Camera Labs

Hi everyone, this is our official thread for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5.



See our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 review for full details!

Thanks,

Gordon

nicely done, Gordon
thank you

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http://hx9v.blogspot.com/

Well done, Gordon. I don't have this cam, nor likely will I be getting one - but as I do have an early ancestor in the TX1 I am familiar with some of the modes. Just to point out a few things:

1. Re the tripod mount - it seems odd to be off center, however considering the lens is far off to that side, the tripod mount location actually puts it fairly well in line with the lens, nto a bad thing.

2. Re the HDR mode - you noted in your sample that it seemed to compensate the shadows a bit, but did nothing for the blown windows. The way the HDR modes are designed to be used, one needs to meter for the highlights, and the double exposures will take the second shot to expose the shadows and blend the two. If you were metering the room in general with the windows already blown out, the HDR mode wouldn't have done anything at all to them. Just to note for those using the HDR modes - I've had a bit of practice with the DSLR-A550 version, which is absolutely mind-blowing in the ability to stretch dynamic range and expose for ridiculous shadows against bright light.

3. Re the high ISO comparisons - as I believe another thread alluded to - it really is worth mentioning that while on its own, the high ISO performance doesn't hold any advantage over other competition, twilight mode is indeed a feature designed for just that type of use, so to be completely fair in a comparison, the mode should be used and compared to competition. In regular, real world photography, when it comes right down to Joe-Blow on the street...this mode can allow this compact camera to blow competitors out of the water for hand-held low light shots with moderately still subjects. Special feature, yes. But Person A has a Panny or Canon, and wants a hand-held shot of a building at night - they must use high ISO. Person B has the HX5 and wants the same shot...they too can use high ISO and get so-so results like the other shooter, or they can engage Twilight mode and get rather astounding low noise, high detail shots. It takes them no more time or effort to use the mode, so it really needs to be part of any low light comparison with other cameras, to be fair.

I did see your response that you had already returned the camera - just wanted to make that point for those shopping the cam and wondering. With my TX1, I can pull off high ISO results in low light using twilight mode that absolutely destroy anything I've seen from any compact P&S camera, and on par with some of the larger sensor compacts out there. It is a trick feature that all compact cameras really should begin employing.

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Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Gordon I noticed in your EARNSLAW video an similar jerking as in your tz10 clip, not as bad but not normal.
Did you by any chance shoot this videos from a tripod?
That would definitely explain the jerks in the beginning.

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http://hx9v.blogspot.com/

Hello ! Nice review Gordon !
Cool camera for trips !
Is my impression, CMOS getting better quality of video than CCD ?
For small camera, auto focus is working good in zooms.
I have FZ35 and I dont like auto focus when making videos using zoom.
I can notice that Panasonic auto focus at FZ35 is slow, not fast like others cameras for videos.
Negative points to Panasonic for that.

Cheers,

Carlos

ps: lets wait to see price !

Hi everyone, I'll try and get the HX5 in again at some point in the future and update the High ISO Noise results page with a new sequence which includes HHT results. But remember there are also results for the HHT mode on the first review page, actually taken outdoors under genuine Twilight conditions - so to be fair, I did test it exactly as the mode markets itself! That said, I do listen to all your feedback, so if I get the HX5 back again for testing, I'll see how HHT handles our interior Church shot.

I'll also try some different shots with the HDR mode, although if you have to specifically meter highlight areas for successful results, it's hardly the beginner-friendly mode it's aiming to be. While it's a useful tip, the fact there's no mention of this approach in the manual either suggests it's a technique which goes beyond the scope of most review tests.

I prefer to test point-and-shoot cameras in their auto settings to see how they perform as most owners will use them - remember forum members and other enthusiasts represent the minority, and the average HX5 owner will not know about spot-metering saturated areas of the image. They want to see what happens when you just point a camera at a scene with a certain mode.

So forum members will always want to see more detail involving tweaking, manual settings or over-riding in an attempt to achieve the best results, whereas most others just want to see how well the auto modes work. Editorially, I always try and include a fair balance of both, and you will find lots of detail about lens sharpness and aperture control in the review, along with examples of the fast burst shooting in true action environments, video grabs, the panorama sweep and GPS implementation. So hopefully there's plenty in there for those who like the details. I should also say while other manufacturers are quite open with explanations about how their various modes work, I've tried and failed to get any really detailed information from Sony.

Hi Joe, all three sample videos I've posted so far were handheld, and started by pressing the button on the back, hence the initial wobble. I do have some tripod mounted footage though which I'll post later, or maybe save for a video compilation, as I have a few other cool clips including one of the Shotover Jet.

As for the jerking, it's there on most of the clips I film with any camera at high magnification - it's just the IS system resetting its position when the wobbling is too great for it to compensate for, or more commonly when panning is confusing the system. I would however agree with you this jerking effect was less pronounced on the HX5 than the TZ10 / ZS7.

Fair point...and I agree, it's surprising Sony didn't think to put any information about this in their manual. Though their manuals have never been all that good anyway! I discovered this with the A550, and am making the assumption that the smaller cams are using the exact same type of blending algorithm, so concluding that the same advice would be apropos for them too.

That, and I have no idea if it could be nearly as effective as it is on the A550 in conditions so extreme, as the A550 gives the user control over the EV difference between exposures to as much as +/-3...I don't think 'auto' mode does as well, and since the compacts only have an auto mode, that much shadow/light difference may just be beyond the camera's ability to adjust for.[/quote]

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Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Thanks Gordon, did you use the active mode in your videos for added stabilisation or just the standard steady shot?

and amen to the hht shot in the church, I was asking for that since the HX1 came out.

2 shots taken when the street lights came on
both fresh from the camera just loss less cropped
both ISO 3200





original size http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/2143872802/photos

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http://hx9v.blogspot.com/

Joe, please don't link to dpreview or embed any of their images - remember they block us in their forum, so I don't think it's fair to promote them here. There may also be copyright issues.

As for stabilisation, all three of those clips were with the Active mode. I found it more effective on my clips than the standard mode.

Gordon...I believe those are his own personal images, hosted on Dpreview's user galleries (they recently added those where users upload their own pics and they host). But your point remains - if you're blocked by them, then fair's fair! I'll keep that in mind too, as I occasionally may upload a few photos to a gallery there when I don't want them in my pbase gallery...I'll make sure not to link those over here.

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Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

just wana add, Gordon is allergic to depreview ahaha! its fair! not to use their site

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Good Aperture Everyone! Good reply is always Making me very very happy thanks...
Sony A700; sony 18-70mm, 18-250.
My flickr!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/loymercs/
My Blog!! http://loymercsclick.blogspot.com/

Another great review Gordon! A friend of mine is planning to buy the HX5 and I'll definitely send a link to him!

Keep up the good work! I'm sure you will...

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

My HX5 arrived at 7am on Tuesday morning, much the same time as I discovered Gordon's Review, which I had been looking forward to, it is very enlightening.
Had a day with my 2 year old grandaughter and took plenty of shots and videos.
I was amazed by the quality of the pictures which were taken on Auto and of some short videos.
Reviewed the shots on their 37" HDTV and was stunned by the quality particularly of the video.
My previous camera was a Nikon D80 with an 18-200 zoom lens and I am sure that I will be happy with the new lightweight camera.
The GPS will be useful as this year we will be visiting Rouen, Guernsey and Scillies on a short cruise in April with a later trip to Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna.
I will be nice to see the actual locations on a map and I will also have plenty of opportunities for the lovely Panoramas
Summary - It is great Buy One !

Hi DGJONES10, welcome on-board!

Everyone wants to see more examples of the Handheld Twilight mode in action, especially compared to the normal Auto or Program modes - fancy taking some samples in dim conditions and showing us in this thread?

I can throw a few samples up from the cousin of this cam, the TX1...it shares the same sensor and HHT mode, so it will give some ideas of high ISO performance in low light using this mode.

Here's ISO1250:


An extreme one...ISO3200 in VERY dark conditions:


ISO500, with people moving around in the shot:


ISO3200 of my cat in my dark living room:


It really is impressive for a tiny little sensor camera.

_________________
Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg