Sony Cyber-shot HX50V - High Zoom, High Stamina Superzoom

Introduction

You may be surprised, but many camera purchase decisions have been down to the simple fact that their owners just want something better than their smartphone camera to take pictures when they’re on a holiday. DSLR cameras are too bulky, while the smaller mirrorless system cameras may be too complicated for those who rarely shoot with a camera. And that’s why the compact superzoom segment is still around; it offers an impressive zoom range in a compact package and some models come with manual shooting modes for those who prefer a little more control.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V is Sony’s latest superzoom compact which serves up 30x optical zoom in a body that’s slimmer than other 30x optical zoom models. The HX50V has a 20.4-megapixel CMOS sensor and sports built-in Wi-Fi so you can use your smartphone as a remote control. Sounds like an ideal superzoom compact? Read on to find out our opinion from field testing it.

Design and Handling

While Sony’s claim of the HX50V being the smallest 30x optical zoom camera is true at the point of publishing this review, it’s still slightly chunkier than your standard point-and-shoot camera. Even so, it's still handy for its class and features offered and even some-what pocketable (though be prepared for a bulge in your front or rear pant pockets). The camera felt solid and the inclusion of a rubberized texture hand grip helped with its handling.

The controls on the rear are quite standard, with a clickable scroll wheel, Menu button, Camera-Guide/Delete button, Playback button and a Custom button with assignable functions (it is set to ISO by default). There’s also the Movie button at the top right which helps you quickly start recording videos, but the placement may not be ideal as it's fairly near the thumb-rest area. This is however a design that's mostly carried forward from the previous generation HX series and Sony still hasn't made changes. The rest of the space on the rear of the camera is taken up by the 3-inch, 921,600-dot screen. With such a high resolution, the display looks quite sharp, though unfortunately it isn’t touch-sensitive like some of the HX50V’s peers. Further to that, we also found that the HX50V’s display didn’t fare as well as some of the other superzoom compacts when it came to visibility under bright sunlight. For these less than ideal aspects, the HX50V loses some points in terms of handling.

The top of the camera is where things get interesting, with the HX50V’s larger width allowing for a multi-interface shoe to be placed on top. This mount allows for a viewfinder, flash or mic to be mounted on the camera, though all these come at an additional cost. Superzooms generally come in two form factors – the bridge types, which resemble a small DSLR but are much larger than your average compact camera, or the compact types, which are generally small enough to slip into your pocket. Among all the compact form factor types, the HX50V is the only one that has this multi-interface shoe, which is a plus point for expandable optons.

Besides the mode dial, the HX50V also comes with a dedicated exposure compensation dial which gives the user better control over exposure compensation. It is however, easy to forget to reset the dial back to zero and accidentally start shooting with some exposure compensation. Ironically, while some may dislike the HX50V’s slightly larger dimensions, its size makes it easier to handle than some of the smaller compact superzooms.

The menu system is easy to navigate though we do miss the Quick Menu shortcuts on the Panasonic TZ40 and Samsung WB800F, as the Sony HX50V’s menu interface scrolls down vertically and it takes a while to scroll through the entire list. Wi-Fi is easy to set up with your smartphone, though the HX50V’s implementation is simpler and more basic compared to some of the offerings by other brands. It allows you to remotely control the camera's zoom, set the timer and flash, but there’s no way to control other manual settings such as aperture and shutter speed.

Unfortunately, you can’t directly upload images to social media sites, which limits the appeal of the HX50V’s Wi-Fi capability. In this regard we have to say Panasonic has the best Wi-Fi implementation so far, with full-resolution image transfers and the ability to directly upload to social media websites. The HX50V also comes with GPS tagging if you wish to log your location into your images, though using this will also cause the battery to drain faster.

Image Quality and Performance

Not all superzooms are created equally, some may offer longer zoom ranges but are impossible to shoot handheld at the longest end. So it is definitely a credit to Sony that we were able to get reasonably good handheld shots with the HX50V at the 30x zoom end.

In terms of imaging resolution, we found the HX50V scored 2000 LPH (horizontal and vertical), and while the HX50V boasts of a 20.4-megapixel sensor, it is still a compact camera with a small sensor. So while images from the HX50V may look good at smaller imaging resolutions, zooming in will reveal that images aren’t as sharp as you expect them to be. In fact most superzooms fare poorly when their images are viewed at full size, even when compared to the advanced compact models. This is however a limitation of this class of cameras and is naturally a balance of size, optics and electronics. So there's nothing wrong with the HX50V or its competitors, but one should understand the purpose and target market of each camera while assessing how it fares and understanding why certain cameras perform the way they do.

Moving on, noise is well controlled until ISO800, though the HX50V’s standard noise reduction setting aggressively smudges details from as early as ISO200. Setting the noise reduction to low will of course help to retain slightly more detail, but at the cost of introducing noise with images looking grainier.

The HX50V’s rated battery life is impressive, with the ability to shoot 400 shots before needing a recharge. Most of its peers fall flat after shooting 200-odd images, so the HX50V will definitely last longer out in the field.

Below are sample photographs shot with the Sony Cyber-Shot HX50V. The photos have not been post-processed and are copyright to SPH Magazines. They are provided for your reference only and we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. Click for the full-resolution images

Conclusion

The Sony HX50V is definitely one of the better travel compacts, with a 30x optical zoom housed inside a relatively compact body. Its image stabilization is also top-notch, with the hot shoe mount providing more options to users (though we feel it’s still a novelty as purchasing any accessory will drive the overall price further up).

Unfortunately the HX50V’s noise reduction is quite aggressive and Wi-Fi functionality needs more refinement in order to catch up with some of its peers. The HX50V is still a competent superzoom, but we’re sure it’s just a matter of time before people compare it to the Panasonic TZ40, which is the best superzoom camera we've reviewed among others in the July issue of our sister publication, HWM.

The HX50V definitely has the longer reach with 30x optical zoom compared to the Panasonic TZ40’s 20x. However, the Panasonic TZ40 has the upper hand with its display performing better under bright sunlight and the fact that it’s touch sensitive, which allows users to set the focus point among other things and thus helps a lot in terms of handling. If you’re big on embracing Wi-Fi functionality and sharing directly from your camera, the Panasonic TZ40 has one of best Wi-Fi implementations we have seen in a camera. But the Sony HX50V is unrivaled in terms of battery life (according to its rated specs), with the ability to hit 400 shots before going flat, compared to the Panasonic TZ40’s 260-shot battery life.

However, Sony's advantages will however cost you more with its suggested retail price pegged at S$699. That's quite expensive for a compact superzoom, eating into the price bracket of entry-level advanced compact cameras, older mirrorless and DSLR camera models. Of course the camera types we've compared are for different purposes and needs, a high zoom factor with good stabilization when the lens is fully extended does come at a price, especially in the form factor of Sony's HX50V. Secondly, higher battery stamina also comes at a price.

In the end, it really boils down to choosing between the Panasonic TZ40’s more compact size, increased functionality, better handling and more affordable price point or the Sony HX50V’s longer stable zoom and superior battery life. So while Sony's Cyber-shot HX50V may not be the perfect all-round travel superzoom, it’s still commendable enough that we would recommend potential buyers to consider it depending on their preferences and needs.

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