Sony Cybershot DSC-H10 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot

5 Responses to “ Sony Cybershot DSC-H10 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot ”

1. T. Kinney
   May 28, 2010 at 13:40

   I exchanged a Canon SX100 for this camera, and I am so glad I did. This camera is lightening fast with flash shots (compared to the VERY SLOW Canon). Indoor pictures are great as well as outdoor. I have taken a ton of pictures and very few have been slightly blurry, most come out clear with good color. Flash looks natural, as opposed to the canon which would either over or under expose shots. I love that the camera is compact and small enough to fit in a regular camera case, but yet still has the long reach 10x optical zoom. I also love the 3″ LCD.
   
   Pros:
   
   -Compact with 10x optical zoom
   
   -3″ LCD
   
   -Good indoor photos
   
   -No delay in between shots
   
   -Battery meter always showing
   
   -Slide show with music is too cool!

   Cons: (Very minor and do not take away from camera at all)
   
   -No automatic lens cover (has lens cap)
   
   -No zoom in video mode (although if I want great video, I’ll use my video camera)
   
   -Comes with Shoulder strap – I prefer wrist strap (Fixed by ordering a wrist strap off ebay for $2)

   If you want a compact camera with a lot of zoom and good quality pictures, definitely go with this one. The only other cameras that have same features: Canon SX100 (too slow between flash, indoor shots are not good), Panasonic TZ3 (reviews say picture quality not good), and Canon G9 (only has 6x zoom and has a hefty price tag). To me, the Sony is the way to go for the average shooter who mainly shoots in automatic mode but occasionally plays with other settings. I have owned for about a week, if anything changes, I will update my review, but so far – GREAT!!!!
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. Elana Gabriele
   May 28, 2010 at 15:29

   I’ve had this camera for about three weeks and have taken several hundred pictures with it. It takes excellent pictures with amazing detail and color. Despite the fact that I am often photographing moving children, fewer than 5% of the pictures have been blurry. This camera’s ability to take excellent action shots with no blur is one of its strongest features, in my opinion. A second superior feature of the camera, relative to the last camera I bought recently and returned (Canon Powershot SX 100IS) is the fast next shot delay. This camera is ready to take another picture, even after using the flash, relatively quickly. I say “relatively” because there is still a delay, but compared to the sluggish Canon, it is a great improvement. If you don’t have the flash on, then the next shot delay is very fast. Also, the time the camera is ready to take the first picture from the time I take it out of the camera bag is quite short.

   I have tried taking close up pictures of jewelry with the macro setting, which is only a one-button press. I thought it did a pretty decent job, although I did have to play around with the lighting to make sure that the flash didn’t get reflected.

   Another superior feature of this camera, relative to the Canon mentioned above, is the operation of the zoom. I find that I can control the exact amount of zoom with the button, whereas with the Canon, the zoom seemed to jump discontinuously.

   For the amount of power (meaning the 10x zoom) and precision of this camera, it is very light (under a pound) and compact. I was able to take a whole series of shots at the playground using just one hand with no trouble, and the weight of the camera did not cause my hand to get tired.

   Another feature I really like is that after taking a bunch of pictures, you can review them as a slide show with music and special effects. I did this at the end of a dinner party and was able to instantly show guests a slide show of the dinner on the camera.

   As far as negative features, there are only two that I have discovered. The first is that there is a lens cap that has to be put on and taken off manually. You attach the cap to the camera strap with a string, so it’s not a big problem; just a little inconvenient. In contrast, Canons’ lens covers are built in, and the lens is covered with just a press of a button. The second negative feature is common to all Sony products and that is their proprietary accessories. The camera requires a Sony rechargeable battery (one comes with the camera, as does the recharger, but I bought an extra one) and a Sony pro-duo memory card. For me this is worth it because I really like Sony cameras.

   In summary, I think this camera takes excellent pictures while being lightweight and compact. It’s a good camera for a person like me, who often wants to take pictures of kids moving without having to mess with a bunch of settings to change the camera speed. I am very happy with this camera and highly recommend it to people who have similar needs. Sony Cybershot DSCH10/B 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. M. Burch
   May 28, 2010 at 18:28

   I have owned this camera for about 6 months and have enjoyed it a lot! It takes great pictures and has lots of different options. The only trouble I’ve had is the lens cap does not attach to anything, so it swings around all over the place when I’m taking pictures. I solved this by attaching velcro to the front of the cap and the side of the strap. The other thing I do not like is that the dial on the top tends to move quite easily and sometimes I find myself taking pictures on a setting I did not plan on. I just fix it and retake the picture, but it’s a little annoying. I do love, however, the movie feature. They are very clear and upload to our computer/blog easily. My family loves seeing pictures and movies of my kids – especially family that is out of town. All in all, this is a great camera!
   Rating: 4 / 5
4. Ana Margarita
   May 28, 2010 at 20:57

   FIVE STARS NOW.

   UPDATE, ABOUT THE SOFTWARE:
   
   I have updated the review I wrote 6 months ago (it is almost January 2009 now). The review was divided in two sections, the first one was “The warning”: against the lack of compatibility between this camera’s software and “Windows Vista upgraded-from-XP computers”. A couple of months ago, Microsoft made a patch or something which was downloaded automatically to my computer, and it solved some usb problems, including this one.

   So, I have deleted “The Warning” (no case now) and leaving the second section of the review. I WOULD NEED TO CHANGE MY RATE TO FIVE STARS (I had written: “Camera: ***** (all in all). Driver compatibility: (zero). Total: ***”) but the system does not allow changes in stars. I did not feel I had to write another review, because leaving this as it was, would have meant that the flaw in camera’s or Microsoft’s software continued and it’s not.

   I will provide some magnificent pictures I took with this little marvel during a trip. It proved to have been so handy, resistant and easy to use. I would blindly recommend it.

   Remaining review:
   
   Now, for THE PRODUCT ITSELF:

   PROS: Big screen, great zoom, lightweight, conventional cap, great flash, many features even fancy ones (music and so).
   
   CONS: None.

   It is a good camera, something not pro, but with so many features that you’ll feel like a pro. Specially the zoom (10x, wow!). The big screen, despite delicate, helps to detect blurs that cannot be easily appreciated in smaller screens (it gets greasy easily, so use a plastic screen protector). However, I would qualify the zoom, at its full length, with an 8, so far. Sometimes it is blurry (very little, but is), and sometimes not (in similar conditions shots), so I guess that it is not a 100% steady, but is ok considering its competitors (minor zoom and even more sensitive to movement). Just hold it firmly.

   The lack of built-cap I cannot be sure if it is one of the “cons” because I had two Canon before this Sony and both suffered damage in its cap at any point (It did not close properly, it bended, did not open, etc.), so an old fashioned cap is ok as long as you fix a thread (are many on the market) to avoid losing it.

   I like the flash also. It is strong, long and has different ways to use it: there is one that allows illuminating the whole scene, instead of just the proximity, so it is very useful for indoor pictures. You’ll get beautifully illuminated interiors, with or without people. This is different from my previous Canon cameras.

   It takes time to become a pro in the use of all its features. It has plenty. If you just want to focus and shot, then buy something less expensive. The features are promisingly great, but I am not so fast using it, I take my time. If you are going to a trip, is better that you become more than familiar with this little thing before so it can do a great job. Otherwise you will find yourself shooting in automatic all the time, and if that is so, why this camera then?

   UPDATE, FROM A TRIP:
   
   I have just returned from a three week holiday with my husband and my 3 y.o. boy. I shoot more than 2000 pics… it’s crazy, but the camera is so powerful and versatile that you enjoy shooting around.

   This wonderful machine survived my boy, an outrageous number of shots, some strikes, bad weather, many bumps, etc. It’s like the Jungle Jeep of Digital Cameras. My two previous Canons were not successful in similar conditions (the automatic cap was the first thing to fail and at the end it was necessary for me to open it with my fingers).

   The more I used this Sony, the more I was in love with it. While in vacations you need to be very familiar with different settings to get the picture (i.e. in a sightseeing tour, a museum where no flash is allowed) and sometimes everything happens so fast that you really need to change settings right away to get that shot. Well, this camera is like having many cameras with me:

   - When it was very sunny outside, I used ISO 100 and I got wonderful blue skies, when it started to rain, I changed ISO to 400, when it was getting darker, to ISO 800. When I was in a museum where no flashes were allowed, I used my high ISO and so on.
   
   - When I wanted to get beautiful landscapes at night, I used M (manual) settings, easy to use, with lovely results.
   
   - When I wanted to do some beautiful B/W pictures or Sepia, or change size to landscape, it was very easy.
   
   - When I wanted to make skylines or just silhouettes, I changed the point feature and pointed to the source of light (taking care of my eyes) and the results were beautiful. I.e. There were lovely colorful skies, so I pointed to them behind a nice sculpture.
   
   - I also had a lot of fun by using the flash (never before I had enjoyed the flash so much) because the “flash keeping landscape clear” really does it. I mean, no more beautifully lighten people in a dark surrounding.
   
   - It was very easy to use a tripod, and knowing the settings of the camera I enjoyed to make self portraits of me with my family. I recommend the “Gorilla pod”. I attached it to the stroller everywhere! Having a little boy, I learnt to make sequences of shoots with the auto-shutter.

   I have recently purchased the Telephoto and adapter rings to use my old filters with this camera. Once I have tried them enough I would write the proper reviews.
   
   Rating: 3 / 5
5. Lynn D. Walther
   May 28, 2010 at 21:44

   I am highly impressed by this digital camera made by Sony. This camera is as close to a digital SLR as you can get without paying three times the amount of money. This camera is loaded with special features just like any quality SLR digital camera. Crisp photos that you are able to blow up to poster sized photographs. Before spending a high amount of money on a SLR read the features that this camera comes equipped with.
   Rating: 5 / 5