SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-HX100V DIGITAL CAMERA

               The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V sports a bridge camera look, and while its Carl Zeiss lens occupies a lot of space, the overall design looks good.
               The 3-inch flip out screen at the back can be tilted so one can easily click images from either high or low angles. The buttons to the screen’s right include a four-way navigational pad for display, continuous shooting, timer and flash. A jog dial located on the top-right side of the camera at the back can be used for adjusting various settings like ISO sensitivity, aperture priority, etc. The sturdy pop up flash is housed directly above the lens. A unique feature of this camera is that it can be charged directly by plugging it to a power source. The overall build quality of the camera and its bays for the battery or HDMI and USB ports are good.

                The camera features a 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor with Sony’s Exmor R technology that allows users to capture images well in low-lit environments. The button on the jog dial aids in the fluency of changing settings. The color scheme of the interface can be changed, allowing one to view the page in two other colors. The screen has an auto rotation function, which is a neat feature that is not seen in most cameras. The camera features a sensor, which detects whether the user is using the EVF or the LCD, and allows automatic switching between the two. Other features include full high-definition video recording in 1080p at 60 fps, 3D sweep panorama and a GPS compass. The HX100V supports SD cards as well as Sony’s own MS card. Overall, Sony has fitted the camera with some pretty interesting features.

               With the aperture set at its highest, i.e. at f/2.8, a fair amount of depth of field was noticed. This was not the same with aperture set at f/8. It is not recommended to use these higher sensitivities such as 3200 or 1600 unless shooting in a low light area. The camera has a 30x zoom and when used outdoors, the image appeared very crisp. The image stabilization capability of this camera is pretty impressive and there was no blur whatsoever. The camera records video at 1080p and the video playback rendered well. It is able to record sound in stereo which, is a recent trend appearing in cameras. The images that were shot indoors had minimum amount of grain and this was something that we really liked. Outdoor images shot really well too, and there was minimal color fringing. The camera automatically goes into macro mode when it is near a subject and when pictures were captured in this setting, a lot of detail as well as depth of field was noticed.
               The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V with a price tage of Rs 21,000, is targeted at the prosumer camera audience, particularly those looking to travel. The performance of this camera is pretty good and those who like vibrant colours will surely enjoy using it.
Verdict: a superb with great performance,but at high price.
For: Small and compact, 30x optical zoom with IS, flip-out screen.
Against: Over-vibrant display, expensive.



Specifications
www.sony.co.in
Weight: 577 g; Resolution: 16.2 MP; Focal length:
27‑810 mm; Optical zoom: 30x; Aperture: F2.8-F5.6;
LCD: 3-inch; Shutter speed: 30-1/4000 sec; Video
recording: 1080p.