I exchanged a Canon SX100 for this camera, and I am so glad I did. This camera is lightening fast with flash shots (compared to the VERY SLOW Canon). Indoor pictures are great as well as outdoor. I have taken a ton of pictures and very few have been slightly blurry, most come out clear with good color. Flash looks natural, as opposed to the canon which would either over or under expose shots. I love that the camera is compact and small enough to fit in a regular camera case, but yet still has the long reach 10x optical zoom. I also love the 3" LCD.Pros:
-Compact with 10x optical zoom
-3" LCD
-Good indoor photos
-No delay in between shots
-Battery meter always showing
-Slide show with music is too cool!
Cons: (Very minor and do not take away from camera at all)
-No automatic lens cover (has lens cap)
-No zoom in video mode (although if I want great video, I'll use my video camera)
-Comes with Shoulder strap I prefer wrist strap (Fixed by ordering a wrist strap off ebay for $2)
If you want a compact camera with a lot of zoom and good quality pictures, definitely go with this one. The only other cameras that have same features: Canon SX100 (too slow between flash, indoor shots are not good), Panasonic TZ3 (reviews say picture quality not good), and Canon G9 (only has 6x zoom and has a hefty price tag). To me, the Sony is the way to go for the average shooter who mainly shoots in automatic mode but occasionally plays with other settings. I have owned for about a week, if anything changes, I will update my review, but so far GREAT!!!!
I have tried taking close up pictures of jewelry with the macro setting, which is only a one-button press. I thought it did a pretty decent job, although I did have to play around with the lighting to make sure that the flash didn't get reflected.
Another superior feature of this camera, relative to the Canon mentioned above, is the operation of the zoom. I find that I can control the exact amount of zoom with the button, whereas with the Canon, the zoom seemed to jump discontinuously.
For the amount of power (meaning the 10x zoom) and precision of this camera, it is very light (under a pound) and compact. I was able to take a whole series of shots at the playground using just one hand with no trouble, and the weight of the camera did not cause my hand to get tired.
Another feature I really like is that after taking a bunch of pictures, you can review them as a slide show with music and special effects. I did this at the end of a dinner party and was able to instantly show guests a slide show of the dinner on the camera.
As far as negative features, there are only two that I have discovered. The first is that there is a lens cap that has to be put on and taken off manually. You attach the cap to the camera strap with a string, so it's not a big problem; just a little inconvenient. In contrast, Canons' lens covers are built in, and the lens is covered with just a press of a button. The second negative feature is common to all Sony products and that is their proprietary accessories. The camera requires a Sony rechargeable battery (one comes with the camera, as does the recharger, but I bought an extra one) and a Sony pro-duo memory card. For me this is worth it because I really like Sony cameras.
In summary, I think this camera takes excellent pictures while being lightweight and compact. It's a good camera for a person like me, who often wants to take pictures of kids moving without having to mess with a bunch of settings to change the camera speed. I am very happy with this camera and highly recommend it to people who have similar needs. Sony Cybershot DSCH10/B 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot
Buy Sony Cybershot DSC-H10 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot Now
Tired of carrying around a much larger SLR camera with interchangeable lenses and small view screen I found the H10 a very nice replacement. The 10X zoom is more then enough for my travel picture needs. In Alaska I zoomed in on a bald eagle resting on a distant electrical tower. The large 3" viewing screen allows me to compose my picture without wearing any glasses. Mode selector knob easily allows me to find the right picture taking mode. Virtually no shot delay and multiple shooting mode works machine gun fast. Steady shot is always on, removing any moves I may make and later blaming on the camera. Taking pictures at twilight and night resulted in very high quality pictures. Issues? With a 4gb memory chip I tend to overshoot, bringing my battery to exhaustion. No problem, added an extra battery and off I go. Yes you can read where other reviewers will complain about what the H10 will not do. Then again, if you take the time to fully read the manual several times, practice with the camera and learn from your mistakes, you will find the camera is fine. It's the operator making the mistakes. Nice job Sony!PROS: Big screen, great zoom, lightweight, conventional cap, great flash, many features even fancy ones (music and so).CONS: None.
It is a good camera, something not too pro, but with so many features that you'll feel like a pro. Specially the zoom (10x, wow!). The big screen, despite delicate, helps to detect blurs that cannot be easily appreciated in smaller screens (it gets greasy easily, so use a plastic screen protector). However, I would qualify the zoom, at its full length, with an 8, so far. Sometimes it is blurry (very little, but is), and sometimes not (in similar conditions shots), so I guess that it is not a 100% steady, but is ok considering its competitors (minor zoom and even more sensitive to movement). Just hold it firmly.
The lack of built-cap I cannot be sure if it is one of the "cons" because I had two Canon before this Sony and both suffered damage in its cap at any point (It did not close properly, it bended, did not open, etc.), so an old fashioned cap is ok as long as you fix a thread (are many on the market) to avoid losing it.
I like the flash also. It is strong, long and has different ways to use it: there is one that allows illuminating the whole scene, instead of just the proximity, so it is very useful for indoor pictures. You'll get beautifully illuminated interiors, with or without people. This is different from my previous Canon cameras.
It takes time to become a pro in the use of all its features. It has plenty. If you just want to focus and shot, then buy something less expensive. The features are promisingly great, but I am not so fast using it, I take my time. If you are going to a trip, is better that you become more than familiar with this little thing before so it can do a great job. Otherwise you will find yourself shooting in automatic all the time, and if that is so, why this camera then?
UPDATE, FROM A TRIP (2009):
I have just returned from a three week holiday with my husband and my 3 y.o. boy. I shoot more than 2000 pics... it's crazy, but the camera is so powerful and versatile that you enjoy shooting around.
This wonderful machine survived my boy, an outrageous number of shots, some strikes, bad weather, many bumps, etc. It's like the Jungle Jeep of Digital Cameras. My two previous Canons were not successful in similar conditions (the automatic cap was the first thing to fail and at the end it was necessary for me to open it with my fingers).
The more I used this Sony, the more I was in love with it. While in vacations you need to be very familiar with different settings to get the picture (i.e. in a sightseeing tour, a museum where no flash is allowed) and sometimes everything happens so fast that you really need to change settings right away to get that shot. Well, this camera is like having many cameras with me:
When it was very sunny outside, I used ISO 100 and I got wonderful blue skies, when it started to rain, I changed ISO to 400, when it was getting darker, to ISO 800. When I was in a museum where no flashes were allowed, I used my high ISO and so on.
When I wanted to get beautiful landscapes at night, I used M (manual) settings, easy to use, with lovely results.
When I wanted to do some beautiful B/W pictures or Sepia, or change size to landscape, it was very easy.
When I wanted to make skylines or just silhouettes, I changed the point feature and pointed to the source of light (taking care of my eyes) and the results were beautiful. I.e. There were lovely colorful skies, so I pointed to them behind a nice sculpture.
I also had a lot of fun by using the flash (never before I had enjoyed the flash so much) because the "flash keeping landscape clear" really does it. I mean, no more beautifully lighten people in a dark surrounding.
It was very easy to use a tripod, and knowing the settings of the camera I enjoyed to make self portraits of me with my family. I recommend the "Gorilla pod". I attached it to the stroller everywhere! Having a little boy, I learnt to make sequences of shoots with the auto-shutter.
I have recently purchased the Telephoto and adapter rings to use my old filters with this camera. Once I have tried them enough I would write the proper reviews.
UPDATE, 3 YEARS LATER (2011):
This camera has been a joy. Unfortunately it has started to fail. Early this year I had a problem with the zoom and I got it fixed, happy again. But just returning from another trip the flash has gone. It actually pops out and everything but the light doesn't come out. I will not get this repaired since it is expensive and I am afraid that it may have some other issues inside just about to come into surface. It been a lovely camera: survived many trips and tons of nice pics despite my roughness and adverse weather conditions. I WILL BUY ANOTHER JUST LIKE THIS ONE. I think that this is the best recommendation for any product.I really liked this camera most of all for its speed in taking the pictures, captured my dog so clearly as he was jumping in the air, awesome!! Zoom is great. I would have kept this camera for the great pictures but the following reasons really annoyed me:
1. the lens cap has to be taken off manually, hangs by a string, no clip to attach to the camera strap. If you don't take it completly off it gets in the way of shooting.
2. the on/off button is very tiny and is flush on the top of the camera making it sometimes difficult to turn on or off especially in a hurry.
3. no delete button, have to go through too many steps to delete a picture.
4. should be an indentation on the back for your thumb to rest and a better grip.
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