Sony Cybershot DSC-H9

I bought this camera because the technical specs appealed to me. But when I read all the critical comments I was beginning to feel I made a mistake.

Some critics claim that certain features were missing in the H9 that were listed in the specs before the camera was released. No doubt, that's not cool. Also, I haven't figured out how to set ISO levels. Probably I never will because the H9 insists of doing it for me. And then there is the lack of RAW storage.

I have all these features in other cameras I own. And although it's nice to know it's all there if I want it, I have to admit I don't use these features all that often.

As other bridge cameras with advanced features, the H9 caught the attention of many people in the upper segments of the market who then were dismayed to discover its technical parameters.

On the other end of the spectrum, the H9 may be a bit too sophisticated for the point-and-shoot crowd to take full advantage of what it is capable of. The fact that the manual is almost unreadable doesn't help.

Now to the good part:

1. I haven't had that much fun with a camera in a long time. The H9 is light enough to accompany me almost everywhere, and I get a lot of terrific shots that I used to miss out on because I didn't feel like dragging around my heavy equipment. Because it is a super zoom, no shots are lost because I have to change lenses.

2. The macro function is nothing short of sensational.

3. I have been able to take amazing shots with the lens all the way out to 480.

4. The H9 is fast - no shutter delay and super fast storage of images

5. No matter what I throw at the H9, it seems to handle it beautifully. I am sure I will figure out its limitations
as I go along and learn to respect them. The more I get to know this camera, the more it grows on me.

6. The large semi-flexible screen is a real plus, particularly for candid shots.

Well, as this generation of super zooms go, the plusses more than outweigh the minuses.

Received DSC-H9 from Amazon 1 week after ordering. Included 2 GB memory card.
After about 4 hours for battery to charge I was taking pictures. The manual that comes with camera is not very good (37 pages), there is a much better manual (137 pages) available on the supplied CD. Following are my notes:

1) Must take battery out of camera and move to charger, rather than charging directly in camera.

2) Remote only works from front of camera within about 15 feet, needed is wireless remote that would work from 50-100 feet, in any direction.

3) Memory card did not fit my "11 in 1 reader", however the card (SanDisk Ultra II, 2 gb) came with adapter which provided compatability to one of the reader slots.

4) It took awhile to figure out the lens adapter, initially the hood attachment did not align correctly causing black framing on picture when wide angle. I later discovered that the knurled ring can be rotated for proper alignment of hood (not mentioned in instructions).

5) The LCD tilts but does not rotate to allow display from front of camera for self pictures (yet remote only works from front).

6) Flash tries to pop up, with left hand finger in the way, it takes awhile to train the left hand finger to avoid pop up cover.

7) Tried HD mode, colors too vivid for my DLP, changed color mode for less vivid color. This makes good HD images, however the color mode change does not apply for normal automatic setting.

8) No movie files played to HD TV, skipped over MPG files during slide show.

9) Slide show interesting, includes music and transitions.

10) Cannot edit picture files and copy back to memory card. Displays FILE ERROR. Online chat with Sony technical support confirms. OK to store on PC and copy back if not changed.

11) Interesting non documented feature that HD TV displays same as live camera LCD.

12) No audio for stills.

13) Movies are only 640 x 480, with HD capability I was expecting better.

14) Guide says "Your camera is designed for use under the temperatures between 0 C and 40 C (32 F and 104 F). Shooting in extremely cold or hot places that exceed this range is not recommended." I should not use this camera during June - August in Phoenix, AZ since normal daytime temperatures exceed the recommended range.

The first impression of the DSC-H9 was that its very lite almost flimsy. The name plate for ZEISS stating optical zoom 15X and another stating 1080 HD stills are just stuck on the camera body almost temporary.

After a weeks practice trying most of the functions, I am very happy with the camera. It is very fast, takes excellent pictures, has options galore. I hope they were exaggerating about the temperature range.

There seems to be a lot of vitriol about this camera - people either love it or hate it.

Let's be fair here. It has a couple of downsides. But the speed and features more than make up for it.

Of course most people's first question is: how good are the pictures? Pictures by the DSC-H9 are outstanding. Going through the menu is a little involved, but the auto features work very well getting you good pictures anyway. If you carefully scrutinize the quality of the photos, they are not quite as good as some other cameras in the same price range. It seems the "superzoom" cameras like this one, sacrifice a slight bit of quality to the higher powered zoom. But whether this is a problem is debatable, because a 15x zoom can get a closer shot than a 10x or 12x, and you get your better picture that way. As other people have reported, there is also some purple fringing in some photos if you look closely. but wierdly, it shows up in certain shots but not others, and I can't see what the reason is. The fringing is also more noticable on the LCD screen than in the actual pictures, because the LCD screen runs with the color values turned a little high. I've taken loads of pictures with it in the last couple weeks and only noticed the fringing on two photos.

The camera is also the fastest I have ever had. Less than two seconds from power on to shoot!

Now to address the allegation that "sony lied" about the compression settings. Nowhere on the box or in the instructions does it say it has compression settings. Apparently, some early advertising put this out. Most likely, it was a planned feature that was dropped before it was released. Many people expect that Sony will put out a firmware update to take care of it, but that's no guarantee. So, the issue is simple. If selecting different compression levels is important to you, then don't buy this camera. This is really only a problem with a few types of photo editing. But for over 90% of camera users (like me) it will not be important.

The included software has a load of extra stuff, although I had no use for it myself.

The night shot feature sends out an infra red light that lets you take pictures in the dark, although they are of course in B&W. In total darkness, you won't see much unless you are very close to your subject. In semi-darkness, however, it works great.

Pros: 15x Optical Zoom lens, VERY fast snapshot time, big bright LCD screen, remote control, lens hood, night shot feature, tilt screen.

Cons: No compression settings, purple fringing in some photos, non-intuitive menu, tilt screen doesn't twist to front for self-portraits.

Overall, for the price great mid-range camera for people who need something more than a compact digital, but are not ready to spring for an a professional level SLR. People who take a lot of night pictures will love it. The combination of the high zoom and fast action would also work great for people who take a lot of photos of wild animals or sporting events.

Sony Cybershot DSC-H9 8MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Image Stabilization Zoom

I have to say that I am happly surprised at how much I enjoy this camera. The body is nice and compact, but not so small that it's hard to hold on to. I love to be able to have a solid grip on my camera to ensure a more steady shot and this camera is designed nicely for this purpose. The Zeiss lens is great (in my opinion the only lens worth having).
The camera's menu is easy to navigate and very intuitive. I was able to take some nice photos without ever looking at the paper manual.

The 15x zoom is amazing - of course it gets tricky without a tripod when you go all the way out there, but the image stabilization is a live saver!

Battery life is not as long as I would like (but who wouldn't want a battery that lasts forever and a day). On the other hand, the recharging does not take very long at all and I am going to get a second battery as a back up.

The other gripe I have is the cover of the data transfer portal. It is somewhat in the way when you try to connect the cable to the camera to download pics, but I guess I will have to get used to this.

This is a great camera for people that want a little bit more out of a camera then just point and shoot,but are not into the serious photography stuff.

Overall I highly recommend this camera. You will not be disappointed.

When first advertised the Sony DSC-H9 sounded as if it was made for me. I wanted to upgrade without spending a lot. Down to facts the 15X zoom is what I wanted for stills, and it works flawlessly. The stabilization feature is all most flawless. Even with out a tripod there was hardly a blur. The video shots were unbelievable even in a car going down bumpy roads the subject remained very stable. I have taken about 700 stills and many minutes of video all turned out great except where I loused it up. I would have given it a 5 star except for the power button it is to easy to turn on and off accidentally. The lens hood blocks some of the picture on wide angle and also when using flash. The sharpness of the picture is unbelievable and can be enlarge many times.