Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50

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By Rich Trenholm, CNET.co.uk
Jul 25, 2008

Depending on your point of view, superzooms are either the dSLR-like cameras you can carry around easily or overpowered compacts that don't fit in your pocket. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 is a 9.1-megapixel superzoom, sporting a 15x optical zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens. We find out if this shooter stayed in our bags or dropped off the ranks.

Editors' note:

This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.co.uk. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.

Design

The H50 is a sturdy beast, complete with no-nonsense metal lugs for the strap. It has a nicely contoured, dSLR-style grip. There's plenty of room between grip and lens for your fingers to securely hold the camera with one hand.

One of the most important design factors in a camera built around its zooming capability is the zoom control. We approached the small-looking zoom rocker pad with trepidation and were blown away. It's easily the most sensitive zoom control we've used in ages.

The spinning selector wheel would be better if the click pad was incorporated in it.
(click for larger image)

A spinning selector wheel surrounds the standard click pad. The wheel has raised ridges to make it grippy enough to spin easily, but it's narrow. We prefer the Nikon Coolpix scroll wheel that combines scroll wheel and click pad.

The screen is a large 3-inch, 230k-pixel LCD. This takes its cue from the Sony Alpha dSLRs with a fold-out arm attached to the bottom of the electrical viewfinder. The screen will tilt to a right angle from the camera, facing either up or down for low-level or overhead shooting.

Like most superzooms, the H50 extends its lens when turned on. We've seen some cameras such as the Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd pop the lens cap off when so doing, an endearing if possibly damaging quirk. But it's still better than the H50 lens, which strained and chugged against the cap that resolutely failed to come off. We're pretty certain that's not healthy for the lens and would rather run the risk of losing the cap when we've forgotten to remove it.

Sony is still annoyingly keen on proprietary formats, so instead of USB you get a Sony-specific data transfer cable with A/V-out and USB connection. Don't lose it, if not you'll have to pay a premium to get a replacement.

The H50 comes complete with a lens adapter ring and lens hood. Other accessories include a remote control that controls shooting as well as playback.

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