Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 Review
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 4.5Mb.
The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5 produced images of very good quality during the review period. This camera handled noise very well, not becoming obvious until the relatively slow speed of ISO 800 and then becoming progressively worse at the fastest settings of ISO 1600 and 3200 - still, not bad for such a small image sensor.
Chromatic aberrations were in evidence but were well-controlled, with some limited purple fringing effects appearing in high contrast situations. The 10 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, as you can't change the in-camera sharpening level.
Macro performance is quite good, allowing you to focus as close as 5cms away from the subject. Commendably barrel distortion is well controlled even at the 25mm wide-angle focal length. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate overall exposure.
Anti-shake works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. The maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds allows the cameras to capture enough light for most after-dark situations.
The new Backlight Correction HDR feature dramtically increases the detail in the shadow and highlight areas, although we miss being able to choose just how much correction is applied. Both the Hand-held Twilight mode and Sweep Panorama modes work as advertised, making it simple to take hand-held low-light and wide-vista shots.
Noise
There are 6 ISO settings available on the Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.
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ISO 125 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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Focal Range
The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5's 10x zoom lens offers a versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:
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25mm |
250mm |
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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. You can't change the in-camera sharpening level.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Chromatic Aberrations
The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5 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.
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Example 1 (100% Crop) |
Example 2 (100% Crop) |
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Macro
The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5 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.
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Macro Shot |
100% Crop |
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Flash
The flash settings on the Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5 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.
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Suppressed Flash - Wide Angle (25mm) |
Forced Flash - Wide Angle (25mm) |
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Suppressed Flash - Telephoto (250mm) |
Forced Flash - Telephoto (250mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Forced Flash setting or the Red-Eye Correction option caused any red-eye.
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Forced Flash |
Forced Flash (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5'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 25 seconds at ISO 125. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Backlight Correction HDR Mode
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 rather dramatic effect of turning this feature on.
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Off |
On |
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Hand-held Twilight Mode
In the Hand-held Twilight mode the DSC-HX5 takes six high-ISO photos in rapid succession and combines them into a single image. To test this, I took the same shot twice, once with the feature enabled, and once in either Program or Manual mode.
| Program Mode | Hand-held Twilight Mode |
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| (100% Crop) | (100% Crop) |
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| Manual Mode (ISO 125, 25 seconds) | Hand-held Twilight Mode (1/8th second) |
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| (100% Crop) | (100% Crop) |
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Intelligent Sweep Panorama Mode
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 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 now even successfully compensates for moving subjects. The main catch is that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution. Check out some examples below - note the absence of any "ghosting" effects around the moving people in the second shot.
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 camera, which were all taken using the 10 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 CyberShot DSC-HX5 camera at the highest quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 23.8Mb in size.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Turned On |
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Rear of the Camera / Main Menu |
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Rear of the Camera / Manual Mode |
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Top of the Camera |
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Bottom of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Memory Card Slot |
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Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
Sony may be new to the travel-zoom game, but they've certainly made a bold entrance with the CyberShot DSC-HX5, which offers virtually all of the key features that several of its rivals collectively offer, wrapped-up in an easy-to-use package with an eminently sensible 10 megapixel sensor. We're struggling to think of a first-generation product that gets so much right and so little wrong as the DSC-HX5. It may not have the bigger 14x zoom, high-resolution LCD screen or more megapixels that its key rivals offer, but it does combine an awful lot of well-chosen wish-list features that instantly propel it to the status of serious contender for the travel-zoom crown.
The 10 megapixel backlit sensor provides excellent results from ISO 125-800, with only the fastest settings of 1600 and 3200 suffering from too much noise and smearing of fine detail. Chromatic aberrations were well controlled and colours accurate, and the 25-250mm lens commendably didn't suffer from much distortion at either end of the zoom range. The Manual mode lets you set a shutter speed of up to 30 seconds for effective night-time shooting, and if you don't want to use a tripod, the Hand-held Twilight mode delivers great results. Sony's ever popular Sweep Panorama mode now copes admirably with moving subjects, while the new Backlight Correction HDR feature dramatically increases the detail in the shadow and highlight areas.
In addition to the excellent still images, the Sony GX5 is one of the few digital compacts to offer full 1080i video recording, gaining the upper hand on its rivals. You can use the 10xzoom during recording, sound is stereo rather than mono, and the AVCHD format ensures that file sizes don't get out of control. The built-in GPS also works well, unobtrusively and reliably recording your every movement, although the camera takes a few minutes to sync with one or more satellites and the battery life is reduced by around 25% if you leave it constantly switched on.
The addition of a fully Manual shooting mode is very welcome, although I missed the Aperture and Shutter Priority modes that several rivals offer, and only offering two possible apertures does somewhat limit what you can achieve. Beginners shouldn't be scared off the HX5 either, as Sony's excellent hand-holding Intelligent Auto mode is as effective as the competition's, with an even more straight-forward Easy mode available for complete point-and-shoot novices.
And we haven't even mentioned the frankly astonishing 10fps burst shooting mode, welcome support for Secure Digital as well as Sony's own format, and a price-tag that while not cheap is at least on a par with the other main contenders. In short, the Sony CyberShot DSC-HX5 is an excellent camera with no major flaws that's easily deserving of our Highly Recommended award.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 5 |
| Ease-of-use | 4.5 |
| Image quality | 4.5 |
| Value for money | 4 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 from around the web.
trustedreviews.com »
Like most of its peers the HX5 is designed more for practicality than for style, but it's still a good looking camera, and is available in black or silver. It has an all-metal body which is rather box-like, but which has a rounded grip moulded into the right-hand end making it very comfortable to hold. It's quite small by long-zoom compact standards, measuring 102.9 x 57.7 x 28.9mm and weighing 200g including battery and memory card.
Read the full review »
cameralabs.com »
Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 is the company's first truly pocketable super-zoom camera. Announced in January 2010 it features a 10x optical zoom with impressive wide-angle capabilities, Full HD video recording, very fast continuous shooting, a built-in GPS receiver which records your position, altitude, compass heading and local time onto images, and a 10 Megapixel CMOS sensor which claims great low light performance. Sony's earlier Cyber-shot DSC-H20 may have also sported a 10x zoom, but it wasn't anywhere near as small, nor did it share the HX5's impressive array of additional features.
Read the full review »
dcresource.com »
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V ($349) is a compact ultra zoom camera with several features that differentiate it from most of its competitors. They include a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, which promises better-than-average low light performance and super-fast continuous shooting, plus a built-in GPS, unique sweep panorama feature, and 1080i HD movie recording. That's on top of the 10X, 25 - 250 mm Sony "G" zoom lens, optical image stabilization, 3-inch LCD, limited manual controls, HDMI output, and support for both Memory Stick Duo and SD/SDHC memory cards.
Read the full review »
Specifications
Lens
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Optical Zoom |
10x |
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Precision Digital Zoom |
Approx.20x(Total) |
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Smart Zoom |
up to 57x (with VGA) |
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F |
3.5-5.5 |
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Focal Length (f= mm) |
4.25-42.5 |
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Focal Length (f=35mm conversion) |
25-250 |
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Macro (cm) |
iAuto(W:Approx.5cm(0.16') to Infinity, T:Approx.100cm(3.28') to Infinity) |
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Filter Diameter (mm) |
NO |
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Conversion Lens compatibility |
NO |
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NightShot |
NO |
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NightFraming |
NO |
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Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens |
NO |
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Sony G |
YES |
Image Sensory
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CCD Type |
Exmor R CMOS sensor |
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Size (Inches) |
1/2.4 type(7.59mm) |
Camera
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Effective Pixels (Mega Pixels) |
Approx. 10.2 |
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Bionz Processor |
YES |
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Face Detection |
YES |
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Smile Shutter |
YES |
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ClearRAW NR |
YES |
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Auto Focus Method (Single) |
NO |
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Auto Focus Method (Monitoring) |
NO |
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Auto Focus Method (Intelligent) |
NO |
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Auto Focus Method (Continuous) |
NO |
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Auto Focus Area (Multi Point) |
9 points (Under Face Undetected) |
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Auto Focus Area (Centre weighted) |
YES |
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Auto Focus Area (Spot) |
YES |
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Auto Focus Area (Flexible Spot) |
NO |
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Manual Focus |
NO |
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Focus Preset |
NO |
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Focus Preset (m) |
NO |
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Aperture Auto Mode |
YES |
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Aperture Priority Mode |
NO |
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ApertureManual Mode |
YES |
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Shutter Speed Auto Mode (sec) |
iAuto(2" - 1/1,600) / Program Auto(1" - 1/1,600)/Manual(30"-1/1600) |
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NR Slow Shutter |
YES |
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Hand Shake Alert |
YES |
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Exposure Control |
+/- 2.0EV, 1/ 3 EV step |
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White Balance |
Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent1, Fluorescent2, Fluorescent3, Incandescent, Flash, One Push, One Push Set |
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Automatic White Balance |
YES |
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Light Metering (Multi Pattern) |
YES |
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Light Metering (Centre weighted) |
YES |
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Light Metering (Spot) |
YES |
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Sharpness Setting |
NO |
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Saturation Setting |
NO |
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Contrast Setting |
NO |
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ISO Sensitivity (REI) |
Auto / 125 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 |
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Scene Selection |
8 modes (Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Twilight using a tripod / Backlight / Backlight Porttait / Landscape / Macro / Portrait ) |
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AF Illuminator |
YES |
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Flash Mode |
Auto / Flash On / Slow Syncro / Flash Off |
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Distance limitations using Flash (m) |
ISO Auto: Approx.0.25-Approx.3.8m(Approx.0.82'-Approx.12.5')(W) / Approx.1.0Approx.2.6m(Approx.3.281'-Approx.8.53')(T), ISO3200: up to Approx.7.6m(Approx24.9)(W) / Approx.5.2m(Approx17.1')(T) |
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Pre-flash |
YES |
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Red-eye Reduction |
YES |
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Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash |
YES |
Super SteadyShot
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Super SteadyShot capability |
NO |
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SteadyShot capability |
NO |
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Optical SteadyShot capability |
YES |
Auto Focus System
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AF Illuminator |
YES |
Built-In-Flash
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Flash Mode |
Auto / Flash On / Slow Syncro / Flash Off |
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Red-Eye Reduction |
YES |
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Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash |
YES |
LCD/ Viewfinder
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LCD Screen Size (inches) |
7.5cm / 3" |
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LCD Total Dots Number |
230.400 |
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LCD Monitor Type |
TFT |
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Auto Bright Monitoring |
YES |
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Optical Viewfinder |
NO |
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Electrical Viewfinder |
NO |
Recording
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Recording Media |
Memory Stick™ Duo(still only), Memory Stick PRO Duo™(Mark2 only for movie). Memory Stick PRO Duo™ High Speed (Still only and no Speed Advantage), Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™ (No Speed Advantage), |
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Recording Media II |
SD/SDHC Memory Card(Class4 or Higher for movie), Internal memory (45MB) |
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Recording Format |
JPEG |
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Memory Stick™ Pro Interface |
Parallel |
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DCF (Design rule for Camera File System) |
YES |
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DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) |
YES |
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Burst Mode (shots) |
Approx.10 fps(10 shots) |
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Burst Interval (approximately sec) |
0.1 sec.(10 shots) |
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Still Image size (14 Mega 4320 x 3240) |
NO |
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Still Image size (13 Mega 4224 x 3168) |
NO |
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Still Image size (12 Mega 4000 x 3000) |
NO |
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Still Image size (10 Mega 3648 x 2736) |
YES |
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Still Image size (9.0 Mega, 3456 x 2592) |
NO |
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Still Image size (8.0 Mega, 3264 x 2448) |
NO |
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Still Image size (7.2 Mega 3072 x 2304) |
NO |
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Still Image size (5.0 Mega, 2592 x 1944) |
YES |
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Still Image size (3.1 Mega, 2048 x 1536) |
YES |
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Still Image size (VGA, 640 x 480) |
YES |
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Still Image size (16:9 mode, 1920 x 1080) |
YES |
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Still Image size (16:9 mode, 3648 x 2056) |
YES |
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Still Image size (3:2 mode, 4000 x 2672) |
NO |
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Still Image size (3:2 mode 3648 x 2432) |
NO |
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Still Image size (3:2 mode 3456 x 2304) |
NO |
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Panorama |
7.152 x 1.080(270deg) / 4.912 x 1.080(185deg) / 4.912 x 1.920(185deg) / 3.424 x 1.920(129deg) |
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Moving Image Size (1280x720 30fps Fine Approx.9Mbps) |
NO |
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Moving Image Size (1280x720 30fps Standard Approx.6Mbps) |
NO |
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Moving Image Size (640x480 30fps Approx.3Mbps) |
NO |
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Moving Image Size (320x240 30fps) |
NO |
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Moving Image Size (AVCHD 1920 x 1080(50i, Interlace) Approx.17Mbps(Averagebit-rate)) |
YES |
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Moving Image Size (AVCHD 1440 x 1080(50i, Interlace) Approx.9Mbps(Averagebit-rate)) |
YES |
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Moving Image Size (MP4/AVI 1440 x 1080 Approx.25fps Progressive) Approx.12Mbps(Averagebit-rate)) |
YES |
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Moving Image Size (MP4/AVI 1280 x 720 Approx.25fps Progressive) Approx.6Mbps(Averagebit-rate)) |
YES |
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Moving Image Size (MP4/AVI 640 x 480 Approx.25fps Progressive) Approx.3Mbps(Averagebit-rate)) |
YES |
Playback/ Edit
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HD (High Definition) Playback |
YES |
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Slideshow Playback |
YES |
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Slideshow with Music |
YES |
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Trimming |
YES |
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Resize |
NO |
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Playback Zoom |
YES |
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Divide (MPEG) |
NO |
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Cue & Review (MPEG) |
YES |
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Index Playback |
YES |
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Image Rotation |
YES |
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Auto Image Rotation |
YES |
General
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Battery Remaining Indicator |
YES |
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Histogram Indicator |
YES |
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Exposure Warning Indicator |
YES |
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Disk / Memory Stick remaining indicator |
YES |
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PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) |
YES |
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Print Image Matching |
YES |
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PictBridge |
YES |
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Shop Front Mode |
YES |
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Start up time (approximately sec) |
2 |
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Menu Language |
English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Croatian, Romanian, Bulgarian |
Jacks
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Multi use Terminal with HD |
YES |
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Multi use Terminal |
YES |
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AV Out |
YES |
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USB 2.0 Hi-Speed |
YES |
Power/ Others
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Battery System |
Lithium G |
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Supplied Battery |
NP-BG1 |
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Stamina (battery life) with the supplied battery(s) in normal shooting condition |
310 shots, 155min (CIPA standard with LCD screen on) |
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Battery for Clock |
Manganese-Lithium (MS614SE) |
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Weight (g) |
Approx. 170g (6.0oz.) |
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Weight with Accessories (g) |
Approx. 200g (7.1oz.) |
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SuppliedSoftware |
Picture Motion Browser Ver.5.0(Windows only) |
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Supplied Accessories |
Rechargeable Battery Pack(NP-BG1), Battery Charger, Multi Connector Cable, Power Cord, Wrist Strap, CD-ROM, HDMI adaptor |
Dimensions
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Width (mm) |
102.9 |
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Height (mm) |
57.7 |
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Depth (mm) |
28.9 |
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