Digital Still Camera Cyber-shot Handbook DSC-W80/W85/W90 Before operating the unit, please read this Handbook thoroughly together with the “Instruction Manual” and the “Cyber-shot. (DSC-W80/W85 only) Shoot in 3:2 aspect ratio 5M (2592×1944) For prints up to A4 (8.5×11'). Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX7V 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Still Camera with 10x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom G Lens, 3D Sweep Panorama, and Full 1080/60i HD Video (Black) at Amazon.com. Jun 21, 2011 Sony Cybershot HX7v GPS Digital Camera Review. Manual focus, manual white balance. Photographs taken using the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V.
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Introduction
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V is a feature-packed travel-zoom camera, offering a 10x, 25-350mm zoom lens, 16.2 megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, built-in GPS tracking complete with a compass, full 1080i high-definition video recording with stereo sound and HDMI output, and 3D Sweep Panoramas and 3D Still Images. Other key features of the well-appointed Sony HX7V include Intelligent Sweep Panoramas, which now include a 42.9 megapixel high resolution mode, a 3 inch LCD screen with 921,000-dots, 10fps burst shooting mode at full resolution, ISO range of 100-3200, Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode which cuts camera-shake while you're shooting handheld HD video, Intelligent Auto Plus, Program and full Manual shooting modes, and support for both Memory Stick PRO Duo and Secure Digital cards. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V is available in black, white, red, blue or silver for £289 / $299.
Ease of Use
The Sony DSC-HX7V is a new travel-zoom camera that follows on from last year's HX5 model. Travel-zooms now typically offer at least a 10x or bigger lens in a compact body that you can still fit inside a pocket, with some recent models upping the ante to a 16x lens. The Sony DSC-HX7V has a more modest 10x extending optical lens with respectable maximum apertures of f/3.5 at the 25mm wide-angle setting and f/5.5 at the 250mm full telephoto setting.
The HX7V's lens is a joy to use, with a 10x zoom in such a slim package making this camera very adaptable. Everything from wide landscapes to candid long-distance portraits is within easy reach. The 25mm focal length provides a wide angle of view that can only increase your creativity. You won't want to go back to a 'standard' 35mm zoom after using the 25mm lens on the DSC-HX7V, or even a 28mm one. 3mm at the wide-angle end really does make a bigger difference than such a small measurement might suggest.
Even when set to 250mm, the lens doesn't extend too far from the front of the HX7V, making it look to all intents and purposes like a 'normal' compact camera. The combination of the f/3.5 aperture at wide-angle, effective optical image stabilizer and maximum ISO speed of 3200 makes this camera well suited to hand-held low-light photography. Sony has fitted a dual image stabilisation mechanism in the shape of both optical SteadyShot and an ISO range that extends up to ISO 3200. If not quite class leading, it's better than you'll find on your average point-and-shoot. Note that you can't actually turn off the SteadyShot function.
Despite its big zoom lens, the HX7V is still quite a slender camera, measuring just under 3cms at its narrowest point and weighing 208g with the battery and memory card fitted, with a large 3-inch, 921k-dot resolution LCD screen at the rear, much improved on the HX5's 230K dot screen. As you'd expect with a screen of that size on such a small camera, the HX7V has no optical viewfinder to fall back on.
| Front | Rear |
Providing the means of gripping the camera is a quite substantial textured, rubberised protrusion on the front and a smooth thumb-shaped area on the rear, making the DSC-HX7V easy to get to grips with despite its mostly metal surface. Also located on the front of the HX7V is the centrally located lens, a porthole on the right for the self-timer/AF illuminator and a small and narrow window for the flash on the left.
Press the small lozenge-shaped On/Off button on the top plate and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V quickly readies itself for action in a just over a second. The adequately sized shutter-release button has a definite halfway point, determining focus and exposure with a bleep of affirmation, focus points highlighted as green rectangles on the LCD. Go on to take the shot and the JPEG images are committed to memory in a single second, the screen momentarily blanking out and then displaying the captured image before the user can go on to take a second shot.
The shutter release button is encircled by a responsive forefinger-operated push/pull rocker zoom lever, with the camera taking around three seconds to zoom from wide-angle to full telephoto. The HX7V's built-in stereo microphone is also located on top of the camera.
A round shooting mode dial with a knurled edge and positive action completes the HX7V's top-plate, letting you quickly switch between the various shooting modes that are on offer. Sony has included Intelligent Auto scene recognition, which works in virtually identical fashion to the intelligent auto modes of Panasonic's and Canon's compact ranges. Simply point the HX7V at a scene or subject and the camera analyses it and automatically chooses one of 11 pre-optimised settings to best suit. There's also the new Superior Auto mode, which places greater emphasis on reducing blur and noise and increasing the dynamic range.
| Front | Top |
Adding to the HX7V's snapshot simplicity, these features join face recognition and smile shutter functionality on board, the former mode biasing human faces in the frame and the latter mode firing the shutter when it detects a smiling subject. The Face Detection system automatically adjusts the focus, exposure and white balance for people in the frame, and can even be set to distinguish between children and adults. Smile Detection offers three self-explanatory options, Big, Normal and Slight. Used in conjunction, the Face and Smile Detection systems do result in more hits than misses, especially in contrasty lighting conditions, although all those smiling faces could ultimately freak you out a little! The self-portrait options in the self-timer menu work by automatically taking the shot with a two second delay after either one or two people have entered the frame.
In addition to the regular Program mode, which provides the full range of camera options and additionally allows you to change settings like the ISO speed and metering, there's the welcome inclusion of a fully Manual mode that lets you independently set the aperture and shutter speed, which will instantly appeal to the more experienced photographer. The range of apertures on offer is unfortunately rather limited to just two settings at either end of the lens (f/3.5 or f/8.0 at 25mm and f/5.5 or f/13 at 250mm) with the camera employing a built-in Neutral Density filer, but the ability to choose from 30 - 1/1600th second shutter speeds and set both the aperture and shutter speed if you wish opens up a lot of creative potential. Sadly there are no Aperture or Shutter priority modes, which would have narrowed the skill gap between Program and Manual, and there's no support for the RAW file format either, which would really have been the icing on the cake for serious photographers looking for a backup-pocket camera to their DSLR.
The Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode lets you capture a panoramic image very easily without the use of a tripod. All you need to decide is whether you would like to start from left or right, top or bottom. Then press and hold down the shutter release while doing a 'sweep' with the camera in hand. Exposure compensation is available before you start the sweep, but the exposure is fixed once you depress the shutter button. After you are done with the sweeping, the camera does all the processing required, and presents you with a finished panoramic image. There are three modes, Standard, Wide and High Resolution, with the latter mode successfully stitching together a 42.9 megapixel image - not bad for a humble compact! Note that if you do the sweeping too slowly, or you let go of the shutter release button too early, the panorama will be truncated.
For those who like a healthy dose of gimmickry with their gadgets, Sony claims that the HX7V is one of the first of its type to offer a 3D still image mode - an addition to the now expected 3D Sweep Panorama mode and the 'cheat' of the lenticular print-like Sweep Multi Angle mode, also again featured here. This option doesn't require two lenses and two sensors to produce a stereoscopic image. Instead the Sony takes two consecutive shots from two different vantage positions and combines them for its 3D effect. Like all of its stereoscopic rivals you'll still need a 3D equipped TV to properly view the results.
In the Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion Blur shooting modes, the DSC-HX7V takes six shots in a rapid sequence, typically at a high sensitivity setting and a (relatively) fast shutter speed, and then combines them into a single image that has somewhat less noise than a single shot taken at the same ISO and exposure settings. In my experience, the difference between the two modes is that in Anti Motion Blur mode, the camera is more willing to pick a really high ISO setting like ISO 1600 to maintain a fast shutter speed, whereas in Hand-held Twilight mode, it will only go as high as absolutely necessary to avoid camera shake at the chosen focal length. If light levels are truly low, however, the HX7V will pick a high ISO speed even in this mode.
Backlight Correction HDR is a feature where the HX7V automatically shoots two frames quick succession, varying the exposure for each one then combining them to create a single image with the most detail possible in both the shadows and highlights. You can see from the example on the Image Quality page that this feature produces a photo with noticeably more dynamic range than one taken using one of the standard shooting modes, but at the same time without replicating the often 'false' look of many HDR programs. Note that you should mount the camera on a tripod to avoid any unwanted camera-shake, and we were disappointed that you can only turn Backlight Correction HDR on or off, with no options for varying the intensity of the effect. Background Defocus attempts to mimic the sharp subject and out-of-focus background effect that DSLR owners typically enjoy, again shooting two frames in quick succession but this time varying the aperture.
Present and correct is the increasingly ubiquitous ability to shoot High Definition video clips, but unlike its main competitors the HX7V does so at 1080i HD rather 720p, and also with stereo sound rather than mono. The various options are 1920x1280 or 1440x1280 pixels at 50i in the AVCHD format, and 1440x1280, 1280x720 or 640x480 pixels at 25fps in the MPEG4 format.
There is full use of the optical zoom during recording so you can really make the most of that 10x focal range, plus the ability to change the EV level, white balance, and metering options and turn on either standard SteadyShot or the new Active Mode mode, which provides up to 10x more effectiveness with no side-effects. There's also a direct HDMI output from the camera, useful for playing back your footage on a HDTV set, although sadly there's no HDMI cable supplied in the box. The dedicated Movie button on the rear of the DSC-HX7V allows you to start recording a movie with a single push of a button, and then stop recording by pressing the same button - a lot more intuitive than having to select the movie mode then press the shutter button, as on most compacts. You can also activate the movie mode via the Shooting Mode dial.
GPS is a feature that has slowly but surely been finding its way into digital cameras as the technology has got smaller and cheaper to implement, making its debut on last year's HX5 and unsurprisingly being retained by the HX7V. This potentially allows you to seamlessly geo-tag your photos (latitude and longitude co-ordinates are stored in the EXIF data) and then sort and display them using geo-friendly websites such as Google Earth and Google Maps or the supplied Picture Motion Browser PC software. The HX7V also uses the GPS to keep the camera time accurate, and even has a built-in compass that shows shows which direction you were pointing when the picture was taken!
The GPS function can be manually turned on or off and the current GPS status is displayed as a small icon on the LCD screen. Three bars appear next to the icon when the GPS has synced with one or more satellites, which unfortunately takes a few minutes from powering on the camera. Thankfully once it's synced, the HX7V's GPS receiver works a lot better than most other GPS-capable cameras that we've reviewed, saving accurate positioning information for the majority of the images that we shot in built-up central London, making this camera much more useful for urban photographers. The main downside of the HX7V's GPS is the subsequent drain on battery life, with the camera only managing just over 200 shots with GPS turned on instead of the 300 that it can manage without.
| Memory Card Slot | Battery Compartment |
The Sony HX7V supports TransferJet, a relatively new wireless transfer protocol that's supported by most of the major manufacturers. TransferJet allows you to very quickly (up to 375 Mbps) and easily copy images between two compatible devices - Sony recently showed us a neat docking station that instantly transferred files from camera to picture frame just by resting the camera on the station, with no need to pair the two devices. There are a few limitations - TransferJet is reliant on using a compatible Sony Memory Stick, which as you'd probably expect are more expensive than the standard ones, and the receiving device must also be compatible with this relatively new protocol.
The rear of the DSC-HX7V is dominated by the large 3 inch LCD screen, with the resolution now a much improved 912k dots, fixing one of our main criticisms of the HX5. To the right of the screen is the useful one-touch movie record button and a small button for playing back your images. Users have the ability to dip in and out of created folders of images or the calendar view, view thumbnails, select slideshows and choose transitional effects and accompanying music, or delete shots. Press the shutter button halfway and you're helpfully catapulted back into capture mode. And that's basically it. With a press of the Menu button in playback, users have access to a few in-camera retouching effects, including the ability to crop and sharpen an image and apply red-eye correction.
Underneath the Playback button is a traditional round navigation pad which you can use to navigate through menus and options, in conjunction with the small button in the middle which activates whatever it is you've chosen. The four directions on the navigation pad also provide a quick way of setting the Display, Flash, Timer and Continuous Shooting options. Finally, there are buttons for the camera's menu system and for deleting images underneath the navigation pad. The menu button accesses most of the camera's main functions - image size, burst settings, bracketing, exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, focus mode, metering, smile detection, and face detection - plus an icon at the bottom to open the four Settings menus. The latter includes the ability to deactivate the camera's 'bleep' that otherwise sounds at every button press, choose the movie format and activate red-eye reduction if required.
Pressing the drive mode button brings up two options, single or burst, with high-, mid- and low-speed continuous options then available in the Menu system. Out of these, the high-speed continuous mode is the most remarkable. The HX7V takes up to 10 full-resolution photos at a frankly astounding 10 frames per second, which is faster than most compact cameras and indeed most DSLRs too. The only fly in the ointment is that once the burst is completed, it takes over fifteen seconds for the camera to clear the buffer, during which you cannot take another picture. In the other two continuous shooting modes, the Sony HX7V also takes up to 10 pictures, but at slower speeds of 5 or 2 frames per second.
The bottom of the Sony HX7V features a standard metal screw thread for attaching it to a tripod which is conveniently located in the centre. A plastic cover protects the lithium-ion battery and the removable memory card, with the HX7V supporting the SD / SDHC format in addition to Sony's own proprietary Pro Duo Memory Stick format. There's also a hardly worth it 11MB internal memory to fall back on which can store 9 full-resolution still images. The right side of the HX7V has a small metal eyelet for the supplied wrist strap and also the HDMI port underneath a sturdy plastic cover, while there are no controls on the left side (looking from the rear).
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H400 sport a huge 63x (24.5-1550mm) optical zoom lens to get incredibly close to the action. The 20.1 MP Super HAD CCD sensor delivers high-quality, detail-packed images. The Optical Steady Shot Image Stabilization reduces shake and blur by countering camera movements, this results in easier composition and clearer images, even shooting in low light or at high zoom settings.
The Cyber-shot DSC-H400 features Intelligent Auto mode, which automatically recognizes a wide range of shooting scenes, and adjusts camera settings for great results without fuss.
Other highlights include 3.0-inch LCD screen, built-in electronic viewfinder,1280x720 HD movie recording, Easy mode, Intelligent Sweep Panorama and Party Mode automatically adjusts sensitivity, exposure and color for vivid memories of those fun evenings together.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H400 Key Features:
- 63x (24.5-1550mm) optical zoom lens
- 20.1-megapixel 1/2.3' Super HAD CCD
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H400 PDF User Manual / Owner’s Manual / User Guide offers information and instructions how to operate the Cyber-shot DSC-H400, include Quick Start Guide, Basic Operations, Advanced Guide, Menu Functions, Custom Settings, Troubleshooting & Specifications of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H400.
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