Cameras
Camcorders
Cell Phones
Components
Desktops
HDTV
Home Theater
GPS
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Networking &
Printers
Storage
Print
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
More…The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 squeezes a 12X zoom lens into a body that's light and compact by advanced camera standards. It also brings Sony's line of superzoom digital cameras up-to-date by adding more megapixels, higher ISO settings, and a bigger LCD to the similar-looking DSC-H1 <http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,122336-page,1/article.html>.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, Memory Stick Pro/ Memory Stick Pro Duo)
- Spec Navigator
- Image Processor
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Dimensions
- Lens Features
- Video
- Connectivity
- Warranty
3
7 User Reviews Add your own »
$333.45 - $385.00
From 3 Vendors
Buy at Dell.com »
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Large 3-inch LCD
12X zoom and image stabilization
Cons
Distortion in images
Bottom Line
A large LCD, 12X zoom and anti-shake are attractive, though images lacked sharpness and distortion was noticeable.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5
Cyber-shot DSC-H5 Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, Memory Stick Pro/ Memory Stick Pro Duo) Review, by Paul Jasper September 21, 2006
Priced at $500 (as of August 25, 2006), the DSC-H5 shoots 7.1-megapixel images at up to ISO 1000. The camera's Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization helps produce sharp pictures at long zooms and in low light. If that's not powerful enough for you, you can buy a $150 VCL-DH1758 telephoto converter to pump up the magnification beyond 20X. Sony also offers the VCL-DH0758 wide-angle converter for $150 and the VCL-M3358 close-up macro lens for $70.
The DSC-H5 has a roomy 3-inch LCD across its back. Despite the LCD's bright, sharp 230,000-pixel resolution, I found it difficult to frame my shots accurately in bright sunlight due to glare. Switching to the electronic viewfinder didn't help much. Though an electronic viewfinder frames images more accurately than does a digital SLR's optical viewfinder, I felt like I was trying to compose pictures on a tiny, flickering TV screen.
The large LCD left the designers little leeway for positioning the controls on the back. As I put the camera through its paces, I kept hitting the menu and display buttons by mistake because they're too close to the thumb rest. To focus, you hold the shutter release down halfway after framing your shot, but I found it too easy to push all the way down prematurely--luckily this is the digital age and I wasn't wasting film. The sensitive zoom controls make it hard to frame a moving subject precisely. Otherwise, the controls and menus are easy to use, and the rubberized handgrip is comfortable to hold.
The large, smoothly operating dial above the handgrip gives you access to seven scene modes, one of which is a high-sensitivity mode for shooting in low light without flash. Advanced photographers will appreciate the shutter-priority, aperture-priority, and full-manual modes, too. For even finer control, you can tweak the contrast, sharpness, and color settings, and switch to manual focus. The camera offers auto-exposure bracketing and a custom white-balance setting as well, but you don't get an exposure lock button.
Compared to its DSC-H1 predecessor, the DSC-H5 produced better image quality, earning an overall rating of Very Good in our image quality tests. The DSC-H5's flash portrait shot showed accurate colors. On the other hand, we noticed a lack of sharpness and various distortion problems, which were borne out in my informal testing. I often saw colored fringes along strongly contrasting edges, especially away from the center of the picture. In bright sunlight, I found it helpful to switch to one of the manual modes, adjust the exposure compensation downward a stop, and set the color adjustment to "natural." My best photos were portraits and architectural shots taken with a long zoom, but I fared less well with moving subjects because of the small viewfinder and the shutter lag.
In our battery tests, the H5 lasted 340 shots on one charge. Though impressive for a camera that relies on two nickel metal hydride AA batteries, the number was below average among currently tested advanced cameras. The separate charger that accompanies the camera can charge AAA batteries, too. Sony doesn't bundle a Memory Stick Duo media card in the box, but you can store up to eight shots at the camera's highest resolution in its 30MB of built-in memory.
Paul Jasper
Show Less 
0 Comments | 0 Topics | Print Only This Review
PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
-
82
-
75
-
77
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 185.5 |
| Battery Life Score | Fair |
| Image Quality Score | Very Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 64.8 |
| Image Quality, Color--Adjusted | 72 |
| Image Quality, Color--Auto | 57.7 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 58 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise | 36.7 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise Reduction | 78.5 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Sharp Interpolation | 66.8 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 53.3 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 69.9 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 46.2 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 67.3 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 39.1 |
| Number of Batteries | 2 |
| Number of Shots | 340 |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, Memory Stick Pro/ Memory Stick Pro Duo)
2 Reviews Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 2 reviews
-
Reviewed by: Whizbang2k
Duration of ownership: 6 Months
Strengths: HUGE photos, 7.1 megapixels, great zoom, very user friendly, large LCD screen (great for a sunny day). Photos come out looking fantastic, lens is superior, very light weight. ALLOWS FOR VIDEO --> works fantastic. Allows for other lenses and filter to be attached.
Weaknesses: JPEG format, auto focus works poorly in conjunction with zoom and microshot (flower)... good thing this camera allows for manual focus, poor battery life.
Overall: Overall, I am very happy with this camera. I have taken over 5000 shots with this camera and have been pleased with the outcome. I had thought at one point in time that I was going to go for an SLR-D, but found that this camera meets, and excedes my camera needs. I must admit though, that I am not too happy with the JPEG format. It certainly would be nice if Sony would think about a lossless format option... that way there is very little chance for photo distortion.
-
Reviewed by: charles15214a
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: I found this camera was very easy to use right from the beginning, easy for any novice to start with. also the "User Guide" was real easy to understand..
Weaknesses: The batteries don`t seem to last very long, you might want to pick up a second set....
Overall: I was very pleased with all this camera had to offer, ease of use, dual veiw finders, and it comes with a cyber shot viewing software, also very easy to use..
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
-
Reviewed by: CameraNut2
Strengths: Image Stabilization, Zoom capability, ease of use, size, picture quality, speed
Weaknesses: controls a bit too close together, some very, very slight purple fringing with lighter telephoto shots
Overall: This is one great camera. I've taken over a thousand shots so far and I would give the H5 a 98 out of a possible 100. It is actually difficult coming up with anything negative to say about this camera. I was given this camera as a gift and also own a Canon Powershot Pro. The quality of the pics I get from the H5 are absolutely outstanding and I would rate them superior to the Powershot every time. Don't get me wrong, the Powershot is an excellent camera but the H5 is without a doubt better.
-
Reviewed by: icboone
Strengths: 12x zoom, works well in low light (might need to manual set), great presets for point and shoot, the anti-shake feature is a must have, takes great sport pictures, and the colors are awsome.
Weaknesses: Size (Has to be with the 12x opt). The is a must get camera.
Overall: I had a olympus 500uz for about 1 year and it is a good camera. The major problems were: it never worked in low light (Blured pics) because of very bad ISO speeds, not a point and shot camera (My wife never touched it), it never saved presets and the flash was useless. It had 10x opt zoom with 24 presets with only ISO from 100-400. It broke and I went looking for another model. The DSLR I want is over $4,000 and that would just be the start. Last year, when I was searching for the best camera I was always giving up something. For example, might of had great zoom, but ISO speed sucked. Not with this camera! I decided to go with the sony DSC-H5 and for $315 (10% customer coupon) from best buy and I am blown away. At first I was looking between the Canon S3, Sony DSC-H2 ($125 less than DSC-H5 before the sale). The S3 and DSC-H5 were $500 and they dropped both to $357 (DSC-H2 $379). The sony is a great camera and check out some of the shots I took in my backyard. If you need and can budget for this camera, GO BUY IT NOW!!! Also, my wife has fallen in love with this point and shoot camera (I still can play with it manually) and with a 2G card you get 1:35min. of video (Good quality). Leave the camcorder at home.
-
Reviewed by: walterjlee
Strengths: Easy to get started taking photos. Easy to use camera functions. Easy to see LCD screen. Printing from the camera is a snap. Great pictures!
Weaknesses: Unable to use camera functions while it is sending photos for printing. Need to purchase a memory stick for practicality.
Overall: I really do love this camera! It's the first digital camera I've owned. The first time I took it out, I got some great action pictures of a soccer game. I love the zoom and trimming features. I bought this camera to take photos for scrapbooking and it works really well. I was a little intimidated by digital cameras, but this one is so easy to use I feel I really got my money's worth!
-
Reviewed by: Slava Lovkiy
Strengths: 1. huge 12x Zoom 2. large 3" LCD 3. 7.2 Megapixles 4. nice price for all above
Weaknesses: 1. Takes time to get used to control elements 2. Noticeable noise at higher ISO when shooting w/o flash 3. Lacks of hot shoe
Overall: It is been a while prior I decided to buy this camera few weeks ago. I was looking for an average pre-SLR digital camera on a budget under $500. As more I read about Sony H2/H5 on the Internet more I liked to buy this camera. Sony DSC-H5 met all criteria I?d set up to my future camera: - not expensive; - good resolution to keep more details; - high zoom to shoot farther;- image stabilization and high ISO for capture dark scenes.This is my second camera after Olympus Stylus/Mju 400 which I used for about 2 years, shooting average quality pictures and mostly using it as a starter camera. With Sony DSC-H5 as a pre-SLR camera I want to level up my experience with digital photography and at the same time save money before trying professional, high-end SLR cameras. After making a first dozen of pictures with this camera I found my self that I really like it. Images were perfect during daylight shooting outdoor. And what I like most of all, finally I was able to get sharp enough pictures in darkened indoor, which was hassle to do with Olympus Styles 400 camera. I really mad of 12x zoom, which in combination with image stabilization allow me to shoot sights from far distance, especially when you cannot reach the object due to natural obstacles on it way(in my case it was Statue of Liberty in Hudson River, New York).That fact, that you need only 2 AA batteries to run Sony DCS-H5, makes camera one of most light weighted SLR-style cameras. This will really save your more space in your camera bag and make it easy to carry. Sure, this camera won?t slip into your pocked, but it will not make your pant after a while on your sightseeing tour. At the same time, I found this camera comfortable in my hands, not cheep plastic toy, but a solid camera with a good balance.For those who don?t want or don?t have enough money to buy SLR camera, I would definitely recommend to buy Sony H5, as it?s really a good purchase in terms of price/quality, worth every penny.
-
Reviewed by: runnar
Strengths: Manual settings,Image stabilization,Carl Ziess lens and Battery life
Weaknesses: The body of the camera is huge
Overall: i think this camera fits with everything and can be used for several purpose.the lens enables you to get a great fun.also the manual settings cannot be compared with other digital cameras..
Shop for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, Memory Stick Pro/ Memory Stick Pro Duo)
| Merchant | Price | Merchant Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Tech for Less Store | $333.45 Buy Now » | |
| Smartlion | $349.99 Buy Now » | |
| Usa-Camera-Outlet | $385.00 Buy Now » |
Cameras similar to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, Memory Stick Pro/ Memory Stick Pro Duo)
We recommend these Cameras for their similarities to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, Memory Stick Pro/ Memory Stick Pro Duo) in features, specs, ratings, and user interest.
- Before you buy
- How to Buy a Digital Camera
People who looked at the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 12x Opt, 32MB Internal Memory, Memory Stick Pro/ Memory Stick Pro Duo) also looked at:
Featured APC Accessories
-
APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
-
APC Smart-UPS Loaded with cutting-edge features, unique battery life predictor, unbeatable on-line efficiencies and software agents allowing remote UPS monitoring. Get 10% off your entire kart purchase!
