noting that the Sony DSC-HX1 has some amazing features such as the hand-held twilight mode, anti-motion blur, sweep panorama mode, 10fps continuous shooting, and rechargeable batteries (would you believe some of the competitors use AA's). After a lot of reading and debating, I decided on the DSC-HX1.
In regards to the sweep-panorama mode: It works fantastically, both during the day and at night.
The video is smooth and a high enough quality to please the eye. This is, of course, an upgrade for me from 640 x 480 resolution video. As I moved the camera in tight on subjects, zoom or not, I immediately noticed the Optical SteadyShot image stabalization working remarkably to make my video look steady and professional-like. No tripod needed here. I took the DSC-HX1 to a Killers concert where I was far enough away that I need 15-20x zoom if I wanted to get tight shots on the band members. With proper camera holding posture (keeping it tight to my chest and using the digital viewfinder) and the SteadyShot, I was able to pull off some video that would not have been remotely possible with my limmited-zoom, no stability, HP camera.
The image quality is what you would expect from a "bridge-camera." The camera's CMOS sensor capture daylight pictures with remarkable vibrance and detail appropriate to this camera's market. Night shots at ISO 100-200 given appropriate lighting look great. Night shots and darker indoor shots at ISO 400-800 show a degree of noise that you would expect from a sensor of this size. I have often found myself adjusting my aperture and shutter values to allow me to use ISO 400 vice ISO 800 if at all possible. I have not had to use ISO 1600 or 3200 manually yet - so I can't vouch for them, but I would venture to say they should only be used if it is absolutely necessary.
I have not yet tested the hand-held twilight mode or anti-motion blur modes yet. When I do, I will edit this review.
Battery life is stupendous. It is far superior to my HP camera and I far prefer taking the battery out and plugging it into the wall. The charger for the batter is small enough to fit into the small side pocket of my camera bag. It beats having to carry around a charger.
The articulating LCD screen is bright, clear, and reveals enough detail to make a good judgment of the composition of your photo. Only under direct bright sunlight is it difficult to see. If this is the case, simply switch to the digital viewfinder.
The viewfinder is useful in high-light situations or when keeping the camera close to your chest to maximize your steady shot. I can't say that it is as good as the viewfinder that you'll find in a DSLR and as a result, would submit that you only use it if you need to. The good thing is, that you can correct the focus of the image in the viewfinder via an adjustment wheel on the housing.
The burst shot mode is great. At 10, 5, or 2 FPS, you can stop motion in time and catch those special moments. Beware though, that after you've released the shutter button of you've captured 10 pictures, the camera must pause to write these files from buffer to the memory card. This might be a show stopper for some who are not sure when precisely that special moment will occur. You will have to allow time for the camera to catch up with writing the images to the memory card.
The camera does, of course, weight more than your typical compact, but less than a DSLR. It's portable enough and weighs little enough that it doesn't strain the neck when worn for prolonged amounts of time. I've worn it for 3-4 hours and felt little discomfort if any.
For the price, I feel it's a great camera. There are a lot of compact cameras that cost nearly as much and have only half the power, speed, and capability.
All things considered, I think this is a great camera for someone who wants great capability without the bulk and weight of a DSLR, and is willing to work within the confines of the camera itself with few customizing accessories available.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent camera!
(5 out of 5) by C. Lee on Oct 2, 2009 (Seattle, WA USA)I bought the DSC-HX1 as a companion to my DSLR, and it's a brilliant camera. The image quality in low light is great for a non-DSLR, and in good lighting conditions, the images require close examination to tell the difference.
The video from the camera is amazing - my pictures of a hummingbird are very lifelike. The color reproduction is superb - the shimmering green of the bird against the bright red of the feeder is every bit as vivid as life, without being oversaturated. There is a simple little adapter which allows you to plug into a HDMI cable for viewing your pictures and video - very quick and easy.
The low-light functions are like nothing I've ever seen in a consumer camera - using the speed of the imager to take multiple images and integrate them and reduce noise or blur. It's a technique commonly used in astronomy for imaging stars, but brought into practical everyday use. It works quite well in normal indoor lighting - allows you to take pictures without flash - and the associated shadows. It saves the gyrations of bouncing the flash, which is nice when you're just trying to capture the moment without drawing attention to yourself. It's also great when the venue prohibits flash photography.
The articulating LCD screen is great for the low-angle and over-the-head shots. Battery life is good as well.
I am very happy with this camera & am thinking about buying one for my dad.
The video from the camera is amazing - my pictures of a hummingbird are very lifelike. The color reproduction is superb - the shimmering green of the bird against the bright red of the feeder is every bit as vivid as life, without being oversaturated. There is a simple little adapter which allows you to plug into a HDMI cable for viewing your pictures and video - very quick and easy.
The low-light functions are like nothing I've ever seen in a consumer camera - using the speed of the imager to take multiple images and integrate them and reduce noise or blur. It's a technique commonly used in astronomy for imaging stars, but brought into practical everyday use. It works quite well in normal indoor lighting - allows you to take pictures without flash - and the associated shadows. It saves the gyrations of bouncing the flash, which is nice when you're just trying to capture the moment without drawing attention to yourself. It's also great when the venue prohibits flash photography.
The articulating LCD screen is great for the low-angle and over-the-head shots. Battery life is good as well.
I am very happy with this camera & am thinking about buying one for my dad.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Superb P&S Superzoom with some flaws, as expected
(4 out of 5) by intellectually_stupid on Sep 3, 2009 (God's Country)I have had this camera for two days and have experimented with it by taking over 250 pictures using both automatic and manual setting. I read on CNET review that this camera's photo quality is not that great. That is half true. The picture will not turn out sharp and clear if you always use automatic settings; however, manual mode with the correct settings will result in dslr-like photo quality. You really have to manually adjust the settings if you want to have good quality pics. If you don't know what you're doing, I suggest you stick with the auto mode.
Pros:
1.above average shutter lag but definitely faster than the compact and ultra compact P&S digicams
2.Manual settings is a big plus
3. Zoom can be extended up to 32x when shooting on 5 megapixel
4. Optical Stabilization works very well
5. Flash is extremely powerful. You can take pictures in VERY LOW LIGHT situations, and produce a bright crisp pics
6. 10 fps burst mode. There are options for 2, 3, and 5 FPS
7. Anti-blur is superb
8. Clear and crisp pictures when maxing out the zoom
9. Very light and portable
10. Good grip and excellent lens
Cons:
1. Macro is below average. My Panasonic tz3 and Sony T200 takes much better pics on macro mode
2. Lens cap is flimsy
3. Automatic ISO mode does not alway take good pictures
4. You have to wait for 16 seocnds to take another shot when using the 10 fps burst mode
5. LCD screen do not completely swivel
6. It doesn't do my laundry
I have not tested the HD video so I can't comment on it. Also, I am very much aware that this is not a dslr so I will not complain that it doesn't take good pictures like the DSLR'r or as fast. To do so would be idiotic, stupid, and ignorant.
CONCLUSION: Get this camera if you know how to use the manual mode with the proper settings. You will be guaranteed to have excellent pictures. Stay away from this camera if you would only use the automatic mode as it would be such a waste of your hard earned money. I highly recommend Canon, Sony T series, and the newer Panasonic models for the photography-challenged.
For the intermediate to advanced photography enthusiasts, this is an excellent second camera. It is light, portable, and have so many manual settings which would allow you to create amazing photo quality
Pros:
1.above average shutter lag but definitely faster than the compact and ultra compact P&S digicams
2.Manual settings is a big plus
3. Zoom can be extended up to 32x when shooting on 5 megapixel
4. Optical Stabilization works very well
5. Flash is extremely powerful. You can take pictures in VERY LOW LIGHT situations, and produce a bright crisp pics
6. 10 fps burst mode. There are options for 2, 3, and 5 FPS
7. Anti-blur is superb
8. Clear and crisp pictures when maxing out the zoom
9. Very light and portable
10. Good grip and excellent lens
Cons:
1. Macro is below average. My Panasonic tz3 and Sony T200 takes much better pics on macro mode
2. Lens cap is flimsy
3. Automatic ISO mode does not alway take good pictures
4. You have to wait for 16 seocnds to take another shot when using the 10 fps burst mode
5. LCD screen do not completely swivel
6. It doesn't do my laundry
I have not tested the HD video so I can't comment on it. Also, I am very much aware that this is not a dslr so I will not complain that it doesn't take good pictures like the DSLR'r or as fast. To do so would be idiotic, stupid, and ignorant.
CONCLUSION: Get this camera if you know how to use the manual mode with the proper settings. You will be guaranteed to have excellent pictures. Stay away from this camera if you would only use the automatic mode as it would be such a waste of your hard earned money. I highly recommend Canon, Sony T series, and the newer Panasonic models for the photography-challenged.
For the intermediate to advanced photography enthusiasts, this is an excellent second camera. It is light, portable, and have so many manual settings which would allow you to create amazing photo quality
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Wow!
(5 out of 5) by C. Wylam on May 8, 2009 (Northeast, PA USA)Let me start by saying-Thank you Amazon. I pre-ordered this unit from SonyStyle back in March. They couldn't deliver. So two days ago I found it on Amazon and bam, delivered and in use in two days. Thanks for nothing SonyStyle.
-All I can say is Wow. Out of the box, quick set up and I took my first picture. After viewing the picture, I was amazed at how professional they look. If you want a DSLR then buy one. This is not a SLR camera, don't compare it to one.It does what it does for a great price and for what it is, a high power point and shoot, I don't think you can ask for more. Basically it will do everything an amature photog would want it to do, maybe even your dishes. It's got that much going on. With time you can experiment with the focus and create some great shots. I chose this camera for it's battery life and high power zoom. You can go a long time on one battery. I purchased an extra and a travel battery charger,I didn't know it came with a travel charger. The zoom is awesome and steady. Great job Sony on a very affordable almost professional point and shoot...too bad you couldn't deliver your own product. Either way, I am a happy camper for my upcoming vacation to the beach. Oh and by the way, for those wondering, this is not a compact camera, it is almost as big as a SLR yet slightly lighter and a tad smaller. Not a camera for your pocket.I am sure if you get it you will be impressed.
-All I can say is Wow. Out of the box, quick set up and I took my first picture. After viewing the picture, I was amazed at how professional they look. If you want a DSLR then buy one. This is not a SLR camera, don't compare it to one.It does what it does for a great price and for what it is, a high power point and shoot, I don't think you can ask for more. Basically it will do everything an amature photog would want it to do, maybe even your dishes. It's got that much going on. With time you can experiment with the focus and create some great shots. I chose this camera for it's battery life and high power zoom. You can go a long time on one battery. I purchased an extra and a travel battery charger,I didn't know it came with a travel charger. The zoom is awesome and steady. Great job Sony on a very affordable almost professional point and shoot...too bad you couldn't deliver your own product. Either way, I am a happy camper for my upcoming vacation to the beach. Oh and by the way, for those wondering, this is not a compact camera, it is almost as big as a SLR yet slightly lighter and a tad smaller. Not a camera for your pocket.I am sure if you get it you will be impressed.