General
Sony DSC-HX50V/B 20.4MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Black)
Compact Digital Camera
- 30x optical zoom plus 60x Clear Image Digital Zoom Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with 3-way active mode 20.4MP images and high speed AF even in low-light
- Full HD 1080/60p with dual record of stills and movies Full manual & dedicated EV control dial allow more creativity Capture the decisive moment with up to 10fps
- Multi interface shoe attaches flash, light, and mic Incredible battery life of approx. 400 shots 3.0″ LCD (921k dots) with high resolution viewing Take stunning images with Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode-up to 360 Degree
Compact body with 30x optical and 60x Clear Image Zoom Take clear shots even in lowlight with high speed AF Multi Interface Shoe for expanding shooting options Zoom up close with 30x optical and 60x Clear Image Zoom Easy Camera Ctrl. & Image transfer via Wi-Fi with your Smartphone Features Full Manual Camera Controls, dedicated button for EV control
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Lon Townsend
March 20, 2014 at 12:03 pm
GREAT Camera,
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|Eager Beaver
March 20, 2014 at 11:33 am
HX50V is a winner,
I bought a Sony HX9V a few years ago and when I saw the announcement for the HX50V with its 30x zoom, I thought: “Upgrade time has arrived.” The delivery van showed up yesterday and I gave the camera a thorough test drive today. There is good news and bad news. Let’s get the bad news over first.
The first photo I tried to make was of a target about 70 cm (28″) wide at a distance of about 1 m (39″). The camera wouldn’t focus. I tried my HX9V and it focused perfectly. I called Sony and asked what was going on and the nice man suggested my camera must have a manufacturing defect and I should send it back to Sony for a new one. Eventually I figured out that this is complete nonsense. The compromises required to get a 30x zoom into such a small camera meant that the minimum distance at any given zoom just has to be more than the zoom on other cameras. Bummer, but in practice, you don’t normally have to get very close with a high zoom.
The second piece of bad news is that after extensive testing (see below) I concluded that the only f-stops available are f/3.5, f/4, f/4.5, f/5, f/5.6, and f6.3. When there is plenty of light, I would have liked f/8, f/11, and f/16, but they aren’t available. Also, the fastest shutter speed is 1/1600 sec.
The flash is not automatic, like on the HX9V. You have to manually release it. This is a real minus. The camera should figure out on its own when it needs the flash, pop it up, and use it.
The menu system is quite complicated and it is difficult to find things. For example, there is a MENU button, which when pushed, displays a column of icons, one of which is Settings. But not all the settings are under Settings. Some are in the column of icons. Furthermore, which items are available depends on the position of the mode wheel on top of the camera. All in all, it is confusing and poorly thought out. All the settings should be under Settings and the menu items should be identical no matter where the wheel is, even if some of them are not currently applicable (e.g., ISO in automatic mode).
There is no raw mode so you are stuck with the in-camera processing. In truth though, it is not bad. You can tweak some of the parameters if you want.
The layout of the buttons could be better. The button for shooting videos is in an awful place and can be pushed by accident much too easily. Also, unlike the HX9V, there is an exposure offset dial on top of the camera. Nobody is ever going to use this. It should have been a menu item and the video button placed at the top.
There are several features that warm the cockles of marketeers’ hearts, but are useless to photographers, like smile and blink management. Sony: no doubt you are working on automatic detection of people blowing their noses. Please don’t include it in the next model and get rid of the rest of it. Just make the shutter lag short and let the photographer decide when to take the photo.
The camera has WiFi to transfer photos to a computer, but WiFi is much slower than USB, so why bother?
Completely inexcusable is that there is no manual in PDF form on Sony’s Website. There is a very abbreviated and largely useless manual in the box. Sony did, however, build an extensive Website telling all about the camera, in over 200 pages of HTML. Unfortunately, you have to click on them one at a time to see everything. I bit the bullet, downloaded all of them, and created a PDF manual for other people. I put it at http://www.cs.vu.nl/~ast/photos/hx50v/manual.pdf for you to download.
Now the good news. The camera is small and light and handles very well, just like the other HX… cameras. The screen is clear and bright. The 30x zoom is smooth and the images at 30x are amazing. Some people who reviewed the camera before it was released were whining about the large number of pixels (20 M) on the small (1/2.3) sensor. These people should buy a Nikon D4. It has a full frame sensor and really big pixels. It is also very expensive, heavy, and doesn’t fit in your pocket.
To test the HX50V, I shot a series of photos first using automatic (Superior) and then in programmed mode, at ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600, at different focal lengths. The test shots are at http://www.cs.vu.nl/~ast/photos/hx50/series-1.zip. These were made in Amsterdam on a bright but windy day. From the EXIF data, you can see all the settings. However, note that the focal length in the EXIF data is the true focal length from the point of view of the camera’s optics. To get the 35mm equivalent focal length, multiply the focal length shown by 5.58. For example, 129 mm has the field of view of a 720 mm lens on a (D)SLR.
Also note that holding a camera with a 720 mm lens steady requires some care, even with Steady Shot. In my test shots, I tried hard, but you might detect a bit of blurring in some of the shots.
As mentioned above, the smallest f-stop is f/6.3…
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|anonymous "anonymous"
March 20, 2014 at 10:40 am
Gets even better!,
Ever since the HX5V, the HX handheld series has seen improvement year after year. The HX50V is no exception. It now features 30X zoom, 400 battery shot life and retains the amazing video quality.
I am a gadget geek, so I like buying the new version when it gets released. This year I was waiting for the new HX series and usually Sony announces something in March at the latest. But this year they announced the HX50V in late April. By that time I had already purchased the new Panasonic ZS30 which is the Panasonic’s version of a compact long zoom camera which competes with the HX series. After receiving the HX50V and doing some comparisons, the ZS30 is no where near the image quality of the HX50V (Or even my older HX20V for that matter). IQ on the ZS30 looked out of focus and fuzzy when you compare the image of the HX50V. The HX50V images were sharp and more detailed.
I am definitely what you call a pixel peeper (Pixel peeper is someone who opens up images in full and looks for every pixel detail). I was worried with the increased pixel count that IQ would suffer. I can happily say the IQ on the HX50V has improved slightly when compared to the HX20V. The images on the HX50V are more sharp and less noise to them. While the improvement isn’t earth shattering, its a step up in the right direction.
****Pros****
– Image quality. Image quality is still sharp and crisp. IQ has improved from last years model (HX20/30V). When I compared both the HX50V and HX20V images, the HX50V had more detail and less noise. I also compared the images to the Panasonic ZS30 and the HX50V images look WAY MORE sharper. You can also see more image details in the HX50V. Outdoor images look sharp and colorful (I would describe it as life like and not overly saturated). Indoor images look good also. With the improved SteadyShot, I was able to take less shaky indoor low light images.
– 30X zoom (720mm). The extra zoom does make a difference. I was able to zoom further away. With the older HX20V I was able to zoom to the farthest mail box down the street. Now I am able to read the numbers on the mail box with the 30X zoom!
– Video quality. The video on the HX50V shoots in HD camcorder quality. I have compared video with my Sony CX560V camcorder and the HX50V video is better because my videos look smoother with less shake in them. When I shot a video with the HX50V and walked around, their was minimal shake in the video. When I did the same test with my CX560V camcorder, lots of shaking occurred in the video (As I expected). Sound capture remains crisp and Hi-Fi just like the HX20V. I am still blown away at how good the video is on the HX50V. The HX50V captures video at 28Mbps 1080P/60p just like my CX560V camcorder. I will now leave my camcorder home and only take this when I’m on vacation for video. The only time I will bring the camcorder is when I need the “NightShot” feature.
– 360 Panorama. I probably won’t be using this feature much, but it was fun taking a 360 panorama.
– Build quality. Not only does the HX50V look like an expensive camera, but it also feels like one. It feels solid and the black metal body looks great. When I took some shots, I felt like I was holding a real camera and not a plastic toy.
– No touch screen! I absolutely hate touchscreens on cameras. I especially hate it when you can’t turn it off. When I had the Panasonic ZS30, it was very annoying when I accidently touch the LCD screen with my thumb while taking a shot. Touching the LCD screen would “focus” on to the subject (Just like on a smartphone). Touch screens on most cameras are a gimmick in my opinion and only add frustration. It made me take some bad shots unknowingly. I am happy to report the HX50V does not have a touchscreen. Sony if you are reading this, please please please DON’T EVER implement this feature!
– Pop-up flash. The flash pops up mechanically when you press the flash button. It pops up very fast in a blink of an eye. On the previous model (HX20V) the pop up flash was powered up and down by a motor. On the HX50V you have to press it down to lock it back down. I prefer the non-motor because its one less thing to break on me. The flash fills the room nicely (Perfect for indoor shots).
****Cons****
– While the IQ has improved from the previous model(HX20/30V), Sony should have not increased the Mega Pixel count. Had Sony not increase the MP, I bet the images would look even better. I think most consumers who purchase this type of camera are informed enough to know more MP doesn’t equal increased IQ.
– The HX50V can not display battery life left in minutes. With the previous HX20/30V model you were able to view how much battery life you had left in minutes displayed on the screen (As long as you used the FG1 “InfoLITHIUM” batteries). The HX50V uses the BX1 batteries which do not have the “InfoLITHIUM”…
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