Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 10 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 4Mb.

In terms of image quality, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 represents a step forward from the H10, which itself produced images of more than respectable quality. We have found the noise behaviour to be better in the ISO 400-800 range, where the camera captured photos that I would not hesitate to print at 18x24cm or bigger. Auto white balance, a weak point of the H10, has been improved and is now much more reliable. There is also a custom white balance option, which was missing from the previous model. And the colours appear to have been tweaked for the better too – specifically, the H20 produces much more natural looking foliage greens than the H10. Finally, the dynamic range of the photos is very good for a small-sensor digicam, especially with the Dynamic Range Optimiser activated.

Noise

The available ISO sensitivity settings range from ISO 80 to ISO 3200 (ISO 80 to ISO 800 with the Dynamic Range Optimiser set to DRO Plus), and the quality is surprisingly good up to and including ISO 800. No, it is not DSLR class, but it's still much better than what we've seen from most other small-sensor compacts. At ISO 1600 there is a noticeable drop in quality, and ISO 3200 is best avoided, especially if you are shooting for printed output.

ISO 80 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are just a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 handled chromatic aberrations excellently during the review, with purple fringing being much less of a problem than I had expected them to be.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 has an excellent macro mode. Maximum magnification is achieved at a subject distance of 2cm, with the lens zoomed in to about 63mm (equivalent). The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot	100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10 are Auto, Flash On, Slow Syncro, Flash Off and Red-eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (38mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (38mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (380mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (380mm)

And here are some portrait shots. The flash caused quite a bit of red-eye and red-eye reduction mode made little difference. There is, however, a second red-eye correction tool available in playback.

Flash On	Flash On (100% Crop)
Red-eye Correction	Red-eye Correction (100% Crop)

Night

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The following photo was taken at a shutter speed of 4 seconds at ISO 80. We have included a 100% crop to show you what the quality is like.

Night Shot	Night Shot (100% Crop)

Image Stabilisation

These examples are 100% crops from two photos taken at 1/8th second at the 380mm equivalent setting. As you can see, the Super Steady Shot image stabilisation system can mean the difference between a sharp and a blurred photo when taking hand held shots at shutter speeds that are critically slow for the focal length used.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length	Image Stabilisation Off (100% Crop)	Image Stabilisation On (100% Crop)
1/8th / 380mm

Dynamic Range Optimizer

DRO is Sony's solution to bring up the shadows in a photo taken in contrasty light without blowing out the highlights. The available settings are Off, Standard – marked as D-R in the menu – and DRO Plus, marked as D-R+. These photographs, taken at identical exposure settings, illustrate the difference.

Off (100% Crop)	D-R (100% Crop)
D-R+ (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 camera, which were all taken using the 10 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

Product Images

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera / Turned On

Isometric View

Isometric View

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

Rear of the Camera / Menu Displayed

Top of the Camera

Bottom of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Battery Compartment / Memory Card Slot

Conclusion

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 is much more than an incremental upgrade to last year's H10. With this camera, Sony has demonstrated that it is a company which listens to user feedback, as most of the issues we criticised the H10 for have been addressed. The engineers have redesigned the handgrip and the controls, added important features like custom white balance and HD video recording with zoom, and improved those aspects of image quality that needed to be addressed, including automatic white balance, colour, noise, dynamic range and chromatic aberrations. These enhancements have transformed the Sony H20 into one of only a handful of digital cameras that manage to achieve maximum user satisfaction with a minimum of frustration.

Is it a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 beater then? In some respects, yes. The full-manual exposure mode is a real competitive advantage, even with the inevitably limited aperture control provided; the flash is more powerful and the lens provides more telephoto range. On the other hand, the H20 lacks true wide angle, where the TZ7 goes out to a nearly ultra-wide 25mm equivalent. Furthermore, the TZ7 is more solidly built, has a dedicated exposure compensation button and arguably produces sharper images with less distortion (though the H20 is not that far behind). At the end of the day, the choice between these two cameras boils down to what kind of photographer you are and what features you value more.

If it weren't for the lack of wide angle and quick access to ISO and exposure compensation, we would be tempted to award our highest 'Essential!' rating to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20. With these few deficiencies, we feel more comfortable giving it our second-best rating, 'Highly Recommended', which is well deserved and a step up from the 'Recommended' award we gave to its predecessor last year.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	4.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 from around the web.

Specifications

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