Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V Review

June 5, 2013 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V travel-zoom camera is the World's smallest and lightest camera with a 30x zoom lens. Offering a focal range of 24-720mm, 20.4 megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, wi-fi connectivity and built-in GPS tracking, the HX50V also has 50p Full HD video recording with stereo sound and HDMI output and 3D Sweep Panoramas and 3D Still Images. Other key features of the Sony HX50V include a 3 inch LCD screen with 921,000-dots, Multi Interface Shoe, Multi Terminal for using a remote controller, fast 0.1 second auto-focusing, 10fps burst shooting mode at full resolution, ISO range of 80-12800, Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode, full P/A/S/M manual controls, artistic Picture Effect modes, Intelligent Sweep Panoramas, and support for both Memory Stick PRO Duo and Secure Digital cards. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V is available in black or silver for around £350 / $450.

Note that in the UK, the correct model name is Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50 and it doesn't include built-in GPS tracking.

Ease of Use

The DSC-HX50V is Sony's latest travel-zoom camera, following 2012's HX20V and HX30V models. Travel-zooms now typically offer at least a 20x or even bigger lens in a compact body that you can still fit inside a pocket, but the Sony DSC-HX50V literally takes things even further with a 30x, 24-720mm extending optical lens with respectable enough maximum apertures of f/3.5 at the 24mm wide-angle setting and f/6.3 at the 720mm full telephoto setting.

The HX50V's lens is a real joy to use, with a 30x zoom in such a relatively small package making this camera incredibly adaptable, with everything from ultra-wide landscapes to candid long-distance portraits within easy reach. The 24mm focal length provides an entirely new wide angle of view that can only increase your creativity. You won't want to go back to a "standard" 35mm zoom after using the 25mm lens on the DSC-HX50V, or even a 28mm one - 4mm at the wide-angle end really does make a big difference.

When set to 720mm, the lens does admittedly extend quite a long way from the front of the HX50V, but for the most part it look to all intents and purposes like a "normal" compact camera. If that's not long enough for you, then the Clear Zoom function effectively digitally doubles the zoom range, using Sony's new Pixel Super Resolution Technology to increase the magnification. The combination of the f/3.5 aperture, effective optical image stabilizer and maximum ISO speed of 12800 makes this camera well suited to hand-held low-light photography, not to mention the wealth of dedicated shooting modes. Sony has fitted a dual image stabilisation mechanism in the shape of both optical SteadyShot and an ISO range that extends up to ISO 12800, much better than you'll find on your average point-and-shoot. Note that as with other recent Cyber-shots, you can't actually turn off the SteadyShot function, Sony assuming that its better turned on permanently.

Despite its massive zoom lens, the HX50V is still a fairly slender camera, measuring nearly 4cms at its narrowest point and weighing 272g with the battery and memory card fitted, with a large 3-inch, 921k-dot resolution LCD screen at the rear. As you'd expect with a screen of that size on such a small camera, the HX50V has no optical viewfinder to fall back on in brighter lighting conditions.

Providing the means of gripping the camera is a substantial textured, rubberised protrusion on the front and a small thumb-shaped lozenge on the rear, making the DSC-HX50V easy to get to grips with despite its mostly smooth recycled plastic surface. Also located on the front of the HX50V is the lens and a porthole on the left for the self-timer/AF illuminator. There's a pop-up flash unit on top of the camera which is automatically raised when you select a flash mode.

Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V
Front Rear

Press the small On/Off button on the top plate and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V quickly readies itself for action in a just over a second. The adequately sized shutter-release button has a definite halfway point, very quickly determining focus and exposure with a bleep of affirmation even in low-light, focus points highlighted as green rectangles on the LCD. Go on to take the shot and the JPEG images are committed to memory in a single second, the screen momentarily blanking out and then displaying the captured image before the user can go on to take a second shot.

The shutter release button is encircled by a responsive forefinger-operated push/pull rocker zoom lever, with the camera taking around five seconds to zoom from wide-angle to full telephoto. The HX50V's twin built-in stereo microphones are also located on top of the camera, either side of the new Multi Interface Shoe. Sheltered underneath the housing at the front of the hot-shoe we find a number of connector pins that allow users to mount a range of proprietary Sony accessories, which is why the company calls this accessory port a 'Multi Interface Shoe.' It can be used for attaching one of a range of accessories, including a more powerful flash, an electronic viewfinder (FDA-EV1MK), and even an optical viewfinder (FDA-V1K).

Sony have usefully added an Exposure Compensation dial to the top of the HX50V, which makes it very easy to quickly change this key setting. It has a positive clicking action and stays in place even when stored in a pocket or bag. A round shooting mode dial with a knurled edge and positive action is also found on the HX50V's top-plate, letting you quickly switch between the various shooting modes that are on offer. Sony has included Intelligent Auto scene recognition, which works in virtually identical fashion to the intelligent auto modes of Panasonic's and Canon's compact ranges. Simply point the HX50V at a scene or subject and the camera analyses it and automatically chooses one of 11 pre-optimised settings to best suit. There's also the Superior Auto mode, which places greater emphasis on reducing blur and noise and increasing the dynamic range.

Adding to the HX50V's snapshot simplicity, these features accompany face recognition and smile shutter functionality on board, the former mode biasing human faces in the frame and the latter mode firing the shutter when it detects a smiling subject. The Face Detection system automatically adjusts the focus, exposure and white balance for people in the frame, and can even be set to distinguish between children and adults. Smile Detection offers three self-explanatory options, Big, Normal and Slight. Used in conjunction, the Face and Smile Detection systems do result in more hits than misses, especially in contrasty lighting conditions, although all those smiling faces could ultimately freak you out a little! The self-portrait options in the self-timer menu work by automatically taking the shot with a two second delay after either one or two people have entered the frame.

In addition to the regular Program mode, which provides the full range of camera options and additionally allows you to change settings like the ISO speed and metering, is the welcome inclusion of Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority and Manual modes, which will instantly appeal to the more experienced photographer. The ability to choose from 30 - 1/1600th second shutter speeds and set both the aperture and shutter speed if you wish opens up a lot of creative potential. Sadly there's no support for the RAW file format, which would really have been the icing on the cake for serious photographers looking for a backup pocket camera to their DSLR.

Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V
Front Side

The Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode lets you capture a panoramic image very easily without the use of a tripod. All you need to decide is whether you would like to start from left or right, top or bottom. Then press and hold down the shutter release while doing a "sweep" with the camera in hand. Exposure compensation is available before you start the sweep, but the exposure is fixed once you depress the shutter button. After you are done with the sweeping, the camera does all the processing required, and presents you with a finished panoramic image. There are three modes, Standard, Wide and High Resolution, with the latter mode successfully stitching together a 42.9 megapixel image - not bad for a humble compact! Note that if you do the sweeping too slowly, or you let go of the shutter release button too early, the panorama will be truncated.

For those who like a healthy dose of gimmickry with their gadgets, the HX50V offers a 3D still image mode - an addition to the now expected 3D Sweep Panorama mode and the 'cheat' of the lenticular print-like Sweep Multi Angle mode, also again featured here. This option doesn't require two lenses and two sensors to produce a stereoscopic image. Instead the Sony takes two consecutive shots from two different vantage positions and combines them for its 3D effect. Like all of its stereoscopic rivals you'll still need a 3D equipped TV to properly view the results.

In the Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion Blur shooting modes, the DSC-HX50V takes six shots in a rapid sequence, typically at a high sensitivity setting and a (relatively) fast shutter speed, and then combines them into a single image that has somewhat less noise than a single shot taken at the same ISO and exposure settings. In our experience, the difference between the two modes is that in Anti Motion Blur mode, the camera is more willing to pick a really high ISO setting like ISO 1600 to maintain a fast shutter speed, whereas in Hand-held Twilight mode, it will only go as high as absolutely necessary to avoid camera shake at the chosen focal length. If light levels are truly low, however, the HX50V will pick a high ISO speed even in this mode.

Backlight Correction HDR is a feature where the HX50V automatically shoots two frames quick succession, varying the exposure for each one then combining them to create a single image with the most detail possible in both the shadows and highlights. You can see from the example on the Image Quality page that this feature produces a photo with noticeably more dynamic range than one taken using one of the standard shooting modes, but at the same time without replicating the often "false" look of many HDR programs. Note that you should mount the camera on a tripod to avoid any unwanted camera-shake, and we were disappointed that you can only turn Backlight Correction HDR on or off, with no options for varying the intensity of the effect. Background Defocus attempts to mimic the sharp subject and out-of-focus background effect that DSLR owners typically enjoy, again shooting two frames in quick succession but this time varying the aperture.

Present and correct is the increasingly ubiquitous ability to shoot High Definition video clips, but unlike its main competitors the HX50V does so at full 1080p HD rather than 1080i or 720p, and also with stereo sound rather than mono. The various options are 1920x1280 pixels at 50p or 50i and 1440x1280 at 50i in the AVCHD format, and 1440x1280, 1280x720 or 640x480 pixels at 25fps in the MPEG4 format. During video recording you can take a 15 megapixel still image by pressing the shutter button, or alternatively grab a still from your video footage during playback.

Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V
Pop-up Flash Top

There is full use of the 30x optical zoom during recording so you can really make the most of that massive focal range, plus the ability to change the EV level, white balance, and metering options and turn on either standard SteadyShot or the Active Mode mode, which provides up to 10x more effectiveness with no side-effects. There's also a direct HDMI output from the camera, useful for playing back your footage on a HDTV set, although sadly there's no HDMI cable supplied in the box. The dedicated Movie button on the rear of the DSC-HX50V allows you to start recording a movie with a single push of a button, and then stop recording by pressing the same button. You can also activate the movie mode with adjustable settings via the Shooting Mode dial.

GPS is a feature that has slowly but surely been finding its way into digital cameras as the technology has got smaller and cheaper to implement. This potentially allows you to seamlessly geo-tag your photos (latitude and longitude co-ordinates are stored in the EXIF data) and then sort and display them using geo-friendly websites such as Google Earth and Google Maps or the supplied Picture Motion Browser PC software. The HX50V also uses the GPS to keep the camera time accurate, and can plot your progress using the new GPS Log Recording function even if the camera is turned off.

The GPS function can be manually turned on or off and the current GPS status is displayed as a small icon on the LCD screen. Three bars appear next to the icon when the GPS has synced with one or more satellites, which unfortunately takes a few minutes from powering on the camera. Thankfully once it's synced, the HX50V's GPS receiver works a lot better than most other GPS-capable cameras that we've reviewed, saving accurate positioning information for the majority of the images that we shot in built-up central London, making this camera much more useful for urban photographers. The main downside of the HX50V's GPS is the subsequent drain on battery life, with the camera only managing just over 300 shots with GPS turned on instead of the 400 that it can manage without.

The HX50V also offers built-in wi-fi connectivity. You can wirelessly transfer your photos to a smartphone or tablet that's running the free PlayMemories Mobile app, or directly to a networked PC for easier backup. You can also view on a DLNA-compatible TV via a wireless router, or send them straight from the camera a TV that supports Wi-Fi Direct. Finally, you can take control of the camera using your smartphone (fire the shutter, set the self-timer and operate the zoom), handy for including yourself in the frame or even more remote shooting.

The rear of the DSC-HX50V is dominated by the large 3 inch LCD screen, with the resolution a satisfyingly high-res 912k dots. To the right of the screen is the useful one-touch movie record button and a small button for playing back your images. Users have the ability to dip in and out of created folders of images or the calendar view, view thumbnails, select slideshows and choose transitional effects and accompanying music, or delete shots. Press the shutter button halfway and you're helpfully catapulted back into capture mode. And that's basically it. With a press of the Menu button in playback, users have access to a few in-camera retouching effects, including the ability to crop and sharpen an image and apply red-eye correction.

Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Also on the rear is the Custom button, which as the name suggests can be customised to access one commonly used setting, such as ISO speed or Exposure Compensation. Underneath the Playback button is a traditional round navigation pad which you can use to navigate through menus and options, in conjunction with the small button in the middle which activates whatever it is you've chosen. The four directions on the navigation pad also provide a quick way of setting the Display, Flash, the Photo Creativity interface and Continuous Shooting/Timer options. The Photo Creativity makes it easier for beginners to change the colour, brightness, vividness and Picture effect modes, with changes previewed in real time on the LCD screen.

Finally, there are buttons for the camera's menu system and for deleting images underneath the navigation pad. The menu button accesses most of the camera's main functions - image size, burst settings, bracketing, exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, focus mode, metering, smile detection, and face detection - plus an icon at the bottom to open the four Settings menus. The latter includes the ability to deactivate the camera's 'bleep' that otherwise sounds at every button press, choose the movie format and activate red-eye reduction if required.

The navigation pad also doubles up as a control ring that's used to set the aperture and shutter speed in the creative shooting modes, amongst other things. The ring is a little small and over-sensitive, and having to press the tiny central button to toggle between the ISO speed, shutter speed and aperture quickly becomes a bit tiresome, but the ability to take full control of the HX50V is still very welcome.

Pressing the drive mode button brings up two options, single or burst, with high-, mid- and low-speed continuous options then available in the Menu system. Out of these, the high-speed continuous mode is the most remarkable. The HX50V takes up to 10 full-resolution photos at a frankly astounding 10 frames per second, which is faster than most compact cameras and indeed most DSLRs too. The only fly in the ointment is that once the burst is completed, it takes over fifteen seconds for the camera to clear the buffer, during which you cannot take another picture. In the other two continuous shooting modes, the Sony HX50V also takes up to 10 pictures, but at slower speeds of 5 or 2 frames per second.

The bottom of the Sony HX50V features a standard metal screw thread for attaching it to a tripod which is conveniently located in the centre. A plastic cover protects the lithium-ion battery and the removable memory card, with the HX50V supporting the SD / SDHC / SDXC format in addition to Sony's own proprietary Pro Duo Memory Stick format. There's also a hardly worth it 11MB internal memory to fall back on which can store 7 full-resolution still images. Completing the bottom of the HX50V is an unprotected the HDMI port. The right side of the HX50V has a small metal eyelet for the supplied wrist strap and also the new Multi Terminal port for using a remote controller underneath a sturdy plastic cover, while there are no controls on the left side except for a hole for the built-in microphone (looking from the rear).

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V produced images of good quality during the review period. This camera handled noise pretty well, not becoming too obvious until ISO 800, and then becoming progressively worse at the faster settings of ISO 1600 and 3200, a good performance for such a small image sensor with such a high pixel count. It's not really worth using the fastest 6400 and 12800 speeds though.

Chromatic aberrations were in evidence but were well-controlled, with some limited purple fringing effects appearing in high contrast situations. The 20 megapixel images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpen setting and require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can increase the in-camera sharpening level.

Macro performance is outstanding, allowing you to focus as close as 1cm away from the subject. Commendably barrel distortion is well controlled even at the 25mm wide-angle focal length of the versatile 20x zoom lens. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate overall exposure. The maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds allows the cameras to capture enough light for most after-dark situations.

The Backlight Correction HDR feature dramatically increases the detail in the shadow and highlight areas, although we miss being able to choose just how much correction is applied. There's a good range of Color Modes and Picture Effects on offer, while the Sweep Panorama mode makes it simple to take wide-vista shots.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso80.jpg iso100.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso400.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso1600.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso6400.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

 
iso12800.jpg  

Focal Range

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V's 30x zoom lens offers a very versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:

24mm

720mm

focal_range1.jpg focal_range2.jpg

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 and ideally benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Alternatively you can change the in-camera sharpening level.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

sharpen1.jpg sharpen1a.jpg
   
sharpen2.jpg sharpen2a.jpg

Chromatic Aberrations

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V handled chromatic aberrations well during the review, with some purple fringing present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop)

chromatic1.jpg chromatic2.jpg

Macro

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V allows you to focus on a subject that is 5cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. 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

Macro (100% Crop)

macro1.jpg macro1a.jpg

Flash

The flash settings on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V are Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Syncro, No Flash, with a Red-eye Reduction option in the Main menu. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Suppressed Flash - Wide Angle (24mm)

Forced Flash - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Suppressed Flash - Telephoto (720mm)

Forced Flash - Telephoto (720mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Forced Flash setting or the Red-Eye Correction option caused any amount of red-eye.

Forced Flash

Forced Flash (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Red-eye Reduction

Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds in the Manual mode, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 80.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Background Defocus

Background Defocus attempts to mimic the sharp subject and out-of-focus background effect that DSLR owners typically enjoy, shooting two frames in quick succession and varying the aperture between each one.

On

On (100% Crop)

background_defocus1.jpg background_defocus1a.jpg

Backlight Correction HDR

DRO is Sony's solution for improving shadow and highlight detail in photos taken in contrasty light, significantly increasing the image's dynamic range. The examples show the effect of turning this feature on.

Off

On

backlight_off.jpg backlight_on.jpg

Color Modes

There are 5 Color Mode preset effects that you can use to change the look of your images.

Standard

Vivid

color_mode_01.jpg color_mode_02.jpg
   

Real

Sepia

color_mode_03.jpg color_mode_04.jpg
   

B/W

 
color_mode_05.jpg  

Picture Effects

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V offers a range of 9 creative Picture Effects.

Off

HDR Painting

picture_effect_01.jpg picture_effect_02.jpg
   

Rich-tone Monochrome

Miniature

picture_effect_03.jpg picture_effect_04.jpg
   

Toy Camera

Pop Color

picture_effect_05.jpg picture_effect_06.jpg
   

Partial Color (Red)

Soft High-key

picture_effect_07.jpg picture_effect_08.jpg
   

Watercolor

Illustration

picture_effect_09.jpg picture_effect_10.jpg

Intelligent Sweep Panorama

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V allows you to take panoramic images very easily, by 'sweeping' with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching and even successfully compensates for moving subjects, with the High Resolution mode successfully creating a 40+ megapixel image.

Standard
panorama1.jpg
 
Wide
panorama2.jpg
 
High Resolution
panorama3.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V camera, which were all taken using the 20 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample video from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V camera at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 50 frames per second. Please note that this 22 second movie is 68.5Mb in size.

Product Images

Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V / Lens Extended

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V / Flash Raised

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V / Image Displayed

 

Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V / Turned On

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V / Quick Menu

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V / Shooting Menu

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Rear of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V / Custom Menu

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Top of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Bottom of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Side of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Memory Card Slot

 
Sony CyberShot DSC-HX50V

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V offers the longest focal length of any travel-zoom camera on the market, with the 30x optic providing enough width and reach for virtually any photographic situation that you'll encounter. It does make the camera significantly bulkier and a little heavier than last year's HX30V/HX20V models, but can still be (just) squeezed into a trouser pocket.

The addition of wi-fi connectivity along with GPS tracking (although not in the UK), full PASM manual shooting modes, plus the new multi-interface shoe and EV dial, make this the best-specified Sony travel-zoom yet, although the image quality from the new 20 megapixel sensor isn't quite as good as last year's models, we'd have liked a touchscreen interface, there's still no RAW shooting and the wi-fi options are rather limited and not particularly easy to use.

The move to a 20 megapixel sensor, while looking good on paper, has resulted in slightly poorer image quality than the previous models offered, and the GPS functionality has inexplicably disappeared entirely from the UK model, making it less attractive. The 20 megapixel backlit sensor provides excellent results from ISO 100-400, but noise is already starting to appear at ISO 800 and the faster settings of 1600 and 3200 suffer from more noise and smearing of fine detail. You should ignore 6400 and 12800 completely unless there's really no alternative.

So while the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V's bigger zoom, built-in wi-fi and better controls represent a significant step forward, the image quality and wi-fi implementation leave something to be desired, with potential UK owners having to completely miss out on GPS.

4.5 stars

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

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V.

Canon Powershot SX280 HS

The Canon PowerShot SX280 HS is a new travel-zoom camera for 2013, offering a 20x zoom lens and a 12 megapixel back-illuminated image sensor. Other key features of the Canon SX280 include built-in GPS and wi-fi connectivity, a 3 inch LCD screen, full 1080p HD movies with stereo sound, fast 14fps burst shooting, and a full range of manual and automated exposure modes. Read our in-depth Canon PowerShot SX280 HS in-depth review now...

Fujifilm Finepix F800EXR

The FinePix F800EXR is the latest travel-zoom camera from Fujifilm, sporting a 20x lens with a versatile focal range of 25-500mm. The 16 megapixel F800 EXR also features wireless image transfer, GPS support, full 1080p movies, a high-contrast 3 inch LCD screen and 8fps continuous shooting. Read our in-depth Fujifilm FinePix F800 EXR review to find out if it's the ultimate travel camera...

Nikon Coolpix S9400

The Nikon Coolpix S9400 is a stylish and affordable travel-zoom compact camera. Featuring an 18x zoom lens with a focal range of 25-450mm, the Coolpix S9400 has a 18 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, high-resolution 3-inch OLED screen and can shoot 1080p Full HD movies. Read our expert Nikon Coolpix S9400 review...

Olympus VH-410

The Olympus VH-410 is an affordable compact camera with a lot of premium features. You get a very capable camera for just £120 - 16 megapixels, 5x wide-angle zoom, 3 inch LCD touchscreen, 720p movies, all housed in a metal body. Read our Olympus VH-410 review to find out if it's a bargain or not...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40

The Lumix DMC-TZ40 is Panasonic's new flagship travel-zoom compact camera for 2013. The TZ40 (also known as the ZS30) packs an 18 megapixel sensor, 20x wide-angle zoom lens, 3 inch LCD touchscreen, 1080p HD movies, 10fps burst shooting, built-in wi-fi and GPS connectivity and full manual controls into its pocketable body. Read our Panasonic DMC-TZ40 / ZS30 review to find out if its the best travel-zoom camera...

Pentax Optio VS20

The Pentax VS20 is an innovative travel-zoom compact camera featuring a 20x image-stabilized zoom lens, 16 megapixel sensor, 3-inch LCD screen, 720p HD movies and not one but two shutter release buttons. Retailing for around £200 / $250, read our Pentax VS20 review to find out if it can take on its many travelzoom rivals...

Samsung WB850F

The Samsung WB850 is a new travel-zoom camera with a mouth-watering specification. The WB850 offers a wide-angle 21x zoom lens, 16.2 megapixels, Full 1080p video recording, 3 inch AMOLED screen, built-in wi-fi and GPS, plus full manual controls. Read our detailed Samsung WB850 review to find out if it's a contender for the travel zoom crown.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V from around the web.

ephotozine.com »

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX50 is a new travel zoom camera, it is the World's first pocket zoom with 30x optical zoom lens, and it has a 20 megapixel sensor. It also offers a flash hot-shoe (Ni) accessory port, manual controls and exposure compensation dial. You can buy the HX50 for around £350.00.
Read the full review »

stuff.tv »

Sony's DSC-HX50 is the camera we're currently recommending to anyone that asks us which compact camera they should buy. Sure, that conversation often gets deeper and we might end up conlcuding that something smaller, something cheaper, or something more SLR-shaped is more suitable, but if you want our default response, this is it.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Lens

Optical Zoom 30x (Optical Zoom during movie recording)
Clear ImageZoom 20M Approx. 60x / 10M Approx. 85x / 5M Approx. 120x / VGA Approx. 486x / 15M (16:9) Approx. 60x / 2M (16:9) Approx. 162x
Digital Zoom 20M Approx. 120x / 10M Approx. 170x / 5M Approx. 240x / VGA Approx. 486x / 15M (16:9) Approx. 120x / 2M (16:9) Approx. 324x
F F3.5 (W) - 6.3 (T)
Focal Length (f= mm) 4.3-129
Focal Length (f=35mm conversion) 24-720mm
Macro (cm) iAuto: AF (W: Approx. 5cm (0.16 ft.) to Infinity, T: Approx. 200cm (6.56 ft.) to Infinity) / Program Auto: AF (W: Approx. 5cm (0.16 ft.) to Infinity, T: Approx. 200cm (6.56 ft.) to Infinity)
Filter Diameter (mm) NO
Conversion Lens compatibility NO
Carl Zeiss® lens NO
Sony G YES

Image Sensory

Sensor Type Exmor R™ CMOS Sensor
Size (Inches) 1/2.3 type(7.82mm)

Camera

Effective Pixels (Mega Pixels) Approx. 20.4
Bionz Processor YES
Face Detection YES
Smile Shutter YES
Soft Skin Mode YES
Background Defocus YES
GPS NO
Waterproof NO
Backlight correction HDR YES
Picture Effect HDR Painting, Richtone Monochrome, Miniature, Toy camera, Pop Color, Partial Color, Soft High-key, Watercolor, Illustration
Sweep Panorama NO
Intelligent Sweep Panorama YES
Underwater Sweep Panorama NO
3D Sweep Panorama NO
ClearRAW NR NO
Auto Focus Area (Multi Point) YES
Auto Focus Area (Centre weighted) YES
Auto Focus Area (Spot) YES
Auto Focus Area (Flexible Spot) YES
Manual Focus YES
Aperture Auto Mode iAuto(F3.5-F6.3(W)) / Program Auto(F3.5-F6.3(W) ) / Manual(F3.5-F8.0(W)) / Aperture Priority(F3.5-F8.0(W)) / Sutter Priority(F3.5-F6.3(W))
Aperture Priority Mode YES
ApertureManual Mode YES
Shutter Speed Auto Mode (sec) iAuto (4 - 1/1600) / Program Auto (1 - 1/1600)
NR Slow Shutter NO
Hand Shake Alert NO
Exposure Control ± 2.0EV, 1/3EV step
White Balance Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent1, Fluorescent2, Fluorescent3, Incandescent, Flash, One Push, One Push Set, White Balance Shift
AutomaticWhite Balance YES
Light Metering (Multi Pattern) YES
Light Metering (Centre weighted) YES
Light Metering (Spot) YES
Sharpness Setting YES
Saturation Setting YES
Contrast Setting YES
ISO Sensitivity (REI) ISO80-3200(iAuto), ISO80-12800(Superior Auto), ISO80-1600(Program Auto)
Scene Selection High Sensitivity, Night Scene, Handheld Twilight, Night Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Soft Skin, Anti Motion Blur, Backlight Correction HDR, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Advanced Sports Shooting, Gourmet, Pet Mode

SteadyShot

SteadyShot capability YES
OpticalSteadyShot capability YES

Auto Focus System

AF Illuminator Auto / Off

Built-In-Flash

Flash Mode Auto / Flash On / Slow Synchro / Rear Slow Synchro / Flash Off / Advanced Flash
Red-Eye Correction Auto / On / Off
Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash NO
Distance limitations using Flash (m) ISO Auto: Approx. 0.25m to 5.6m (0.82 ft. to 18.37 ft.) (W) / Approx. 2.0m to 3.0m (6.56 ft.. to 9.84 ft.) (T), ISO3200: up to Approx. 7.9m (25.91 ft.) (W) / Approx. 4.2m (13.78 ft.) (T)

LCD/ Viewfinder

LCD Screen Size (inches) 7.5cm (3.0type)
LCD Total Dots Number 921.600
LCD Monitor Type TFT Xtra Fine Trublack
Auto Bright Monitoring NO
Optical Viewfinder NO
Electrical Viewfinder NO

Recording

Recording Media Memory Stick™ Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo™ / Memory Stick PRO Duo™ (high speed) / Memory Stick PRO HG Duo™ / Memory Stick Micro* / Memory Stick XC-HG Duo
Recording Media II SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory Card / SDXC Memory Card / microSD Memory Card* / microSDHC Memory Card*
Recording Format JPEG
DCF (Design rule for Camera File System) YES
DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) YES
Burst Mode (shots) Approx.10 fps
Burst Interval (approximately sec) Approx.0.1 sec.(10 shots)
Still Image size (20M 5,184 x 3,888) YES
Still Image size (18 M 4896×3672) NO
Still Image size (14M 4320 x 3240) NO
Still Image size (13M 4224 x 3168) NO
Still Image size (12M 4000 x 3000) NO
Still Image size (10M 3648 x 2736) YES
Still Image size (9.0M, 3456 x 2592) NO
Still Image size (8.0M, 3264 x 2448) NO
Still Image size (7.2M 3072 x 2304) NO
Still Image size (5.0M, 2592 x 1944) YES
Still Image size (3.1M, 2048 x 1536) NO
Still Image size (VGA, 640 x 480) YES
Still Image size (16:9 mode, 1920 x 1080) YES
Still Image size (16:9 mode, 4896X2752) NO
Still Image size (16:9 mode, 4,608 x 2,592) NO
Still Image size (16:9 mode, 4,320 x 2,432) NO
Still Image size (16:9 mode, 4000 x 2248) NO
Still Image size (3:2 mode, 4000 x 2672) NO
Still Image size (3:2 mode 3648 x 2432) NO
Still Image size (3:2 mode 3456 x 2304) NO
2D Panorama 360° (11,520 x 1,080) / HR (10,480 x 4,096) / Wide (7,152 x 1,080/4,912 x 1,920) / Standard (4,912 x 1,080/3,424 x 1,920)
3D Panorama NO
Moving Image Size (1920x1080 50p Approx.28Mbps) YES
Moving Image Size (1920x1080 50i Approx.24Mbps) YES
Moving Image Size (1920x1080 50i Approx.17Mbps) YES
Moving Image Size (1440x1080 25fps Fine Approx.12Mbps) NO
Moving Image Size (1440x1080 50i Approx.9Mbps) NO
Moving Image Size (1280x720 30fps Standard Approx.6Mbps) YES
Moving Image Size (640x480 30fps Approx.3Mbps) NO
Moving Image Size (640x480 25fps Approx.3Mbps) YES
Moving Image Size (AVCHD 1440 x 1080(50i, Interlace) Approx.9Mbps(Averagebit-rate)) YES
Moving Image Size (MP4/AVI 1440 x 1080 Approx.25fps Progressive) Approx.12Mbps(Averagebit-rate)) YES

Playback/ Edit

HD (High Definition) Playback YES (HDMI® out)
Slideshow Playback YES
Trimming YES
Playback Zoom YES (8x)
Cue & Review (MPEG) YES
Index Playback 16 / 25 images
Image Rotation YES
Auto Image Rotation YES
Auto grouping and & Best Picture Recognition YES

General

Battery Remaining Indicator NO
Histogram Indicator YES
PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) NO
Print Image Matching YES
PictBridge NO
Shop Front Mode YES
Start up time (approximately sec) Approx. 1.9 sec.
Menu Language English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian , Turkish, Greek, Bulgarian, Croatian, Romanian, Russian

Jacks

Multi use Terminal with HD Multi/Micro USB Terminal, Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0), Micro HDMI
Multi use Terminal YES
AV Out NO
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed YES

Power/ Others

Battery System Lithium N
Supplied Battery NP-BX1
Stamina (battery life) with the supplied battery(s) in normal shooting condition Approx. 400 / Approx. 200min
Battery for Clock NO
Weight (g) Approx. 245g (8.6oz.)
Weight with Accessories (g) Approx. 272g (9.6oz.)
SuppliedSoftware PlayMemories Home
Supplied Accessories Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-BX1, AC AdaptorAC-UB10/UB10C/UB10D, Micro USB cable, Shoe Cap, Instruction Manual

Dimensions

Width (mm) 108.1
Height (mm) 64.3
Depth (mm) 38.3

Disclaimers

* Requires adaptor (not supplied)

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