Cameras
Camcorders
Cell Phones
Components
Desktops
HDTV
Home Theater
GPS
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Networking &
Printers
Storage
Print
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
More…Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-H50 has some outstanding features. But it also has a few kinks that may or may not hang you up, depending on how picky you are about certain functions.
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H50
- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 9.1 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3456 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2592 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Lens
| Accessory Lens | No |
| Lens Model | Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 8 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 2.7 mm |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 4000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 12 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Powerful 15x optical zoom
Tilting 3-inch LCD screen
Cons
Slow startup speed
Short battery life
Bottom Line
The Carl Zeiss telephoto and manual features are strong, but focus-lock is erratic and startup is slow.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 Digital Camera
Cyber-Shot DSC-H50 Review, by Danny Palmerlee, PC World June 11, 2008
Any list of the DSC-H50's strengths begins with its Carl Zeiss 15X zoom lens. In 35mm terms, that's a whopping 465mm when the DSC-H50 is zoomed in as tight as it can be, and 15X is an impressive telephoto capability, given the size and weight of the camera (16 ounces). Shooting on the street, the lens opened up a world of subjects that otherwise would have been too distant for me to capture. I used the telephoto constantly, often shooting from the hip using the tilting LCD display (another great feature) to remain incognito. Sony's Super SteadyShot image stabilization kept most of the photos surprisingly sharp, even when I had the lens cranked to 15X on a cloudy day.
The H50's manual capabilities include aperture priority, shutter speed priority, and a fully manual mode, as well as bracketing modes for exposure, color, and white balance. You can even choose the amount of noise reduction applied to your photos in-camera. Two features I found particularly handy were the adjustable flash and the dedicated light-metering button. Notching the flash intensity down made for warmly lit indoor photos sans the blown-out-face problem so typical of on-camera flashes. And the metering button, located directly behind the shutter release, made switching between full-scene, center, and spot metering a cinch.
The DSC-H50 has plenty of other virtues, too: In our lab tests it scored as well as or better than its competitors in image quality, especially sharpness. In burst mode, the camera shoots 1.6 fps (frames per second), faster than the cameras we compared it with. The H50's mode dial is user friendly, making the manual functions and 12 scene modes easy to access. With a macro range of 1 cm, the camera takes superb close-ups. And the video (640 by 480 resolution at 30 fps) is excellent for its class. Finally, there's the smile sensor. Whether it's ultimately useful or not, setting the camera on a tripod and having the shutter trigger when everyone smiles is definitely great for laughs.
But the DSC-H50 has some shortcomings. The LCD produces a somewhat jumpy image when panning, which I found irksome. Battery life is less than ideal: Our lab tests yielded 291 shots on a charge; in the field, it was noticeably short. While most of the camera's dials and buttons are logically placed, they can prove somewhat clumsy to use. The shutter button's sensitivity meant I often released the shutter when attempting to focus (though I eventually adjusted to this). Although the DSC-H50 has some advanced focusing capabilities (including child- and adult-priority face detection), I often found the camera wouldn't lock into focus when I wanted, causing me to lose the shot. And I was unhappy with the startup speed.
Overall, I did like the DSC-H50, especially the 15X lens and the tilting LCD. Eliminate the glitches (or ignore them), and you have a fierce little camera for a reasonable price (about $350 at the time of writing).
--Danny Palmerlee
Show Less 
0 Comments | 0 Topics | Print Only This Review
PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
-
88
-
72
-
79
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
88
85
71
77
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 160.25 |
| Battery Life Score | Good |
| Image Quality Score | Superior |
| Image Quality, Color | 68.7 |
| Image Quality, Color--Adjusted | 76.1 |
| Image Quality, Color--Auto | 61.2 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 53.8 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise | 41.9 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise Reduction | 47.5 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Sharp Interpolation | 64 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 63.7 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 58.8 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 65.9 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 67.3 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 49.8 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 291 |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H50
1 Review Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 1 review
-
Reviewed by: fabijw
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Great zoom, Good night shot
Weaknesses: Wide angle lens is awful. Picture shows big shadow caused by flash. There is no aux to attach separate flash-not included on H50's. $150 lens made especially for this camera makes camera useless for interior designers and interior pic with flash.
Overall: Very upset. Sony unwilling to to assist.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
-
Reviewed by: snuffsmith4165
Strengths: quick focusing, easy of use, it peroforms as well as my wife's last year of minolta before the sony takeover.
Weaknesses: I take to many pictures and CD/DVD are getting expensive. The night shots are a little grainy.
Overall: I have taken photos of nature, action, landscapes, historical building in low light, and night shots. It is fun and easy to use or as complex as you want it to be.
-
Reviewed by: ryzvy
Strengths: Versatile zoom range, Strong flash, delivers photos with pleasing natural colors, night-shot mode, feels good in the hand
Weaknesses: Default photos a bit soft, wide angle and tele-photo not quite upto what the competition offers, battery life not that great, proprietary battery, hate the eyelets for the strap
Overall: I have been using this camera for over three months now. I bought it for a trip to Peru and it took great pictures on both the Machu-Pichhu trek as well in the amazon rain forest. The photos came out slightly soft for my liking but the color saturation and tone were spot-on. After slight tweaking in Picasa the results were amazing. The flash is strong, bright and adjustable and recycles fast. But I guess this also leads to a battery life that is by no means great. I would call the battery life adequate. I carried a spare on the trip and I lasted 5 days without having to recharge with about 1000 shots. The camera is very well made and has a nice heft to it without being heavy. It feel nice and comfortable in the hands. My biggest pet peeve with the camera is the eyelets for the strap that rotate continuously. It drives me nuts as I am a bit OCD about such things and am un-twisting teh strap non-stop.
-
Reviewed by: sravanvarma
Strengths: Greatest picture quality even in dark, unusual zooming facility
Weaknesses: A little bit heavy, but will not be a problem
Overall: I bought this DSC-H50 recently. I love my camera. Greatest image quality, unmatched zooming ability. Simply to say... I feel proud to own this camera!!
-
Reviewed by: suredeal25
Strengths: Powerful Zoom and great picture quality
Weaknesses: None
Overall: This is a great camera with larger zoom and three inch display. i like the pop up flash and pictures are great especially out door. even though it looks big, its very handy. i bought this camera considering SLR. so far i am very happy about the camera.
-
Reviewed by: CelinaRob
Strengths: Great zoom, great picture quality, easy to use, and tilting screen
Weaknesses: none that I have found so far!!
Overall: I bought this camera in April. I upgraded from an older version. DSC-H1. I am in love with this camera. It is a wonderful camera. I had considered going to SLR, but decided that this camera did everything I wanted and more so I bought it. I have had a few months to play with it and I love it. The zoom is great. The picture quality is wonderful even in VGA. It is by far worth every penny I paid. I take many photos every year, about 5000. I take my camera every where with me.
Shop for the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H50
Sorry, the product you requested isn't currently available from any of our sellers.
Cameras similar to the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H50
We recommend these Cameras for their similarities to the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H50 in features, specs, ratings, and user interest.
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
 |
|
Latest Prices » |
- Before you buy
- How to Buy a Digital Camera
People who looked at the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H50 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!
