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

Like many of you, I spent a significant amount of time researching cameras before coming up with a decision that was best for me. My first digital camera was a Sony (back in 2001) and I quickly returned it for a Canon due to the ridiculously poor picture quality and expense of the memory sticks. Canon has never done me wrong, I have to say, so I was a little hesitant to venture "across the aisle" to the Sony HX-1. Let me just say: Sony has definitely stepped up their game... and then some. Before I begin, here is some background of my search before I spoil the ending (although I think I already did):

1. I landed on the super zoom category given my NEED for more zoom (3-5 X zoom is no longer acceptable) and my self-admitted laziness in terms of the D-SLR family... not wanting the extra weight and not yet smart enough for the full manual world.
2. From all of the reviews, I was most intrigued by three different cameras: Sony HX-1, Canon SX20 IS, and the Panasonic Lumix dmc fz35.
3. All of them, of course, have very strong features that make them quite appealing. To the same effect, all of them (even more "of course") seemed to be lacking in certain areas.
- Canon: Very useful articulating LCD, but only 2.5 inches (and TRUST me, it makes a difference). HD video, but not full HD (720p vs 1080p). Canon name, but no new innovation to speak of.
- Panasonic: Larger LCD, but fixed to the camera body. No HD video, but strong reviews on picture quality. 18 X zoom vs Canon & Sony's 20 X.
- Sony: Won me over for the following: Larger LCD that pulls out and rotates up/down (yeah, not articulating like the Canon). Innovation (i.e., setting an example for other companies to follow) in terms of processing chip (cmos) that allows for Sweep Panorama (FUN), Burst (up to 10 fps... although not usually that many), and anti-blur modes for both low light (twilight) and normal motion. The video is, in effect, full HD (1080p), the buttons feel VERY intuitive, and the overall feel of the camera is solid and easy to hold in most sizes of hands.

I've had the camera for several days, and during that time I can say I've been extremely impressed with the pictures this camera helps create (remember, YOU are the one who is responsible for deciding what to shoot and what settings to use). I can tell that I will have this camera for several years and will get significant use out of it. That being said, it is not perfect. While I have yet to have a camera that impresses me with indoor shots, this camera has something to be desired when looking at indoor pictures I took on my desktop. Not bad at all, just not what I would want ideally. I think it loses touch with color and clarity when taken indoors, although the flash helps with both... it loses the character that you get from non-flash pics.

All in all, I really came to my decision after reading so many USER reviews stating how much they enjoyed the camera as well as the cutting edge direction Sony has taken its product development. And now that I have it, the macro is incredible, the zoom allows me to take crystal clear pictures of the MOON, the colors when outdoors are vivid and true to life, and the overall "like" factor is very strong. I stand by this camera, and recommend it for anyone who, like me, has been craving more zoom power and ingenuity. In the end, remember... the camera can only do so much. It's up to you to learn the features and be the photographer. Best of luck!

It is very easy to use, with it you become a professional photographer with its incredible interface. definitely one of the best purchases I've made, 100% satisfied.

I didn't have this camera on my radar initially. I'm wary of Sony cameras after my first digital camera, a small Sony Cybershot (DSC-W70) I'd bought a few years ago suddenly stopped working about a year after I'd bought it. After that came another "slim" $100 - $200 price range camera which I had a for a few years. I finally decided to move up in this world and move to a "bridge" camera - ie. the range of cameras between the small point and shoot on one end and the full blown SLRs on the other end. I decided to try a Canon, since a friend of mine has a Canon Powershot which takes amazing pictures. The Canon SX10IS had good reviews for a camera in this range and so going by reviews (and some impatience) I went ahead and bought it online. Then while tracking the order on Amazon, i came across the Sony HX1 - it costed $60 more than the Canon, but it had everything the Canon had and more... I was intrigued by the reviews and the features like Panorama and burst (which the Canon SX10 does not have) and so I canceled the order for the Canon and went into Best Buy the next day to compare the two side by side before I settled on the Sony HX1.

A humble note on buying a camera here - I think its absolutely essential to go into a Fry's or Best Buy's and pickup and play around with the display model of a camera you have your eye on (and then go online and buy it for less, hehe). For example, the screen of the Canon SX10 IS is about a half inch smaller than the screen of the Sony HX1. I didn't think that to be a big deal while reading reviews and comparing the two, but in the store when I compared the Canon SX10 and Sony HX1 side by side, that extra half inch on the screen just made a heck of a lot of difference to the whole photo taking experience. The only feature where the Canon SX10 outdoes the Sony is the MegaPixels, the Canon SX10 IS is 12.1 while this camera is 9.1. Note that even when shooting with the resolution set to 9.1 MP, the file size is about 4 - 5 Mb. Thats a heck of a lot of space on my hard drive for a photo and so mainly for this reason, I probably won't be using a Camera on a setting of more than 5 or 6 MP for most every day shooting, and therefore the extra 3 MegaPixels that the Canon offered didn't mean a great deal to me.

Another observation from my experience. When choosing a camera, I think its important to keep in mind what features of a Camera are important to YOU. What would you care about most in the camera. A good zoom? Ability to shoot movies in 1080 HD? Burst mode? Are you partial to a particular brand? etc... In this regard, I found that what I cared about in a might-purchase camera was 1) Good user reviews on pictures taken in the Auto and Scene modes 2) At least 20X zoom 3) Ability to shoot movies in 1080p HD. Once you have settled on a few parameters you care about, then the process of drilling down becomes very easy. Go to the main camera section of the site on Amazon and with the search menu on the left, you can start selecting parameters one at a time (price, zoom, brand, etc.), so as to drill down from the 1000+ cameras to three or four. For me, my drill-down search yielded the Canon SX10 and the Sony HX1 (and another Nikon and Olympus). The Sony won because for my search, in addition to having everything I wanted, and good reviews, it also had the extra features like panorama and burst that the Canon didn't have, plus screen size. I forget why I ruled out the Olympus, and the Nikon didn't make it because it didn't shoot movies.

So since I've given this camera 5 stars, heres what I like most about the it.

1) Great pictures*
2) Extremely easy to use menu - very intuitively designed
3) The zoom is quick
4) Ergonomic design of the body - the placement of buttons and the "feel" of the camera is good
5) Love the panorama and burst modes - as other reviewers have mentioned, the panorama mode works very easily and the photo comes out accurate - no mismatch or jagged stitches.

*I'm still very new to this camera. I've taken about a 100 pictures so far, indoors and outdoors. The outdoor shots in good lighting are all excellent. I've yet to form an opinion on the indoor shots since I haven't taken that many yet.

I will keep updating this review as I learn more about this camera. I also discovered that there's a Facebook group for this camera, to which people post their queries etc.

With this camera I hope to explore the basics of photography and move out of the Auto mode and actually start fooling around with the ISO, aperture and shutter speed settings etc. Other reviewers have mentioned that if you know how to pull those levers skillfully, you can do most of the stuff you can do with an SLR on this camera. I hope this review helps you in your search. Good Luck! I have also posted some photos I've taken with this camera.

This is my third Sony DSC H camera. I have loved everyone of them.
Great images, easy to use, lightweight to carry.
Love the extra zoom on the HX1 and rapid fps.
The panarama reature is not as great as hyped; can't print them with my photomate so still figuring out how to get them printed.
Only negative: emailed sony customer service and no reply back.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3KEVYUGI4HFDC I don't know much about photography, but I am so pleased with this camera. I made this video with the Sony DSC-HX1 and was delighted with the results. I started experimenting with still shots and found that quite easy to understand. I wanted to try the video feature, so I made this video of myself playing the piano in my home. When I played it back I could hardly believe the results...the video quality is simply outstanding. I am extremely pleased with this camera and plan on trying many of the other features because it has a lot to offer. Anyone who buys this camera should be very happy with it.