Updated 14 Feb, 2012, 12:22 pm IST

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

28 Jul, 2009, 3:00 pm IST | Nikhil Singh | Point and Shoot

The DSC-HX1 features a 9.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, and a whopping 20x zoom lens that allows for 28mm wide-angle shots too. The zoom is accompanied by decent mechanical image stabilization, that allows for full zoom shots without a tripod, provided you have pretty stable hands and your shot doesn't require low shutter speed. The image quality on the other hand is a little iffy, and not up to the mark for the camera's price range. Pictures taken were slightly low on detail. Color reproduction and auto-white balance, on the other hand, were spot on.

For those who really want a bang for their buck though, the camera features 1080p video recording at 30 FPS. Videos recorded weren't at par with high-end digital video cameras, but they were decent enough for high-res web videos.

The HX1's ISO sensitivity starts off at 125 (at which it's pretty much artifact free) and goes all the way up to 3200. Shots produced beyond 200 ISO were high on artifacts though. In spite of that, the camera features a really good hand-held twilight mode, that allows good low-light shots.

One of the most awesome features is the camera's Sweep Panorama mode, which - as the name suggests - allows you to take continuous panoramic shots by pressing the shutter once and moving the camera horizontally. While this works much better than the normal stitch based panoramic shots most cameras have, it's somewhat unusable in low light since the low shutter speed causes shots to become really blurry. Regardless, this mode is easy to use and produces some really great results!

Besides this, the camera has all your standard auto-modes Scene, Easy mode (for auto-detect scene mode that gels well with the novice photographer), and an anti-blur mode. For those who need more control, the HX1 also features easy-to-configure manual modes that go well with the easy-to-use, well-designed and simple interface.

At Rs. 29,990 MRP, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 may be on the steeper side, but it surely offers a good deal for the large sum; namely - a plethora of features, 20x optical zoom, a great panorama mode, awesome twilight hand-help mode and great manual functionality. If you can live with the average image quality and ISO performance, the DSC-HX1 undoubtedly makes a good buy.

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Tags: Sony , Cyber-shot , CMOS , 9 megapixel

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