Sony Cyber-shot H1 Review
Review based on a production Sony DSC-H1
Introduced in February 2005 (pre-PMA), the Cyber-shot H1 is Sony's attempt to win a share of one of the fastest growing digital camera market sectors, the 5 megapixel 'super zoom'. Although Sony has produced big zoom cameras before (the F828 and its predecessors sported 5x and 7x optics and there was a 10x zoom floppy disk Mavica a few years ago), the H1 is the electronics giant's first foray into compact, big zoom image-stabilized cameras. As well as a huge 12x optical zoom the H1 is a real treasure chest of photographic control, offering a wealth of automatic, semi automatic and manual exposure modes, a big 2.5" screen and captures VGA/30fps movies in space-efficient MPEG format.
- 5.1 effective megapixels
- 36-432mm equivalent (12x optical) F2.8-3.7 zoom lens
- Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization
- 2.5” LCD (115,200 pixels)
- Full photographic control
- Real Imaging Processor & 14-bit DXP A/D Conversion
- Optional wide and tele lens converters
- Scene selection (7 modes)
- Histogram indication
- 32MB internal memory, plus a Memory Stick/PRO slot
Side by Side
Here for comparison is the H1 alongside three of its closest competitors - (from left): Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5, Canon PowerShot S2 IS, Sony Cyber-shot H1, Kodak EasyShare Z740 (the smallest, but also the only one without image stabilization). As you can see, the H1 is one of the largest cameras in its class - certainly a lot larger than the Panasonic FZ5 (and the Konica Minolta Z5, not shown).
Sony DSC-H1 Key specifications
| Street price | • US: $499 • UK: £380 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Plastic & metal |
| Sensor | • 1/2.5" Super HAD CCD |
| Image sizes | • 2592 x 1944 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 16 / 30 fps • 160 x 112 @ 8 fps • MPEG-1 (mono) |
| Lens | • 36 - 432 mm (35 mm equiv) 12x optical zoom |
| Focus | • 3 Area Multi-Point AF • Center AF • Flexible Spot AF • Manual focus • 2 cm macro mode (Wide) |
| Shooting mode | • Auto |
| Shutter Speeds | • 1/8 – 1/2000 sec (Auto)* • 2 – 1/2000 sec (Program Auto)* • 30 – 1/1000 sec (Manual) * Shutter speeds of 1/2000th are only available at apertures of F5.6 and higher. |
| Apertures | • F2.8 / 3.2 / 3.5 / 4.0 / 4.5 / 5.0 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 7.1 / 8.0 (wide) • F3.7 / 4.0 / 4.5 / 5.0 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 7.1 / 8.0 (tele) |
| Metering | • Multi Pattern • Centre-weighted • Spot |
| Sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 64 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 |
| White Balance | • Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Fluorescent • Incandescent • Manual (custom) |
| Image parameters | • Saturation (3 levels) |
| Continuous | 1.3 fps up to 9 frames |
| Flash | • Built-in, pop-up • Modes: Auto, on, off, slow sync, red-eye reduction • Range (ISO auto): 0.3 - 6.8 m (w); 0.9 - 5.2 m (t) |
| Storage | • Memory Stick / Memory Stick PRO • 32 MB internal memory • No removable media supplied |
| Viewfinder | Electronic, 0.3-inch, 115,200 pixels |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5 " TFT • 115,200 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-speed • AV out |
| Power | • 2x rechargeable AA battery (NiMH, alkaline, NiMH • Charger included |
| In the box* | • DSC-H1 camera |
| Other features | • PictBridge- and PIM II-compatible |
| Weight (inc batt) | 591 g (20.8 oz) |
| Dimensions | 108 x 82 x 91 mm (4.2 x 3.2 x 3.5 in) |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
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Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2005 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.
