Sony Cybershot H20-10X zoom-should I buy

[rosemarydreamer]

Need opinions on this camera--

I have seen photos taken with this camera, and they are outstanding.

My current camera is a Canon A560, and my photos don't compare to those with the Sony H20 in color and crispness.

Simplicity with good quality is what I want. Love taking photos in SoWal! Thanks for any input.

 

[Beach Runner]

I have a two-year-old Cybershot. There is a delay between when I press the button and hear the click and when the photo is actually captured. So it means that when people pose for a photo, they think it's over before the photo has actually been taken. So they end up moving and not having a flattering photo. I always warn people to freeze their position until I say okay, but they rarely wait that long to move.

Really annoying. I didn't get one good photo from daughter's birthday party.

It takes good photos of still things.

I'm not lucky enough to have a Canon 7D like our daughter has. :roll:

 

[Mango]

I got a new Cybershot for the holidays because my old one, that I used incessantly, got dropped and my zoom lenses jammed. It took me some getting used to because of the new I automode and the smile feature. Before, I just turned the dial to whatever mode I wanted- snow, ISO, etc.
Now, it does it for you, however, you still have the option to switch the setting. I had to relearn how to use this camera and I was hoping to just click and go. I did that out of necessity, and my pictures came out fine. The delay I had before is significantly less, so I was able to snap off pictures quicker. I took pictures of old photos that my 102 year grandfather had dug out of storage around the holidays. They came out clear and crisp. Then I used it in NYC at Christmas in large crowds and I snapped off my pictures quickly.

The software is new and separates your pictures into smiles, able to distinguish each person individually and set up a file for them, and puts different scenaries into files. When I loaded my pictures, I had to search for each one as opposed to just having them on a filmstrip. You may love or hate this feature or decide to use different software- like Windows.

I'm happy with the camera, just have to adapt to the new widgets. I am not a professional, just want the ability to be able to snap off a decent picture when the need arises. I can also purchase some cool add- on's with this, like a underwater add on. Not bad for a pocket camera.

 

[Beach Runner]

Thanks, Mangy, for the info regarding the delay. Mine is so annoying that I'm thinking about buying a new one.

Daughter has a professional camera because photography is one of the things she wants to do when she graduates with her degree in art and design and her background in architecture from MIT and Georgia Tech. (She decided that it would take too long to make any money as an architect). She plans to start an indie boutique doing weddings after graduation. She will design the paper goods (invitations, save the dates, etc), create custom websites for the bride/groom with her computer and graphic design skills, and do engagement and wedding photo shoots. She has been doing a wedding blog since last July and was contacted by eHarmony to be a blogger on their wedding website. This is giving her a lot of exposure, and she has been contacted by several bridal magazines and has been linked to in the magazines. The great part is that she absolutely loves what she is doing!

Sorry to be so wordy.

 

[Smiling JOe]

I have no experience with that particular camera, but most of the digital cameras today, are incredible, if you know how to use them best for any particular shot. It is all about the settings. Just remember that optical zoom is the only zoom worthy of using. I've yet to see digital zoom that was decent.

 

[Beach Runner]

I have no experience with that particular camera, but most of the digital cameras today, are incredible, if you know how to use them best for any particular shot. It is all about the settings. Just remember that optical zoom is the only zoom worthy of using. I've yet to see digital zoom that was decent.

I know that you are discussing the Cybershot. But the great thing about the Canon 7D and their other digitals is that hubby's collection of great lenses from his film Canon work with the digitals. So his nice zoom lens, for example, works with her 7D. Daughter is in camera ecstasy.