Sony HX5 Review – I finally got it! :) (update 2)

I finally got my camera! The Sony Cybershot HX5V. Woohoo! 😀 So you are probably wondering about it right? Well since i only just got it this is my initial review…First i would say i have only used it a little bit, had a mess around, but so far, i love it 😀

Size and weight

Its a good size and weight, it is a tiny bit thicker (i.e. the depth) and heavier than i thought, but this may be because i am comparing it to my previous camera, the Lumix FX35. It feels like a strong sterdy build. It can fit into my most skinny slim fitting jeans, but only just. In normal jeans or in a jacket pocket it would be completly fine. Its very easy to handle, take pics and vids etc

Ease of use

The menus are simple and easy to use. There are lots of modes on the camera and you can move between them using the dial on the top of the camera. There is an “easy” mode and “iA” mode, which makes shooting simple for anyone. There are also program and full manual modes if you want more control. Photos can be saved to either an SD, SDHC or Sony’s Memory sticks, well done Sony for finally backing SDHC like the rest of the world 😉

The Sony Software supplied is actually pretty good, and easy to use. This is required if you want to use the GPS or the videos or use 3rd party software).

The Zoom

I have only tried this a little bit, but it seems great! I have tried the zoom at 10x (full) and took a pic, and the quality was amazing, just like without the zoom.

Image Quality

What can i say, it is gooood!! I have only used the ‘easy’ mode so far, and that produces excellent quality images. I have taken both indoor and outdoor shots. Want sample pics? Read my blog then!! 😛 All future pics on here will be taken using this camera.

So what about that cool “Sweeping Panorama” feature

Well In light outdoors it is brilliant! What a great feature. There will be many uses for it. You will be able to produce some good photos with it. The downside seems to be low light. I haven’t played around with the sweeping panorama much yet, but it doesn’t seem to work in low light. There is no flash when using it, so with indoor use it doesn’t work, I assume outdoor in low light will be the same. This is a big disappointment if it doesn’t work well in low light, because you could have got some spectacular night panoramic shots.
Update: You can change the EV of the shot before you take it. This makes it work better in low light, however does add noise. It still produces an image of reasonable quality.
Update 2: Here is a sample pic using the Panorama mode. As you can see it is an amazing feature! If you set it to wide mode, you can take a pic of over 180 degrees, i have taken this pic of a street, and you can get a full view of it all, its almost like Google Street View 😛

What is HHT (Hand Held Twilight)? Update

I heard people talking about this and didn’t really know what it was…Its a mode on the camera which lets you take better shots at night or in low light. I am not a camera expert so i don’t know the technical details behind it, but it basically takes a few images when you hit shoot (like a burst) then processes them and gives you the final shot, which is amazing! All this is done without the flash, so if you feel like a tourist taking pics at night with an embarrassing flash you don’t need to worry, because the Twilight mode doesn’t flash 🙂
Yesterday i took 2 pics, 1 with flash and 1 in HHT mode, the HHT mode beat it hands down 🙂
It must be good, because i heard the camera ‘experts’ talking about it saying you cant compare it to other cameras because technically it doesn’t take 1 photo….Well it doesn’t make a difference to me, its the end result which matters!!! 😛

What about the Movie Mode?

This is another good feature! Not that i am planning on shooting movies, but i did a test one and the quality is like nothing i have seen 🙂 I have seen some vids from other handheld camcorders, and I have a Flip Mino, and this blows them out of the water. Indoor it looks good, as does outdoor, I haven’t tried it at night so far.
Update: I have tried the video at night and it is pretty good. Bear in mind this is primarily a camera and not a camcorder, it is a little dark, but the quality is good, not grainy or blurry. I have tried playing it back on my 40″ Bravia via my PS3 and it looks pretty decent to me! I wouldn’t bother with a video camera if i was going on holiday, i would just buy an extra memory card to fill up with video 🙂

OK So Its great! But what is wrong with it? Bad Points, Disadvantages etc.

The Cable – Its sony, which means no standard USB cable/connection. Instead you get a Sony special connection on the camera, with their own cable, in this case, its a USB cable and Video cable in 1, which makes the cable big. This spoils the user experience.

Sweep Panorama in low light – Now this may just be my inexperience with the camera, and maybe i haven’t found a feature/setting, but the sweep panorama doesn’t work in low light.
Update: You can change the EV of the shot before you take it. This makes it work better in low light, however does add noise. It still produces an image of reasonable quality.

The Format of the HD Videos is ACVHD, and the file format is M2TS, which no standard media player recognises. That means you have to use the Sony Software to view and/or convert the files, or use 3rd party software. This is typical of Sony. I wish they would use a proper standard. You can use the software to make a HD DVD, SD DVD or Convert to WMV in various bitrates, but only in VGA xVGA formats.
Update: If you have a PS3, the video can be played back using that. I have tried and the quality is great 🙂 (you can also view the pics of course)

No Quick Menu – With my Lumix i was used to this, you have the quick menu button and you can quickley and easily change the ISO, light settings, and other settings. The HX5 doesn’t have this, and you have to go into the menu and then do the setups. Not a major problem, but i loved using the quick menus of the Lumix.

And i think that’s about all for the downsides! Not many huh? 😛

I love this camera so far, it is good, its compact, better than my Lumix which is not a bad camera, and is what i was looking for 🙂