Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 Digital Camera Review

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 is a point and shoot camera with a trick or two up its sleeve: it can take panoramas in one pass, shoots good looking low light images and also captures high definition video. It also does a good job of capturing images and has a very long 20x zoom lens. But at $499, it's not cheap.

The HX1 is a rather chunky camera: at just over 3 inches on all sides (and deeper with the lens extended when in use), it is definitely not pocket sized. But it does fit well into the hand, and the controls are well placed for easy use. The 3-inch LCD screen is also clear and bright and can tilt up and down so you can shoot from above or below.

Performance (read in-depth performance coverage at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
We found that the HX1 did a very decent job of capturing still images. The images in our extensive tests had generally good, accurate color and only moderate noise, although the noise did become very evident when we increased the ISO sensitivity to the maximum of 3200, with some images looking more like splotchy oil paintings than photos.

We also found that the images were  sharp, although they did get a little soft at the wide and telephoto ends of the zoom range. Most ultrazoom cameras have similar issues, though, and the HX1 problems were minor. We also found that the image stabilization system was very effective; the optical image stabilization made images taken with slow shutter speeds significantly sharper.

The panorama mode of the HX1 is a thing of beauty. Taking panoramas on most cameras involves taking one shot, shifting the camera, taking another and repeating several times. In contrast, to take a panorama on the HX1, you set the mode dial to panorama mode, press the shutter and pan the camera. The processor in the camera does all of the hard work of creating the panorama, and you just get an attractive wide (or tall) panoramic image. It's not perfect (moving objects can confuse it and do sometimes get cut off), but it's the easiest to use camera panorama mode we've seen and produces excellent results.

The HX1 also includes a low light mode called hand-held twilight, where the camera takes 6 images in quick succession and combines the best parts of each rather than taking a single long-exposure image. Again, this works very well, producing low light images with more detail and depth than most cameras. We also found that HX1 did a good job of capturing video: the 1080p high definition video files we shot in our tests had good color and a high level of detail, and will look great on a big screen HDTV.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
There are a number of similar long zoom cameras on offer, and some are considerably less expensive. Bargain hunters might want to consider the  Nikon P90, which is $100 cheaper but only shoots relatively grainy standard definition video. The Nikon also has a slightly longer zoom (24x instead of the 20x of the Sony), but those looking for the longest possible zoom range should consider the $449 Olympus SP-590UZ, which has a truly incredible 26x zoom. However, we found that the image quality of the Olympus was not on a par with the Sony, and again the Olympus only shoots standard definition video. And none of these competitors have the excellent panorama and low light features of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1.

For a more in-depth review, visit the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 Review at our partner DigitalCameraInfo.com