Before I get into my results with the camera, let’s check out the main features of the Sony HX1.

PROFESSIONAL QUALITY 20X G-LENS - Well sony throws out the “pro quality” blurb, but really, it seems like a standard lens to me. Its good quality but I wouldn't say it is anything crazy spectacular.  G should stand for “Good”

3” LCD - Good LCD but I have seen better, mainly on the newest Nikon DSLR’s. BUT this is not a DSLR and comparing it to other small sensor cams, it is just fine and adequate. I have found if your image looks good on the LCD, it will look much better on your computer screen.

HIGH SPEED SHOOTING - THIS is a GREAT feature! A blazing 10 frames per second! The HX1 uses a new mechanical shutter and it is able to rapid fire with 10 FPS. I was pretty amazed by this. If you set it to 9 point AF mode it will even track your subject.

SWEEP PANORAMA MODE - This mode is VERY cool! Basically if you want a pano, you turn the dial to SWEEP PANO mode and press the shutter. The LCD guides you and you “sweep” the camera from left to right. The camera tells you when to stop and when its all done you have an instant, already stitched panoramic image!

1080P HD VIDEO RECORDING - This is pretty cool and had good quality. Sony is really upping the game with the video in the under $500 price point! It has a built in stereo mic on the top of the camera and picks up noise from in front, AND behind you.

TWILIGHT SHOOTING MODE - THIS is VERY cool and when I used it I was very happy with the results. Basically, if you are in a dark location and you know you can’t take a shot, and do not like flash then set this bad boy to TWILIGHT mode and the cam will take 6 shots almost instantaneously. It takes the part of the image that may have a moving subject and uses one frame for that, then uses the remaining for the background or whatever. This greatly reduces noise in your image!

BATTERY LIFE - The battery life, like all Sony cameras is SUPERB. I shot for two weeks on one charge. AMAZING.

What about the negatives, or the CONS of the HX1?

BUILD - To me, it seems a little to light and plasticky, but Sony had to keep it under a certain price point and its not an A900, so I am just being picky I guess. Really, its not bad at all and fits in the hand nicely.

EVF viewfinder - I am not a big fan of small tiny EVF (Electronic View Finder) viewfinders but hey, at least it HAS a viewfinder you can look through.

LACK OF SETTING ISO? - Maybe I am blind or maybe I missed it but I see now way to set the ISO manually. There is a special ISO mode that adjusts it automatically but no way to set it at a set level. Odd. (OK, I found the way to do it and can be done, so disregard this)

NO RAW!!! - This is a JPEG camera only, and many people are angry about this. In reality, 85% of those who would buy this camera probably do not even know what RAW is but it would not of taken much for Sony to add this. Basically, you can only shoot in JPEG mode so this is a camera for those who love the ease of getting their shots straight from camera.

MEMORY STICK - I use SD and CF cards. When my neighbor let me use this camera I did not even own a Memory stick so I used his. Sony should have made this with a dual option. Memory stick or SD. I know they want to sell memory sticks, but most of us have an SD card or two already.

One thing I was anxious to try was the 20X zoom on this bad boy. I have not had any kind of telephoto in quite a while (years) so I was looking forward to it. Click on to page 2 for more...

MORE ON PAGE 2 OF THE REVIEW - CLICK HERE

SONY’S COMPACT, FEATURE-PACKED, 20X SUPER ZOOM

As many of you may know, I shoot mainly with a Leica M8 (review here) and lately my wife’s Leica D-Lux 4 (review). I like having a small camera with me so I can shoot macro or situations when I want a quick AF camera. I was curious to see if the Sony could better my little D-Lux 4. But before I write about my experience with the Sony HX1, keep in mind that I review cameras in a different way than most “review” sites.

I am not really running a “review” site. See, I am crazy passionate about photography and when something new comes out that looks promising I do my best to try it out. I have been doing this for 12 years and decided a few months ago to write about my experiences with these cameras to try and help others like me. I concentrate on REAL WORLD results. No charts, no boring graphs, just my experiences and real world images that I managed to capture with the camera. Isn't that the goal? Getting good results? Also, most shots in this review have been processed in photoshop as I show my final results.

So, with that out of the way, lets get to business!

I was able to check out the HX1 as my neighbor bought one recently. He let me use it for a couple of weeks while he used my D-lux 4. First impressions are important and when I first held the HX1 it felt really light and a bit plasticky. I was a bit disappointed in this regard, but I remembered the price of this camera, just $499.

I used to own a Sony F505V, F707 and the F808. I really enjoyed those cameras and their swivel shotgun lens. I feel the 707 was one of their better smaller cameras and why they abandoned the small size, great build and swivel base is beyond me. But if I remember correctly, these were in the $1000 range.

GREAT CLASSIC SONY - THE F707, CIRCA 2001

Anyway, this HX1 is very light. When I powered it on, it made a loud chime and every move of the buttons resulted in am annoying beep. I turned that off immediately! Once the sound effects were turned off it was a silent as a mouse and that was a huge plus for me. If you want to be quiet, the HX1 gets an A+ in that department!

Sony, Sony, Sony. Yes, the new Sony Super Zoom is here and it is one feature packed little monster. The Sony Cybershot HX1 is semi small with a SLR like shape. This little guy has it all and then some, including some new revolutionary features not seen on any other camera to date.  Sweep Panorama mode and 10FPS shooting is now here and to be honest, they are pretty cool features.

But all of this does not mean jack if the image quality and USABILITY FACTOR are lousy. So how does it stack up to other small format cameras on the market right now? Read on to find out!