Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera Review

Built in 18.2 megapixels "Exmor R" CMOS sensor for superior low-light performance,30X optical zoom, 3.0-inch LCD, GPS and Compass record shot location & direction
Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with 3-way Active Mode

It starts fast, focuses quickly, does not have shutter lag and is easy to handle and has tons of functions. It handles well for its size and does not feel heavy. Having the zoom on the side of the lens is great - makes it more stable to hold the camera. I've taken some pretty amazing shots with it - the zoom allows good creativity and the low light capability produces detailed and pleasing shots. How much different this camera is to the previous model I'm not really sure in terms of the additional megapixels via the new sensor. My previous camera was a Olympus E620 DSLR - in comparison there is less detail with the Sony, although not hugely noticeable on a 23" LCD computer monitor. The camera is a lot of fun to use and it just begs you to be more creative when shooting. The partial colour shots are great. The LCD screen is very good, nice and bright. Nice touch to use the optical viewfinder and have the screen turn off. The built in user manual is great - to look up what a function does without having to refer to the manual. Also when you find what you want it provides the option to go to that function right away - so for example I wanted to look at the ND filter function, once I've read what it does I can then select to open the function from the help screen rather than exiting help and then trying to find it through the menu system.

Capture full 18.2 megapixel resolution images at up to 10 frames per second, helping to ensure that the decisive moment is captured such as the soccer ball flying into the goal. In addition, a mechanical shutter helps reduce distortion when continuously shooting moving subjects.

Face Detection technology detects up to eight individual faces and adjusts focus, exposure, and white balance to help deliver crisp, properly lit images of family and friends.

Produce awe-inspiring images with 3D still image and 3D Sweep Panorama™ capabilities.3 Photos will take on a new dimension of creative capabilities for viewing the world in a whole new way.

Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization reduces shake and blur by countering camera movements in both horizontal and vertical directions. Active 3-Way stabilization adds digital rolling control that counters clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation, resulting in more stable videos even at long focal lengths.

The superior auto mode is good for the stability/less blur in long range shots as it takes multiple photos and apparently works out which is the best photo to save. This is great as at maximum zoom the camera shake from your hands can be a problem if you've ever experienced using a megazoom before. Personally without that image stabilisation and multi-shot taking having a megazoom is a bit pointless as you'd never take good photos at long range without frustration.

Shooting movies and the ability to shoot a good sized still at the same time is very impressive - probably one of the best features - as I've always wanted to be able to take a high MP shot during a video shoot because that's when you typically need it and on other cameras it was always one or the other but not both at the same time. The video quality is very good. No issues there and the zoom works well when videoing. The microphone does pick up background noise around the camera (ie from people talking nearby) and without a zoom mic option is somewhat limiting. That said the audio capture is good.

BUY NOW !!!