The HX10V is a solidly built and solidly performing camera. Is it perfect? No. As one reviewer remarks, the color accuracy is not entirely accurate. To my eye, over saturated and having difficulty with gradations of blue and red. Reminds me a bit of Fuji Velvia. Color can be adjusted, though it is a minor hassle. I find the camera also has a bit of trouble with a yellow/green shift in indoor lighting-less than ideal white balance in tungsten and fluorescent light. Using flash or fill flash eliminates the issue. Flash exposure is decent in low light. Fill flash is very good in bright light. The camera's flash has quite a bit of punch for a P&S. The camera has a bit more noise reduction than I prefer. In fact, the noise reduction reduces the effective sharpness of the lens. The lens on the 10V is quite impressive, especially when considering it is 16x. It is resistant to straight on flare, but tangential flare is an issue. If only the lens had a provision for a lens hood... The distortion in the lens is well controlled. It isn't up to full on architectural work, but who would use a P&S for architecture? All in all, an impressive and ambitious optic. The i modes of the 10V are the real deal. They slow down some of the responsiveness of the camera, but they deliver superior results in specialized situations. Personally, I love the background blur mode. Excellent pseudo-bokeh. The AF system is very speedy and tracks very well for a P&S. Facial recognition is excellent. The camera's video modes are quite competent. I am not a video expert, but the image stabilization, sound, and resolution are excellent considering it is a P&S. When looked at as a complete package, the 10V is well worth the price of admission.
Addition 8/2012: After using the camera for a few months, I have found more quibbles: difficult getting a good sunset exposure, wishing there was more manual over rides, AVCHD eats up hard drive space on a Mac. On the plus side, I really have to praise the optics on the camera again. Great optic for the zoom range. The camera is quite fun to use and competent with a very high percentage of shooting conditions.
It's a Sony. The HX10 is a great point and shoot camera. It is
impressive and feature packed. The specs are well documented. This
takes Great Pictures! You will love this camera.
The 16x optical zoom can go to 32x with digital zoom. You get 18.2 megapixel sensor. High def 1080i videos look awesome. This is why you want this over a cell phone camera.
The Ion Lithium battery can take 320 pics. Great battery life but I recommend a spare battery and charger available on Amazon. Note: The battery can also be charged in the camera with supplied cable.
The camera is well built and solid made in Japan by Sony.
This camera will make you forget about buying a DLSR.
You won't go wrong purchasing this camera. It is a good value.
The 16x optical zoom can go to 32x with digital zoom. You get 18.2 megapixel sensor. High def 1080i videos look awesome. This is why you want this over a cell phone camera.
The Ion Lithium battery can take 320 pics. Great battery life but I recommend a spare battery and charger available on Amazon. Note: The battery can also be charged in the camera with supplied cable.
The camera is well built and solid made in Japan by Sony.
This camera will make you forget about buying a DLSR.
You won't go wrong purchasing this camera. It is a good value.
Watched the C-net reviews and read the Amazon reviews and there was quite a few mentions of simplicity. Simple for so many features? Yes. But for the average guy like me who never takes the time to read a manual and does things through trial and error. I'd recommend spending a little time understanding the different functions. It will make for a better experience with less errors. Camera is great, took some difficult shot while moving. I was amazed that the camera got the pics. Took pictures from a moving seaplane and bobbing boat with hardly any blurred shots. The camera works great. Panoramic function is awesome. Haven't seen any of the issues with colors not being true as some people mention.
I gave four stars mostly for the design. The flash on the top pops up when you are holding the camera. Of course my finger is always over it. The big screen on the back is nice, but if you drop the camera on the corner just right there is nothing that is going to protect it from cracking. And lastly, although all Cyber-shots have the same dial, my finger struggles to hit the middle button just right.
Other than that. Great camera!
UPDATE-12-5-12 Camera display stopped working. The very concern I mentioned above regarding the screen cracking and being to close to corner has proven to be a worthy concern. Camera was in protective Caselogic case and never dropped. Screen just went blank. Had to send it back to Sony for repair. Waiting for repairs. I'll keep you posted on costs.
Conclusion 1-15-12 Camera back and fixed. Sony didn't charge me for repair. Took two weeks. I had to pay for shipping to Sony. Camera works great. Only problem with repairs is a hair on the screen in the casing. Drives me nuts but doesn't seem to effect camera. Plus I don't want to be without it for another 2 weeks. Just live with it. Sony was very responsive. Positive customer service experience.
