Compared to... Panasonic DMC-FZ50

Below you will find a studio comparison between the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 the Panasonic DMC-FZ50 at ISO 400.

Studio scene comparison ( @ ISO 400)

  • Sony DSC-H9 : Aperture Priority mode, ISO 400, Default Image Parameters,
    Manual white balance, +0.7 EV compensation
  • Panasonic DMC-FZ50: Aperture Priority mode, ISO 400, Default Image Parameters,
    Manual white balance, +0.66 EV
     
  • Lighting: Daylight simulation, >98% CRI
Sony DSC-H9
Panasonic DMC-FZ50
ISO 400, 1/320 sec, F5
ISO 400, 1/250 sec, F5.6
1,932 KB JPEG
3,951 KB JPEG

High ISO is still Panasonic's Achilles' Heel, and the excessive chroma NR used by the Venus III processor causes some serious issues with colors, particularly with reds, which blur into surrounding areas and show distinct banding. By comparison the H9's colors are very well behaved, though the noise reduction has a more destructive effect on fine detail.