I love the zoom and 3 inch LCD screen. Great picture quality and color. The pictures I took above were all taken on fully auto settings and full zoom. Very easy camera to use. I give it 5 stars.

The combined features of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 result in a truly outstanding camera product. The camera is smaller then most super-zoom cameras (not as tiny as a point & shoot, but much smaller than a DSLR), while still offering the ease-of-use consumers expect with many of the more advanced features experienced photographers demand.

A newly purchased DSC-H5 includes items often sold separately by other manufacturers - a camera strap, lens adapter, lens hood, lens cover, and lens cover strap. The camera uses standard AA batteries instead of proprietary batteries (odd shaped batteries made exclusively for or by the camera manufacturer). Inexpensive AA batteries are available everywhere, while proprietary batteries cost more and can be difficult to find (even more so after a camera is discontinued, when the manufacturer itself may no longer sell those batteries anymore). Sony went further to include two 2500 mAh rechargeable batteries and charger (instead of the cheap alkaline batteries included with most other cameras).

The manuals consist of a short "Read This First" brochure covering battery charging, inserting batteries, memory cards, and a quick overview of the camera, followed by a 120-page printed owners guide covering just about everything else. More advanced photographers will not like the general absence of advanced information, but everything on this camera works just like most other cameras. In other words, if you've tried something on another camera, it will likely work similarly on this camera - I've found no great surprises in this regard.

The box also includes the software on CD, the A/V cable for connecting to a television, and a high-speed USB 2.0 cable. There is no obligation to use the included software. I'm using Paint Shop Pro instead, moving images from the camera using a media card reader built into my computer.

Speaking of memory cards, Sony does not include one, opting instead to build more memory (30MB usable) directly into the camera. However, just like other digital cameras, one will want to quickly purchase an additional memory card to hold more images. The camera accepts Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, and Memory Stick Pro Duo High Speed media. The high speed cards offer no speed advantage with this camera. Most "Duo" cards (smaller than a normal Memory Stick) come with an adapter to allow them to be inserted into any card reader accepting standard Memory Sticks (virtually all card readers support this format). I chose two 1GB cards over a single larger capacity one, with the idea one may still work if the other fails.

The camera itself is fairly well built. The plastic body is neither unusually sturdy nor overly fragile. The doors (over battery and connector compartments) also seem reasonably sturdy. The buttons are responsive and reasonably well placed for such a compact camera. Some of the buttons are small and recessed into the body to prevent accidents, but my medium-sized male fingers had no trouble operating any of them. All in all, there is nothing exceptionally outstanding about the camera's construction, nor anything particularly worrisome.

The large rear LCD display is truly impressive. Images are clear and sharp, while menus are large and easy to read (even with not so perfect eyesight). Of course, like most LCD displays, the display on the DSC-H5 is difficult to see in bright lighting (a sunny day, for example). Sony has solved this by including an excellent electronic viewfinder (EVF) with diopter correction (again for poor eyesight). This EVF works well in all lighting conditions and includes all information displayed on the larger rear display, in either record or playback modes. A button switches between the EVF and the rear display.

The zoom range of this camera (36-432mm) is equally impressive. One can zoom out to cover all the action or really zoom in to get fine details, all from the same shooting position - with images surprisingly sharp throughout the entire zoom range. The electronic zoom mechanism is brisk, perhaps even a little too much so. At first, I kept zooming past the point wanted, but was finally able to get fairly precise zooming with a little practice.

Since even the slightest movement can blur an image at the largest telephoto zoom setting of a super-zoom camera, an optical image stabilizer (image stabilization) is especially important to correct for small movements of the camera (caused by breathing, shaky hands, pressing the shutter release button, and so on). A sensor inside the camera adjusts a glass element in the lens to counteract overall camera movement. The result is sharper images at the extreme telephoto range (a tripod is still recommended for these situations); with the benefit of hand-holding a camera in situations where other cameras handheld without image stabilization would clearly induce blurred images. The optical image stabilization system built into the DSC-H5 is among the very best I've seen in this price range.

There are no great surprises with the picture quality. Images are sharp. Colors are accurate. Focus and exposure metering are spot on - even more so with spot metering and selectable metering zones available. Lens aberrations (barrel distortion and edge blurriness) are virtually undetectable in "real-world" photos. Purple fringing can be seen in some images (around street lights at night, for example), though not enough to be truly objectionable (and easily eliminated with filters built into even relatively inexpensive editing software, such as Paint Shop Pro). Using the higher sensitivity settings, some image noise can be seen above ISO-400. For truly outstanding images with large prints, I suggest keeping really important shots below ISO-200 (of course, the old pros will want to stay below ISO-100 - just like the old days with film).

This camera has fewer pre-programmed scene modes (snow, fireworks, foliage, and so on) than some other cameras, requiring more tweaking than expected to handle these scenes properly. However, on the positive side, just about everything about this camera can be tweaked, suggested settings for these situations can be found everywhere (books, web sites, and so on), and it is not difficult to remember the settings for these few situations.

With an ISO-100 guide number of 29 (wide) - 22 (tele) feet, the Sony DSC-H5 has one of the strongest built-in flash units on the market in this camera category. Modes include auto, forced, off, slow sync, auto daylight sync, front and rear curtain sync, and red-eye reduction (6 pre-flashes). It has manual compensation of +/- 2.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps. Recycling times appear to be somewhere roughly in the 3-4 second range, but the strong auto flash seldom requires full power or full recycling times. The flash has enough power to work well with softening attachments, such as screens or socks. Screens are the most common softening attachments used with on-camera flash units (sold by Lumiquest), but I prefer the simple sock type (a thin white sock-like cover slipped over the flash head). Since good flash pictures are so important, the powerful flash alone is enough to make the DSC-H5 stand out well above the competition.

The Sony 0.7x wide angle (VCL-DH0758) and 1.7x telephoto (VCL-DH1758) conversion lenses are a blast to use. These screw onto the 58mm lens adapter (included with camera) and increase zoom coverage from about 25mm wide angle to about 734mm telephoto. The fairly tough ABS plastic housing allows these conversion lenses to balance well with the camera (not excessively front heavy), while the high-quality glass optics keep images reasonably sharp throughout the entire zoom range. Of course, pros seeking the ultimate images will not be impressed with the results, but I (an old pro) found the images surprisingly sharp - good enough for images ending up in my private collection. Of course, vignetting prevents the use of the camera's entire zoom range with the conversion lenses attached. With the telephoto, for example, vignetting starts somewhere just below 150mm (a rough guess), limiting use to above that - offering a telephoto zoom range with the conversion lens of roughly 255mm to 734mm. By the way, if one wants even wider wide angle coverage, several third-party companies sell conversion lenses for this camera (quality and performance varies). Finally, the included lens adapter also accepts standard 58mm filters, including the ever popular circular polarizer, less expensive third-party close-up filters, and creative effects filters.

I shopped around very carefully before buying this camera, narrowing the final list of possibles down to just a few - this camera, the Canon S3 IS (6 megapixels or 1.2 million less pixels - currently among the lowest in super-zoom camera category, small LCD display, poor construction including plastic tripod mount), the Fuji FinePix S9000 (larger, no image stabilization, sluggish performance), the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 (larger, proprietary batteries, image noise), and the Samsung Digimax Pro 815 (larger, no image stabilization, proprietary batteries). Even with the minor issues noted, none of these cameras are especially bad - which is why they all made it into the final list of possibles. As such, any would perhaps be a good purchase choice. However, the combined features (price, overall performance, resolution, excellent image stabilization, large LCD display, impressive zoom range, above average flash power, AA batteries, and more) ultimately make this camera, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5, the very best choice in this camera category (compact super-zooms).

I bought Sony DSC H5 camera from Best Buy last week. Pictures are just amazing. While the whole thing ( camera + memory stick + cover case ) costed over $600.00 I still feel its a great deal.

I agree with other people that you should learn the functions camera has to offer. Not only will you get much better results but you will also get a feel for what all this camera is capable off.

Pros:
1 Big LCD Screen
2 ISO Feature great for pictures in night time
3 Amazing Color Contrast
4 Zoom in and out while making movies
5 Strikingly sharp pictures
6 You can make movies and pictures in black and white.
7 Zoom lens is phenomenal
8 Image stabalization system
9 You get charger , 2 cells and strap for camera as part of the package.

Cons
There are not really cons per se. This camera is great quality and great features and SONY - so you should expect a higher price.

1 Costly ( SONY) Memory Stick
2 Camera price is on higher side
3 Its little bulky ( this is not going in your pocket). You will need to carry it around your neck or waist.

All n all even amatures will feel like pros once you start using the camera. And with brand name of SONY you are rest assured of quality, reliability, and FUN.

Just received my new H5. Up front, I do like Sony. I own the following Sony cameras.. S50, F828, T9, and H1. Have DSLR A100 on pre-order for August. Camera has good feel, well placed controls. Like added visual data on screen, Mode dial displayed on screen when changing and Histogram on screen while shooting. Excellent photos, good color and focus.
PROs - 3" screen
control layout
Carl Zeiss lens
CONs - can only use MemoryStick PRODuo, can not use MemoryStick PRO
Display has smear phenomenon with bright subject, which the manual says is not a malfunction.

PS- have tested with both Lexar and ScanDisk (Ultra II) PRODuo both work fine.

I have taken over a thousand photos with the H5 now and must say that I am impressed and delighted.
The H5 is a fun camera that is easy to operate and takes great photos.
The generous 7.2 mp allows plenty of room for cropping and still have enough left over for a great 11 X 14 picture.
The LCD is bright, bright enough to use in the desert SW with no visibility problems.
Although it claims ISO from 80 to 1000, I don't recommend going over 400 because you will experience lots of noise that looks like a grainy film of days gone by.
Video is OK, not herky jerky, you can zoom while shooting and you can even take a still while shooting the VGA video.
Battery use is very good - I get around 300 photos per set of 2 AA rechargeables. You can do pretty good in a pinch with alkalines if the need arises. I shot with alkalines the first day because I did not want to wait for the batteries to charge.
Focus is excellent
Exposure is right on for most occasions. I shoot in the spot meter mode and love it.
Shutter lag depends on the motion of the subject.
If the subject is moving across the field from you there is not much shutter lag, but if say a dog is approaching you then the lag can be frustrating. It all depends on the autofocus.
The zoom range of 36-432 is just phenomenal and combined with the image stabilization, let's you get sharp, crisp tele shots of distant objects without a tripod.
I especially like the burst mode that rapidly takes 5 shots within about 5 seconds really let's me catch the action.
You don't have to take all 5 shots, the camera shoots until all 5 are taken or you let off the shutter release.
Great for action shots!
The camera is small and light, won't set you back a fortune and does probably 90% of what a DSLR costing over a thousand dollars will do and in fact, I have pictures that I can place against any taken by any SLR.
No, it's not an SLR but it's more fun, a lot cheaper and much lighter!

I've been playing around with a little Kodak camera for the past three years until finally dropping it one too many times meant it's eventual demise. So I shopped around for a new digital camera, one that would take the kind of pictures that I wanted for all of the situations that I find myself in.

I take a lot of pictures of parties with very low lighting, and I don't really care for flashed out pictures. So I was looking for a camera that would be able to capture the mood of what was going on without a flash. So far with the test pictures that I've taken with this over the past week, I'm very pleased with the outcome. I can get it to see exactly what I'm seeing with very little light. It's even possible to brighten the image without a flash. I'm able to tweak everything I need to and it feels just like my old manual SLR... only in the digital form, I'm able to see exactly what my tweaking has done quickly.

So far the camera has been sturdy, it's taken a nice little drop down a concrete staircase... I don't plan on letting that happen again... but it survived. I don't recommend testing this out yourself either. I might've been lucky. It's also a lot smaller and lighter than I expected.

The movie mode wasn't needed for me to be happy with this camera... I don't expect a camera to pull off camcorder quality, but this one does just that in this area to. It takes just as good or better video with the same features as my old digital camcorder that I bought for $500 a year ago.

All of the extra accessories that came with the camera are a nice addition. The battery charger was a real surpise, and has come in handy. I drain the batteries provided every day, so I charge them up at night. And of course the shoulder strap and lens cap are things no camera should be without, and Sony provides this for you.

The zoom is great too. I was able to stand in my backyard and zoom in on my neighbors goats five acres away with perfect quality. Which I guess is great if I feel like goat watching or something, I don't know.

I'm putting up some of my test pictures so you can see what this camera can do with very low light.

I'm happy with this camera, and I see no reason why anyone else wouldn't be.

Last week I purchased Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 7.2MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilization Zoom and I feel very happy about it. Before buying the camera I did lot of homework. I read lot of reviews. In most of the reviews Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 7.2MP Digital Camera was compared with Canon PowerShot S3 IS. To get the feel of Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 and Canon PowerShot S3 IS, I drove 90 miles to the nearest Circuitcity. After holding both the cameras in my hand I made up mind. Believe me Canon PowerShot S3 IS is no match to Sony Cybershot DSC-H5. To me Canon PowerShot S3 IS appeared like a cheap digital camera. After receiving my Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 I tried it both indoors and in natural light. I am very impressed with the performance of Sony Cybershot DSC-H5. The best part of the camera is the Image Stabilization and the 3 inch screen. To prevent the screen from getting any scratches I have covered it with saran wrap film. I wish Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 camera had provision for external flash. With provision for external flash, this camera would be like a professional camera. All the same I love my Sony Cybershot DSC-H5.

I am new to photography so I can not compare the camera to others cameras or the quality of the pictures. My decision to buy the camera was based on reading reviews and using a good point and shoot camera for a day. I was not sure what type of camera I should get. My thought process was that if I like photography I would want more control over the camera than a point and shoot. If I did not like controlling the camera, the automatic setting would be necessary. I wanted a high pixel rating so I could edit the pictures on my computer. I also thought that I would like landscape photography and a high digital zoom would be important. The 3x zoom on the point and shoot was not adequate. My intention was to use the view finder for focusing but I thought that the larger the LCD the happier I would be with the camera. Thus, I ended up selecting this camera because of the 12x zoom and the large LCD. I would have preferred a higher pixel rating. The reason is I do not know if I will need it and I can not add it latter. I would not have selected a camera with a lower pixel rating.

I set price aside for my initial review of models, but I quickly learned that SRL's were to expensive for my perceived needs. Also, point and shoot were too limiting. That left this class of cameras in-between. The limited memory was not a problem because I assumed that I would want to buy additional memory for any camera I would get. I went with 2g as I thought I would use the 7 mega pixels (you can use less, and the pictures still look very good) for most pictures and wanted to have room for pictures while on vacation.

I have been using the camera for several weeks. I am trying to learn all the features and what they mean for picture quality. At this point the camera meets my expectations. The picture quality is great. I did see reviews by several people complaining about the placement of the buttons. I also had a lot of trouble using them. Part of the problem was remembering which button did what. The other was learning how to place my hands on the camera in the areas were the buttons were not. I think this could be a problem with any camera and is just part of the learning curve. I could not recommend a button placement that would be better. There just is not a lot of room on a camera this size.

I think the camera is a very good buy.

I have had a sony DSC-S85 camera for years and just upgraded this past weekend. I took my H5 out for the night shots on the 4th and all I can say is WOW! it looks like my pictures were taken in the daylight. A large group of kids where watching fireworks on top of the sale barn in our small town. I geared up the camera for fun and got awesome pictures. Two thumbs up on this camera and I cant wait to get it out for action shots with its 16picture frames.

I originally bought the canon S3 and after a week with it returned it back to Circuit City. I already owned the canon S2 and saw NO real image quality difference so I decided to eat the 15% Circuit City restocking fee by returning it. I then picked up the Sony H5 and instantly fell in love. The image stabilization worked incredibly accurate and the huge LCD screen is awesome. When I got home I charged the batteries and started snapping away and "damn" can this camera really deliver some real sharp pictures. WOW... I can honestly say that for a long time now, I know I made a very wise purchase. I am so happy with my new camera.

its fun its cool its even pretty neat

but over all this camera's wicked sweet

Could not be more pleased and excited to own this digital camera.

For the features and quality of the DSC H-5 you could not make a better investment or get anything better for your money.

Although the DSC H-5 is not a compact digital camera that can be put in your pocket, I do not find the camera to be bulky at all and find it quite easy to handle

Taking pictures with this camera takes digital photography for non professionals to a higher level. Macro images are unbelievable with this camera.

The 3" display is just awesome. Protect your investment, would recommend a "High" quality screen protector. Found one online for $20 that has a lifetime guarantee and does not peel or lift on the edges.

I did however purchase a better quality adapter ring to replace the plastic one that came with the camera since I use additional lenses and filters.

Incredible camera, you will not be disappointed.

I received the package, set it to auto, inserted the batteries, lens cap and I was taking some test photos in no time. The photos taken in full auto are beautiful and bright under just about any circumstance. Switch to priority mode and you can get some awesome exposures. Switch, for example, to Shutter Priority mode and you can freeze motion, or switch to aperture mode and you can get a beautiful portrate photo. The only priority mode that I find useless (so far) is the high sensitivy, created to allow you to take photos without flash; however, it uses ISO 1000, which is too high for the camera and the photo will be too noisy. HOWEVER, I can set it to Manual mode and use, say, ISO 400 and get wonderful photos in low light situations. View the all the customers' photos attached to this product and you see a photo I took using ISO 400. It's absolutely perfect with no flash inside a museum. Yes, the camera is bulky, but how else are they supposed to give you a 12x camera with a large LCD display? You have to decide what your priorities are. I researched for 2 to 3 weeks before narrowing down to this model, and I couldn't be any happier. The photo quality is INCREDIBLE, which you can verify by looking at all the photos that we customers have submitted to this product. I found the same camera for [...] in other sites, but there are lots of scams out there, so I decided to stick with [...] due to my long history of successful transactions with them. The video mode is also incredible, the tripod mount is metal (not plastic), the camera is sturdy, the display is large, allowing me to quickly decide whether or not I am happy with my exposure. Here is an advice, buy a memory stick at the same time you buy the camera. The batteries are cheap and they have a long life considering all the features that this camera has, such as a large LCD display, big zoom, etc. And the Smart Digital Zoom is also an awesome feature at times for me. The image stabilization is a must have because I can't take my tripod everywhere. Bottom line, I very highly recommend this camera, and it's too bad I am limited to only 5 stars. :) I will continue to post some of my favorite photos here, but there are enough photos already for you to see that you get breathtaking images with this camera.

Excellent digital camera, superb optical zoom and image stabilization system. Easy operation, has a very clear (and large) LCD screen.

Pro; The Sony H5 camera is for novice and those up to vacation and family outing warriors that produce outstanding photos that are as good as the photos seen in trade magazines (like National Geographic) . Eat your heart out Panasonic fz7, Canon S3IS owners; sorry the Sony H5 is the best. Best Pictures (that's what its all about), best movies, best looking, best operation, best LCD screen, all that which makes it best around zoom camera.
Thats,if you're going out to get those perfect photos, Look no further.
If you're a professional, pay the big bucks (Thousands of dollars) and get a cameras that dose's all those adjustment and functions.
For me being a camera nut it's one of the best purchases I ever made. I love taking pictures and producing slides and DVD movies for my family and friends, and you know what, they cannot wait to get them.
Con; You can find problems with anything if you try hard enough, but I'm too busy taking great pictures!

The pictures are very nice and the camera has lots of features I have yet to figure out. But I was still somewhat dissapointed with the lag between pushing the putton and getting the shot. My $200 Fuji is just as fast if not a little faster. Trying to take pictures of a two year old is challenging enough.

I have now had this camera for over two weeks and have already taken almost 700 pics! It has something for everyone. The color is true to life and there are no flaws in its pictures besides the occasional purple fringing in bright shots and some noise at ISO's above 400. The flash is extremely powerful and actually enhances color, not bleaching out shots or causing red eye like other cameras. You can go all of the way out to 12x zoom, and because of the image stabilization, you can still take shots without any blur. I did find that the autofocus light is intimidating to people and causes them to look away, so you should turn that off and put up with slightly slower focus speeds. Th camera fits very well in my hand, with a great rubber grip and a handy adjustment wheel below the shutter button.
When I was shopping for this camera, I had a tough time choosing between this camera and the Canon S3 IS. They are direct competitors, and I found that the only way to decide between them was to see them and actually use them at the store. Either one is a fantastic piece of hardware and the only real things that should influence your purchase are how you like the camera's feel and what kind of lcd you like. The canon has an lcd that can be positioned at any angle, which is nice, but the sony has a huge, beautiful 3 incher that is pretty much the most impressive one that I have seen on a camera. You'll get a lot of oohs and ahhs with the Sony. I ended up getting the sony because I liked the way it fitted in my hand better than the Canon. I also like to have a cooler looking camera. For additional research besides amazon reviews, I used dpreview.com and of course, cnet.com. I hope this review helped people figure out which camera they should buy.

Email me at cmerighe@natr.com and I will reply your message and include the photo of the moon I took with the Sony DSC-H5, as well as a couple of other photos so you can see what type of quality you can expect with this camera. I compared camera models for several weeks before finally deciding on the H5. I write this review hoping it can help you make your own decision.

WHEN THE CAMERA ARRIVED:
I received the package, set it to auto (the green icon on the dial), inserted the batteries, lens cap and I was taking some test photos in no time. Then I switched the dial to video mode and I was creating video clips of my kids. You can switch back and fourth to video on the dial which is typically and easily located on the top of the camera.

MODES:
I have used every possible combination and feature this camera has to offer. I have used this camera so much that I can switch to any mode or feature even without looking, in the dark. You can totally control your exposure by manually setting shutter speed, ISO and Aperture. You also have several options for White Balance, as well as flash compensation adjustments. For instance, if you are taking a portrait photo of a person outside in the shade (no, don¡¦t take close-up photos of people¡¦s faces out in the open sunlight with any camera or they will probably have unflattering shades and squinting eyes), you could set your flash compensation to -1 to get rid of the shade on the subject¡¦s face (unless you are in a spot where there is no shade on the person¡¦s face). A photo with shady nose, eyes, etc, will look bad. By setting the flash compensation value to -1, you can eliminate the shades on the subject¡¦s face while not overpowering the benefits of natural light.

MOVIE MODE:
The movie mode has the big advantage that it lets you use the zoom button while capturing the video, while many other cameras (I¡¦ve done my research) won¡¦t let you zoom while the video is being captured. In terms of video size, and you are only limited to the free space in your memory stick with the H5. There are other cameras in the same category that place a limit on the actual video file size. I created a DVD with a bunch of video clips that I captured with the H5, and I have decided that I no longer need to take my digital camcorder with me anywhere. A decent movie mode was also included in my priority list when I compared models.

FULL CONTROL:
Have you taken yellowish photos indoors because the light casts a yellow color on your subject? With the H5, switch to something other than manual (Program mode is easy to use) and simply push the Menu button, go to White Balance, select, say, Fluorescent (or may Incandescent), and you will be taking beautiful photos indoors. If you don¡¦t have enough light, try increasing the ISO to 400. If you still don¡¦t have enough lighting, well, you may have to use your flash. There is also a White Balance setting called Flash, to make sure you capture realistic colors when using flash. Since we are talking about taking photos indoors, you can go up to ISO 400 with excellent results. You can switch to higher ISO, but I don¡¦t recommend anything higher than 400 for this camera or you may get noisy photos. (The formula higher ISO = noise applies to even much more expensive cameras.) In terms of exposure control, the H5 gives you partial or full control, it¡¦s your choice. If you want partial control, you can choose between Program, Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority modes. When I am watching my kids¡¦ soccer games, for instance, I often switch it to Shutter Priority so I can freeze motion while the camera automatically sets the Aperture in order to get the proper exposure. Or, while still watching the game with the camera on Shutter Priority, I can slow down the shutter speed in order to intentionally show motion when my son kicks the ball. It gives the impression he kicked the ball 100 miles per hour. º You can enjoy photography a lot more if you explore the H5¡¦s features and modes. Read that manual, learn, experiment, explore. That¡¦s what I do.


CAMERA BODY:
It does not feel cheap. It¡¦s sturdy with a metal tripod mount. Avoid cameras with plastic tripod mount. It resembles digital SLR camera. The camera is bulky, just like the others in its category. You can¡¦t expect to get a camera with all the features of the H5, with a huge LCD screen and insane zoom in a compact body.

ZOOM:
A big optical zoom was at top of my priority list when I was shopping for a new camera. The 12x zoom on the H5 is fantastic. In terms of 35mm, it¡¦s equivalent to 432mm, which is like a bazooka. º To capture the big photo of the moon (email me and I will reply with the photo attached to the message), I switched the H5 to 57x Smart Digital Zoom. I now can simply use Photoshop and add the moon to any night photo. The Smart Digital Zoom feature crops the subject to avoid the typical distortion that you get from regular digital zoom. Again, email me and I will send you the photo of the moon at 57x so you can judge for yourself. Then take another camera and try the same photo. I can also show you a photo that I took of a tree at night, by the lake, where I simply used Photoshop to add another photo of the moon that I took with the H5. Let me know and I will include that photo too (say something like, ¡§also send me the photo of the tree by the lake at night with the added moon.¡¨)

SEVERAL WEEKS AND 3000 PHOTOS LATER:
I have been very happy with the H5, and I would make the same choice today. I am addicted to this camera now, and I use it daily. I have purchased 3 filters for the H5. I advise you to buy a memory card when you buy the camera.

I hope this review helps.

Carlos.

I just received this camera and love it!!! I have so much to learn about this camera....I'm very excited about it! I spent a complete day researching digital cameras and kept coming back to this one...no shake feature...3" screen (very impressive & helpful...7.2 megapixels (great detailed photos.

I purchased this camera as soon as I saw its amazing display and features. However I was disappointed when I inspected my photos. Check tree limbs against a cloudy sky - or any high contrast scene really. You can see magenta fringes around the dark areas, especially around the edge of the frame. As far as I can tell, this happens regardless of the f-stop or zoom setting.

So I returned the Sony and got a Canon S3 IS and I've been very happy with it. Although it has fewer megapixels and a smaller display, it seems to have a better lens. There is still a small amount of red fringing but it happens less frequently (at high zooms?) and is easier to remove (with red-eye tool believe it or not!) Nothing is perfect when packing so much capability into such a small package. But overall I decided that I preferred the ergonomics of the Canon as well, and the tilting display is a boon for shooting overhead or doing macro work.

So if you want a cool display for viewing and reviewing pictures, buy the Sony. But if you want the pictures to look good at full size, on your computer monitor or a large print, beware the purple fringing with this camera!

Hubby bought this for me to replace my Sony DSC-S85 which we lost on vacation. I absolutely love it! It's very user-friendly and takes great shots. I love the zoom; I took a close-up today of a garden spider (which I fear) along with some late blooming flowers. They were clear and crisp. I've had this camera for less than two weeks and I'm truly enjoying getting acquainted with its great features. I recommend the LCS-CSH case for it; it's got lots of padding and plenty of room for camera and accessories without being overly large. Makes a great combo - and a camera this nice deserves to be protected well.

Bought this camera early last month after a relatively quick, two-day research binge after our old digital busted about 10 days before our big Europe trip. I wanted an upgrade from our old 5 megapixel tiny point-and-shoot, but didn't want to shell out too much (as much as I wanted the full manual focus option and faster shutter in a bigger camera that actually felt like a camera) ... I settled on the H-5 after reading the reviews here and elsewhere and noting the specs ... while the manual focus still isn't precisely what I wanted, the amount of control is significantly better than my old camera and good for the price ... most importantly from my perspective, the camera survived Europe and held onto just about 300 shots on a 1 Gb memory stick until I got them back to my laptop -- I'm very pleased with the results: color was excellent, focus was mostly good (and any unintented soft spots were due to my unfamiliarity with the camera, which I only received a day before we left) ... shutter speed was also quick under normal light conditions, which was refreshing. For the price, I'm very happy with the purchase and would buy it again at this point, given the amount of time and trial run in Europe that has since passed -- a good buy!

Sony DSC-H5 is a great camera. Specially for the people who love long range optical zoom features like me. Its 12X optical zoom lens is really really incredible. With minimum distorions, long distance photography with it is really an adventure.

One of its great features is that, while shooting movies you can still use the zooming feature. This is quite handy since you can go upto 57X zoom in vga mode.

The Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilization system is amazing. I have taken a picture of the Moon on a full moon night with full 12X zoom and full manual controls without using a tripod, thanks to the Image Stabilization system.

The large 3 inch LCD display is very useful. Its easy to see all the details of a picture while shooting and while previewing also.

The manual white balance adjustment works fine. The 'SET' feature adjusts the white balance automatically according to your own background. In general, the camera offers great manual controls.

Now let me tell you why I gave the camera one less than a 5 star.

1. The most lacking feature is an Accessory Shoe. I am really suprised why 'Sony' did not think of it.
2. Another lacking feature is the "RAW" capture mode. This would have been very handy.
3. You cannot set the Image Quality at 6 MP or 4 MP. It has to be either 7 MP or 5 MP or less then 4 MP. Options for 6 MP and 4 MP would have helped as these are very common settings. However, I do not know whether there is any technical limitation.
4. The manual focus feature needs improvement, though using the Peaking feature helps a little.

In conclusion the Sony Cybershot DSC-H5 7.2MP Digital Camera is a great camera and I would surely recommend it to an amateur or a serious amateur or a hobbyist who cannot afford a DSLR.

I've had the Sony DSC-H5 for about three months and all-in-all am very satisfied. This is my first digital camera, being an old SLR holdout. As noted in some of the other reviews, there are some minor issues - the location of the zoom button being my biggest complaint. It's too easy to hit that by mistake when composing a shot.
A big concern for me was picture clarity. After having about 700 shots printed on paper (4 x 6, 5 x 7 and 8 x 10's) - I can't tell the difference between film and digital. The clarity, sharpness, color are all there - and that's without using "Photoshop" once. (Note - I am shooting at the highest memory setting.)
For a mid-to-high priced non-interchangeable lens digital camera I'm very happy.

Nice camera but WAY too much purple fringe. Camera feels and looks kind of cheap compared to Canon or Panasonic. None of the super-zooms are perfect. The Sony, Canon and Panasonic super-zooms are all nice cameras, pick the one the feels right in your hands & you'll no doubt be happy with it.

This is a phenomenal camera! I fell in love with the huge 3-inch viewfinder, and the 12x zoom is just great. This camera's pictures can be be cropped and end enlarged. The pictures are incredibly clear. In addition, the camera is compact, considering its features. The price is not too high, either. I highly recommend this camera. The only downsides are the large file sizes (you need to buy large capacity media), and that it uses proprietary Sony Memory Stick memory.

A word about the reviewer:
I am an amateur photographer who was interested in "stepping up" from a simple point and shoot. In particular, I wanted a camera with greater than a 3X optical zoom (better for nature photography) and an above average level of resolution. My husband is a serious hobbyist - he was interested in having a backup camera, or one that could easily be taken hiking without having to bring along the LARGE dSLR and the lenses. When American Photo picked this camera as its Editor's Choice in the Superzoom EVF category we decided to check it out. I am so very glad we did. This review will focus on comments not covered by other reviewers.

CONS:
1. Short battery life
This camera comes with a set of 2 rechargable batteries. However, it will suck through them quickly; approximately 100-200 pictures. I HIGHLY suggest that you purchase an extra set of batteries and keep them charged and with you. I always have the backup set in my pocket when we head out with the camera.
2. Shutter lag
I find it difficult to take high quality action shots (e.g., kid's soccer games)with this camera due to the shutter lag. It is better than other point and shoot digitals, but not the caliber of the Nikon D100. But then again, this camera cost ~$1000 less. If you are taking landscapes, still life or portraits this is not a problem. Interestingly, has not been a problem with wildlife photorgraphy either. Go figure.

Pros:
There are too many pros to cover them all, so here is a sampling
1. 12X optical zoom
If you, like me, are moving up from the 3x optical zooms, you will NEVER go back once you try this camera. Clear, crisp photos, with the equivalent of a 432 mm focal length will change your photography world.
2. Steady Shot image stabilizer
If you want to use that 12X optical zoom without your images being blurry you will need a tripod or a camera with a superb image stablizer. The H5's image stablizer delivers very consistent, sharp images. I have attached a few images - none were taken with a tripod. Please check out the photo of a squirrel shot with full zoom and no tripod- he is crisp and sharp.
3. Relatively small size
No, you can't stick this camera in your pocket. However, it easily straps across a shoulder and only weighs a few ounces. I can hike or bike with it and not notice it. Try doing that with a bulky SLR!
4. Easy to handle
I find this camera to be very ergodynamic - it just feels right in your hand. All controls are well placed and with the "virtual dial" that appears in the view finder or monitor you don't have to take your eye of the subject when you change settings. Futher, the settings are very intuitive and easy to learn. With this camera, I have learned how to adjust shutter speeds and apertures to improve my photographs.
5. Superb, crisp photos
This camera takes excellent photos in its point and shoot (automatic) mode, but also has several specialized modes (macro, landscape, portrait, sport, etc) to fine tune your photo quality. In addition, it is so easy to take charge of the camera in regards to shutter speed, apeture, etc, you can "dial-in" the photos even more. It's easy.

Summary: for a beginner looking to advance or the serious hobbyist, this camera is a wonder. For significantly less than the cost of a digital SLR, you can have a camera which will do ~80% of its functions. In short, this camera has helped me to become a better photographer.

Oeveral a very good camera that I would certainly recommend to others. Here are the pos/negs...

Benefits:
- You can zoom in-and-out while in video mode. (I couldn't do this on previous Sony cameras)
- The big screen is awesome.
- The picture quality is awesome. Don't just look at the number of MP, the quality is what you need!!!
- Handles red-eye well... Yes, I have taken red-eye shots, but the number of red-eye shots is less than other cameras
- The picture preview is a separate button (no need to turn the dial). You can also turn the camera on with this button.
- Uses rechargeable AA batteries. This could be a negative because the battery life is less than other rechargeables, however you can easily pick-up AA batteries anywhere, so this is a positive.

Negatives:
- Pop-up flash takes a while to recharge. Not good if you need a quick second shot.
- The camera is actually smaller than expected. Some may consider this a positive, but I would actually prefer a slightly larger camera to more comfortably get my hands around it.
- The view finder is awkward. I don't use it (I just use the big screen), but if you prefer the view finder than this is definitely a negative.

DSC Series camera all have a CCD imager defect that will leave screen blank after you use the camera for 2 or 3 years. (Do a google search. You will find out what happened.) Sony knew this problem years ago. But refuse to fix it. They will wait until the camera fail and then charge you $300 to fix it. That's what happens to my DSC-F717. Ever wondering why Dell, HP etc all recall Sony battery for laptop, but Sony did not recall their own laptop battery? Sony will never fix their own problem. We the customer have to pay for their mistake.

Ergonomics:
The camera fits the hand very nicely, is well balanced and looks very nice. Picking the camera up will take a little getting used to, my fingers press other buttons when doing this, like the menu button and zoom. No biggie, they turn off easy enough.

Screen:
At first look, my impression was, "Wow! What a large screen you have." I'm a little leary about getting it scratched. I have nice, large screen protectors for my PDA and plan on putting one on the camera screen ASAP. That said, its a beautiful screen.

Features:
Its going to take a while to learn how to use them all. That I can tell. Its loaded with features and has a lot of versatility. With that comes a long learning curve. First glance at the manual tells me that you can't learn them by just reading, it will also take some doing.
I wish that the camera was able to plug in to a AC/DC converter to save batteries when learning to use or when downloading pictures, etc. I used a lot of energy just sitting in my chair playing with the many features. However, its nice having rechargeable AA batteries versus something proprietary. They aren't expensive, I bought a second set, just for this sort of reason.

Picture Quality:
I'm shooting (for now) at 3:2. I like printing 4X6 borderless without losing edges. The few pictures I've already taken look very nice indeed. That will also take practice. I do notice a little of the purple fringing that I've heard about. It only seems noticable when there are bright lights in the picture, so it seems manageable.

I'm extremly happy with this camera thus far and haven't ran across anything to make me want to reduce it from 5 stars at this point. Good job Sony.

I have been looking for several months for a good midrange digital camera. I looked at all of the recomendations on amazon and decided to get a cannon powershot or the sony cybershot. My first choice wasthe cannon, its was fast, 8 megapixals and had good reports, when I bought it at circus city, it appeared a little flimsy, but it was super fast! It also took fantastic video, better than all the others I tried, but I wanted a camera that could take good clear pics. When I took it home, I immediatly took many pics of the children, playing, running and several still shots. When I down loaded then, was very disapointed! Over half of the pics were blurred, even when I put the dial on the sport mode, I had blurred pics. On the still pics, I commonly had grainy looks, especially indoors. I tried every mode and took many pics to get the best shots, and I often came up disapointed. I returned it and purchased a sony cybershot H5. BOY what a difference! Thesuper steady shot works very well, even when I zoom far away and take pics they rarely blur! When I down loaded the pics and cratiqued them, they were much clearer and sharper than the cannon, the difference was like night and day. I rarely get blurred shots and they look like a real pro took them. When you take micro shots of flowers it really looks beautiful. I get raves all the time with my sony, I wouldnt trade it for anything. It is slower then the cannon and the rechargable batteries dont last long, so I just buy the lithium batteries and they least several hundred pics.
The screen is bright, and the camera is easy to use, but the video is choppy, not as good as the canon, but I got it mainly for pics.
f you want a camera that takes awesome pics with the best image stableizer on the market, get the sony. After I bought my sony, I did a week later go to walmart and saw a sony h5 next to the cannon on display, I just for kicks took them both and took pics of the same idems in the store. As I was doing that, I ask the sales lady which camera takes the best pics? She quickly said "The cannon!" "Its the best on the market today and the specialize on cameras!" I said lets see, then I showed her the pics on both cameras of the same objects at the same settings, and she said, "Oh? I was wrong, the sony takes mush better pics!" It was even morenoticeable when you zoomed the pics in close, the cannon always looked grainy with red spots, but the sony was clear as a bell!
Im convinced now, the sony hs was the best pic for a midrange zoom camera. If you want good pics, I highly recomend the sony!

PICTURES: I bought this camera in June-06 and went on a shooting spree for 6 weeks. I shot about 1700 pictures during this time. I shot pictures in YOSEMITE , YELLOWSTONE , ARCHES NATIONAL PARK , MESA VERDE , CRAZY HORSE,DEADWOOD, MOUNT RUSHMORE, RENO, LAUGHLIN, LONDON BRIDGE, GOBLIN STATE PARK, BODIE, VIRGINIA CITY, SANTA FE, TAOS PUEBLO, ALBUQUERQUE OLD TOWN and much more places.

[...]

SHOOTING MODE: I mostly used AUTO, APERTURE PRIORITY and ISO modes.Also I only used optical zoom. After 5X zoom or so you may need a tripod to zoom to the max (12X). Otherwise the pictures may turnout to be blurry. This Camera takes great pictures in AUTO mode. A slight pressure on the dial at the lower right hand side of the camera may put the Camera into Macro mode without you knowing about it. Every time I asked somebody else to take my picture, the Camera came back to me in Macro mode !. So watch out !.

BATTERIES: There is really no definite estimation regarding the number of pictures you can take with rechargeable batteries. With the Sony rechargeable batteries (two) that came with the camera , I could shoot only about 70 pictures with the LCD off. With the rechargeables from ENERGIZER, I could shoot about 150 with the LCD off. I also used disposable LITHIUM batteries which gave me 200 plus pictures with the LCD off. So depending on your schedule, make sure that you carry a combination of these batteries. The Sony charger can not be used to charge batteries belonging to other brands and vice versa. Also it takes about 6 hours to charge batteries using the charger. When the batteries are charged, the light on the charger should turn itself off. However, this does not happen most of the time. Anyway, make sure that you charge the batteries atleast 6 hours.

Overall, I am satisfied with the performance of this Camera.

I had been looking for a camera with 10-12x optical zoom, image stabalization and 5+ MP. I reviewed Sony based on the feedback from other customers and on actual performance. The snaps in some modes were amazing (forgive my layman approach, for I am not a PRO), but overall I felt it was rather overprized. The ergonomics - average. The CCD imager defect does exist. Controls can be confusing for first-timers. The viewfinder is awkwardly modeled.

...Overall, not the kind of product we know Sony for. I chose a Canon S3 IS over it and am most satisfied with it.

This camera takes great photos.
Charge batteries before taking to a party , great zoom and great color ,
buy extra 2500 ma rechargable batteries , you need a 1 gig Sony memory stick, online for 34.99 Sony PRO Duo.

I've had my DSC-H5 for about a month now. I bought it because we were expecting our second child. Overall, it is a very good camera but I sometimes wonder if I wound be happier with a digital SLR. I say this because there is significant shutter lag on this camera, especially when using the flash (and forget about getting any spontaneous shots if you are using the red-eye reduction feature).

Pros: Reasonably priced, awesome pictures in daylight, huge 3" screen, 12x zoom, able to use AA rechargable batteries, 4GB memory card was only $150.

Cons: Shutter lag, drifts in and out of focus when shooting movies.

I bought it for $409 in August 2006 and it really a good camera with all the features I need, with absolutely enormous 3-inch LCD display. One of the big differences between the DSC-H2 / DSC-H5 and the original DSC-H1 is the lens. While the specs are exactly the same, the H1's lens said "Sony Lens" on it, while the H2 and H5 carry the Carl Zeiss label. The F2.8-3.7, 12X zoom has a focal range of 6 - 72 mm, which is equivalent to 36 - 432 mm. While the lens itself isn't threaded, the metal ring around it is. Just screw on the included conversion lens adapter and you can then attach a conversion lens or any 58 mm filter.

Deep inside that 12X lens is Sony's Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization system. If you've spent any time with an ultra zoom camera then you know that it can be difficult to get a sharp photo at the telephoto end of the lens, since tiny movements of your hand can blur the photo. The SteadyShot system detects that motion and moves a lens element to counteract it. The end result is that you get sharper photos at shutter speeds that would be blurry on an unstabilized camera. Image stabilization isn't just for telephoto shots though: it's just as effective in lower light conditions as well. The system won't work miracles, though; it can't stop a moving subject, and it doesn't work at really slow shutter speeds.

Camera comes with a big 'ol plastic lens cap (with retaining strap) to protect that monstrous lens. However, with flash light on in the night, you will see a shade in the picture. You need to take out this lens cap in the night shots.

As an advanced photographer, I took the Sony DSC-H5 on a wildlife shoot, taking many photos of moving animals at various ranges. With ambient temperatures pushing the low temperature limits of digital photography, the camera worked flawlessly, the results were spectacular.

I expected short battery life and poor performance under these conditions, but the battery life was excellent and the resultant photos were terrific. There were a few photos that the subject was slightly out of focus, but this was the result of auto focus being confused by foreground vegetation, and not the camera itself.
The digital zoom beyond the optical zoom with stabilization was a surprise, as it produced excellent results at 5mp, my prior experience with digital zooms was "do not use it". This DSC-H5 changed that opinion.

My only problem with the DSC-H5 was as others have stated, and that is the occasional accidental activation of some of the rear control buttons, and that is more of a learning process of hand placement as one becomes more familiar with the camera, rather than a design flaw.

I am looking forward to using all the other features and capabilities of this camera, it is great...

I bought the 7.2mp, 12x zoom Sony DSC-H5 to use at work. As I work for a nonprofit agency, my budget was just $500 for a camera, 2G fast card, extra rechargable batteries/charger, and case, and I ended up just $20 over (all of the peripherals I ordered were Sony brand, too). I was looking for the smallest, lightest camera available with long zoom and good battery life that would produce good 300dpi images suitable for use in print publications. I've been very pleased with this camera as it does all this at a very reasonable price. It is easy to operate, and battery life is excellent (I got the Sony brand designed for this camera--one charge lasts for 2-300 shots). The 3" viewing screen is terrific, and even better is that when you change settings on the camera they are detailed on the viewing screen--this is such really great idea that it's surprising that not all cameras do this. No more trying to figure out what those really, really little icons mean. Images are clear and sharp, and the image stabilization feature seems to work quite well. The video capacity was something I never thought I'd use, yet it's so easy to record video and the resulting MPG files play back beautifully on my computer, so I find I am using this feature much more than anticipated. While it's not a small camera, it's lighter and less bulky than I thought it would be. I'm very pleased with this camera and plan to buy one for home use, too.

Camera arrived on time and seems to work ok. Test shots were excellent. Will review in detail after I have used it.

However, the 1GB Memory Stick Pro that is recommended with this camera WILL NOT Work nor will it fit into the slot as it is incompatable with the DSC-H5. You must order and use the "Memory Stick Duo" (a shorter stick) according to the manual. Amazon should've confirmed this before recommending the Memory Stick Pro. Now I have wait a little longer to take more than the 8 shots the camera will hold.

I've had the Sony DSC H5 for about 2 months now. It replaced my 4 year old Fuji Fine Pix S602Z which had 3.1MP and a 6X optical zoom. Boy, what a difference 4 years make. I'm an amateur and this Sony takes great photos. The 3 inch LCD is awesome and one of the reasons I bought the Sony. I used to use the view finder on my Fuji (which had a 1.7 inch LCD) all the time and now mostly use the LCD on the Sony. The flash on this camera is fantastic! Perhaps a bit too powerful at times but that is easily fixed with a photo editing program. My Fuji used 4 AA batteries and I've had several sets with a recharger for years. The Sony uses 2 AA's and the only complaint I have so far is that the flash eats them up quickly. The Sony battery charger included with the camera is very slow and the first charge took almost 7 hours for two batteries. I recommend buying several sets of rechargeable batteries and a fast recharger.

What a bad choice

After enjoying for many years the Sony Cyber-shot DCS-P30 1.3MP Digital Camera without missing a shot, I thought that the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 7.2MP Digital Camera was and upgrade.

What a failure. It's just a bulky camera.

The camera is a great camera. Do not take the advise and buy the memory card for the camera. It is the wrong chip and does not fit. What a waste of money. Order the camera and the memory card separately.

This product provides all features advertised in specs. Bought it specifically for the ability to make pictures in low light environments. And it delivers superbly.

This camera has exceeded my expectations. Having owned many 35mm and digital cameras, I was looking for one with excellent resolution, a powerful zoom without having to change lenses, and ease of use, along with the ability to have full creative control.
Battery life is good and, with the 2 gig memory card installed, it will take hundreds of high resolution pictures. The menus are easy to use and follow and I was up and running after only a short review of the instruction manual.
This camera is an excellent choice for someone who wants something better than a snapshot camera but who doesn't want to go the digital SLR route. It is highly recommended.

Love this camera. The pictures have turned out very nice. I am still reading the manual to learn everything, but so far it is easy to use. Love the large LCD screen which makes knowing if the picture you took is good. As you turn the mode dial on the camera,an explanation of what each function does is displayed on the LCD screen, which is a plus for amateurs like me. It is a fairly large camera, so if you want something more portable(purse/pocket size) I wouldn't opt for this camera,it does need to be carried in a camera case.

I have a little story to tell about my Sony Camera. I was on vacation with my family in Tucson, Arizona. We had gone climbing up some of the foothills, a place called Gates pass. While enjoying taking pictures, I released my camera thinking that it was attached to my wrist, to my amazement I looked down to see it bouncing down the side of a cliff, 25 ft down. I was almost in tears; this was the first time I really got to use my new camera since I got it as a present form my husband for Christmas. This was Christmas evening. Well my brother and husband climb down to retrieve my camera, it was missing is LCD Screen protector, and it now has a few new beauty marks, but to my amazement, it worked. They found the screen proctor, and it isn't even scratched. I got to use my camera and have not had one problem. My Sony took great pictures of the sun setting that night. I have enjoyed my Sony H5 and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys taking pictures. Personally I love my Sony Cyber-shot H-5

I haven't tried to use this to its full capacity. I just point and shoot and have gotten awesome photos. It really does an awesome job even for amateurs.

delivery was quick but not within the time frame told. product is great but when on the phone it took too long for a PERSON response and when i spoke with a person was then again put on hold while research was done

This purchase is an upgrade from a DSC-S90. The DSC-H5 does everything that it says. I'm still learning the various functions and it continues to perform according to the specifications. It has all the functions of a point and shoot camera with the extra functions of a manual camera. It is a good intermediate camera for the serious hobbyist.

I'm really impressed with the 12X Optical zoom capability and performace with the stabilization that is needed at high zoom ratios.
Secondly the exposure control really paid off in Spains huge rather dark cathedrals.
I recommend this light weight camera for all traveling photographers

I really like this camera. My previous camera was a Canon with a 3x zoom. Having a 12x zoom makes all the difference in the world. The battery life is amazing too compared to my old camera. My old camera took 4 AA batteries and would need recharging constantly. This camera takes 2 batteries and lasts a long time. I left the camera power on and took pictures for an hour and I still had plenty of battery life. The 3inch monitor is great too. The multi-burst feature is neat too. It will take several pictures over a couple of seconds. When you play it back it will almost look like video but you have still shots that you can easily print. I bought the 2g memory stick also and it holds a ton of pictures.

I have bought this Camera after a long thought, since I had choices to get other cameras with similar features and lower prices. But I got this one because my wife liked its look and color. But its a surprise that i started to love this camera. its absolutely amazing one. I strongly recommend this camera to any one who is looking for a new good one. There are some complex setting to be done before you uise this camera. But that is not noteworthy when you start taking pictures.

It is a great camera with an excellent definition, I would purchase it again if I have to with shut eyes. time delivery even when it was Christmas Time, EXCELLENT!!!

We have been using this camera for several months now and are very happy with it for the most part. The only concern is the placement of the 'Zoom' rocker switch. When holding the camera in the most comfortable grip, it is very difficult not to activate the 'zoom' with my thumb. However, with practice, I have been able to adjust my grip and place my thumb on the area just below the 'zoom' switch which works well for me now. I like all of the auto features which for me now being a 'pro', allows me to take great pictures in almost any condition. The ease of changing picture quality or condition settings is very simple and fast allowing mutiple photos using different settings and invaribly I get at least one super photo and often several.

we use this digital camera at our workplace and it has been an excellent purchase. it is very versatile. because we need a camera that will function on several levels and take a multitude of accurate photographs, the sony fits the bill perfectly. great product!

The Sony H5/7.2 12X is a great camera if you understand alittle about regular 35mm photography, if not the instructions can be confusing.The zoom of 12X is wonderful for long distant photos.My only reason for not rating the camera 5 stars is, the battery life [2AA] is extremely short if you use all the camera menu options and also the camera is bulky and heavy.
This is not snap shot camera, hence the reason for two cameras. Picture quality is great, especially with all options for speed,portraits,night shots etc. Love it if I have pocket full of batteries.

This product is simply great. The picture clarity is terrific. The optical zoom handles very well too. This is addition to the large LCD screen makes it a great experience to capture photos.
I have really enjoyed this product so far.

The only downside I have for this one is its large size.

Nervertheless, it is a great product

I purchased the H5 to replace the H2 that I had previously.

I found the H5 to perform virtually the same, but I do like the larger image screen, much better. The pictures are really quite good, despite my frequent lack of care in setting up the camera and using it as a spontaneous point-and-shoot, most of the time. It is quite light weight, for its appearance. It is on and ready, much fast than what I was used to in other cameras. And, it is really quite intuitive to use the more advanced features, when I want to do so.

I've really had good luck playing with sunset photos, too, and find that the image isn't all that overwhelmed by the brightness of the sun being in the image.

I like the camera, a great deal! The only two things that I would mention that are less than ideal would be the ease with which the menu button(s) get accidentally pushed when holding the camera, and the ease with which the carrying strap can get caught on things when picking the camera up or sitting it down. (That is how I broke the H2. I picked it up and turned away, and the strap hooked on a cupboard knob and jerked the camera out of my hand. The hard wood floor was it's death knell.)

I received this camera the 29th of Dec. Took many pictures over the Holidays. Instruction book is mediocure. I wrote Son'y cust. Support about the Camera settings when in the ISO mode. No one could help me. I went to Best Buy & ask salesman about that setting & he said it is a setting where you can't change the speed or F stop. Just a fast way to get to the ISO 1000 speed when you are taking pictures of fast moving objects. It is a little slow if you take many pictures in a row. Otherwise I like it. I am waiting for Amazon to offer me a chance to extend the Warranty with a service contract.
Many options still learning. Good quality pictures.

It's very easy to take very good pictures with this camera in the Auto Mode, but you can also use the manual modes easily!

I'm very satisfied and would buy it again.

Its really an excellent Camera . The screen size is increased compared to DSC H1 . I am using it for past 2 months ,the picture quality is amazing . You must order and use the "Memory Stick Duo" for this camera .Rechargeable Battery life is not bad i could take more than 200 photos. This Camera takes great pictures in AUTO , manual , ISO modes . 12x Zoom will be useful for you in occasions .Actually this is little bit weightless than DSC H1 .
If you dont care about the size , this is a right Camera for you.

The camera take excllent pictures, no question about that, but weight a lot in comparation whit other cameras, the batterys dont have a long work`s time. amazon sold the camera with a memory stick pro, that dont be used wiht this camera, now i have to buy another memory.

Amazon are pairing together the wrong memory stick with this camera. This camera uses the different sized Sony Memory StickPRODUO. I purchased this camera with Amazon's paired suggestion of the Sony 1 GB Memory Stick Pro and that memory will not fit. I had to send it back and get the DUO memory. Just trying to save anyone who is looking some time! I told Amazon about this on December 19th and they still haven't updated the website!
The camera is fantastic. No problems at all

I bought this camera a few days ago after having had twice bad luck with purchasing other digital cameras (one was the new DLSR from SONY, the Alpha A100K, and one was the F31fd from Fuji, see my other reviews) and after having owned the SONY DSC-V1 for about 3-4 years. The A100K and the F31fd were both very disappointing in the picture quality, mainly the noise. Even under 'normal' (bright light) conditions there was visible noise in the white and in the colors. The F31fd was very poor while the A100K was better but still disappointing. Basically my old DSC-V1 did in the 'idiot-proof' shooting mode always better pictures than any of the other two cameras, even though I played with all possible settings like ISO, white balance, sharpness, etc. Anyway, I recently bought the H5 and I must say that the picture quality is *extremely good*, it is better than the V1 which was my reference so far, and it is clearly much better than the A100K, and we don't even mention the F31fd. The Carl Zeiss lens seems to be extremely good in combination with the CCD sensor, the pictures are really of great quality in all aspects, natural colors, sharpness with lots of details, very little noise - just perfect. The flash is great as well, very strong (long reach) but still giving the pictures a natural look, no overexposure. The zoom and the image stabilization are great as well, nothing to complain. I am *very happy* with this camera so far and I can only recommend it to everyone. The picture quality is really outstanding, and I have seen a lot pictures of other digital cameras from all of our friends. On the negative side, the zoom button is too close to the edge, same with the 'menu' button. So it happens that you sometimes accidentally press these buttons. But I guess it's a matter of getting used to the camera and knowing how to hold it. The camera is also very light but still seems to be have a good built. Except for the little rubber lid on the left side where you connect the A/V signal and the USB port, that could have been a more convincing metal lid or so.

MY HUSBAND ORDERED THIS CAMERA FOR A RECOUPERATION GIFT FROM MY BROKEN FOOT PRIOR TO OUR DEPARTURE TO THE ISLANDS. ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT AS I WAS LAST MINUTE DETAILS TOGETHER I NOTICED THAT THE MEMORY STICK PRO DID NOT FIT THE CAMERA SO NO WAY TO TAKE PHOTOS -- IN A BLIZZARD WITH A PAINFUL BROKEN FOOT I HAD TO FIND THE NEAREST DAMERA SHOP (45 minutes away) TO GET THE CORRECT MEMORY STICK. THIS WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

I think this camera will do all I want in the way of taking good clear pictures from any distance I need. Thanks

I bought this for my husband for Christmas. He has been very pleased with the quality and ease of use. The pictures are great and he really enjoys the larger screen. Great value for the money!

Hi Folks,

I was looking for mega zoom digital camera since last 4-5 months. I considered all mega zoom camera released in last year. My range was around $350 and I wanted min 6 MP. Below is the list of cameras I considered.

Leica V-LUX 1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
Fujifilm FinePix S9600
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Sony DSC-H5
Kodak P712
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7

Bcos of my price range, it automatically eliminates first 3 cameras. Then in reviews I read that Kodak P712 images are very noisy even at lower ISO settings. So I eliminated that too. Now all remaining 3 has very good reviews and some of my expert friend told me that you will not go wrong with any of these camera. Out of these three H5 is costliest one and DMC-FZ7 is the cheapest one. Below are the reason why I went for DSC-H5.

1) S3 IS has 2" LCD and FZ7 has 2.5" LCD. Both this camera has very low resolution on LCD. DSC-H5 has 3" bright higher resolution LCD. That was major plus point for me. All these tree cameras take nice pictures but with DSC-H5 you can see immidietly on screen, while for others you have to transfer pics to PC.

2) DMC-FZ7's body and design is not eye catching and it's plastic body feels very cheap. It weight is also around 300gm. While S3 IS and DSC-H5 weights around 500 gm. I am six foot giant with big hands. So DMC-FZ7 was giving me very cheap feeling in my hand. So I eliminated that too.

3) S3 IS uses 4 AA batteries and DSC-H5 uses 2 AA batteries. They also provide 2 x 2500 mAH batteries and a charger with camera. Plus they also provide lens hood, lens caps, adapter ring with camera. S3 IS doesn't come with any of this.

4) I was mainly looking for better point and shoot capability. No doubt S3 Is has more features then DSC-H5, but just for point and shoot DSC-H5 is better then S3 IS.

These are the plus points, but major minus point is H5 is the slowest of all. FZ7 is the fastest. S3 IS is fast too and both has good shutter speed also.

I hope this comparision will help you guys for buying.

Regards.

This camera performs well as advertised. Easy to use and resulting pictures are of excellent quality. I was not aware that a pro duo memory stick was needed prior to purchase and this resulted in additional expense as the internal storage of the camera is not sufficient. In addition, the life of the rechargeable batteries is not sufficient for extended use. Additional batteries must be used for this situation. Overall, I would give the camera a very good rating and recommend it's purchase.

There are several things I don't like about this camera, and I'll get to the