Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5

Released summer 2010, the feature-rich Sony Cyber-shot HX5 comes equipped with a 10MP Exmor R back illuminated CMOS sensor, 25-250mm lens and offers AVCHD 1080i Full HD movie recording, image stabilization and Intelligent Sweep Panorama. The HX5 is also equipped with a built-in GPS and compass. Externally, the Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 is similar to the H55, but the few differences between the two models are fairly major.

Although the span of the lens is the same, at 25-250mm in both models, they do not share a sensor. The HX5's sensor is of a lower resolution than the H55, at 10 rather than 14 million pixels, but it is EXMOR-R, a backlit CMOS type, designed to be more sensitive in poor light than a conventional small-format imager. It also packs a powerful video mode, and offers 1080p HD video recording, in the AVCHD format. The HX5 also adds a built-in GPS receiver and magnetometer (or in plain English: a compass). Other features include Sony's Super SteadyShot optical stabilisation system, and the same Smile Shutter and blink detection modes that are found on the H55. Overall, the HX5 is essentially a good camera, let down by very little customization and poor operational speed.