Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 ultrazoom announced

[David Rasnake]

In a press release this morning, Sony has provided details about the latest additions to its Cyber-shot line, including the 9.1 megapixel, 15x zoom Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50.

As noted, the H50's most prominent feature, visually and functionally, is its 15x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom, which covers an impressive equivalent range of 31-465mm. Out back, the H50 wears a 3-inch tilting LCD that allows equally easy shooting from low and high angles and features a scratch resistant UV coating.

Stylistically, the new camera is much in keeping with other recent offerings in the H line, presenting a mini-DSLR look with an offset lens barrel and prominent hand grip.

The H50 comes equipped with Sony's Advanced Sports Shooting mode that we've seen recently on other higher-end cameras from the manufacturer. Using the expected high shutter speeds in addition to a predictive auto focus system, previous implementations of the mode have made for easier action shooting than is normally the case for a non-DSLR.

Perhaps most significantly, Sony's press materials state that the amount of in-camera noise reduction on the H50 is user-selectable. The company has taken criticism in the past for overly aggressive noise reduction choices that tend to smear fine detail at higher ISOs. With this move, there's reason for cautious optimism that Sony is actively responding to concerns, and that what has often been the primary weakness of recent Cyber-shot models is finally being addressed.

Sony's bevy of intelligent soft features, including Smile Shutter and Face Detection with child/adult priority settings, have also found their way to the H50, as have new image capture technology improvements like Sony's advanced D-Range Optimizer and a NightShot mode capable of taking pictures in extremely low light. HD component output provides a simple solution for viewing photos and video on HDTVs.

MSRP for the Cyber-shot H50, which will begin shipping in May, is $399.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 Specifications:

Sensor	9.1 megapixel, 1/2.3" Super HAD CCD
Lens/Zoom	15x (31-465mm) Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar, f/2.7-4.5
LCD/Viewfinder	3.0", 230K-pixel Hybrid TFT LCD; 201K-pixel electronic viewfinder with diopter adjustment
Sensitivity	ISO 80-3200
Shutter Speed	30-1/4000 seconds
Shooting Modes	Auto, Easy Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Movie, Scene, Smile Shutter, High Sensitivity
Scene Presets	Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Advanced Sports Shooting
White Balance Settings	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent, Flash, Manual
Metering Modes	Multi, Center, Spot
Focus Modes	Multi AF, Center AF, Flexible Spot AF, Semi-Manual, Manual, Macro
Drive Modes	Normal, Burst
Flash Modes	Auto, Forced On, Slow Synchro, Forced Off
Self Timer Settings	10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off
Memory Formats	Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
Internal Memory	15 MB
File Formats	JPEG, MPEG
Max. Image Size	3456x2592
Max. Video Size	640x480, 30 fps
Zoom During Video	Yes
Battery	Rechargeable InfoLITHIUM 960 mAh lithium-ion
Connections	USB 2.0, AV output, DC input
Additional Features	Face Detection, Super SteadyShot, Smile Shutter, NightShot, HD component output, D-Range Optimizer

[usapatriot]

Sony just loves to spit out big zoom cameras.

[David Rasnake]

They do have an awful lot of these H models, though my understanding is that only this one and the new H10 (the H3 update) will survive into this next model year (I stand to be corrected on this one).

For pure number of high zoom cameras, I'm not sure that they can rival Fuji though. There are what, about four, ultrazooms in their '08 lineup?

dr

[usapatriot]

Yeah, it just seems that they have come up with so many H model cameras in just two years time. Other manufacturers seem to come out with one or two models which last for a year or more before being replaced while Sony comes out with new models every six months or so. Aside from that none of these Sony H series models except the very early H5 and H2 have gotten decent reviews. Most suffer from image quality issues.

I

[CalebSchmerge]

It seems to offer a lot, but this kind of camera really has to be so good to be worth it. The price point is far too high for these to not be excellent.