Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Still Camera with 16x Optical Zoom G Lens, 3D Sweep Panorama and Full HD 1080/60p Video

I beat my brains out for the past month, trying to decide on a P&S camera to replace my Pentax DSLR. I've decided, rather late in life, to go with a small pocket camera to replace my bulky SLR and several lenses, including the huge camera bag I carried them around in. So I've been reading every review and scanning every consumer review site (such as Amazon's) searching for the perfect P&S camera. I even bought (and returned) two cameras that ultimately did not work for me. I agonized over the HX9V for a couple weeks before finally biting the bullet and ordering it. I'm extremely happy I did! From the moment I opened the box I knew the HX9V was going to be a winner. Unlike the two cameras I returned, the size and handling of the HX9V was about perfect for me. The two I returned were simply too small to handle efficiently, even in my relatively small hands, but this one was ideal (for me) with a great grip and controls that seemed to fall right under my fingers. The build quality is excellent and I can find no flaw in fit and finish. I decided I wanted a mode dial on top, like my SLRs always had (the two I returned used the wheel on the back of the camera), and the HX9V has one, although it's a little difficult gripping it. So, in short, the HX9V first impression is supurb! This camera does not come with an accessory battery charger (an omission I find rather annoying) so I ordered one, along with a couple spare batteries (the two batteries and the charger cost only $14.00, shipped). I charged the Sony battery in the camera, using the provided power adapter (again, a ridiculous system, since it ties up the camera during charging) and charged the two spares in the tiny little accessory charger. Everything was charged in a couple of hours and I was ready to put this little gem through it's paces. Operationally, the camera exceeds all of my expectations. First, I've never owned such a long zoom and this thing is terrific, although I doubt I'll use the long end very often. Having used large SLR zooms most of my photographic life, where zooming was done manually, I found this zoom rather slow, a bit gravelly-feeling and hard to control precisely. It requires some getting used to, at least for me anyway, but I believe it will be fine. Focusing is instantaneous and I experience no lag-time, unless shooting in modes that shoot and blend multiple images together. On those you get the obligatory "Processing" message and, frankly, I see no reason to consider that a negative. The camera is doing some truly sophisticated image blending. Shoot in a single image mode and it's operation is lightning fast. Oh, and did I mention the ability to shoot ten images a second? What a great feature when shooting my dog, Sammy, or a sports event (and yes, you will get the "Processing" message after firing off ten shots). The Panorama feature is great, producing beautiful wide panoramic images. I've found it really difficult to get less than stellar panos. In other words, it's real hard to mess up! Video is an area I've never explored before but, after seeing some of my random efforts on my HD TV, I'm completely dazzled by this camera's abilities. This is an area I intend to pursue further. There are many more special features that I wont go into here but they're all great and very useful. As for the 3-D thing, I have no interest in that but many others will. I can't comment because I don't care about it. Image quality! You read about it. You scan full-size images on dozens of websites. You pixel-peep endlessly, comparing images from Canon, Nikon, and Sony, until your head feels like it's going to explode. If you're an intelligent, sensible person you conclude that much of the hype you read around the internet is just that - hype! Every P&S camera out there has shortcomings in one area or another and none produce results like a good DSLR! After I came to that conclusion I felt more confortable ordering the Sony. I'm glad I did. I have no intention of blowing any of these images up to poster size. Most will never be printed and those that are will likely be "normal" print sizes. This camera produces excellent images! I have a relatively discerning eye after over fifty years of photography and I'll say again; the Sony HX9V produces excellent images! The bottom-line is, this camera is chock full of cutting edge technology, with features that put it far out front of most other P&S cameras. It takes great images and the videos are extraordinary. Mine is a keeper! It's going to be around for many years to come. In fact, it might outlast me, since I'm 73. Update: April, 2012 Everything I said in the above review stands, in spades, after all these months. That said, I finally taught my wife how to use this camera a couple weeks ago and she took it to one of her DAR conventions. She returned two days later and downloaded several hundred images to her computer. Later, when I watched over her shoulder while she scanned them individually I realized they were all, I mean all, extremely soft, unlike my own results. She seemed happy with them but I knew otherwise so I asked her to go out in the yard with me and take a few shots. We did and I immediately saw her problem. She repeatedly composed the picture on the LCD screen and immediately snapped the shutter, without waiting for the camerea to complete focus. She had forgotten that she should depress the button halfway to allow the autofocus system to work properly. Well, long story longer, she did as I demonstrated and we reviewed the pictures on her computer.Voila! The shots were now sharp and clean. Funny thing was: she then looked at her efforts at the convention and said, "Oh! These are awful!" After this episode I'm convinced that many of the complaints about soft images is a result of "Operator Error." No offence but ain't that always the way. By the way, there are several comments attached to this post, one by a fellow who doesn't own the camera and who obviously has an agenda. His first negative post even implied, in a smarmy, underhanded way, that my review is worthless because I once used Pentax cameras, ignoring the fact that Pentax has earned, over the years, an excellent reputation. He has gone on to point out certain professional reviews that are unfavorable to the camera, ignoring those that heap accolades on it. I frankly, could not care less about his opinions but I will bet that I've been shooting images for more years than he's been alive. Anyway, as I said in the review, it's my opinion, and can be ignored completely if one chooses to do so. If you own this fine camera, enjoy! arkiedan

I bought this camera excitedly as a gift for my wife, so I left it wrapped for more than 30 days after purchase (which meant I could not fully resolve the issue through Amazon). After she opened the camera, it worked well (especially the wonderful HD movies), but subsequently broke on the second day. The camera would not focus, and the flash was intermittent, with the operating system displaying many error codes on the display. I dealt with Sony to attempt a resolution. The parts to repair were indefinitely back ordered (how is that possible? This is a relatively new model) and their only offer was to replace it with a refurbished camera (new for refurbished?). We obviously refused this, asking for a new replacement or a refund, which sent us through the worm holes of bureaucracy connecting Sony's awful customer support. They are apparently a geographically disparate company that convolutes specific customer service resolution. We ultimately had to dispute the charge with our credit card company. I would not recommend this product. Furthermore, Sony has lost us as customers for all other products. Roll the dice at your own risk (we did, because I ignored the bad reviews on this site and bought the camera anyway).

This camera is an upgrade from my previous Sony Cyber-shot. That sony was only a 12.1 megapixel camera with a 5x optic zoom... compared to this 16.2 megapixels and 16x optical zoom... but that camera was amazing for when it came out, and it lasted a long time for me. I used it all the time, took it everywhere I went. In fact, I used it so much, put it to work so often, and dropped it more than it should have been, that it was starting to have a few technical issues. The hatch door where the battery goes wouldn't stay closed, the zoom wouldn't always work, there were scratches on the lens that caused flares in the photos... so it was time to upgrade. for the price of this camera... I'm surprised how nice it is. this camera could go up against much more expensive models. The 16x optical zoom is amazing. I was able to get beautiful shots of the recent Venus transit (June 2012) using this camera and a Shade 10 welders glass. it picks up on the colors much better than the previous camera. The images also seem sharper and more lifelike. the 3D image capability, to some, seems useless as you can only see them in 3D on a 3D display unit (like a 3D television) but those people who think that would be wrong. yes you can only see the image in 3D on a 3D viewer... however, even without a viewer, the images have more dimension, more depth, than an average photo. it just seems to pop off the page. there are a lot of other settings on this camera that my other camera didn't have. My favorite is a soft skin portrait setting. if you take a photo of a person, it almost looks photo-shopped. The soft skin image gives the person you're photographing a soft glow, blemishes seem to be invisible, the face looks smooth and soft, and the eyes appear brighter and more colorful. I am able to capture better action shots using this camera. I was able to get a butterfly in flight, and get perfect photos of the wings when they were spread open, mid air. Knowing how fast a butterfly moves, that is not an easy feat. So I like how fast this camera works. the panorama option is another nice upgrade from my last cyber-shot. to be able to take a full photo of the sun setting behind the bluffs where I live... it makes for a beautiful almost painting like photo. this camera takes just as good of photos as my bother's $1000 camera. For the price, you can't beat this camera. Easy to use, Sharp images, fun settings to play with, and a trusted name. I will always buy Sony cameras. I had great luck with my previous camera, I am having great luck with this camera as well. Battery life on this camera is about average. it's no better or worse than any other camera I've owned. I really like the view screen. nice size, crisp and clear image. I can't say enough good things about this camera. I'm extremely happy with my purchase. If I had to nitpick, I would say the ONLY complaint I have is that, in some settings, it seems like it takes a long time for it to reset so you can take another photo. My brother was taking a picture of me feeding a deer, One photo was quick, but then he had to hit the photo button 8 times before it finally took the photo. I am not sure what setting he had it on... but he said in that setting it should take so long to reset. (he's a photographer so I suppose he would know.) other than that, even he said this is an amazing camera, and for the price, it really could go head to head with much more expensive models. He can even see professional photographers using this camera.

WOW! Great camera. I had previously purchased a Nikon S4100 compact digital camera. It was a good camera with one exception; the picture quality was very poor. After six months or so the lens stopped moving in and out and I returned it on my optional warranty and was given a refund. I hope that the camera was just defective from the start, but at any rate I was very disappointed with it. Before deciding on a replacement I spent a good bit of time doing the research, checking reviews, ratings, etc. of cameras and finally decided on the Sony DSC-HX9V. I have owned other Sony cameras in the past and have been very pleased with them. After the Nikon disappointment I was a little nervous about how the new DSC-HX9V would perform. Again, WOW. The HX9V is a very nice looking camera that you can put in your pocket or hang on your belt in a small case. The picture quality is excellent. In low light the quality is a little reduced but still very good. The movie quality is also excellent. The menus are very easy to understand. There are tons of options so it does take a bit of time to familiarize yourself with everything if you wish to utilize the many options available. For most photos you can simply set the camera to one of the auto programs, on the program dial, and shoot great pictures. You have the option of going full manual or using one of 3 auto programs. 4 if you count the "EASY" option. The Auto programs give you varying degrees of options in the menus that you can, if you wish, tweak the auto settings with. I am not a professional photographer, but so far it seems to have everything I could want and more. On the program dial there 10 options including Intelligent Auto, Superior Auto, Program Auto (my favorite), Manual Exposure Shooting, Memory Recall Mode, iSweep Panorama, Movie Mode, 3D Shooting, Scene Selection, and Background Defocus. Each of these programs has various options available by pressing the Menu Button. The Zoom is amazing and the pictures taken with full zoom (optical & digital is about 68 power) are actually stabilized and quite decent. I cannot begin to describe all of the features that are available; actually I will probably never need to use most of them. If you wish to know more, there are numerous reviews available online. Check out the movies on YouTube that show the HX9V zooming in on the moon. Chuckle. The bottom line is that if you want a camera that you can just set to auto and take great photos and great movies, you will love this camera. If on the other hand you want a camera that you can tweak to your hearts content, then again you will love this camera. I know that I couldn't be more pleased. I normally don't do reviews but I am so pleased with this camera that I am making an exception here. Hope it is helpful.

My wife and I were getting tired of juggling a full frame DSLR and accopanying lenses and decided a high-end point and shoot was in order. After a sweep of the internet and stumbling across a dpreview.com review, we decided to give this one a look. We needed something that could compose shots competently as well as take good video, especially with the travel we do and a baby on the way. Here's what we got: Out of the box, the HX9v comes across as a solid piece of hardware. It feels well built, but there's no way you'll mistake it for a slim, ultra-light point and shoot camera. It will, however, fit comfortably in any cargo pockets or loose fitting jeans. The dials and controls are standard fare; my only complaints being in the bad pop-up flash positioning and the small movie record button. We knew about both issues going in, so they weren't an overly rude surprise. I also have to admit being spoiled by my Samsung's touch screen onterface, but anybody who has used a camera in the last decade will be able to utilize the Sony. Firing it up for the first time, users are greeted by the standard OS request for date and time. After that was satisfied, power-up to shoot times were acceptably average in our opinion and certainly not like the horror stories we've heard from other reviews. If I had to sum up my main complaint in that department, it would fall under the header of 'graphical cludge'. Every display has a helpful graphic that ends up sucking away from you photo time. Fortunately, you can disable most of these prompts and I suggest doing so once you are familiar with the camera modes. It doesn't eliminate them all, but what's left is hardly worth mentioning and can normally be forced through by a half-depress of the shutter button. Picture quality was also a concern we had based on some of the more critical reviews we stumbled across. Fortunately there isn't too much to worry about if you're willing to invest a little time into your new camera. On the surface, the critics are right: The HX9v in Auto mode produces good, but somewhat soft and over-exposed pictures. And now the good news: it's almost all completely correctable since the camera has limited manual controls savable to three seperate profiles for your use. Is your picture too soft? Adjust the sharpen setting upward. Too much coloration? You can switch that too. Auto-focus a little too iffy for your taste? Set it to manual. After a few trips around the neighborhood experimenting with the various settings, worries have all but evaporated. To point, we took a picture of the moon last night. Most cameras would either produce a blurry mess or an over-exposed white blob without a tripod. With the HX9v, I was able to take a picture of the moon at full x16 zoom by hand in complete darkness and still get one of the best shots I've seen. The lens stabilization and AF are just that good. Try a hand supported shot in the dead of night with your DSLR and 300mm lens, or even that P&S you have now and you'll see what I mean. 1080p @60fps absolutely shines on the HX9v, but you already knew that. The x16 lens has rock solid stabilization and lightning quick focus, adjusting exposure and scene settings seamlessly on the fly. There are several videos floating around youtube and I promise you won't be disappointed if any sort of video production is in your future. With this package you also get an internal stereo mic that works as well as internal mics can. The video is so good that you almost need a professional package to fully utilize it, as opposed to something like Windows Movie Maker. On that note, windows media player doesn't seem to be able to cope so well with the codec and routinely exhibits stuttering on Q6600 4 core machine, but renders finished products just fine. Again, I assume its codec issues more than anything, but just FYI, there's nothing wrong with your camera. Sony doesn't give you a lot of bells and whistles beyond what's already obvious. Panorama shots are nice and can be put to creative use, while post processing filters can be added for more stylistic shots, like monochrome coloring. Smile detection is strong and can even be set to focus on kids or adults, whichever you choose. You can even take 3d photos for your 3d screen, if you happen to have one. Battery life isn't spectacular and video mode will eat it up (processing full HD at 60fps fully stabilized will do that), so you might want to consider an extra battery in your future. Some people have complained about "ZOMG! in-camera charging!" and I have to ask them where they've been for the last few years since half the manufactures of P&S cameras routinely engage in this practice. One nitpic I have to make on the topic is that USB charging does seem iffy, like the camera can't seem to decide wether it wants to charge from your computer or not. Fortunately, you can just do it from the wall socket. Beyond that, there isn't much not to like here. It's a solid camera that isn't perfect, but offers you the options to work around most imperfections with semi-manual settings. The lens is great for a camera this size and while it won't replace your full frame DSLR, it offers you enough incentive think about not lugging it around regularly; especially with the x16 zoom and stabilization strong enough to use it. It all comes down to what you want. Pixel peepers will probably want to pass this one up for the Canon SX230 HS. If you need full manual controls or RAW, move along. If you just need great pics and stunning video, this is your stop.

I spent many hours reading reviews of both DSLR and point and shoot cameras. It really came down to one thing. The best camera is one you have with you. I have taken over 1000 (yes 1000) pictures with my phone this past year or so. Having a young daughter I never miss a chance to document our family adventures. All my friends who have DSLRs never seem to have their bag (camera lenses etc.) with them at key moments. I decided on a point and shoot. My professional photographer friend said not to cheap out and look at $300 and above cameras. I originally was considering a Canon s100, but they were out of stock everywhere. I am so glad I found the Sony. This camera is the best "all around" performer of all the point and shoots cameras I looked at (and I looked at many). As with any item you can find detractors. Many of the people who rate this camera low are comparing it to larger DSLR cameras. You must know your needs. I needed quality photographs, great video and sound, along with being easily pocketed. This camera has it all. The panoramic mode is just amazing. I never thought I would get use out of it. The video is unbelievable for such a small package. It plays full HD on my 42" TV. I just plug the HDMI cable from the camera into the TV and view the pictures and video. (The cord is optional and the amazon version is $7.95, well worth the few bucks). The video is absolutely flawless. The low light performance is amazing. I used the flash one time to test it out. Other than that I have not needed it at all. As far as speed, it is very fast. Some people have made negative comments on this and I have to question the settings they are using. I use the intelligent auto mode as my default setting. The camera takes continuous shots with no issues. Maybe these detractors need to get a class 10 card. I have been told that a slow SD card can slow down the processing after you take a photograph because it takes longer to write the data to the card. I recommend a class 10. My final choices included the Nikon 9100 and the Canon s100. The Nikon just had too many negative reviews (both on Amazon and other sites). The s100 had RAW, but lacked the zoom and video features of the Sony. I decided to go with the Sony. This camera has all the features I could ever need. Again, the best camera is one you have with you. On that basis this is the best current choice out there.

I've used this camera for about a month now and I'm very happy with it. I previously had a Canon Rebel XSi and it was overkill. I wanted something that was much easier to carry, took great photos, and didn't require me to study the manual whenever I wanted to take photos. The DSC-HX9V has filled all those requirements. I'm no camera nut. I can't get into the specifics of all the technical details. I just know that I'm very happy with the results. Photo's taken with the camera almost always look good. Video's are awesome. At the highest setting, the videos are crystal clear. Having only used the camera for a month so far, I can't get into the nitty gritty details of some of the more in-depth features. The panorama mode seems to work well, though panorama photos seem mostly a gimmick to me. I have no need/desire to use the 3D features. As a point and click it works great. My only complaint is the burst mode and time between regular photos. I miss with the Rebel XSi the ability to hold the button and take back-to-back photo's. The DSC-HX9V does this, but at a maximum of 10 photos and the quality could be better. It does offer a cool "playback" mode of these burst photos where you can tilt the camera back and forth and it will scroll through the photo's, similar to an animated GIF. Also, the time it takes between taking a photo and the camera being ready to take a second photo sometimes seems too long. You take a photo, it pops up the review and then takes a couple of seconds to get back to the point where you can take another picture. Maybe there is some way to adjust this time, but if so I haven't found it in the manual or within the settings yet. Overall I'm very happy with the camera. I wish I had made the switch from the DLSR to this point and click years ago. Quality of the photos is perfect and its portability over a DLSR makes it much more useful to me.

The Sony DSC-HX9V is in many respects a truly remarkable camera. I've been using it for about three months now, and have had enough experience with it at this point to write up a short review that I hope will be helpful for others investigating this camera. Up front, I can sum up my feelings thus far by saying that the camera is a feature laden unit that cannot help but impress as regards the camera itself, but a couple of fairly significant issues are present that MAY make it become a second, not a first, choice amongst the many other cameras in its class. The HX9V is superbly built. The unit is manufactured in Japan, and holding it and using it makes that distinction apparent. The camera is tightly crafted out of high quality metals and plastics, and there is not a squeak, loose part, or wobbly dial anywhere. The buttons, knobs, and dials work tightly and decidedly. There is no hint of anything but high quality, and the impression is that the camera will likely stay tight and working well over time. The body feels as though crafted out a block of metal. Styling on the camera is also nice, if somewhat masculine, and the overall appearance is certainly eye-catching. The camera has a black color theme, with a semi-shiny black paint over alloy finish. A rubberized black grip is on the user's right of the camera. The tops and sides of the camera are finished with a very attractive, shiny, dark gray chromed finish. It's a beauty to look at. As for controls and access panels, a larger single command dial on the top right controls the main setting modes, with an immediately adjacent zoom toggle. A pop-up flash is on the top left. The zoom lens housing protrudes a significant 4mm or so in the camera's front (this camera will fit it most pants pockets, but its chunkiness may make it difficult in some cases). The lens itself protrudes a significant amount on highest zoom setting (remember, this is a whopping 16x zoom lens). A HDMI port (a real one) is beneath a panel on the right. Underneath, a single door opens to gain access to both battery and flash card. On the back of the camera, a controller wheel is used to access functions, and a number of buttons, some customizable, populate both the top and the back of the camera. The LCD screen on this camera is a real gem. At about 1 million pixels and 3 inches across, it vies with some of the leading DSLRs in screen quality (actually, to be more accurate, it is much BETTER than many DSLR's screens). The screen is a pleasure to use, and it will ruin you, too. Once you see what a screen can look like, many of your existing cameras -- even expensive ones -- will start to annoy you with their inferior displays. It is now an empirically demonstrable fact that most any camera can possess a screen like this, and if new cameras do not, they are using cost-cutting measures. Fingerprints, however, show easily on the screen, and cleaning it takes a little bit of effort. The camera is generally comfortable in your hand, in spite of its somewhat chunky design and slightly heavy weight. The rubberized grip works very well, and a rubberized thumb grip on the back provides an extra gripping surface for the one-hand shoot style. A small wrist strap is supplied, and which works fine. (But I must again castigate ALL camera manufacturers who simply refuse to include a wrist strap without the small, plastic securing slider to secure the strap to the wrist: my Canon Powershot S80 came with one of these seven years ago, and it costs only one cent to make the plastic slide which securely fastens the camera to your wrist even if you drop the camera. It is inexcusable that this design is not standard on all wrist straps. See one from Olympus at Olympus 202315 Adjustable Wrist Strap (Black) .) Image quality is generally good, with the camera's strengths the ability to capture clean shots in low light and the image stabilization that seems to make even impossible shots sharp and in focus. Colors are rich and saturated. Outdoor shots can be a little overexposed at times, but the camera's computer-based scene recognition mode seems to know what to do at every turn. Macro shots are simply superb. Even though this camera does not have the F/2 or F/2.8 aperture of some of its competitors, the macro images this camera turns out are easily in league with even some DSLR's. This is truly a convergence device: it is more half camera and half computer than any I've seen yet. Video mode is excellent, with the camera knocking out true HD movies that could have normally only been made with dedicated camcorders. There are four movie modes with differential quality, but they all look good, and the camera just excels at video. So, what's the problem? Well, for many people, there will be no problem. This is a camera that you turn out, point, and shoot, and, in the majority of the cases, you'll get a good, usable photo. Then, on to the next. Or, shoot a HD video. There is no denying that this camera can be a lot of fun for the shooter, and one that can turn out some impressive feats. But there are, in my own mind, two issues on this camera that need to be mentioned, and that "rain on the parade." These are, one, the slow operational speed of the camera during shooting in the IA+ mode and, two, the image quality of SOME of the shots when viewed at anything other than on a computer screen. The truth is that, when one takes a shot on the HX9V in IA+ mode, there is a significant lag between the shot and the ability to take a second shot (shows the "processing ..." message), and, depending on the circumstances, the lag can be quite pronounced. So pronounced that you are not going to sit there and just bang off one shot after another, but, rather, will have to adopt a process where wait time is factored into all you photo taking. Perhaps this is not a problem for some people, but I can assure you that, for me, it is as annoying as it is distracting (that is, it breaks my train of thought while I am trying to shoot, because I can't move onto another shot, but instead, have to look down to the camera and wait until it tells me its ready for a next shot). The problem is not so present when shooting in the IA mode, which also does a great job, but if you want to use all that fancy Sony automatic layering in your shots (where the camera instantaneously takes six shots and them layers them together to remove noise), you'll have to contend with this. However, this is the price we pay for this sophisticated "convergence" feature (even Sony's DSLR's that use this same technology have the same issue.) And as for image quality, yes, the shots are generally sharp and saturated. But there is a price to pay for the computer-based techniques the camera employs to achieve so many sharp shots under so many settings. You don't want to look too carefully at some of these shots (i.e., zooming them in to pixel-level viewing), because you may not necessarily like what you see. Some shots can also tend to be flat, and/or over processed looking. We can see that we are trading one fault for another. We generally get usable shots under most any condition, but the price can be seen in how some of these shots turn out. (There is no way to adjust noise reduction, and there is no RAW mode.) So, do I like this camera, or not? I do. Very much. In fact, there is a lot about the camera I really like. But I also think that one needs to consider the issues surrounding it before selecting it, particularly when there are so many other fine alternatives available today. If you just want to knock out generally good shots under a wide variety of circumstances, and never "pixel peep," you'll be happy, unless the IA+ delays drive you crazy (which they may). If you are looking for more control and want to post process photos with software, you, too, may not be completely happy with the images (while, though, you may, at the same time, nevertheless be impressed by the camera's build and features). Finally, if you are interested in macro shooting, your results can be incredibly good. That's the best way I can sum it up. Here's what I can see as Pros and Cons at this point, now that I've provided that preamble: PROS: + Huge feature set of computer-based functions + Extremely fast auto focus (nearly instantaneous in many settings) + Superior display screen with 1 million pixels (bright, colorful, and sharp) + Video quality that is startlingly (and I mean, ASTOUNDINGLY, SHOCKINGLY) good - almost rivals professional video cameras + Steady Shot works during VIDEO recording, as well as photo shooting + Generally good image quality under a wide range of shooting settings + Excellent macro performance that can rival DSLR's + Very good zoom range, from a very wide (24mm) to a high zoom + Sony "G" lens is optically very nice + Comfortable, secure gripping surfaces + High quality construction that one can feel and see + Uses either SDHC or Memory Stick cards + Gorgeous user interface with built-in help system + Dedicated movie button + Panoramic stich mode that works impressively well + Built-in GPS that can also be switched off, if desired + USB charging of batteries permits charging from a computer's USB port + Reasonable price point for what you get CONS - Delays/lags/pauses during shooting in IA+ may be a complete deal breaker, in spite of all other positives (although other reviewers point out this is a problem only in Superior Auto mode) - Image quality, while generally good, does not always stand up to detailed scrutiny ("pixel peeping") - Videos may not easily play on all computers (AVCHD format) - A tad heavy and chunky for a travel zoom - Battery life not great (you're going to need extra batteries, and they aren't cheap, either) - Batteries are charged in-camera, and charging is slow, slow, slow (270 minutes for full charge) - No external battery charger provided, and can be an expensive accessory (up to $60, retail) - No RAW mode shooting - On/off power button a bit difficult to engage - Move record/stop button difficult to engage (and makes all your movies have a movement bump as you try to access the button) - Limited Mac software support So, is it a five star camera? It depends on the type of use you are. If you fall into the category of someone who wants generally good photos under a wide set of settings and never pixel peeps, you'll have here a camera that can meet that goal admirably, and you'll be able to get very good sets of photos that you'll be happy to view and share (assuming you can handle the lag between shots). If you need something that won't annoy you with performance lags, do a lot of post processing, or want lots of custom control over your shooting, the HX9V is not your camera. It's not that it is not a technical wonder -- it truly is -- but it's not likely going to work for you. I've owned many, many Sony cameras over the years (F707, F717, F828, R1, a33, and a host of Sony compacts) and I can say this camera shows Sony's commitment to moving the technology forward. But those caveats listed above may be deal breakers for you. Examine your needs carefully before you buy. Five stars for the casual photographer who wants nice photos with little hassle. Four stars for most others. Additional Comments (Three Months after the Initial Review, Above) After using this camera for about three months, I can say without hesitation that the strengths of this camera is that it can knock out decent images in a wide variety of settings without too much user intervention. You have to make a "pledge" to yourself to not pixel-peep, because these images are often not going to be, at pixel-level, up to what you might expect from a DSLR, but its true that the images that come from this camera, when looked at full screen, can often be stunning. Another real strong point about this camera, and one that few people seem to be commenting about, is its macro capability. This camera will allow you to get within an inch or so of an abject, and then, if you are using the base of whatever the camera is sitting on (the table, the floor, etc.) as a "tripod," you can take macro shots that just are impossible to believe. (This would seem to really make this a grade camera for museum use, when you are trying to get shots of items behind glass, and at short distance). Finally, and this is what others ARE talking about, is the incredible video quality of this camera. Videos shot here at the highest 1080 60p or 1080 60i seem to come from a dedicated cam corder, and, to boot, the steady shot function works during video, making video you take while walking appear as though they are from a movie. Some may purchase this camera for video alone, so good is this function. In all, this is a generally amazing camera, and seems to be the first barrage in what Sony will be doing in the coming years as they apply their electronics expertise to the development of photographic cameras. A Word on Batteries... Sony in this camera employs their trademark "InfoLithium" technology, which provides battery level feedback on the screen to tell you how much charge is left on the battery. The battery that comes with the camera, the "NP-BG1" will show a visual indication of remaining battery charge. If you purchase the Sony replacement battery, the "NP-FG1", the batteyr will provide BOTH the visual indicator AND the estimated remaining time IN MINUTES. Very cool. However, if you purchase a non-Sony aftermarket battery, it will provide neither of these (at least, not accurately), and you'll just have to estimate yourself. For these reasons, I highly recommend the Sony NP-FG1. See it at: Sony NP-FG1 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack for Select Digital Cameras . Supplement it with one or two of the off-brand models just as a third and/of fourth battery in case you go through the first two during a shooting session.

One of the best cybershot cameras out there for the price i paid it is my second one.The first one I had from the get go from sony had a issue after years of use and it needed a repair the cost was more than what I just paid for this one. This camera will do all your functions just like a slr which costs hundreds more.