Reviews for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H1 5.1 Megapixel Bridge Camera

Greatness with Sony

Strengths: Professional look, Quality of Photographs, Ease of Use.

Weakness: View Screen exposability

Sony has a great product with this camera. Puts out professional looking photographs. Convenient dial on top which displays all the photo settings and convenient placement of any and every button you might need.

Some of the weaknesses of this camera might actually be considered its strength. You have to work for the best possible quality photo. Adjust the lighting, brightness, etc.. This definitely is not a camera to capture random and unimprovised moments, but if you take your time in setting up the picture it will give you professional output particularly if you're an intermediate level photographer. The camera is so nice, that at actually inspires you to take better photographs and brings out the creative artist in you.

I like the look of the camera. It looks like an old Pentax or Nikon, but it IS smaller than I thought it would be.

Some of the true negatives (for me).. is that they should've designed it to have the view screen a little more protected. There is virtually no way to hold this camera without leaving finger prints on the darn screen. Also, the view finder is not a true viewfinder. it is merely an extension of the view screen outside. it is very small when you look through it and it is very difficult to gauge what kind of a picture you're going to get. For me this isn't a problem since I actually like to look at the screen outside... but for those with high hopes for this feature, you will be disappointed.

If you're a creative person, go get this cam. You can't live without it! The night-photography comes out BEAUTIFUL.

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Great camera at in affordable price range

Strengths: This camera has lots of settings, the 48 times zoom is assume, and the macro delivers clear crisp shots.

Weakness: None

I saw this camera at around 320.00 and at that price you can't beat extras that come with this unit. The camera comes with a charger w/ batteries, lens hood, lens cap and lens adapter. I was considering the Canon S2 IS but after comparing both display screens, the Sony had a much clearer display, while Canon's was washed out and grainy.
I took pictures of my daughter's graduation, we were in the second to last row of the stadium and I was able to get a picture of her getting her diploma handed to her, it was absolutlely amazing! How about a steady shot that really works, I took some pictures on full zoom, you could actually see the display shaking, but once the picture was taken it was clear and crisp with absolutely no streaking! The digital zoom is outstanding, it was just what I was looking for, and in an affordable price range, I highly recommend this camera to anyone you won't be disappointed.
There are also tons of manual settings, although I haven't played with them that much, I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

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Great Camera

Strengths: Just about everything - and the pictures are great Made in Japan (something that you cannot find in any review) with very good build quality

Weakness: Slow recovery for flash shots - but not all that bad

Got this camera after reading many reviews and comments from both professional reviewers and users - and chose it over the Canon, Panasonic and Fuji counterparts-

Glad that I did - because am very happy with the performance and outcome of the resulting pictures-

We took three cameras on our latest cruise - two Fujis and the Sony - and the Sony outperformed the other two 10 to 1!!


Have found that using 2500 mAh rechargables - gives about 350 to 400 shots per set - a very respectable number-


Have encouraged others to get the Sony-

I would buy another

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Never had so much fun with a camera!

Strengths: SO MANY - Fast focus, lots of manual controls, excellent flash range, great macro, LARGE LCD screen, good image stabilization, AF assist beam, 12x zoom, nice extras in the box.

Weakness: POOR AUTO FOCUS IN movie mode, shutter lag in flash mode, uses 2 batteries instead of 4, no provision for external flash (However, the powerful built-in flash is probably all you will ever need!)

I bought both the Sony DSC-H1 and the Canon S2 IS 12X zoom cameras and after a 5 day side-by-side trial I decided to keep the Sony.

The DSC-H1 has a great build, nice layout, and a well thought out interface. This camera may have a few less bells and whistles than the Canon, but it has everything I need to take great pictures and I love reviewing them in the large 2" LCD screen!

Since the DSC-H1's flash is a bit too powerful at close range, I do not use the Auto setting indoors. Instead, I usually use P mode and keep the flash level set to " - ". P mode allows me to fill flash and to turn the flash off as I see fit. On the negative side, under some conditions this camera can experience a good deal of shutter lag when in flash mode.

Some people complain about the memory stick needed for this camera, but in my case this format is a plus since I have a Sony camcorder. Thus my memory can do double duty. Prices for the 1GB memory stick pro have dropped quite a bit recently. I have seen it for as low as $90 from REPUTABLE online retailers.

Still images taken with this camera are outstanding. Color and detail are excellent and the image stabilization really helps keep the images sharper when taken in low light and long zoom conditions. Auto focus in still mode is very quick and quite accurate and the results are usually excellent. I generally keep the sharpness, saturation and contrast settings on + and get great looking photos. I have also gotten some terrific macro shots with this unit and the 12x zoom gives me detail I could only get with my camcorder in the past. I took pictures from the shoreline of my husband swimming in the ocean. In the past, his head would look like a ball floating above the waves as he swam, but with a 12x zoom, I can actually see his smiling face as the waves carry him toward the shore!

Movie mode could be A LOT better. Sound is only mono, you cannot zoom while recording, and the AUTO FOCUS does not lock on the subject, so the video constantly goes in and out of focus. At first, this was not of much concern to me since I have a separate video camera, but I often do not want to lug my video camera around and would appreciate the ability to RELY on my DSC-H1 for video snippets of memorable moments. All too often, my snippets turn out to be almost useless because of the focusing problem. Sony needs to do better in this regard and hopefully they have. If you are considering the purchase of an updated model of this camera, you would be wise to test the video function before buying. Due to this problem and the shutter lag that occurs when shooting with flash, I have downgraded my original 5 star rating to 4 stars.

Sony includes 2 high capacity NIMH batteries and a charger, plus a lens adaptor ring and an inexpensive lens hood for outdoor use. These are nice extras that make this camera's price point more attractive.

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Very Nice and Solid Camera - 12x optical zoom,...

Strengths: Solid comfortable case (metal-not all plastic). 12x optical zoom with short lens movement. Lens protector included in package. Very nice video/sound capture at 640x480 resolution. Stable long range.

Weakness: Battery life shorter than Sony LiOh battery packs (uses AA rechargeable batteries). Camera comes with 1 set batteries and detached charger. Unable to change zoom while taking movies.

Solid feel to camera. Nice protection for lens comes with camera. Takes GREAT long range shots when using the automatic image stablizer. Movies are excellent with the larger 640x480 format. Flash auto pops up and shoots red beam at short range objects so you can see where the camera is looking for focus and picture center, nice feature. I looked at others with 12x zoom and did not like the plastic case feel nor the smaller video capture format. The zoom long range stable feature really works great! I'm not steady on long shots but all the pictures turn out GREAT.

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Cyber-shot DSC-H1 Digital Camera (5.1MP, 2592x1944,...

Strengths: attractive body; available manual options; great image quality; great image stabilization; uses standard rechargeable batteries with charger included

Weakness: uses less popular and more expensive memory sticks; occasionally noticeable purple fringing at 12x zoom

I bought this camera from a recent dell.com deal for around $350. My candidates also included the Canon S2 IS and Panasonic Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the camera. Its black hand grip and titanium-color body is extremely attractive and modern. To me, it looks better than the Canon and Panasonic ones. Image quality is great, and image stabilization works as advertised. The camera comes with 2 rechargeable AA batteries AND a charger. Coupled with the 32MB internal memory, this is enough to get you started. I immediately purchased a 1GB card and more batteries. I did see a little purple fringing on white borders at 12x zoom, but it does not necessarily bother me at this point. I consider the strongest disappointment of this camera to be its use of less popular and more expensive, Sony-only memory sticks.

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Great Camera

Strengths: Solid case, good LCD screen, uses standard size batteries, well positioned menu and other buttoms, nice design, great zoom and image stabilizer, good lens cap, fast startup, great to hold

Weakness: needs the more expensive memory sticks, uses lots of battery , size (too bulky for a pocket)

Don't have the camera very long yet but it is just great.
The main thing I don't like is the size. Compared to my previous Sony DSC-P10 I can;t just slide this camera into my pocket. But hey - now I got the nice 12x zoom which kicks some butt. The image stabilizer works really well, I managed to get almost all pictures will full zoom still sharp.
I like the way the camera lies in the hand - it is very nice to hold and even when just holding with your right hand - the menu and other buttons are always conveniently located and you can reach them easily.
Another great feature I find is the solid case. I take my camera to most of my outdoor adventures (like mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, abseiling, etc.), so a solid design comes in handy.Even the lens cap is of good solid make. The SW that comes with the camera is crap though, better use your own picture editing SW.
The battery life is not outstanding, especially when you use the LCD screen all the time. But the good thing is that you can use standard batteries (AA), so when you run out of your own rechargable ones you can at least get batteries from any shop (whereas this is not the case for any pocket size point and shoot camera).
I figured the battery life can be extended A LOT by using the little viewfinder instead of the LCD screen wherever possible.

All in all - I still like the small pcket cameras, but this camera is worth the hassle of carrying a larger case around with you. Surely something like 6-7 Megapixel in addition to the 12x zoom would be nice, but unless you blow up your pics really big then the 5MP are well enough. The zoom is great that you get really good quality pics.

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Outperforms expectations

Strengths: Professional options at a great price. Has functioned great both indoors and at the beach. Great pix and movies. I highly recommend it for those with intermediate photo taking experience.

Weakness: Almost to many features to manage when you need a quick picture. High resolution pix plus movies will zap memory storage in a hurry. Need >= 250MB memory stick or will be constantly downloading pix!

Very pleased and satisfied with camera as I would expect with a Sony product. I already had a memory stick from another Sony product but if you don't, you should factor that into your cost. So far I haven't experienced any fringing with the SLR lens but some photo sites recommend the lens filter for some applications. Sound and movie quality is good even though it is not highlighted very much in the product description. Probably because it does zap memory quickly.

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An absolutely beautiful Camera!

Strengths: 12x optical zoom; large lcd display; very solid feel (not all cheap plastic); Sony quality; uses simple AA batteries; beautiful pictures

Weakness: None so far

This camera is absolutely wonderful! I am so glad I purchased this camera. This is my very first digital camera purchase. I wanted something that is going to grow with my demands. I saw all the great reviews this camera has been receiving and felt very confident that this camera was NOT going to dissapoint me - and so far I was right.

This camera uses regular AA batteries, which I feel is a big plus. It comes with 2 rechareable 2100 mah batteries. Sure they may not last (on a single charge) as long as a $50 lithium ion battery, but come on who cares. You could always purchase an extra 2 sets of rechargeable batteries for $10 at Target.

Now I'm going to tell you how to get this camera for around $300. I shopped around on all the sites. The cheapest I saw it available for, at the time, was for around $400. Then I came across the Dell site. They had it advertised for $499.99 plus 20% off. Plus, if you spent at least $500 you would get an additional $60 off. The coupons are stackable, so I also purchased a camera bag - which I needed anyway. They don't always have the coupons available, however. It seems they've been re-circulating them every several weeks - so be patient and keep doing Goolge searches for Dell coupons. When I purchased my camera, instead of ordering from their website, I placed the order via a sales rep (the 800# is on their website Dell.com). At the time they were also running a promotion for opening a credit card - so I saved an additional $35. So my net cost was just $305 + about $3 to ship. What a bargain!!!

My advice - purchase this camera at Dell - you won't be dissapointed!!!

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Camera is crisp, clean, and has fabulous Optical Zoom

Strengths: 12x optical zoom, many photo options for price. Great night shots. Deals with sun well.

Weakness: A bit larger than I wanted. It would be nice to have a smaller camera.

This camera has a great functionality for a relatively small price. The pictures come out very crisp and very clear. I think the one main improvement is to make it more portable and to include a larger internal memory card.

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Sony DSC-H1

Strengths: Fast start-up, good 12x optical zoom lens, 2.5" LCD screen, optical image stabilization system & a powerful flash.

Weakness: A bit bulky & heavier than other brand of the same category. No option to save settings in custom mode.

Good design & has a very solid feel despite its plastic body. Optical zoom is from 36 to 432mm giving it a good wide angle to a telephoto range. Sometimes the flash is too powerful, that it can "washout" the image especially when very close to the subject.

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Cyber-shot DSC-H1 Digital Camera

Strengths: Large 2.5" LCD, 12X Optical zoom, flash, takes regular AA batteries, menu system consistent with other Sony cameras. Fast startup.

Weakness: Image stablization not as good as the competition. Camera is a bit large & heavy. LCD resolution is low for its size.

This camera is great for those wanting more than point n shoot, but do not want to spend all their time learning an SLR. The camera is solidly built and has a beautiful 2.5" LCD display thats quite viewable in the daylight. The 12X zoom is awesome, although the image stablization may not be perfect for those with extra shaky hands. With a tripod though, pictures are crisp and clean with vibrant colors. This camera's got just enough auto and manual controls for most any anyone.

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Sony has done it AGAIN!

Strengths: This Camera has so many features,it's hard to know where to start. The 12x Zoom is my favorite. The ergonomics are perfect for me. I like the auto flip-up flash.

Weakness: While a little bulky..that's the tradeoff for a 12x zoom. I don't see any other weaknesses

I you're looking for an alternate choice to a digital SLR,look no further. In my opinion,SONY has hit the high water mark with the DSC-H1. It's beautifully designed with an enormous amount of features. From the novice to the semi-pro this camera will please all.

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Great digital ZOOM camera

Strengths: Great pics for a point & shoot, 2.5" LCD, 12x zoom

Weakness: Used regular AA batteries, TOO SHORT

This camera has so many pluses and so little minuses. I've looked and reviewed many cameras over a long period now and this is the one I bought and very happy I did.
Had many automated features that make using the camera somewhat easy

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Awesome camera, I believe to be the best in the...

Strengths: Superior pictures at full 12x zoom. Great macro shots. Fast start up and focus. Enough manual control to satisfy every enthusiast.

Weakness: The only fault I can say is the use of AA batteries.

I would recommend this camera to both novice and enthusiast level hobby photographers without question. I have been particularly impressed by taking photographs of the moon. The 12x zoom and manual settings has produced some very impressive shots.

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Sharp bright pictures even in low light.

Strengths: 12xZoom was able to read Small newpaper print in view finder from 20' away. Strong Flash. Fast shot to shot time without flash. Focus works well even in low light. Automatic mode works well.

Weakness: Focus slow at long end of zoom. Sometimes shots are out of focus with low contast scenes.

Was taking shots left and right and even tried to take bad pictures flash into mirror and shot came out looking great maybe slightly to sharp. Took fully zoomed picture of tree leaves of same color did come out of focus in auto mode but was fine landscape mode. Overall it is hard to take a bad picture in automode. Overall a great camera.

Mark

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Everything you would expect in a camera in this class

Strengths: great pictures. 12X zoom

Weakness: far objects takes a while to focus when zooming

This DSC-H1 is everything you would expect in a camera in this class. It has fast response time, takes great pictures. The 12X zoom is just heavenly.
The one con I have found so far is that distant objects takes a while to focus when zooming.

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DSC-H1

Strengths: nice camera while it worked

Weakness: unreliable; too expensive to fix

3 years old; power will not stay on. new batteries, card format, factory re-set did not help; camera has not been dropped; worked well last week but now dead; repairs estimated at $250. I'll go back to Olympus which has not failed in the last 7 years.

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Best Sony Digital Camera For Action Shots

Image is Average according to 11 Digital Camera experts. -- "Overall the photo quality on the DSC-H1 is very good"-dcresource.com -- "Image quality was good; in our tests the Sony delivered natural colours with low noise at ISO 64 and 100."-goodgearguide.com.au -- "The DSC-H1 produced a very smooth and saturated photo of our usual macro test subjects"-dcresource.com Read more to find expert...

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Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H1

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H1 receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 3.03 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #57 standard digital camera of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market value, and a...

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As the digital camera market matures and consumers want better cameras, more people are growing tired of their 3x optical zoom lenses. Enter the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H1. This digital camera has a 12x optical zoom lens with the option of attaching wide angle and telephoto conversion lenses. It also has 5.1 megapixels, which is enough juice to pump out 11 x 17-inch prints. The H1 heads up Sony’s...

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This bulky model features a 12X optical zoom with optical image stabilization, but overall image quality was mediocre.

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While Sony has made long-zoom, image-stabilized cameras in the past (starting with the original FD91 back in 2000), we haven't heard from them in this area for quite some time. Now, the new Sony DSC-H1 makes an impressive return to the category, apparently employing updated anti-shake technology. (The H1's lens assembly is much less bulky than that of the earlier image-stabilized models.) The...

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The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H1 is a very good ultra zoom camera that isn't quite as good as the best models in this class (the Panasonic FZ5 and FZ20), mainly because of its above average purple fringing levels. It does offer a lot, though, and if you look past the purple fringing you'll find a very capable camera.

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