Review: Sony DSC HX100V

This camera from Sony is definitely for those who are looking tograduate from Point and Shoot cameras and are still not ready to take on theDSLR challenge! Sony DSC HX100V packs in most of the functionality of a DSLR,manual focus, LCD adjustment along with a viewfinder and other features like30x Ultra Optical Zoom, as well High Definition, 3D shooting and SweepPanorama. So all that it misses out on for it to be a DSLR is the lack ofinterchangeable lenses and of course the other big differentiator is the price.

Design and Built:

The Sony DSC HX100V with its matte black finish, looks and feels verystrong and robust. Yet it is very light which makes it easy to carry around.The entire body is made up of plastic. The rubberised hand grip and thetextured thumb rest make it very good for steadiness and strong grip, even if you want to shoot with justone hand.  

The shutter button surrounded by the zoom toggle (a very common featurein Sony Digital cameras) along with the Focus and the Custom button is placedon top of the hand grip.

The top of the device has the Menu Dial with the On/Off button and theFinder/LCD button and also the in-built flash which pops up when used.

The rear houses the 3.0 inch LCD screen which can be tilted up/down withthe Electronic Viewfinder just on top of the screen. To the right of theviewfinder, is the Display and the Record Button. To the right side of the LCD,is the Menu button, Navigation Dial, Delete button, and a Toggle Wheel tonavigate through images.

On the left panel, lies the HDMI and USB Ports and also the chargingports concealed with flaps.  The memory card and the battery slots arelocated at the base of the camera.

Usability:

To start with, the Sony DSC HX100V features a 16.2 Mega Pixel921,000-dot with Exmor R Backlit CMOS sensor which facilitates images to beclicked in low lit conditions and give good results. This makes it excellentfor shooting in low light conditions. The device can shoot at 10 frames persecond which makes it very fast. 

The lens is a 27mm Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T with 30x optical zoom. Thelens can zoom from 27mm wide angle to 810mm telephoto, making it good forshooting close-ups of small things like flowers as well as shooting distantobjects like birds.

While, the camera does give you the advantage of both the LCD and theelectronic viewfinder. There is a little lag when you switch from theviewfinder to the LCD. The flexibility of the LCD, in terms of tilting it upand down, makes it easy to compose frames in high and low angles.

The Sony DSC HX100V like any other Prosumer, gives you the dual optionof Manual and Auto modes. In the Manual Mode, you can fix the aperture andshutter speed as per requirement and is a good way to learn for a beginner. TheManual mode also gives you the option of adjusting the White Balance, NeutralDensity (ND), Noise Reduction, Colour Contrast, Face Detection, Smile Shutterand Metering Mode.

With the Neutral Density Filter, one can adjust the light when shootingin harsh light conditions like in afternoons with an over-head sun. It reducesthe intensity of the light and prevents your image from looking burnt out.

Noise Redution helps reducing the grainy effect of images shot in lowlit condition. With the help of Noise Reduction feature, you can boost the ISOto shoot in low light without compromising on the image quality.

Finally, the Metering Mode helps to enhance the colour of the subject bymaking the background a little dull.

The camera is capable of shooting images and videos in full 1080p HighDefinition resolution. It also has the option of shooting in 3D, though it isconfined to only shooting images and not videos in 3D. The Sony DSC HX100V hasan ISO ranging from 100 to 3200 but it gives you noise after ISO 800. It alsohas in-built image stabilisation and a GPS tracker which automatically tags theimages with the location of the shoot, a useful feature to have.

The camera has 16 scene modes which includes:

Soft Skin (makes the skin look softer as it removes spots andblemishes), Background De-Focus(makes the background dull, leaving the subjectto be in full focus), Soft Snap (gives the image a very soft subtle look evenif shot in very harsh light condition), Anti-Motion Blur (reduces blur in lowlight without flash), Backlight Correction HDR (shadow correction), TwilightPortrait (low light with flash), Twilight (low light using tripod, Hand HeldTwilight (noise reduction without tripod), High Sensitivity (low light withoutflash).

The other seven are the modes found in almost all cameras, Landscape,Gourmet, Pet, Snow, Firework and Sports.

It also includes iAuto or Intelligent Auto which automatically selects ascene without manual adjustments. Another feature called Superior Auto whichcaptures sharp images and automatically reduces blur and noise. The Sony DSCHX100V has an upgrade from Sweep Panorama (typical feature in Sony DigitalCameras) to iSweep Panorama which shoots images in High Resolution. A MemoryRecall Mode is also present which helps in recalling previous settings.

Verdict:

The Sony DSC HX100V definitely gives you a very DSLRish feel with theround grip and the thick lens barrel. As it includes both manual and automaticsettings, it makes a great buy for learners. The Electronic Viewfinder is anadded advantage but it would be better if the LCD was touchscreen. With greatimage quality and a good price, it's definitely worth the buy.

Price: Rs.22, 990

Pros:

Strong built

Lightweight

Electronic Viewfinder

Cons:

Lack of Touchscreen LCD

LCD cannot be rotated 180 degrees

Plastic body

In the Box:

AC Adaptor

Power Cord

Rechargeable Battery Pack

USB Cable

CD-ROM

Shoulder Strap

Lens Cap

Lens Cap Strap