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

You'll be surprised as to the level of improvement that this camera has vs her sister H50. Image Quality is very very good, movies are great in almost HD, menus are much friendlier. Panoramas are something that you will not use much after the initial excitement. I have Canon SLR with costly lenses and this camera is a great deal for what you are getting.
I will surely recommend it to anyone, novice or amateur.

let me tell everybody that I started the world of photography with Hasselblad and Nikon F4s.so I'm pretty familiar with all the functions of a pro camera.Here,I don't want to mention all the features of this fantastic camera.those who own it,already have mentioned almost all of it.so it's useless to repeat again.just I want to tell those who are thinking about buying a camera,there's ABSOLUTELY no camera in the world with these features and in this price range.believe me everybody,I would gladly pay thousand for such a great technology.and dear world of camera manufacturers!Hats off indeedd!!!

I have had this camera for about 3 weeks and so far I have been extremely pleased with it. This is a great camera option for people who want to take high quality pictures but don't want to spend a lot more money for a DSLR (with the lenses you need) OR for people who don't want to lug around the bulk/equipment of a DSLR. I really don't understand the people in these reviews complaining about poor image quality, the images I have taken with this camera have been outstanding---especially in good lighting conditions. I mostly use this camera for nature/scenery photography outdoors, and I have been very pleased with the image quality for both scenery/still objects as well as for birds and moving objects. I don't doubt that a DSLR might take better quality pictures in the eye of a professional, but in most good-lighting conditions it would be very hard to tell the difference between images from this camera and images from a low or mid end DSLR. Another thing to consider is how much you will actually get to use this camera: you can take this camera with you almost anywhere so you will most likely use it a LOT more than you would use a DSLR, which is harder to carry with you all the time. Strong points for this camera are (1) excellent overall value for the money, (2) the superzoom is very useful and the image quality even at maximum zoom is very high, (3) the panorama mode works just as well as advertised and is a very cool new feature (but if you still want to stitch your pictures together yourself you can still do that, but trust me this is one heck of a lot easier/faster and the results are excellent) and (4) much easier to carry with you lots of places (i.e., hiking, long walks, etc.) than a DLSR with the lenses you would need to cover short and long range zoom situations. As far as weak points, there is not too much to say except for a couple of minor annoyances like (1) the lens cap pops off when you turn on the camera, but this really doesn't cause any problems, (2) you have to use a Sony memory stick format (I bought the 4GB one with the camera) and (3) can't really compete with the image quality you would get from a DSLR in low light situations, but for most non-professional picture takers the images you get with this camera in low-light environments will be MORE than good enough to make you very happy with them. I have not used the video yet so I can't comment on that aspect of the camera. I highly recommend this camera, it is an excellent value!

After much deliberation, I bought this camera after trying to decide between the HX1 and the Canon SX1 and some others. The features that brought me over were the sweep panorama, 10 shots per second burst mode, and the other reviewers who seemed to say that the image quality between the HX1 and the SX1 were not that much different. Also, I got the HX1 for about $50 less probably (or more).
Now to just say where I am coming from, I've owned Sony DSC-H1 for the past 4 years, and that camera has been excellent and printed out great 4x6's and 8x10's. So I was just looking for a camera that would have HD video and also take at least as good pictures as the H1. The HX1 does the trick, let me tell you. (That "X" makes all the difference!) The color is really nice, the pictures come out very well even at high zooms.
Speaking of zoom, the 20x is amazing! It just keeps bringing objects closer and closer. Comparing them to my old H1 pictures, they are definitely better. Whether they are as good as the SX1 or other similar cameras, I cannot say. As to people who have been comparing this camera to a DSLR, this camera is not a DSLR! It will not take that kind of DSLR quality photo! Go buy a DSLR if you want that.
What this camera does do like a DSLR is have absolutely no shutter delay, (once it is focused) which is great for shooting sports games and such. The burst mode works excellent and really does take 10 a second, though it does take a bit to load them onto the memory card, about 15 seconds probably which doesn't seem that long when you are actually shooting photos.
The panorama mode works as advertised, and can take some extremely wide shots with the "wide" panorama mode. The quality seems to be pretty good, though sometimes you can see the stitching. At the very least, it is a lot of fun to use.
The low light mode works well, though the pictures do tend to become a bit noisy, so I will not be making any poster size prints of those.
The LCD screen is very large and very nice quality and I am still able to see it even in bright sunlight. It can detach and be moved at basically an angle (up or down) relative to the camera, though it cannot be moved side to side.
The menus are fairly easy to navigate and I think are pretty self explanatory, though there is a manual for explaining each mode if necessary. I actually really like how the menus are laid out.
The HD video is great quality as is the stereo sound that goes along with it (but does tend to have wind noise). The play back on the computer was good and yes there was some image tearing but it did not seem to be nearly as bad as some sample movies I had downloaded. I filmed a lacrosse game and it came out great. The HD video also looks awesome connecting it directly to an HDTV, and that was with me several year old 1080i HDTV so I was not even technically seeing it at full quality. Image tearing is barely noticeable when viewed that way. The pictures themselves also look great when connected directly to an HDTV.
Lastly, as far as I know you can't put AA's or that type of battery in the HX1 as it only takes a rechargeable battery pack, (which is good and all for the env.) so this is a problem only if you were say, heading into the mountains for a month. If anyone knows of solutions to this I'd be glad to hear them.
Lastly I recommend turning off the beeping noises. They're slightly annoying.
So summing up, here's a quick list of pros and cons:
Pros:
-Great upgrade over previous dsc models, especially if you haven't got one in awhile
-Excellent zooming capabilities
-Good color
-HD video comes out well, especially on an HDTV
-Large screen
-Easy to navigate menus
-Manual Options
-The "features" such as panorama and low light shooting mode work well
-Seemingly no or very miniscule shutter delay once focused
-Burst mode=awesomeness. Just wait to you hear the "clickclickclickclick"
-Relatively compact for the zoom power, but def won't fit in your pocket
-You'll like it if you've liked previous DSC/Sony models

Cons:
-Can sometimes see slight stitching in panoramas
-Memory sticks are expensive
-Seems to only take a rechargeable battery pack, no AA option if needed

So yeah, I think it is a great camera-but that's just me...

I purchased the camera prior to a trip to Banff. I liked the idea of the powerful zoom and ability to take panoramic shots. I have an older Sony point and shoot which takes beautiful shots so I was optimistic.

I wanted the camera to take excellent shots in auto mode and yet allow some light manual control.

The camera's powerful zoom allowed excellent ability to get close to the Grizzly bears at Lake Louise. The zoom speed and power were excellent. The macro ability was also quite good.

The panoramic shots that instantly process on the camera were great and I almost kept the camera for this ability alone.

The sharpness of the shots of the wolf I took was incredible. Every hair was visible.

However, I ultimately returned the camera because every shot was significantly over exposed. I wasn't trying to get perfect pictures and don't expect them. The over exposure was pronounced in auto mode in every situation I took pictures in.

Also, when I compared the shots with my 3 year old point and shoot Sony, the older/cheaper camera's were significantly better. Better color saturation in the older camera and no over exposure at all.

I don't believe the newer, more expensive camera should take worse pictures.

I returned the camera for a refund; disappointed.