Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V Super-Advanced High Zoom Camera (18.2MP, 20x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD

High sensitivity pro-style Exmor R CMOS sensor with 18.2 megapixels for unsurpassed pictures even in low light.
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Simply awesome pictures

It’s a combination of things. Immensely powerful optical zoom that lets you get up to twenty times closer to your subject without moving an inch. Really impressive low light shooting from our most sophisticated sensor. Great anti-blur for those fast- moving moments. Even at full zoom at the end of the day with action all around, you’ll be able to capture every detail perfectly. That’s what puts this camera right at the top of the Cyber-shot range.

Low light a speciality

Sunrises, sunsets, some of the most dramatic pictures are taken in that twilight between night and day. But the fact is, you need a pretty decent camera to capture it perfectly. How many times have you shot at dawn or dusk, only to get back home and be royally disappointed with the dark, grainy results? With this camera, you’ll have no such problem as it includes an Exmor R CMOS sensor, the best low light sensor we’ve ever put into a compact. So when you’re trying to capture a tree at dusk with the sky on fire behind it, you know the darkness won't hide the detail in the scene.

Everything sharp and vivid

There’s nothing complicated about megapixels. The more you have in your camera, the sharper and finer your pictures, especially when enlarged or played back on your big screen TV. No more fuzzy faces, diluted detail or blurred backgrounds. No more hammering away at the delete button. If you want to blow up a great shot of yourself and get it framed, it’s a sure bet you’ll see much more detail with a high megapixel camera. This one has plenty of pixels – over 18 million to be precise - more than enough to make impressive large prints or crop a picture to focus on something specific without losing definition.

Optical SteadyShot for taking super stable handheld pictures while zooming in up to 20 times.
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Pro shots with ease

Ever worried whether your shots will match your vision? Well, worry no more as this camera makes taking professional-looking pictures a doddle. How? By including our best ever Optical SteadyShot for shake-free, blur-free photos or videos even while walking or zooming in and Superior Auto for completely automatic light and focus setting of up to 15 scenes*. You’ll never again miss that spontaneous photo opportunity – just pick up the camera and off you go.

Films sparkling HD video

It’s a windy day on the beach. The parasol has gone cartwheeling towards the sea and all the family are in hot pursuit. Except you. A photo won’t quite bring out the comedy in the scene so you switch to video and start filming, all at the touch of a button and in glorious high definition. Look at the colours in the parasol, the detail in the surf, the perfectly reproduced panic in their voices – in stereo of course. Then when you get back home, transfer everything to your PC and enjoy the farce. PlayMemories software does everything for you in seconds so you can get editing or uploading or e-mailing in the time it takes to make a cuppa. After all, be a shame if that parasol experience stayed unseen in your camera, wouldn’t it?

Every photo is sharp and vivid with 18.2 megapixels.
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Everyone in the shot

Cycling trip to India, all your travelling buddies looking a bit worse for wear after two weeks in the saddle. Just before the flight home, you need a picture. But how often have you framed the shot only to find you can’t get everyone in? Poor old Amir and Andre from Nottingham with half their receding hairline and double chin missing. Moving back is one way you can get them in but of course, that means you’re farther away so you’ll lose detail. Better to get a camera with a wide angle lens and pack as much as possible in your shot. Then if you want to home in on someone, optical zoom gets you twenty times closer at the touch of a button. Easy.

Intelligent Sweep Panorama

There’s times when the scenery is just so vast and never-ending that even a wide angle lens can’t catch it all. So where do you film? Over here, over there? Or do you take several shots and hope they’ll link together somehow? The Solution – Intelligent Sweep Panorama. You simply press the shutter while sweeping the camera slowly from one side to the other to create one amazing panoramic image.

Wow, looks great in 3D

If you’ve got a 3D TV in your living room, why wouldn’t you want a 3D camera? The chance to see your summer holiday shots brought vividly back to life in a whole new dimension on the big screen? This camera takes great 3D photos – just press the shutter button and it takes two consecutive shots then analyses depth and clarity to create a single 3D image. It also lets you capture stunning landscapes and cityscapes in panoramic 3D with Intelligent 3D Sweep Panorama.

Always know where you took that shot of the mountains with built-in GPS.
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Tracks your adventures

Like travelling? Good, then you’ll appreciate having GPS on your camera. It tells you just where you took that shot of the mountains and displays your position on screen during your journey. You can relive your adventure when you get back home with online map views on your computer.

Catches every detail

Family sprinting across the beach? Fighter planes at an airshow? No problem with this camera. It can shoot continuously at up to 10 frames per second, grouping sequences of shots together and analysing them so you can quickly pick out the best picture. Even better, the mechanical shutter eliminates distortion for perfect clarity.

Impressive background blur

Take portraits and other photos with natural blur, just as you would with a Digital SLR camera. Background Defocus mode is easy to use and allows you to choose low, medium or high blur. It’s the same kind of dynamic effect you see in the movies and really gives you the freedom to get artistic with your pictures. Great for sharply defined close-ups of people or flowers against a blurred forest or field.

Need a creative boost

Perk up your pictures easily using Picture Effects. Enhance mood and style by choosing from a full range of effects including Toy Camera, Partial Colour for stunning monochrome shots, Soft High-Key, trendy Pop Colour, watercolour and Illustration. This last effect is really cool, turning your pictures into great-looking cartoons.

No point in squinting

We’ve all done it or laughed at someone else doing it. Squinting through a tiny screen to frame a shot or look at a photo. This camera refuses to put you in that ridiculous situation by including a large screen with a wide viewing angle so everything is as easy and comfortable as possible. You’ll enjoy excellent detail and high contrast, even in sunshine. Just imagine being in the mountains, taking shots with your friends, then gathering round at the cabin to enjoy the slideshow.

Let’s face it, we like smiles

They’re natural, spontaneous, here one moment, gone the next. You just don’t have time to set up your camera for a quick smile shot so this one does it all for you. Smile Shutter automatically takes pictures when people smile – great for brides and grooms, birthday celebrations and baby chuckles. Face Detection automatically adjusts exposure, focus and skin tone so everyone looks more natural. Even better, the camera detects up to 8 faces at a time while working on that irritating red eye effect to make sure your portraits are near on perfect.

* Scenes include High Sensitivity, Night Scene, Handheld Twilight, Night Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Soft Skin, Anti Motion Blur, Backlight Correction HDR, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Advanced Sports Shooting, Gourmet and Pet Mode.

Compare Cyber-shots (HX10V)

	H90	WX100	HX10V	HX20V	HX200V
Sensor Type	CCD	CMOS	CMOS	CMOS	CMOS
Image Stabilisation	Optical Steady Shot	Optical Steady Shot	Optical Steady Shot	Optical Steady Shot	Optical Steady Shot
Lens	G lens	G lens	G lens	G lens	CZ lens
HD Video	720p	1080i	1080p	1080p	1080p
Optical Zoom	16x	10x	16x	20x	30x
Megapixels	16.1MP	18.2MP	18.2MP	18.2MP	18.2MP
Colour	Red, Silver, Black	Black, Silver, White	Black, White, Red	Black, Brown	Black
Advanced	N/A	N/A	GPS	GPS	GPS