Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 Digital Camera Review

If you’re tired of the standard 3x optical zoom lens that comes on most digital cameras but aren't sure you want to invest thousands of dollars in an SLR and lenses, you may want to consider an ultra-zoom digital camera. The 8.1-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 has a 15x optical zoom lens that will give you close-up shots of your daughter’s ballet performance, even from the back row.

The 15x optical zoom lens is designed so that its glass elements “float.” These elements help to compensate for movement caused by shaking hands, ensuring blur-free pictures. Video is much smoother, too. The 15x lens comes with a hood to shade it outside, but beware. The lens hood shows up in pictures if the lens is zoomed out all the way. The long lens outdoes the Canon S5, Kodak Z712, and Panasonic FZ8 - all of which have optically stabilized 12x lenses.

The Sony H7 is designed with a chunky hand grip and wide base so that it looks like an SLR, but it is smaller than most with measurements of 4.31 x 3.28 x 3.37 inches. The body is available in silver and black. The mode dial provides easy access to the Auto, Scene, Movie, Manual, or Priority Exposure modes. On the back there is a 2.5-inch LCD screen with a lackluster 115,000 pixels.

The screen resolution isn’t as smooth as on many other digital cameras’ screens probably because Sony is also trying to sell the fancier H9 by flaunting its awesome screen. The Sony H9 has a 3-inch screen with twice the resolution and a mechanism that allows it to fold out and tilt up and down. The H9 also overshadows the H7 with NightShot infrared technology that lets you snap pictures even when it’s dark. The H9 costs $479, though, so the H7’s $399 tag is much more feasible for many. If you don’t mind the screen resolution and don’t snap photos of wildlife in the night, then you probably don’t need the H9.

The H9 and H7 share many features such as the 8.1-megapixel resolution, 15x optical zoom lens, and list of Exposure modes. There is a fully Manual mode where you can choose the shutter speed and aperture yourself. Two Priority modes allow you to select either the shutter speed or aperture. And there are nine Scene modes including a new Advanced Sports Shooting mode that combines the quick 2.2-frame-per-second Burst mode with autofocus technology that predicts where the subject is going and locks the focus onto it.

There is also a decent Movie mode on this ultra-zoom digital camera. It records standard 640 x 480-pixel video that looks great when played back on televisions and recorded to Memory Stick Duo Pro media. However, if recorded on the standard Memory Stick Duo cards or internal memory, the video only records at a choppy 16-frame-per-second rate. A Pro card is a wise investment anyway because the 31 MB of internal memory isn’t enough to have fun with all the features on this camera. If you want SD card compatibility and don't want limitations on the 30 fps videos, the $299 Kodak Z712 is a decent alternative.

Reviewing photos and video on the Sony H7 is fun too. It’d be better if the LCD screen resolution was higher, but it’s still nice to watch slide shows with music. The camera comes with four soundtracks and more can be added with the included software. Pictures and video can also be output to high-definition televisions if you buy a $40 cable from Sony. The Olympus SP-550 has a single soundtrack that plays as background music in its slide shows. The "soundtrack" consists of about two stanzas of elevator music that is almost creepy when listened to for more than 30 seconds.

The Sony Cyber-shot H7 is a winner. It has great resolution, a long stabilized lens, realistic colors, exposure modes that are easy to find, a help guide to explain menu options, an autofocus system that detects faces and predicts movements, and a speedy 2.2-frame-per-second Burst mode. With the Sony Cyber-shot H7, you’ll rarely miss a shot. And those shots will rarely be blurry.

For a more in-depth review, visit the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 Review at our partner DigitalCameraInfo.com