Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20: Review

Posted to Digital Cameras 2009-07-09

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 Review:

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 Digital Camera is Sony's latest compact digital super zoom camera. It features 10.1MP resolution, a 10X zoom range (38-380mm 35mm equivalent), and 3 inch 230,000 pixel color LCD display. The camera can capture 720p HD movies at 30fps, features an Intelligent Auto mode, Face Detection autofocus, and optical image stabilization.

The DSC-H20 also features an ISO range of 80-3200, 9-point autofocus and a burst mode that can take up to 100 shots at 0.62 second intervals. There's an Easy Shooting Mode that's perfect for beginners, a 16:9 high resolution mode for taking pictures to display on your HDTV and the camera uses Memory Stick Pro DUO cards for image storage. The DSC-H20 also features 13 automatic scene modes and a macro mode that allows focusing down to .2cm.

Rating:

4.4 out of 5

Value

The DSC-H20 offers a wealth of features at a reasonable price. It has most of the features we've come to expect on compact digital super zoom cameras, and provides images as good as any point and shoot camera on the market. There's not a whole lot in the way of manual control, so you may want to consider the DSC-H20's big brother the DSC-H50 if you want more creative control. Also, there's no electronic viewfinder, which we've come to expect on compact super zooms, but this allows for the camera's compact size - it will fit comfortably in a purse, a jacket pocket, or even a pants pocket.

Performance

The DSC-H20 delivers excellent image quality in good lighting situations. Its small sensor size prevents it from taking really good pictures in low-light situations, however. We've come to expect this from compact super zooms, because their small sensor size is what makes the excellent zoom range possible. The only complaint about this camera's focal length range is that the wide end of the range is not a true wide angle - some of the competition offers 28mm at the wide end.

Summary

If you're looking for something a little more advanced than your average point-and-shoot camera, the DSC-H20 makes an excellent choice. It takes excellent pictures using its automatic modes, yet allows some degree of manual control. The zoom range is truly useful, and the resolution is high enough to produce large prints or provide room for cropping images. For the street price, this camera is an excellent value.

Pros

10.1MP resolution
38-380mm 35mm equivalent zoom range
Optical image stabilization
3.0 inch 230,000 pixel LCD display

Cons

Not a very wide angle lens (38mm)