Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V Digital Compact Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



Sony announced the Cybershot DSC-HX200V in February 2012, a premium digital compact camera, with its headline features being an 18.2 megapixel sensor and 30x optical zoom lens. It is available in black for £379.00.

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V Features

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V has an 18.2 megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor which works with its BIONZ processor to reduce noise for low-light shooting as well as Pixel Super Resolution which optimises detail and sharpness. There is a 30x optical zoom lens, a 35mm equivalent of 27-810mm which can be extended to 60x with Clear Image Zoom. Sony claim the camera will focus in 0.13 seconds even in dim conditions, with Tracking Focus to keep your subject sharp even when it's moving.

For beginners there is Easy Shooting mode with on-screen instructions and an in-camera guide. Superior Auto mode adjusts settings automatically for images with low noise and high dynamic range. There are advanced manual functions to give you DSLR-like creative control and the Photo Creativity interface is designed to make it easy to make quick adjustments to colour, brightness and other picture settings, which can be previewed in real time on the screen. There are also Artistic Picture Effect modes to make your images even more creative.

The HX200V has a number of panorama modes, including Intelligent Sweep (standard, wide and high-resolution), 3D Sweep and Sweep Multi Angle. The Digital Level Gauge will help you keep your images straight and GPS geotags your images and video clips as well as log your journey and act as a compass. Other modes include Background Defocus, High-speed Continuous shooting at up to 10 fps, Face Detection, Smile Shutter, Backlight Correction HDR, Self Portrait Timer and Soft Skin. Images can be edited via the in-camera retouching menu.

Videos are recorded at full 1080p HD with zoom available and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode correcting shaky handheld camera movements. You can even capture high-resolution images at the same time as recording movies. Videos can be viewed on a HD TV via a HDMI cable.

Key Features

• 18.2 megapixels Exmor R CMOS sensor
• 30x optical zoom (35mm equiv: 27-810mm)
• 3 inch XtraFine TruBlack LCD screen
• Advanced manual functions
• Full 1080p HD video recording
• ISO 100-12800
• 1cm minimum focusing distance
• Superior Auto Mode
• Photo Creativity interface
• Artistic Picture Effect modes
• Background Defocus
• 10 fps High-speed continuous shooting
• Intelligent Sweep Panorama
• Sweep Panorama High Resolution
• Digital Level Gauge
• GPS and Log Record with Compass

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V Handling

The HX200V looks very much like an SLR, when sat next to the Nikon D3200 they are almost exactly the same size. The is a large hand grip which is rubberised with a dotted area on the rear for your right thumb. The body has a very solid, metal build with a wide array of buttons, mode dial and a tilting, 3 inch, LCD screen, which is bright and colourful. If you like to use a viewfinder, the HX200V has an electronic one which is automatically activated when you place your eye to it. There is also a dioptre wheel to adjust it to your eyesight rather than leaving your glasses on.

There is a lens cap which gets stuck at times if you forget to take it off before switching the camera on. To avoid it falling to the floor, we recommended you attach it with the string loop provided. For those settings which aren't accessed via their own button, the menu system is fairly easy to navigate, although in a mode with a lot of options available, the list can be quite extensive. At the bottom of the list you'll find a further option to enter another menu to set sounds, time settings, etc.

The battery has a CIPA rating of 450 shots, it managed over 850 before going flat after its first charge and this included some use of the GPS. The GPS is quick to activate when switching the camera on, taking around 10 seconds. We tested the cameras performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

Shutter Response		0.05 secs
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.2 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		0.25 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		1.9 secs
Shot to Shot (without flash)		1.5 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash		3.0 secs
Continuous Shooting		10 fps

Whether shooting wide, or with the full zoom, focusing speed is impressive. Continuous shooting High shoots full resolution images, with the HX200V managing the full 10fps promised by Sony.

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review and product ratings.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V Sample Photos

Background Defocus | 1/60 sec | f/4.0 | 10.1 mm | ISO 500 High-Res	Low Light | 1/4 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 8000 High-Res
Pet | 1/250 sec | f/5.0 | 46.3 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/4.0 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res

Sample Photos - Images are well exposed, with good colour reproduction. Background Defocus mode gives the effect of using a large aperture on a DSLR, blurring the background while keep your subject in focus. High sensitivity modes gives well exposed, bright pictures in low light. When using Superior Auto mode, the camera will (if it decides it's necessary) take multiple frames and combine then into a single image to reduce noise. Portraits have pleasant skin tones, our shots didn't have any red-eye, but if they do it can be fixed easily and quickly in-camera via the retouch menu.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V Lens test images

Wide Angle | 1/250 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Full Optical Zoom | 1/500 sec | f/5.6 | 144.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Digital Zoom | 1/250 sec | f/5.6 | 144.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Macro | 1/25 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

Lens Performance - Images have plenty of detail whether shooting wide or close up, although there is purple fringing and chromatic aberration evident in contrasting areas. When shooting close-ups, the camera doesn't require you to switch to macro mode, and with a minimum focusing distance of 1cm, it is capable of taking excellent, well detailed pictures.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V ISO test images

ISO100 | 1/13 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res	ISO200 | 1/25 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res	ISO400 | 1/50 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res	ISO800 | 1/100 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res
ISO1600 | 1/200 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res	ISO3200 | 1/400 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res	ISO6400 | 1/800 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res	ISO12800 | 1/1600 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm High-Res

ISO Noise Performance - The HX20V takes a crisp, noise free image at ISO 100, with a minute amount appearing at ISO 200 and again at ISO 400. Noise at ISO 800 begins to soften images, with sharpness and detail further reduced at ISO 1600. Images are very soft at ISO 3200, but it is not until you switch to ISO 6400 and 12800 where you see lots of detail lost due to noise, with these two highest settings best used for images which are to be resized for use on the web, with colour reproduction remaining fairly good.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V White-balance test images

AWB preset - incandescent lighting | 1/30 sec | f/3.2 | 6.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Incandescent preset - incandescent lighting | 1/30 sec | f/3.2 | 6.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	AWB preset - fluorescent preset | 1/5 sec | f/3.2 | 6.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Fluorescent preset - fluorescent lighting 1 | 1/5 sec | f/3.2 | 6.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Fluorescent preset - fluorescent lighting 2 | 1/6 sec | f/3.2 | 6.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Fluorescent preset - fluorescent lighting 3 | 1/6 sec | f/3.2 | 6.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) copes well under our studio lighting. The incandescent and AWB settings take an almost identical picture under our incandescent lights. There are three different fluorescent presets available, none of which coped as well as the AWB setting, with a magenta cast when using preset 1 and orange casts for presets 2 and 3.


Panorama Standard | 1/1600 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 100


Panorama Wide | 1/1250 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 100


Panorama High Resolution | 1/1000 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 100

Panorama mode - Panoramas are impressive, with a good amount of detail and no sign of any stitching issues. The High Resolution mode is difficult at times to complete, leaving a small black strip which can be easily cropped.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V Scene modes

Fast Shutter Speed | 1/320 sec | f/5.0 | 79.5 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	HDR | 1/250 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Landscape | 1/1600 sec | f/2.8 | 4.8 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Miniature | 1/640 sec | f/4.0 | 12.1 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

The HX20V can be switched to manual mode to give you control over shutter speed and aperture, with an example above using a fast shutter speed to capture the sporting action. You can also use bracketing to take three shots at different exposure. We have done this in testing and have combined the three images in Photoshop to create a HDR image.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V Digital filters

Painting | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Partial Colour | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Pop Colour | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Rich Tone Monochrome | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res
Soft High Key | 1/20 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Toy Camera | 1/100 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Watercolour | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Colour Mode Real | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res
Colour Mode Sepia | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Colour Mode Vivid | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Colour Mode Black And White | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 16.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res

Digital Filters - The HX200V has a range of colour modes and picture effects which can be applied while shooting, with examples of each above.

Video - Below is a video shot at full 1080p HD, optical zoom can be used during recording, an example of which can be found on the ePHOTOzine Youtube page.

Value For Money

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V is priced at £419.00. Other cameras with a similar zoom level include the Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR with 30x at £349.00, Canon PowerShot SX40 HS with 35x at £334.00, Olympus SP-810 UZ at £189.00 with 36x and Nikon Coolpix P510 at £319.00 with 42x zoom. The P510 is also armed with GPS, as is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 at £274.99, Canon Powershot SX260 HS at £254.99, Sony Cybershot DSC-HX20V at £322.00 and Leica V-Lux 30 at £484.00.

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V Verdict

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V is very similar to the HX20V, except it has more zoom, in a larger, SLR style body with an electronic viewfinder and tilting screen. There is an 18.2 megapixel sensor as well as a whole load of shooting features, extremely long battery life, making it an ideal travel camera. Image quality is good, the body has a firm, solid build, but the biggest issue with the camera is the price, there are plenty of good travel cameras available for less than £400, at least around £70 cheaper than the HX200V. Putting that aside, if you have the budget, the HX200V doesn't disappoint.

	The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V packs plenty of zoom and has good image quality, making it ideal for travel photography.

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V Pros

Tilting screen
Electronic viewfinder
Image quality is good
Solid body
Excellent battery life
Decent noise performance up to ISO 3200
Good colour reproduction
Panoramas are free of stitching issues

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200V Cons

Occasional purple fringing and chromatic aberration
Fairly expensive
Not pocketable like the HX20V
No rubber thumb grip on rear

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V Specifications

Manufacturer	Sony
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/2.8 - f/5.6
	35mm equivalent	27mm - 810mm
	Optical Zoom	30x
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	18.2Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4608
	Pixels (H)	3456
	Sensor Type	Exmor CMOS
	Sensor Size	1/2.3
	Sensor Size (width)	No Data
	Sensor Size (height)	No Data
	Aspect Ratio	4:3 16:9
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	3in
	Screen resolution	921,600
	Touch Screen	No
Focusing
	Min Focus	1cm
	Focusing modes	Autofocus Manual Spot Face Detection Multi
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/4000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	30sec
	Exp modes	Program Aperture-Priority Scene modes
	Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Multi Pattern Spot
	ISO sensitivity	100 - 12800
	White balance	Auto Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent Flash
	Exposure Comp	+/-2
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	10fps
Video
	Movie mode	Yes
	Video Resolution	1920x1080 1280x720 720p 640x480 VGA 320x240 QVGA
	Video FPS	50
	Stereo Sound	Yes
	Optical Zoom with Video	Yes
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	Yes
Interface
	HDMI	Yes
	USB	USB 2
	Wi-Fi	No
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC MS SDXC Micro SD Micro SDHC
	File Type	JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	NP-FH50
	CIPA Rating	450
Box Contents
	Box Contents	Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-FH50, AC AdaptorAC-L200C/L200D, Micro USB, Shoulder Strap, Lens Cap, AC cable, Instruction Manual, Lens Cap Strap
Dimensions
	Weight	531g
	Width	121.6mm
	Height	86.6mm
	Depth	93.3mm

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