Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Choosing a SLR-like; DSC-H9 and H7 are Sony rival team against Canon S5

Sony DSC-H9Sony-DSC's-viewSony introduced two new 8-megapixel DSC-H9 and DSC-H7 models in February 2007. Sony’s new SLR-like models must replace previous ultra-zoom cameras DSC H2 and H5. For more look through 7 best SLR-like’s specification table; Sony DSC-H5 as a cheap & clever choice. These new models both have 8.1 megapixel sensors, HDTV output, stabilized zooms and in the H9 there is Night Shot technology for, apparently, shooting in total darkness. New Sony’s SLR-like cameras have automatic face detection technology, without which any camera is now some outdated. Sony DSC-H9 / H7 are provided with Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 31-465mm (35mm equiv), F2.7-4.5 15x optical zoom lenses. These new cameras are strengthened with cool features like HD outputs, a 3-inch and flip-up LCD screen (only in case of H9) so that you can shoot comfortably from nearly any position etc. consequently their prices are strengthened too. So I have made a thorough research to find out everything about advantages and disadvantages concerning these two cameras. Before buying I advise that you analyze all pros and cons presented in this post and compare Sony DSC-H9, H7 with other SLR-likes. In my opinion Sony ultra-zooms are good alternatives of well-known and so popular Canon PowerShot S5 IS.
Sony DSC-H9
The good:

- Good resolution
- Great color
- Excellent exposure
- Accurate focus
- Bright, punchy results that produce pleasing prints without the need for post-processing
- Very little highlight clipping, DR-optimization works, though the effect is pretty subtle
- Simple controls, Manual controls (if they work properly)
- Small size
- Big beautiful LCD screen
- 15x lens with image stabilization
- Zoom functional in videos
- Accepts memory cards up to 8 GB
The bad:
- Awkwardly placed zoom control
- New user interface slow
- Low resolution screen, Proprietary USB and A/V cable
- No flash compensation
- Not a sexy camera
- Menus within menus
- Pro card required for 30 fps movies
- Cluttered mode dial
- Rear control wheel huge step backwards from the H5's 'turn and click' dial on the grip
- Images quite soft and not that clean
Sony DSC-H7Sony DSC-H7
The good:
- Optical image stabilization
- Rotary dial, 2.2 fps burst mode
- 15x zoom lens
- Excellent color accuracy
- Strong handling of noise
- Solid low light performance
- Remote control
- Speedy face detection
The bad:
- Zoom control
- Cluttered mode dial
- Poor LCD resolution
- Uneven strap lugs
- Flimsy battery door
- Lens hood shows in wide angle
You can compare these pros and cons with Canon S5 (look at Canon PowerShot S5 IS’s pros and cons). I think that all of these opinions are some subjective and for really good choosing you need at least to test this cameras in the store or in the exhibition hall. Conjointly it’s good to use its cool features and to think over if they are necessary for you. I have talked to some users and they say that they have some problems with memory sticks (such as Memory Stick Pro Duo) which are expensive and they can’t use old Compact Flash. They also have to buy a spare Li-Ion battery. On the other hand users appreciate the ability of shooting in very low room lighting conditions.
I collect info about all digital cameras. Tell me what you need and we will find the one together. Feel at ease at Comments directory.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sony H9 is a nice camera and has some fantastic features such as: 3-inch tilting screen, remote control, burst mode, night vision, good flash and it's a very quick camera.

fototramp said...

I'm glad for your Sony but I have some doubt in its speed.

Anonymous said...

I liked the AA batteries of the H5 and that is one of the primary reasons that I chose it. With AA battery not included in H9, I have to reconsider whether I want the H9 or not.

fototramp said...

The Sony H5 is a really good camera. My friend is happy with it. As for megapixels it's not such important, especially with the same 1/2.5 inch sensor size. On the other hand $100 are not superfluous.

Anonymous said...

hey, Timm from Long Beach here.. I just ordered my h9! I played with it for about an hour in best buy, was very happy with ALL it has to offer.. since 97 Ive been rocking Sony digitals.. This will be the 4th in my family or upgraded Sonys, and I love them all.. And they all keep improving. Also, thanks for the info on this site.. very helpfull.
-Timm H9

fototramp said...

Hi Timm
Thanks for your reply. I'm glad that my site could help you with your choice. But I'll be so glad if you'll send me your impressions of shooting with Sony H9.

Anonymous said...

Hi
information u provided ,is really helpful.But I got confused when I see
"Sony DSCH7" and "Sony DSCH7B" .what is the difference between these two?
can you help in finding this.

Thanks
Tutu

fototramp said...

Hi, Tutu
Do not be confuse, because "B" it is only black color body.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
first of all I would like to thank you for providing us all this useful information through your site.
I have read many, many...reviews about SLR-like cameras and mainly because of the low budget I'm somewhere in between Olympus-550UZ, Sony DSC-H7 and Panasonic FZ8. Unfortunately I cannot test any of this pieces in real life. So I'm looking for a personal opinion regarding an immediate comparison o f these three cameras? What about their efficiency in low light and image stabilization?

Best wishes for the new year,
Konstantinos, Greece

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I'm really lost between the reviews of Olympus-550UZ, Sony DSC-H7. What I'm looking for is the camera with good performance in low-light, image stabilization and also good macro mode. Plz suggest me which one to buy.

Lohith, Bangalore

fototramp said...

To Konstantinos and Lohith
Sorry for my silence, I was in a small country without a good connect to the Net. I shot with the Panasonic FZ8 this New Year and I had shot with the Sony and the Olympus before and I can say that there are the same gadgets with the same opportunities. In that time, I have got a comment from Chris at http://fototramp.blogspot.com/2007/11/compare-10x-slr-likes-sony-dsc-h3.html where is he writting some good about the Canon SX100. Maybe it is better to look at some 10-x zoom cameras such as the Panasonic TZ3 with
- 1/2.35 inch sensor with 7.2MP, 8.5 million photo detectors
- 10x optical zoom 28-280mm (35mm equiv) Leica lens
- 4-x digital zoom
- Extra optical zoom (4:3: 12x for 5MP, 15x for 3, 2, 1, 0.3MP, 3:2: 12.6x for 4.5MP, 15x for 2.5MP, 16:9: 13x for 3.5MP, 15x for 2MP)
- 3-inch 230,000 pixels LCD monitor
- MEGA O.I.S. Optical Image Stabilizer
for $220-250 or to the Canon SX100.

Anonymous said...

I am using H7 for quite some time, unlike what you said, the lens hood never shows up in wide angles, you need to align the marks on the adapter and the hood. H7 is a wonderful camera, i am using it very happily.

Anonymous said...

WOW, I sell digital cameras on Ebay under the name Staplesgm. This Sony H7 is hands down one of the best cameras we have had period!
Great light weight, balanced and build for easy gripping, Startup time is very fast, recovery time between shots is fast, powerful zoom, ton of battery life in a tiny battery, face detection that works even on people on TV. Can't say enough good about this camera. I see them all and this is the 1st camera I have truly got excited about.
See our vast selection of used cameras at Staplesgm.com

fototramp said...

To Anonymous
Thanks for your information about the Sony H7. I agree that this is a good ultra-zoom. However, I'm interested in any information about the new Fujifilm S100 and I'll be thankful for your opinion about this SLR-like camera.

Anonymous said...

i want to buy a good camera with best quality picture for photoshop editing and creation purpose please guide me which camera is best?sony,nikon,olympus?actually now i am using sony w55 but i am not happy with that please suggest me soon....

fototramp said...

For best quality it's better to look at the SLR, sorry. I'm shooting with Sony Alpha.