Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H20 Digital Camera
- HD Recording Format: 720p (HDTV)
- Camera Type: Standard Point and Shoot
- Weight: 0.55 lb.
- LCD Screen Size: 3 in.
- Resolution: 10.1 Megapixel
- Optical Zoom: 10x
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Sony Cyber-shot? DSC-H20 Digital Camera, A Camera For Dummies, It's That Easy!
Pros
Easy to use, Cheap for quallity
Cons
Screen could be wider, Small Flasher
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is a easy to use Camera that has some interesting features. I reccomend this Camera for those that have technology trouble or slow learners.
Quick Summary
Need a camera that is not to complex to figure out then don't worry this has a mode for us that don't understand Camera's right away. I've been borrowing the Cyber-shot H20 for 2 weeks and decided to wright a review. It has been easy to learn and has a great quality for It's price. Some of the quick main things about the camera is that it has a 10x zoom range. A large LCD screen in the back that is about 3 inches. The playback button is easy to push unlike some of the other cameras out there. There is 720p HD movie recording, has Smile Shutter functions, and a comfortable grip to the camera. The camera records the your work in a Memory Stick Duo and Pro stick Duo. You can even hook up the Cyber-shot H20 to a Computer, Computer printer, or even your TV. I think that the picture's need to be more Wider. Here is some information for the " electronically challenged people" like me, for the people that want to see certain Specifications I will add them at the bottom. You have your 4 way controller on the back as well as
Design and Handling
This camera has a very simple design to it, this is a easy to find what your looking for kind of camera. It also has a nice grip you have to be fooling around to drop the camera and it sits comfortable in your hands, my hands don't get cramped up when using the Cyber shot unlike some other camera's that I have used. It's not big or tiny so It's a pretty comfortable fit, but if you had huge hands this might be a little tricky.
On the top of the camera you have your on/off button, smile shutter, shutter zoom, mode dial, and the zoom button also counts as a playback zoom. On the front of the camera is the lens and the AF alluminater. There are no buttons or features on the sides. The back is where almost everything is at, there is a LCD screen and multiple buttons. You have your 4 way controller on the back as well as buttons for accessing the screen, your menu options, and your delete options. There are no small buttons, which can get very frustrating. The bottom is where you plug in your camera to power cords, and media cords The other buttons are separated and large enough to not give you troubles.
Easy and Intelligent Mode
The Sony has a Intelligent and a Easy Auto Adjustment. The Easy adjustment allows the camera to pick the settings, the camera sets the settings for the appropriate light, distance, and those things. The camera will also cycle through the image to see if features are needed. Basically easy mode is called easy mode for a reason. You don't have to go throughout the settings. just take several pictures and the camera will do the work for you. The Intelligent mode allows the Experienced photographer to pick his or hers own settings. I'm no the best photographer but the Easy mode made this camera to use, allowing me to figure out the camera easier. The controls are also easy to use you don't have to worry about dropping it because you have to press on multiple buttons, it also has a nice griped.
Image quality
The image quality for the Cyber shot is very good. The images come out very clear, I have been satisfied with all of my far away photos and my close up photo's. I also like how well the night time pictures look for a 200$ camera. There is also a good zoom range. Though the zoom can be a bit spotty when zooming in far away. It is not a good idea to take a picture far away when zooming far out, I have not been satisfied with these kind of pictures. I have to say that zooming is easily done and looks good when not zoomed to far out.
There are many features to help out the quality of your photo. The camera has good Sharpening tools, this helps the image come in clearer, the flash settings are auto with Flash on, Slow Syncro, Flash off, and Red-eye Reduction. There is also a Dynamic Range Optimizer which allows the camera to adjust lighting and shading, making your picture more crisp. The Cyber shot H20 also contains really good night quality photo's. For the quality of the picture the camera can zoom out at a good distance.
Battery life
The batteries last for about 2-2.5 hours and takes close to 300 pictures before it dies. So when you want to use this camera all day you better turn it of when you don't plan on taking pictures. I think that the battery's life is pretty good, but it could be better. 2.5 hours isn't that much time for a daily event. The battery and the 512mb Memory card slides into a slot that so far hasn't come out on me.
LCD Screen
The screen looks really good on this camera. The LCD screen is 3 inches and contains 230,000 pixels. You can be looking at the LCD screen in the sunlight and still be able to see clearly. It comes in very nicely and is not easy to scratch the screen. There is definitely some High Definition technology in this camera. I really think this is one of the best screens I have seen, the buttons on the screen easy to use. The right button controls the flash mode, the Left button controls the macro mode, the Down button brings up self timers, the Up button controls various display settings.
Features
Anti Blink
There is a feature that attacks the problem of blinking. Get a lot of those pictures with someone blinking in them, not this camera. The blink mode set the camera to take several images. The camera then picks the picture with the least squinting.
Photo Modes
There are many different modes to pick from when using this camera. Such as Scene selection, Advance Sports Shooting, Soft Snap, Landscape, Gourmet, Fireworks, Twilight, Snow, and beach modes.
Face detection
The Cyber shot has a interesting feature that focuses on peoples faces. When set the camera will target peoples faces, allowing the camera to pick the picture settings. You can also have the camera target children or adults faces.
Smile Shutter Mode
One interesting feature about the Cyber-shot is the smile shutter mode. In this mode the camera "detects" the smile on your face and takes a picture when someone smiles so much. It also focuses on your face not the size of your head I thought this was pretty cool. This is a easy way to get a smile from those people that do there best to not give you one, on picture. It also has a setting for the camera to focus on Adults or Children.
Flash
The Flasher pops up when needed, it is also a bit on the small side. I think they could of made the Flash bigger. It claims to be good for up to 23 feet, but the picture's say It's a little less.
Movie Mode
The Movie Mode gives good graphics with 720p resolution, this looks pretty nice. The High Definition video output is Analog only. The movies are also stored on your memory card's as MP4 Files. Overall the movies turn out good , but not with the best quality.
My Thoughts and Recommendations
Far away pictures turn out great, as well as close pictures. It's fun to mess around with the settings, and taking good pictures. This camera has been easy to use, making this probably the easiest camera I've ever used. I like taking pictures of the mountains the most. The camera has popped out some pretty amazing pictures. It's fairly small and easy to take around. It is easy to use and has a simple button layout. I usually have trouble with other cameras the first time using one, but this was just simple.
I am not the smartest person when it comes to cameras but the easy mode made it really easy for me to get the hang of. Video's were easy to make and fun, a clear screen always makes you happy when your filming. This is a good camera for the simple minded, or the average person. For those that want a camera for the Photography business you probably better move on. It's good but it's not that good. I think that the price was good for the quality overall I highly Recommend this. For those that want a really nice camera you might want to find something else.
My ratings
Battery Life 4/5
Features 4/5
Picture quallity 4/5
Noise 3/5
Durability 4/5
Easy to Use 5/5
Specifications
Camera
Mega Pixils 10.1
Bronze Processor
Face Detection
Smile Shutter
Clear RAW NR
Auto Focus
Focus Preset m 1/3/7 Unlimited Distance
Aperture Mode
NR Slow Shutter
Hand Shake Alert
White Balance
Light Metering
Sharpness Setting
Contrast Setting
ISO Sensitivity REI auto 100,200,400,800,1600,3200
Scene Selection ,Macro, Twilight Portrait, Twilight using a tripod, Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Landscape, Portrait,
AF Illuminator
Pre-flash
Red-eye Reduction
Dimensions
Width mm 107.3
Height mm 68.7
Depth mm 47.1
Jacks
Multi use Terminal with HD
USB 2. Hi-speed
Flash
Flash mode Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Syncro, No Flash
Red eye Reduction
Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash
Image Sensory
CCD Type Super HAD CCD
Size inches 1/2.3
Lens
Optical Zoom 10x
Precision Digital Zoom .20x
Smart Zoom up to 57x with (VGA)
Focal length fl=mm 6.3-63
Focal length fl=35mm 38-380
Macro cm Wide, Approx, 2-Infinity, Tele: Approx. 90-Infinity
Film Diameter mm 58
Has Conversion Lens compatibility
LCD/ Viewfinder
LCD Screen Size 3 inches
LCD Total Dots 230.400
LCD Monitor type TFT
Auto Bright Monitoring
LCD Field of view 100%
Do you need a dirt cheap camera instead?
Do you need a very up to date camcorder
Need a camera that is not to complex to figure out then don't worry this has a mode for us that don't understand Camera's right away. I've been borrowing the Cyber-shot H20 for 2 weeks and decided to wright a review. It has been easy to learn and has a great quality for It's price. Some of the quick main things about the camera is that it has a 10x zoom range. A large LCD screen in the back that is about 3 inches. The playback button is easy to push unlike some of the other cameras out there. There is 720p HD movie recording, has Smile Shutter functions, and a comfortable grip to the camera. The camera records the your work in a Memory Stick Duo and Pro stick Duo. You can even hook up the Cyber-shot H20 to a Computer, Computer printer, or even your TV. I think that the picture's need to be more Wider. Here is some information for the " electronically challenged people" like me, for the people that want to see certain Specifications I will add them at the bottom. You have your 4 way controller on the back as well as
Design and Handling
This camera has a very simple design to it, this is a easy to find what your looking for kind of camera. It also has a nice grip you have to be fooling around to drop the camera and it sits comfortable in your hands, my hands don't get cramped up when using the Cyber shot unlike some other camera's that I have used. It's not big or tiny so It's a pretty comfortable fit, but if you had huge hands this might be a little tricky.
On the top of the camera you have your on/off button, smile shutter, shutter zoom, mode dial, and the zoom button also counts as a playback zoom. On the front of the camera is the lens and the AF alluminater. There are no buttons or features on the sides. The back is where almost everything is at, there is a LCD screen and multiple buttons. You have your 4 way controller on the back as well as buttons for accessing the screen, your menu options, and your delete options. There are no small buttons, which can get very frustrating. The bottom is where you plug in your camera to power cords, and media cords The other buttons are separated and large enough to not give you troubles.
Easy and Intelligent Mode
The Sony has a Intelligent and a Easy Auto Adjustment. The Easy adjustment allows the camera to pick the settings, the camera sets the settings for the appropriate light, distance, and those things. The camera will also cycle through the image to see if features are needed. Basically easy mode is called easy mode for a reason. You don't have to go throughout the settings. just take several pictures and the camera will do the work for you. The Intelligent mode allows the Experienced photographer to pick his or hers own settings. I'm no the best photographer but the Easy mode made this camera to use, allowing me to figure out the camera easier. The controls are also easy to use you don't have to worry about dropping it because you have to press on multiple buttons, it also has a nice griped.
Image quality
The image quality for the Cyber shot is very good. The images come out very clear, I have been satisfied with all of my far away photos and my close up photo's. I also like how well the night time pictures look for a 200$ camera. There is also a good zoom range. Though the zoom can be a bit spotty when zooming in far away. It is not a good idea to take a picture far away when zooming far out, I have not been satisfied with these kind of pictures. I have to say that zooming is easily done and looks good when not zoomed to far out.
There are many features to help out the quality of your photo. The camera has good Sharpening tools, this helps the image come in clearer, the flash settings are auto with Flash on, Slow Syncro, Flash off, and Red-eye Reduction. There is also a Dynamic Range Optimizer which allows the camera to adjust lighting and shading, making your picture more crisp. The Cyber shot H20 also contains really good night quality photo's. For the quality of the picture the camera can zoom out at a good distance.
Battery life
The batteries last for about 2-2.5 hours and takes close to 300 pictures before it dies. So when you want to use this camera all day you better turn it of when you don't plan on taking pictures. I think that the battery's life is pretty good, but it could be better. 2.5 hours isn't that much time for a daily event. The battery and the 512mb Memory card slides into a slot that so far hasn't come out on me.
LCD Screen
The screen looks really good on this camera. The LCD screen is 3 inches and contains 230,000 pixels. You can be looking at the LCD screen in the sunlight and still be able to see clearly. It comes in very nicely and is not easy to scratch the screen. There is definitely some High Definition technology in this camera. I really think this is one of the best screens I have seen, the buttons on the screen easy to use. The right button controls the flash mode, the Left button controls the macro mode, the Down button brings up self timers, the Up button controls various display settings.
Features
Anti Blink
There is a feature that attacks the problem of blinking. Get a lot of those pictures with someone blinking in them, not this camera. The blink mode set the camera to take several images. The camera then picks the picture with the least squinting.
Photo Modes
There are many different modes to pick from when using this camera. Such as Scene selection, Advance Sports Shooting, Soft Snap, Landscape, Gourmet, Fireworks, Twilight, Snow, and beach modes.
Face detection
The Cyber shot has a interesting feature that focuses on peoples faces. When set the camera will target peoples faces, allowing the camera to pick the picture settings. You can also have the camera target children or adults faces.
Smile Shutter Mode
One interesting feature about the Cyber-shot is the smile shutter mode. In this mode the camera "detects" the smile on your face and takes a picture when someone smiles so much. It also focuses on your face not the size of your head I thought this was pretty cool. This is a easy way to get a smile from those people that do there best to not give you one, on picture. It also has a setting for the camera to focus on Adults or Children.
Flash
The Flasher pops up when needed, it is also a bit on the small side. I think they could of made the Flash bigger. It claims to be good for up to 23 feet, but the picture's say It's a little less.
Movie Mode
The Movie Mode gives good graphics with 720p resolution, this looks pretty nice. The High Definition video output is Analog only. The movies are also stored on your memory card's as MP4 Files. Overall the movies turn out good , but not with the best quality.
My Thoughts and Recommendations
Far away pictures turn out great, as well as close pictures. It's fun to mess around with the settings, and taking good pictures. This camera has been easy to use, making this probably the easiest camera I've ever used. I like taking pictures of the mountains the most. The camera has popped out some pretty amazing pictures. It's fairly small and easy to take around. It is easy to use and has a simple button layout. I usually have trouble with other cameras the first time using one, but this was just simple.
I am not the smartest person when it comes to cameras but the easy mode made it really easy for me to get the hang of. Video's were easy to make and fun, a clear screen always makes you happy when your filming. This is a good camera for the simple minded, or the average person. For those that want a camera for the Photography business you probably better move on. It's good but it's not that good. I think that the price was good for the quality overall I highly Recommend this. For those that want a really nice camera you might want to find something else.
My ratings
Battery Life 4/5
Features 4/5
Picture quallity 4/5
Noise 3/5
Durability 4/5
Easy to Use 5/5
Specifications
Camera
Mega Pixils 10.1
Bronze Processor
Face Detection
Smile Shutter
Clear RAW NR
Auto Focus
Focus Preset m 1/3/7 Unlimited Distance
Aperture Mode
NR Slow Shutter
Hand Shake Alert
White Balance
Light Metering
Sharpness Setting
Contrast Setting
ISO Sensitivity REI auto 100,200,400,800,1600,3200
Scene Selection ,Macro, Twilight Portrait, Twilight using a tripod, Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Landscape, Portrait,
AF Illuminator
Pre-flash
Red-eye Reduction
Dimensions
Width mm 107.3
Height mm 68.7
Depth mm 47.1
Jacks
Multi use Terminal with HD
USB 2. Hi-speed
Flash
Flash mode Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Syncro, No Flash
Red eye Reduction
Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash
Image Sensory
CCD Type Super HAD CCD
Size inches 1/2.3
Lens
Optical Zoom 10x
Precision Digital Zoom .20x
Smart Zoom up to 57x with (VGA)
Focal length fl=mm 6.3-63
Focal length fl=35mm 38-380
Macro cm Wide, Approx, 2-Infinity, Tele: Approx. 90-Infinity
Film Diameter mm 58
Has Conversion Lens compatibility
LCD/ Viewfinder
LCD Screen Size 3 inches
LCD Total Dots 230.400
LCD Monitor type TFT
Auto Bright Monitoring
LCD Field of view 100%
Do you need a dirt cheap camera instead?
Do you need a very up to date camcorder
