Sony DSCHX9VB Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera - Black (16.2MP, 16x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD

As a Panasonic owner (TZ3) for several years now, I was thrilled to put my hands on the new TZ20 as it just hit the markets. Although this is a brilliant camera from many aspects there was one aspect that made me return it to Amazon - terrible image quality above ISO 100. This brought me back to the market in a search for a better camera. First I checked the Nikon S9100. that was not much better than the Panasonic in terms of Image quality and inferior in all other aspects - so this one went back as well.

Then I've put my hands on the Sony HX9 and never looked back ... Superior to the other two in all aspects but one - Macro photography that seems a bit fiddly and although both the Sony and the Panasonic are sharing the same minimal focal length of 24mm, the Panasonic was able to focus on objects a bit closer than the Sony - disappointing but not a showbreaker for me.

The Sony HD video is very impressive and better than the Panasonic. Image quality in very good in versatile scenarios - be it a cloudy day, evening or indoors the Sony produces impressive image quality comparing to its competitors. For example, I've took it to the Summer Solstice in Stonehenge this week and was able to take crisp image in first light without using a flash - hats off for Sony. I was also very impressed by the Intelligent Sweep Panorama feature - very useful when trying to capture landscape or big crowds in the landscape (Stonehenge again ...). The battery life is better than the other two cameras and I rarely need to use the spare battery although putting the camera into hard work (videos and still images).

Although a bit pricy comparing to the competition this camera worth the extra pounds as its quality is close to DSLR. I've fallen after this little gem over the last several weeks and would recommend it to everyone which is in the market - the extra pounds will save you the buckets of tears over image quality produced by current direct competitors.

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BRIEF
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The Sony DSCHX9VB is one camera not to be messed with, if you are looking for a solidly built camera that not only looks great, but also offers extreme comfort and grip when holding it, as well as being able to take wonderful pictures, zoom in up to 16x optical and even record Full 1080p video with the ability to zoom in and out whilst recording, then look no further!

This camera whilst being the average size of compact cameras these days, has a slightly bulky feel to it, but I don't mean this in a bad way, the slight bulk actually makes it really easy for me to hold it and with the addition of the side having grip for your fingers and a little grip tab on the back for your thumb really adds to the comfort in using this camera.

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Accessories
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Before I go into any more detail I would like to suggest some accessories that you may want to get with this camera, an SDHC is pretty much a must, but the others are optional.

There are many different SDHC cards out their with different classes, quality and brands, from personal experience I would recommend one of the following:

If you're wanting quality over quantity, then I suggest getting the Panasonic 4GB Class 10 SDHC Card (up to 22MB/s - Gold Line), it is expensive, however it boasts a good
transfer speed as well as it's really well built, so far I haven't had any files being corrupted when using this card. With this card, you can store around 750+ photos on full 16MP settings.

For quantity over quality, then I would suggest getting Transcend 16GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card, for the same price as the previous card mentioned, you are getting four times the amount of memory, letting you take well over 2000 photos, that said I have had a few times when one or two photos have corrupted on previous cameras, it happens very rarely though and it's never ceased working.

Another thing not supplied with this camera is a specific HDMI cable which is needed IF you want to connect your camera to a TV, this can be bought: HDMI lead for Sony DSC-HX9V Cyber-shot Digital Camera - Gold Plated - High Definition Cable - AAA Products - 12 Month Warranty, if you don't think you will use it for this purpose, then don't worry about getting it.

If you plan on going to a big event or holiday where you may not have the chance to charge the battery at times, it may be a good choice to get an extra battery, unlike other brands, you can
actually buy a spare battery for this camera for a really decent price: Sony NP-FG1 Rechargeable Battery.

To protect your camera, you will need to get a case, now I must state that I have a camera case for this camera which isn't available for Amazon, so I apologise for not being able to recommend
that specific case, however after looking around it seems that SONY LCS-CSQ PHOTO BAG SW may be a good option.

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NAVIGATION & SETTINGS
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Navigating through the camera was surprisingly easy, for those who really struggle at cameras you will be pleased to know that there is an "EASY" mode which can be located by pressing the "MENU" button which can be located on the back of the camera to the right-hand side of the screen, this mode increases the font size and simplifies the menu for basic use.

I would like to note that this camera doesn't actually have a manual macro mode, I would recommend being on one of the intelligent auto modes as it detects macro rather well and have had no
problems with close up shots.

The different modes available are:

1) Intelligent Auto: Camera will automatically find the best settings in which would suit the picture to it's best. You can adjust exposure settings manually.
2) Superior Auto: Sharper images with reduced blur and noise with automatic settings.
3) Program Auto: Auto exposure with adjustable settings.
4) Manual Exposure Shooting: Manually set shutter speed and aperture value.
5) Memory Recall Mode: Recalls registered settings and resumes shooting.
6) iSweep Panorama: Three settings to choose from; "Standard", "Wide", and "High-Resolution". Click the shutter and pan in the appropriate direction to get a panoramic image.
7) Movie Mode: Record mode with adjustable settings, you need to press the record button to start recording rather than using the shutter button.
8) 3D Shooting: Choose from three different settings; "3D Still Image", "3D Sweep Panorama" & "Sweep Multi Angle", these can all be viewed on a 3D TV.
9) Scene Selection: When should you feel like the intelligent auto may not get the best results for a certain scenario, you can use a scene setting to get the most out of your photos!
Scene modes are as followed: "Soft Skin", "Soft Snap", "Anti Motion blur", "Landscape", "Backlight Correction HDR", "Twilight Portrait", "Twilight", "Hand-held Twilight", "High Sensitivity", "Gourmet", "Pet", "Beach", "Snow", "Fireworks" & "Advanced Sports Shooting".

So far I have had great picture results and am very happy with the outcome, however there is one issue I would like to mention that I have had with this camera, and that is the screen seems like is only above normal in contrast, this can make SOME (not all) photos look a bit different to what they do by the eye, but be assured that when uploaded to the PC, they are displayed in the correct colour they should be.

I have two examples of this scenario:
1) I took a picture of my friend outside and inside, he has blonde hair, but the picture of him inside looked slightly ginger (on camera screen only), when I displayed them on my PC however, the picture was perfect in colour, the way it should have been.

2) I took a picture of a poster (indoors) that was orange, yet on the camera screen, the colours seemed more enhanced, this was also displayed with correct colour when I had them on my PC.

As stated this is a slight issue with the screen only and will not effect the actual colour of the picture file.

I can't find any option to adjust the screen colour balance, but that doesn't mean it may not be implemented in an update sometime in the future, this was the only niggle about the camera, but in most cases you don't notice it at all.

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FINAL CONCLUSION
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Overall I believe that this camera is well worth the extra money and to date is the best camera I've had, however that said I know some people may have different budgets.

In the recent year I have owned a few cameras, if you're on a strict budget, then I would suggest going for the Panasonic Lumix FS35 Digital Camera - Black (16.1MP, 8x Optical Zoom) 2.7 inch LCD, this camera is still one of my favourites, however it can't zoom whilst recording (720p) and has half the optical zoom, that said it delivers quality photo's for a bargain price.

If you can afford to go the extra mile, I would recommend getting Sony DSCHX9VB Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera - Black (16.2MP, 16x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD, it's more solidly built, the zoom and features are fantastic as well as the ability to zoom in and out whilst recording in Full 1080p really makes this camera worth the money.

I come from a professional background in photography. I purchased this camera after spending hours checking image quality etc. Ok my thoughts and findings. Its not the very best in image quality but so close the average person will not notice the difference. It will produce excellent quality prints up to approx 20inch by 16inch prints. the video recoerding part of the camera is second to none in its field, It is after all not a dedecated video camera. The Pan sweep is very clever and will give hours of pleasure and is excellent. I find the camera small but pleasent to handle. Im delighted with it. As I am now 70 years young and find it so easy to carry around, after spending many years carrying a 1/2 plate camera and tripod weighing in at approx 50lbs, from my early days. Its a great little camera I reccomend it.