Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V Pro Reviews

In terms of performance the Sony HX100V is king of the superzooms: its close-up focusing and nippy autofocus will do you proud in all manner of scenarios. The dual zoom-meets-focus ring is a great control mechanism that's well-placed for comfortable use. Other areas such as HD movie and GPS will make it an all the more attractive purchase. It's not perfect though: that 16.2MP sensor crams too many pixels in and, in part, this hinders final quality. Exposure and colour are both good, ensuring images will be pleasing for a variety of uses. Half the battle is getting the shot though, especially when zoomed in to the massive top-end 810mm (equiv) that the HX100V offers. And, with that in mind, the combination of the electronic viewfinder, optical image stabilisation and decent autofocus make this one of the best superzooms out there today.

It's taken longer than usual for Sony to bring a new super-zoom to market, but the wait has been worth it. The Cyber-shot HX100V is a very capable model that's packed full of exciting features, is nicely designed and handles beautifully. In terms of headline features it ticks just about all of the boxes with a 30x stabilised optical zoom, 3 inch flip-up screen, full HD video, and fast continuous shooting. The list of 'extras' is impressively long including built in GPS location tagging, 3D modes, hi resolution panoramas, composite modes including HD and background defocus and a built-in Neutral density filter. To cap it all off, the 16.2 Megapixel Exmor-R sensor delivers top notch quality images. The only significant issue that's likely to bother more advanced shooters is the lack of a RAW mode. If that's a deal-breaker for you then consider the Panasonic FZ150 or the Fujifilm finePix HS20 EXR.

An impressive all-rounder but it fails to stand out over its rivals in any particular area.

The HX100V does so much right, in terms of specification, image quality and video output, but like its close relative the HX9, it is marred by slow operational speed. Of course, one could argue that for users who take a set-it-and-forget-it approach to exposure values, camera modes and menu settings, this doesn't matter too much. We're hard-pressed, however, to imagine a compact camera user who wouldn't like to quickly review what they've just shot; a process that involves quite a long wait even in single shot mode. Relatively poor operational responsiveness is something that traditionally we'd expect from compact cameras compared to DSLRs, but the simple fact is that in this respect the HX100V compares poorly within its class.

The 30X optical-zoom Sony Cyber-shot HX100V offers a good balance of manual and automated features, as well as standout video and 3D capabilities. It doesn’t match the sophistication of the Nikon P500’s feature set, but its special features and GPS give it a unique position among competing long-zoom cameras.

The 30X optical-zoom Sony Cyber-shot HX100V offers a good balance of manual and automated features, as well as standout video and 3D capabilities. It doesn’t match the sophistication of the Nikon P500’s feature set, but its special features and GPS give it a unique position among competing long-zoom cameras.

In general we're impressed with the Sony Cyber-shot HX100V's image results, although the sharpness and detail falloff above ISO 800 is a drawback for high ISO settings. However, unlike many compact cameras, shots up to ISO 1600 retain enough definition to be of good use, which makes the HX100V a good all-rounder on the image front throughout its zoom range. Although the camera doesn't offer RAW file capture and mid-high ISO shots can lack finer details, elsewhere the HX100V has plenty of positives. For its small faults there's little holding the HX100V back – it's one of the finest superzooms we've laid our hands on.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V has a lot of features and a lot of lens with photo and video quality that's just good enough to back up its hefty price tag.

The Sony Cybershot HX100v has a high price, yet justifies that with a camera packed with advanced and useful features, including 10fps continuous shooting, backlight HDR mode, 42.9 megapixel panoramic mode, manual controls, GPS, and full HD video with stereo sound. As well as this there is a high resolution tilting screen, electronic viewfinder with eye-detection and a well built body with rubber hand grip. All of this would be mute if it wasn't backed up by images to match, and thankfully the Sony Cybershot HX100v produces the goods, with a brilliant 30x optical zoom lens.

The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX100V is one of the best super-zoom camera that we've ever reviewed, offering a compelling mix of advanced features, excellent still image quality, fantastic lens and a class-leading video mode, all at a price that is competitive with its main rivals. Add in the 3D Sweep Panoramas and 3D Still Images, amazing 10fps burst shooting mode and 0.1 second auto-focusing, and it's very easy for us to highly recommend the Sony CyberShot DSC-HX100V as an all-in-one, do-it-all camera that won't break the bank.

Excellent quality images and videos, and a host of features, but the steep price isn’t entirely justified.

When it comes to superzoom cameras there are three major ones to consider: the 30x zoom Fujifilm HS20, 35x zoom Canon SX30 IS and now the Sony HX100V. Although the Sony may not offer the ability to shoot RAW files (Fuji HS20 only) and its images aren’t any better than a standard compact, it’s a belter of a performer in every other department. The manual zoom/focus ring is great in use, movie quality is decent and the variety of features such as GPS, 10fps shooting and iSweep Panorama add that extra layer of appeal that also provides a lot of fun. In our books the HX100V is a champion superzoom, if not the very best 30x zoom that’s available on the market.