[Suave]

Hi All,

I have an older Canon G9 & am thinking of replacing it - I am really torn as to what I want! The Sony DCS-HX9 seems to get really outstanding reviews from both press & users alike & it seems like a very nifty little camera - it has a good zoom can even shoot Full HD video apparently which really appeals to me!

At the same time, I have been looking at some of the larger Hybrid Ultra zooms from Panasonic & Fuji as they seem to get really good reviews of all the brands I have been looking at the Panasonic FZ100, FZ48, Fuji HS30 & HS20 & possibly the Sony DSC-HX1 as I think it has some unique features?

I am a novice but would want something that takes good indoor/night pics as well. Is the Full HD video mode on these things good enough to watch on a large screen (say 50") HDTV? Being able to take videos at Full HD really appeals to me & is something I would want/like!

What would you folks recommend including any others I may have missed?

Many Thanks!

Suave!

[Johnmcl7]

The problem with the larger bridge cameras you've mentioned is that although they look like a step between a compact and digital SLR, internally they're still using the same very small sensor as the compact cameras which gives poor low light performance. The mirrorless cameras such as the Sony NEX series, Panasonic/Olympus micro 4/3, Samsung NX and the Nikon 1 series all use far larger sensors usually from digital SLRs which offer much better low light performance but you don't get the all in convenience of a superzoom, they're bigger than compact cameras (although smaller than DSLRs) and the price is higher as well.

Full HD is nothing more than a resolution, it doesn't really mean anything for quality as even a camera which produces very poor quality video can still be classified as supporting full HD as long as the video is 1920x1080. Again this is an area where the mirrorless cameras are better as they're larger sensors offer better detail although the shallower depth of field (equivalently they have less of the scene in focus which is good in some cases for shallow depth of field but can be awkward in others) can make it more tricky keeping everything in focus.

Ultimately it depends on what you're happy with, if the still and video samples from the compact superzooms/bridge cameras is the level of quality you're looking for then you know you can look further but if not then I'd have a look at the mirrorless cameras.

John

[Stu_M3]

Originally Posted by Suave

...Is the Full HD video mode on these things good enough to watch on a large screen (say 50") HDTV? Being able to take videos at Full HD really appeals to me & is something I would want/like!

Well, I have the HX9, which I bought specifically for a recent trip abroad as I didn't want lug the SLR around with me.
I was bowled over by the quality of the photos and, more importantly for me, the HD Video as I didn't want to carry a video camera too.
After two weeks and 32 gig's worth of photos and HD video, I checked the footage out on my 46" Sony 1080P TV. The video footage is nothing short of amazing for such a small camera. Sound quality was "ok"... it picks up wind noise easily and sometimes the zoom is audible. Other than that the picture quality is outstanding.

Stuart

[Quaddy]

i have the hx9, and its a very nice unit, i bought it solely for HD video, and whilst i agree with Johnmcl7 regarding the badge of Full HD not meaning quality (just look at the kodak zx-5!) - the sony is universally lauded for its HD video quality, which even BBC cameramen admire.

its low light photos arent pro grade though. no RAW capability either. other than a knockout

[Suave]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies so far - I have been doing a bit more reading up last night & I cannot justify the cost of a mirror less system due to my lack of photography talent!

It seems the best regarded Hybrid/Bridge Camera is the Panasonic FZ150 now whilst the Sony HX9 seems to be the best compact? Just do not know which to consider - one is small & compact & other larger & bulkier! Apart from the bigger zoom, will the FZ150 offer much better photos & video than the HX9?

Which is the better camera & why & what features/advantages does one have over the other apart from size & zoom?

Many Thanks!

Suave!

[Johnmcl7]

The main advantage of the FZ150 is the larger zoom along with a few other features (slightly brighter lens, raw capability, more powerful flash, remote shooting etc.) but as it is using the same 1/2.3in sensor size as the HX9 I would expect image quality to be similar. DPR posted a useful group comparison of the compact superzooms which puts the HX9 in context with rivals:

'Compact Travel Zoom' Camera Group Test (Q3 2011) Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

John

[Anastie]

I have looked into this all weekend as the Sony HX9 was on my short list. However at imaging resource and various reviews what put me off is the Sony's apparent noise reduction smoothing out a lot of detail when compared for example to a Canon SX220.

Keen to hear from the HX9 users myself.

[Suave]

Hi,

The HX9 can be had for around £220 & the FZ150 for about £370 so quite a jump in price - I am wondering if the hike is justified?

Suave!

[Johnmcl7]

It depends on what you want from the camera, if you prefer having a viewfinder, the longer zoom and the handling of the a bridge type camera then the FZ could well be worth the money but if not then I'd stick with the Sony. Another option to consider would be the S95 which I think has had a recent price drop at Amazon down to £229:

Enthusiast Compact Camera Group Test (Q4 2010) Review: 3. Canon PowerShot S95 Body: Digital Photography Review

Its zoom is smaller, it only does 720p and I don't think you can zoom while recording but its sensor is a bit larger (same as the one used in the G12 I think it is) and the upshot of the shorter zoom range is that the lens is brighter which will make it better for photos and video in low light even though it can't do the full HD resolution.

John

[Quaddy]

@Anastie, i think the undefeatable NR on the sony, WOULD be an issue for anyone that is more experienced with higher end cameras, its a great auto unit, with some pretty nice features, and has a fair bit of tweakability, but would guess not enough for, again, higher end guys

if its clean, pure photos you are after, and will be blowing them up, and somewhat studious on inspecting them, then i would skip the sony, for me, the photos are fine, a step up from what i have had before, the sole reason i was sold on it, was the HD PQ for such a small, pocketable unit, after going through several so called 'HD' pocket hd video cams, all which are rubbish at the side of the sony.

if your reason for ownership is photos, at the more choosy end, skip it

if its for video, which happens to be a nice camera with lots of features, check it out

[Suave]

Originally Posted by Quaddy

@Anastie, i think the undefeatable NR on the sony, WOULD be an issue for anyone that is more experienced with higher end cameras, its a great auto unit, with some pretty nice features, and has a fair bit of tweakability, but would guess not enough for, again, higher end guys

if its clean, pure photos you are after, and will be blowing them up, and somewhat studious on inspecting them, then i would skip the sony, for me, the photos are fine, a step up from what i have had before, the sole reason i was sold on it, was the HD PQ for such a small, pocketable unit, after going through several so called 'HD' pocket hd video cams, all which are rubbish at the side of the sony.

if your reason for ownership is photos, at the more choosy end, skip it

if its for video, which happens to be a nice camera with lots of features, check it out

Hi,

I am certainly not a pro or nor will I be blowing pics up to huge sizes - you are seriously tempting me on the Sony as it is so compact & does good video apparently!

What I like about the FZ150 is that you can add a flash unit if need be - one of the things I had issues about the g9 was that taking indoor pics of evening functions was difficult for me as the flash was very limited in strength! But then, the Sony can be slipped into a pocket & the FZ150 is a brick!!

Are any of these due to be replaced soon?

Suave!

[Suave]

Hi All,

One of the things that the G9 Video mode cannot do is zoom while videoing - can the HX9 & FZ150 allow one to do this? Also, how much of an improvement in video quality will there be over the 1024 "best mode" of the G9?

Finally, how much video can be recorded (say at best quality/Full-HD) on a 16GB card?

Thanks!

Suave!

[Quaddy]

the sony hx9 allows zooming whilst recording HD video, yes

best quality, ie, 'PS' mode = 28mbps, approx 2GB every 10 mins.

HTH

[Chris23]

I think that the answer to your question might well depend upon how much indoor lower light photography/ movies matter to you.

The reality is that the small lenses of the ultra zoom compacts are relatively slow (Sony HX9 is f3.3 to f5.9 with 384mm equivalent) than the larger bridge cameras (HX100v is f2.8 to f5.6 with 810mm equivalent).

A major problem with these small sensor cameras is that as they have to pump up the ASA number to compensate for the lack of light that the lens is collecting they introduce "noise" and the picture quality deteriorates very rapidly. A bridge camera with its physically bigger lens will not need to resort to the higher ASA numbers until well after the compacts & will always be at a lower ASA number in poor light.

A nice sunny panorama may well look the same when taken with either type of camera but the inside of a church - particularily if taken with much zoom applied - will look very different.

If you plan on taking movies this difference matters even more as the camera cannot change the shutter speed to help compensate for low light and the difference become apparant sooner.

A large sensor SLR type camera or G12 type camera will look that much better again because of its larger sensor but then large zooms are either unobtainable (G12) or horribly heavy/large/expensive (SLR).

As an aside my preference of the bridge cameras is the Canon SX40.

[Demon]

I was bought a HX9V for my birthday last year. I was after a pocketable superzoom for family trips(where the DSLR is iften too much to lug around withou getting in the way).To be honest it wouldn't have been on my shortlist, Top of that was a Canon SX220..

However, I gave it a go, and had the receipt to exchange it should I not like it. What amazed me is that coming from a DSLR, any pixel peeping of any cameras in that class can be painful, but the Sony has so many interesting features, I have been converted.

It doesn't quite Match the SX220 at the pixel level, but its pretty close. Where it really impressed me was all the other features, every gimmicky mode has be executed really well, The panorama is excellent, the multishot modes are really useful (Handheld twilight makes it massively useful in low light even coping with normal movement, and HDR has proved a boon) Not to mention the usual face tracking, smile shutter, even blink detection are all features that work as advertised. And of course the video is excellent.

I've used it for school plays, and lots of normally tricky conditions (again, using multishot modes), and I've been able to use the extra features to make it a pretty decent performer that I can just carry in a pocket and take anywhere

I've since tried the SX220, Fuji FXR600 and Nikon S9100, and really am very glad I was forced to give the Sony a go, Its normal camera performance is right up there(OK, not the absolute best) but all the extra features actually work and give good results unlike its competition. Of course that only applies if you are able to use those features.The other thing that stands out is the build quality, ergonomics and the little touches like the motorized flash.

However, like all others in its class, the pocketsble superzoom is best classed as a happy snapper, taking good looking photos reliably and easy to use, if you want manual control, and good pixel peeping performance,etc, then obviously get a different class of camera, but if you do want the happy snapper pocketable Jack of all trades, I think the Sony is seriously worth considering.

[Suave]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies & help - I am in somewhat of a hurry & I think for the time being I will just go with the Sony! Best deal I can currently find is @19.95 at Jessops/Comet & no codes,, cashback or vouchers - does anyone know of better deals/prices?

I could buy it at Duty Free but I really don't know if it will actually be that much cheaper as I heard Dixons Duty free hike up their prices to compensate quite a bit?

Is It true that The Sony does not come with a AC Charger? If so, is there one that can charge two batteries at once? Are the cheap ones on ebay good enough? They seem to also sell generic batteries - are they OK or worth avoiding?

Many Thanks!

Suave!

[Quaddy]

Suave, the camera comes with a charging dock for the one included battery, no mains cord that goes directly into the camera or alike

i bought this spare, generic battery after review, and am very pleased with it

HTH

[Chris23]

Originally Posted by Suave

..........I could buy it at Duty Free but I really don't know if it will actually be that much cheaper as I heard Dixons Duty free hike up their prices to compensate quite a bit?..........

.......and of course it is liable to import duty & VAT on your return when you declare it at customs.

At &19.95 I think that I will have one as well!!!!!

[Suave]

Originally Posted by Chris23

.......and of course it is liable to import duty & VAT on your return when you declare it at customs.

At &19.95 I think that I will have one as well!!!!!

Hi,

Only one sir?! Sorry for the typo - meant to say £219.95! Went to go to buy it today & got caught up in some serious traffic & missed the shops by 5 mins - argggh!!

Suave!

[Suave]

Hi All,

Well, went ahead & bought teh DX9 today - been so busy, still have not opened the box!!

Can anyone recommend me some places where I can get some good tutorials/user help guides so I can become somewhat familiar with it - any instructional videos etc?

i will look at getting the ExPro batteries mentioned earlier - I see very similar ones on Ebay but without the logo - are they knock off or all the batteries pretty the same - I will be using the camera a great deal so any higher capacity batteries would be a great help!

Finally, can anyone recommend me a good padded case that has compartments for a couple of spare batteries & cards & has a belt loop - something from the likes of say Samsonite/Lowepro etc?

Many Thanks!!

Suave!

[Anastie]

Low pro aw20 supposed to be good and cheap on amazon. You tube has a number of video guides that are helpful

[Suave]

Hi All,

The Price Sony want for their Battery is astronomical!! £39?!!! I Found this apparently super deal on the Sony Branded Battery on Amazon but really not sure if it is genuine or a fake - what do you all think?

Sony NP-FG1 Rechargeable Battery: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Suave!

[Johnmcl7]

Unfortunately you'll find Sony are not on their own for charging silly amounts of money for batteries and other accessories, looking at that page the battery appears to be a fake as it's much cheaper and a few of the reviews note the different functionality (although strangely they think it's better). Given the reviews seem decent and it's a quarter of the price of the original I'd give it a shot, it's cheap enough that if it doesn't turn out to be great then you've not lost out too much.

John

[Suave]

Hi All,

OK, just opened up my box & had a little look at this thing but will have a play with it tomorrow! Got to be honest, it does not feel anywhere near as solid or well built as my G9 & is going to take some getting use to tbh! After the G9, well, it kinda feels like a toy!!

I stuck teh supplied disc in my Macbook Pro hoping to make a multi page PDF of teh detailed User Guide but not one of the many folders opens up & I get error messages (except for a "music transfer"(?) thing! All files give errors or say the operation cannot be performed, file type not recognised, cannot be opened etc.

I went on the Sony website & downloaded the basic instruction manual but cannot find a User Guide that I can print off anywhere. Sony do have a online facility but I wanted a hard copy so I can read it on the long flight I will soon take & as I will be travelling, will not have access to a computer/internet most of the time & would like it to refer to.

Surely, there must be a version available must there not - how are folks supposed to reference things if the cannot go online, cannot use (low battery) and/or may not have the camera with them at a particular time? Anyone know where I can get a copy?

I read something about the supplied charger being slow or naff - is this true? Are there any better ones I should get or are they all pretty much the same?

Thanks Again!

Suave!

[Anastie]

Originally Posted by Suave

Hi All,

The Price Sony want for their Battery is astronomical!! £39?!!! I Found this apparently super deal on the Sony Branded Battery on Amazon but really not sure if it is genuine or a fake - what do you all think?

Sony NP-FG1 Rechargeable Battery: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Suave!

The alternative battery for the HX9V is this one I ordered The NPBG1
Ex-Pro Sony NP-BG1, NPBG1, NPBG1.CE, NP-FG1, NPFG1: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

[Johnmcl7]

Originally Posted by Suave

Hi All,


Surely, there must be a version available must there not - how are folks supposed to reference things if the cannot go online, cannot use (low battery) and/or may not have the camera with them at a particular time? Anyone know where I can get a copy?

Try here:

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/DSCHX9V_EN_ES.pdf

There's a much bigger one here but I don't think it has any more content, just more languages:

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4275583531.pdf

John

[Suave]

Originally Posted by Anastie

The alternative battery for the HX9V is this one I ordered The NPBG1
Ex-Pro Sony NP-BG1, NPBG1, NPBG1.CE, NP-FG1, NPFG1: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Hi,

Does this battery show the time remaining or just the bar indicators? I plan to shoot a fair bi of video so it would be nice to know how much time the battery has left!

Suave!

[Suave]

Originally Posted by Johnmcl7

Try here:

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/DSCHX9V_EN_ES.pdf

There's a much bigger one here but I don't think it has any more content, just more languages:

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4275583531.pdf

John

Hi John,

Many thanks, I was able to get the above but it is a just a basic instruction manual - I am after the detailed "User Guide" so I can print it off & have it handy - Sony only seem to offer it via online via their e-support but I read some have managed to get a printable version?

DSC-HX9/HX9V | Cyber-shot User Guide

Suave!

[Anastie]

I dont know of anyone that got a printed version other than printing the guide off.

[Quaddy]

shows graphical indicator (bars) AND time remaining

Originally Posted by Suave

Hi,

Does this battery show the time remaining or just the bar indicators? I plan to shoot a fair bi of video so it would be nice to know how much time the battery has left!

Suave!