Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX200V 30x SuperZoom Review by WDC With Rating 88/100

On January 29 2012, Sony announced five new H-Series Cyber-shot SuperZoom cameras - the DSC-HX200V, DSC-HX30V, DSC-HX20V, DSC-HX10V and DSC-H90. The HX200V (30x zoom), HX30V (20x zoom), HX20V (20x zoom) and HX10V (16x zoom) all have a new Sony 18.2 Megapixels Exmor R CMOS sensor featuring fast AutoFocus speeds of approximately 0.13 seconds in daylight and 0.21 seconds in low-light shooting situations. It features Clear Image Zoom digital zoom technology, which boosts optical zoom to 2x virtual capabilities while maintaining full resolution. These new models has Optical Steady Shot to reduce any blurring caused by camera shake during shooting.

The HX200V features Extra High Sensitivity technology which enhances low-light shooting capabilities. It comes with a 3.0-inch 921k dot resolution tilting LCD screen and supports Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920x1080/60p) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode (3 way shake cancelling). there's an embedded GPS functionality as well as the Photo Creativity interface and 9 Picture Effect options for creating unique, custom-styled photos and video. The DSC-HX200V is listed for $480 in black only. It's currently selling at around $429. Here's the summary of review by WhatDigitalCamera, giving the camera a rating of 88 out of 100:"Starting with the positives, images captured with the Sony HX200V display an impressive dynamic range right out of the camera, with both shadow and highlight detail retained even in images containing high contrast. The camera's metering also performs well in this regard, with images generally proving evenly exposed and thus needing very little work out of the camera. The news unfortunately is not all good. 

The model's 18MP Exmor R CMOS sensor struggles to deal with ISO noise even at its lowest settings. Although no grain is instantly apparent, the model's noise reduction technology operates to effectively smudge fine detail even at its lowest settings. The good news, if it can be taken as such, is that as the camera moves up through the ISO settings, noise grain remain controlled in such a way and is thus largely absent, although fine detail continues to degrade thanks to said noise reduction. Considering the model's extensive focal range, the HX200V's lens performs well. A good level of sharpness is maintained through the majority of the frame, although it does fall off marginally towards the edges of the frame. Although there is the occasionally issue with lens flare, as you would expect with a lens covering such a large focal range, this is mostly avoidable and can even be used for creative effect in certain situations.

There's no escaping the fact that the HX200V is an impressive bridge camera. It not only features a full specification, but also a host of extra imaging technology sure to impress. However, there are a few gripes - first of all, the price tag is a fair whack higher then similar models on the market, and the lack of Raw capture for a camera of this calibre is something of a glaring omission, especially when you take in to account the issues seen with the HX200Vs handling of noise reduction. On the whole, the camera is a worthy purchase, although it must be said that there is stiff competition in this area." 

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