- 10.1 MP Exmor R CMOS sensor for outstanding photos even in lowlight
- Powerful Sony G lens with 10x optical zoom and 25 mm wide angle lens for capturing moment both near and far
- Camcorder-quality, full HD movie recording at 50 fps with stereo sound and Optical SteadyShot (Active Mode) for spontaneous high quality movies with minimal camera shake
- Sweep Panorama for stunning ultra-wide panoramic shots done effortlessly in camera
- 10 frames per second high speed shooting
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Product Description
Manufacturer's Description
Manufacturer's description
The HX5 offers a range of professional imaging technology in a compact, lightweight design. If travel's on the agenda the HX5 is the camera to pack. Not only does it come with built-in iSweep Panorama for breathtaking, ultra-wide pictures, it also uses GPS and Compass technology to geotag shots so you can see exactly where you took your photos and even which direction you were facing. Switch to movie mode and you've got a mini-camcorder in your hand, ready to capture footage in 1080i HD. The 35mm equivalent Sony G lens with 10x optical zoom brings far-away subjects up close, and 25mm wide angle will fit more into your pictures. The HX5 also enables you to freeze high-speed action, with a shooting speed of up to 10 frames per second. As an added extra, the HX5 has 45MB of internal memory and slots for both Memory Stick PRO Duo™ and SD/SDHC cards.
 Press and sweep to capture even moving |
Intelligent Sweep Panorama shots
Sony has enhanced the already impressive Sweep Panorama technology so that now you can even capture moving subjects in these extra-wide panoramic pictures. Just press the shutter, sweep the camera horizontally or vertically and the HX5 will capture up to 100 images in a quick burst, then seamlessly stitch them together to create the ultimate high-resolution panoramic shot.
Your home movies in beautiful HD
The HX5 isn't just about taking great still pictures. Press the movie button on top of the camera and you're instantly ready to shoot in Full HD 1080i AVCHD. A recording speed of 50 frames per second means the HX5 will deliver a smoother image than that of some camcorders. That's enhanced by Optical SteadyShot Active Mode, which recognises when you're on the move and compensates for camera shake, giving you amazingly steady movie capture, even when walking. Great quality sound is taken care of, thanks to the stereo microphone. Burn your movies to disc and playback in HD on Blu-ray disc™ players, Sony Playstation®3 systems, and compatible PCs and HDTVs.
 Recording in Full 1080HD delivers five |
Focusing on quality images
Great images start with a great lens. The HX5 is fitted with the premium optical Sony G lens, which means you'll get excellent image quality even at high magnifications. A massive 10x optical zoom will bring far away subjects even closer, and 25mm wide angle capability gives you freedom to pack more into each scene. Plus with Optical SteadyShot stabilising the image, you won't need to worry about hand movement blurring your pictures.
Brilliant photos even in low light
No need now to be held back by low-light conditions, the HX5 captures the moment in sharp detail thanks to its super-sensitive 10.1 megapixel Exmor R™ CMOS Sensor. Developed exclusively by Sony, it works by reducing noise on the sensor itself, giving you crisp, clean images even in dusk or darkly-lit interiors. The HX5 also includes two low-light shooting modes, Handheld Twilight and Anti Motion Blur, which automatically take six frames at high speed and combine them into one optimised shot.
Press the shutter and the Exmor R™ CMOS sensor, working with the BIONZ image processor, enables you to shoot at an incredible 10 frames per second at full 10 megapixel resolution. By using a mechanical shutter, distortion is reduced and every move is caught in crisp detail.
Mapping your memories
The GPS receiver inside the HX5 makes it perfect for taking on your travels. If you're on the move it'll track your position and geotag all your photos. Back home, PMB (Picture Motion Browser) software means you can retrace your memories across online maps and find all your favourite places again. You'll even be able to see which direction you were facing when you took the shot.
On the big screen
Flip the HX5 round and you'll find a large 3" Clear Photo LCD screen. High contrast and clear details make it easy to frame your shots, choose menus and check out your photos, even in bright conditions. It's big enough to be viewed by more than one person, so you can relieve the moment there and then.
Choosing the right settings
The HX5 is equipped with a number of smart features to take the guesswork out of matching your camera settings to your chosen subject. Select Intelligent Auto mode and the camera will automatically recognise eight commonly encountered scenes and adjust settings to ensure well-exposed results wherever and whenever you shoot.
Seen a great shot but high contrasts are causing washed-out backgrounds and detail lost in shadow? Just switch to Backlight Correction HDR and the HX5 will take two images at different exposure settings, then combine the best elements of each into one natural-looking image.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Colour Name:Black|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been taking photos for over 35 years and for my understanding I always use a quality camera and always take reasonably good pictures. I never bothered about excessive technical details what I want is to take a photo that admired by my family and friends. My first compact was Fuji, second was Fuji and third was Fuji too. I have a descent DSLR to take extra special pictures when I have time.
Buying a camera for this price is a big decision, especially when it is a compact. It has 10MP, 10x lens, and a pack of ingenious features (who knows they are going to work?). But it is a Sony and you can hold on to the name.
I bought this camera about four weeks ago and have taken to Sri Lanka on holiday where I took some fantastic photos. All the features available work perfectly and they are so easy to use. I took some night photos of Colombo city from a beach hotel and they came out excellent. Videos are excellent too. I was not very happy with some photos as they were too processed by the camera's own software but there were no other ways of I could have taken those pictures in those conditions. It is great fun to use the panorama mode, this picture quality is lower but you are not going to print them. Please see my photo with customer images.
I had trouble with playing and uploading video clips and still haven't come over with it. I can see no one els is complaining about this. I had to bring my camera home in London to watch the films. Geo Tagging may be very use full for those who going on long journeys but for me it is useless yet.
This is the best compact camera I ever had and ever got my hands on. I really enjoy it and have taken great photos so far. I can recommend to my understanding that this is the camera you are waiting for. BUT remember this is only a compact camera.
I think it was a dream for all of us to sweep the camera across and capture everything in to the frame.
Update 20-12-2010
Few days ago I was in Sri Lanka to attend a wedding in an excellent photographic surrounding. I was asked to take wedding photos in addition to the professional cameramen. I used my Sony A350 and also the little gem. Sony A350 gave me excellent photos and I was asked to produce a album with them. DSCHX5VB also gave me wonderful photos which were cropped and printed on A4 paper even suitable for the album.
Update 27 - 09 - 2011
I am still enjoying this camera after more than a year. Recently I bought a Panasonic Lumix FZ100 and I lost my faith on it after taking some video clips at a wedding where I was failed to record any low light action. I am looking forward to by the replacement by Sony.
Please see my new addition to the photo gallery "I am still enjoying"
Buying a camera for this price is a big decision, especially when it is a compact. It has 10MP, 10x lens, and a pack of ingenious features (who knows they are going to work?). But it is a Sony and you can hold on to the name.
I bought this camera about four weeks ago and have taken to Sri Lanka on holiday where I took some fantastic photos. All the features available work perfectly and they are so easy to use. I took some night photos of Colombo city from a beach hotel and they came out excellent. Videos are excellent too. I was not very happy with some photos as they were too processed by the camera's own software but there were no other ways of I could have taken those pictures in those conditions. It is great fun to use the panorama mode, this picture quality is lower but you are not going to print them. Please see my photo with customer images.
I had trouble with playing and uploading video clips and still haven't come over with it. I can see no one els is complaining about this. I had to bring my camera home in London to watch the films. Geo Tagging may be very use full for those who going on long journeys but for me it is useless yet.
This is the best compact camera I ever had and ever got my hands on. I really enjoy it and have taken great photos so far. I can recommend to my understanding that this is the camera you are waiting for. BUT remember this is only a compact camera.
I think it was a dream for all of us to sweep the camera across and capture everything in to the frame.
Update 20-12-2010
Few days ago I was in Sri Lanka to attend a wedding in an excellent photographic surrounding. I was asked to take wedding photos in addition to the professional cameramen. I used my Sony A350 and also the little gem. Sony A350 gave me excellent photos and I was asked to produce a album with them. DSCHX5VB also gave me wonderful photos which were cropped and printed on A4 paper even suitable for the album.
Update 27 - 09 - 2011
I am still enjoying this camera after more than a year. Recently I bought a Panasonic Lumix FZ100 and I lost my faith on it after taking some video clips at a wedding where I was failed to record any low light action. I am looking forward to by the replacement by Sony.
Please see my new addition to the photo gallery "I am still enjoying"
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Colour Name:Black
I bought the Sony having considered the Panasonic TZ10 and the Canon S210. I was fortunate to have friends with the Panasonic and Canon and so was able to handle them and take a few shots. Naturally, I read the mixed reviews here on Amazon and the professional reviews available on the web (some of which were excellent in their detail and included full resolution photos of the same scenes by the cameras for fair comparison. (See the `What Digital Camera' web site.))
My observations are:
- The Canon's annoying pop-up flash marked it down but the zoom and stabilisation were excellent.
- The Panasonic seemed a little bulky but would be my second choice.
I chose the Sony, and whilst some of my observations are subjective judgements, overall I'm very pleased with the camera:
- The zoom is plenty at 10x (from what seems to me to be a very wide starting point of 25mm).
- The image quality is great - yes, if you zoom in to 100% you'll see it's limitations but for normal viewing on 19" PC screens, 42" HD TV and prints up to A4, I'm sure very few would notice.
- The colour rendition of flora and fauna seem to be a faithful representation of reality.
- The intelligent automatic mode has come on leaps-and-bounds from the previous generation of compact cameras and produces pleasing results in most conditions. It's easy enough to change to more manual control such as for spot focus on macro-shot insects for example.
- The Sony is the first compact camera I have owned that allows me to take decent hand-held shots in poor light conditions (rather than being under exposed or just a blur).
- I found the auto-focus satisfyingly quick and accurate in all conditions so far.
- I've found the gps to be very quick and have yet had to wait before taking an outdoor shot. (Note that the PC software updates the camera (presumably with a database of some kind) that speeds-up this feature.)
- The battery life is also fine for a few day's snapping though holidays would require packing the charger, and a spare batter would be prudent.
- The supplied software is competent and integrates cleanly and automatically with google maps to show the position and direction of photos taken. (Very nice feature.)
So all of the above are what you hope for when spending this amount of money on a compact camera. However, there are two features unique to the Sony:
- 1080i video. Looks superb on a 1080 TV. I've yet to see any quality issues caused by the interlacing. Sound quality is, as you'd expect, not great, but the video quality more than compensates for me.
- Panorama sweep. Everyone has been impressed with the in-camera stitching together of camera sweep image. It creates very impressive shots.
So, all these positives are coupled with the final clincher - Sony have finally admitted defeat with their proprietary memory stick format and allow this camera to take standard SDHC cards!
My observations are:
- The Canon's annoying pop-up flash marked it down but the zoom and stabilisation were excellent.
- The Panasonic seemed a little bulky but would be my second choice.
I chose the Sony, and whilst some of my observations are subjective judgements, overall I'm very pleased with the camera:
- The zoom is plenty at 10x (from what seems to me to be a very wide starting point of 25mm).
- The image quality is great - yes, if you zoom in to 100% you'll see it's limitations but for normal viewing on 19" PC screens, 42" HD TV and prints up to A4, I'm sure very few would notice.
- The colour rendition of flora and fauna seem to be a faithful representation of reality.
- The intelligent automatic mode has come on leaps-and-bounds from the previous generation of compact cameras and produces pleasing results in most conditions. It's easy enough to change to more manual control such as for spot focus on macro-shot insects for example.
- The Sony is the first compact camera I have owned that allows me to take decent hand-held shots in poor light conditions (rather than being under exposed or just a blur).
- I found the auto-focus satisfyingly quick and accurate in all conditions so far.
- I've found the gps to be very quick and have yet had to wait before taking an outdoor shot. (Note that the PC software updates the camera (presumably with a database of some kind) that speeds-up this feature.)
- The battery life is also fine for a few day's snapping though holidays would require packing the charger, and a spare batter would be prudent.
- The supplied software is competent and integrates cleanly and automatically with google maps to show the position and direction of photos taken. (Very nice feature.)
So all of the above are what you hope for when spending this amount of money on a compact camera. However, there are two features unique to the Sony:
- 1080i video. Looks superb on a 1080 TV. I've yet to see any quality issues caused by the interlacing. Sound quality is, as you'd expect, not great, but the video quality more than compensates for me.
- Panorama sweep. Everyone has been impressed with the in-camera stitching together of camera sweep image. It creates very impressive shots.
So, all these positives are coupled with the final clincher - Sony have finally admitted defeat with their proprietary memory stick format and allow this camera to take standard SDHC cards!
136 of 141 people found the following review helpful
Colour Name:Black
Now I am not going to talk too much about awesome picture quality and incredible video, but rather the emotional reason you need this camera. It is, after all, a compact and image quality will not surpass a DSLR but then an entry DSLR is about £800 and is like carrying a mini concrete block when you are negotiating around a sweltering foreign city. This Camera is a compact, and therefore we will look at it as one, you wouldn't compare a ford focus to an Aston Martin would you...different leagues.
The DSLR carriers may look down their nose at this, but I can tell you, nothing has put a bigger smile on my girlfriend's face, except me of course ;) like this has...
BUILD: Feels sturdy and not quite as strong as the Panasonic TZ10 it still feels strong enough to suffer a drop. The battery door is a little flimsy, but that's my only complaint.
STILLS: I would rate them as very good, not exceptional - The reason is that compacts have compact sensors and compact lenses, so you get a compact quality image, but don't let that put you off... Unless you are intending to print your picture the size of a skyscraper, the quality is good for up to A3/2 before you will notice anything. The colours are nice and detail sharp. The lens has a really nice long 10x optical zoom... Pretty much all compacts produce the same quality.. so really there is nothing to really separate them... so lets move on...
MOVIES: I HATE AVCHD and although this camera produces both MP4 and AVCHD video files in FULL HD I must admit I favour the output quality of the AVCHD. What I hate about it is the lack of postproduction editing software out there that supports it. I am an AVID editor and this format causes more headaches, than happy faces. But to the domestic users reading this, you will be fine for recording video and playing back on big TV's which this camera does easily. The software to use if you really want to get your hands dirty is Adobe Premier or Sony's own Vegas software for AVCHD, which apparently just accepts the format straight away and off you go! You don't get either bundled. but there is some fab software... more on that in a sec...
The quality of the Movies are faaaaaantastic! really good beautifully smooth images... HD to me is still like looking at a moving photograph, I love it and this camera really delivers. Sound is what you would expect from a camera this size.
FEATURES: Geo Tagging, put simply this camera will use GPS technology to pinpoint exactly where you are and which way you were facing when you took your shot or video. what a fab idea and with the brilliant Calendar software, which basically lays out all your media in to years, motnhs, day and even hours for easy browsing and the fact that it seems to just pic up all your photos from down the years too, suddenly your digital life is laid out before you... I spent two hours looking through this marvellous calendar and felt quite moved by this kind of self producing document of my life... wow... suddenly I was clicking 2002 and browsing the postage stamp size shots taken on my then breakthrough mobile phone.
Panoramic stitching... Well the day this camera arrived me and the GF took it to the park and this is the feature that really stood out. We had a real giggle creating all sorts of pics and playing with the different ways you could move the camera to create w-i-d-e panoramic shots. Basically you set the camera which way you want to sweep... then standing on the spot, you turn into the position of the start of the move and sweep the camera round, the camera takes a number of shots and then processes all the images to provide an incredible effect. It's almost 3d when you look closely...! Love it.
God I love this little beauty and we're about to drive around Europe with it, It's a brilliant journal, a shooting marvel, a great fun little companion, that will not let you down. It might not produce billboard posters for you... but it will fit into those lovely little trips, and give you an edge not many other compacts can currently provide...
cheers.
The DSLR carriers may look down their nose at this, but I can tell you, nothing has put a bigger smile on my girlfriend's face, except me of course ;) like this has...
BUILD: Feels sturdy and not quite as strong as the Panasonic TZ10 it still feels strong enough to suffer a drop. The battery door is a little flimsy, but that's my only complaint.
STILLS: I would rate them as very good, not exceptional - The reason is that compacts have compact sensors and compact lenses, so you get a compact quality image, but don't let that put you off... Unless you are intending to print your picture the size of a skyscraper, the quality is good for up to A3/2 before you will notice anything. The colours are nice and detail sharp. The lens has a really nice long 10x optical zoom... Pretty much all compacts produce the same quality.. so really there is nothing to really separate them... so lets move on...
MOVIES: I HATE AVCHD and although this camera produces both MP4 and AVCHD video files in FULL HD I must admit I favour the output quality of the AVCHD. What I hate about it is the lack of postproduction editing software out there that supports it. I am an AVID editor and this format causes more headaches, than happy faces. But to the domestic users reading this, you will be fine for recording video and playing back on big TV's which this camera does easily. The software to use if you really want to get your hands dirty is Adobe Premier or Sony's own Vegas software for AVCHD, which apparently just accepts the format straight away and off you go! You don't get either bundled. but there is some fab software... more on that in a sec...
The quality of the Movies are faaaaaantastic! really good beautifully smooth images... HD to me is still like looking at a moving photograph, I love it and this camera really delivers. Sound is what you would expect from a camera this size.
FEATURES: Geo Tagging, put simply this camera will use GPS technology to pinpoint exactly where you are and which way you were facing when you took your shot or video. what a fab idea and with the brilliant Calendar software, which basically lays out all your media in to years, motnhs, day and even hours for easy browsing and the fact that it seems to just pic up all your photos from down the years too, suddenly your digital life is laid out before you... I spent two hours looking through this marvellous calendar and felt quite moved by this kind of self producing document of my life... wow... suddenly I was clicking 2002 and browsing the postage stamp size shots taken on my then breakthrough mobile phone.
Panoramic stitching... Well the day this camera arrived me and the GF took it to the park and this is the feature that really stood out. We had a real giggle creating all sorts of pics and playing with the different ways you could move the camera to create w-i-d-e panoramic shots. Basically you set the camera which way you want to sweep... then standing on the spot, you turn into the position of the start of the move and sweep the camera round, the camera takes a number of shots and then processes all the images to provide an incredible effect. It's almost 3d when you look closely...! Love it.
God I love this little beauty and we're about to drive around Europe with it, It's a brilliant journal, a shooting marvel, a great fun little companion, that will not let you down. It might not produce billboard posters for you... but it will fit into those lovely little trips, and give you an edge not many other compacts can currently provide...
cheers.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Amazing camera!
I bought this camera about half a year ago and my photos have been complimented sooo many times! It makes awesome photos in low light conditions and I would not trade it for the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sasha
Happy.
I bought this camera having done some of my own research but specifically because this model was recommended by a knowledgable friend who has been a very happy Sony DSCHX5 owner... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Andy
Great spec, very poor image quality & sound.
Below iso 400 images are at best good but lack punch (sharpness,clarity, contrast,saturation), auto white balance is unpredictable, the hd video ability is ruined totally by the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by D. GILLETT
Sony HX5V
A nice solid well made camera with some good features, unfortunatley the camera has a nasty tendency to over smooth the images, and even with photoshop editing i am not happy with... Read more
Published 12 months ago by augenauf1978
Great choice
I have this camera since December 2010 and I love it, I think is a good choice, this is my first Sony camera and I don't regret it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Gassemargat
A perfect camera!
The best camera for those who are chosen to make a perfect pictures and video! The best choice for all of the camera fans!
Published 13 months ago by Zhivka
A Hap'orth of tar?
I'll leave it to others to tell you how good it is. It is supposed to be second fiddle to my SLR but guess which one gets used the most? The hap'orth of tar? The instruction book. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. D. Greenwood
Sony DSCHX5VB digital camera
Excellent camera, I wanted one which can take full HD movies as well as still photos yet compact and easy to carry and the results are impressive.
Published 14 months ago by Montegibbo
great
Good build, great pictures and easy to use.
I got this for regular point and shoot photos. It does a great job and has lots of other funticons, too many for me but hubby likes... Read more
I got this for regular point and shoot photos. It does a great job and has lots of other funticons, too many for me but hubby likes... Read more
Published 15 months ago by MrsP
Sony DSCHX5VN
Sony DSCHX5VN Cyber-shot Digital Camera - Silver (10MP, 10x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD
I think that you can't go far wrong with camera - stills fantastic, panoramic... Read more
I think that you can't go far wrong with camera - stills fantastic, panoramic... Read more
Published 15 months ago by louise2773
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