Judging from the number of e-mails
we have received requesting a review of the new Sony Cyber-shot
DSC-H1, this camera has been one of the most anticipated
in recent memory, an interest most likely spurred by its basic
characteristics: a 5-megapixel resolution and a stabilized
12X zoom.
The DSC-H1 has a silver plastic
exterior with a rubber-wrapped grip area, while the lens barrel
is metallic and finished in a dark silver.
Directly below the chromed two-stage
shutter release, which is inclined towards the front, a dial
called the Jog Dial protrudes from the top of the grip.
The Jog Dial is used to change, according to the mode
in use, a variety of shooting parameters such as shutter speed,
aperture, or exposure compensation. In addition, when the
camera is in Playback mode, the Jog Dial can be used to move
from one image to another.
Two buttons are positioned immediately behind the shutter
release:
Cycles through each of the
focusing modes of the camera:
Multi pointAF (default), uses a wide
area encompassing 3 horizontal AF points in the middle
of the frame. Multi point AF is the only focus mode
available when using the Auto shooting mode.
Centre AF focuses using the centre AF point.
Flexible Spot AF allows moving the focus point
over most of the frame using the 4-direction control.
Manual Focus allows focusing the camera
using the 4-direction control with the assistance
of a distance scale shown on the monitor or the viewfinder.
Serves to choose one of two
Continuous shooting modes, or Auto Exposure Bracketing:
Burst records up to 9 images at the highest
image resolution while the shutter button is held
down, at a recording interval of 0.8 second between
each image.
Multi Burst captures small images and saves
them into a single 1280 x 960 frame.
Bracketing captures a series of 3 images,
two of which bracket the exposure parameters established
by the metering, the first being overexposed and the
third underexposed. The bracketing amount is determined
in the menu (see the Characteristics of
the review).
Moving to the left but still on the top right side of the
camera, the DSC-H1's microphone is positioned closer to the
front of the camera, while the Power Switch is closer
to the back.
The Mode Dial is the
last control on the camera's top, dominating the grip area
so that it can easily be turned with the thumb. The Mode Dial
has 14 positions, and its current setting is displayed graphically
on the monitor or the viewfinder, rotating as the Mode Dial
is turned, making it possible to change mode without having
to look at the dial's position directly.
Starting with the Auto mode, the 14 positions of the Mode
Dial are:
Auto: a point and
shoot mode that places the DSC-H1 in charge of all camera
settings with the exception of the flash mode, the macro
mode and the self-timer.
Program: lets the
camera choose the aperture and shutter speed, but the
selection can be modified to other combinations of aperture
and shutter speed that would also produce an acceptable
exposure using the Jog Dial.
Shutter Priority:
lets the user select the shutter speed from 1/1000 second
down to 30 seconds while the camera selects the aperture.
Aperture Priority:
lets the user select the aperture from a range of f2.8
to f8 in wide angle — the aperture range varies
with the zoom position — while the camera selects
the shutter speed.
Manual: allows selecting
both aperture and shutter speed while the exposure compensation
gauge indicates the degree of over or under exposure
as calculated by the meter.
Next is a group of 7 Scene modes:
Twilight: provides a maximum exposure time
of 2 seconds. The flash is turned off and sensitivity
is set to 64 ISO. Noise reduction is automatically applied
to the image post-capture.
Twilight Portrait: uses the same parameters
as the Twilight mode, but adds the flash set to Slow
Synch mode and red-eye reduction so as to capture a
subject in front of scenery at night.
Candle: is to capture a candle-lit scene,
retaining the atmosphere of the lighting. A shutter
speed range of 1 to 1/2000 second is available, the
AF mode is set to Centre, the white balance is set to
daylight, the sensitivity is set to Auto (between 64
and 200 ISO), and the flash is forced off.
Beach: increases blue saturation while limiting
the flash modes to Forced on, or Forced Off and limiting
the shutter speed to a minimum of 1/8 second. Sensitivity
is controlled by the camera, and covers a range of 64
to 320 ISO.
High-speed Shutter: is designed to freeze
action, and the slowest shutter speed is 1/250 second.
The flash is Forced Off, and sensitivity is automatically
adjusted between 64 and 320 ISO.
Landscape: provides a shutter speed range
of 1/8 to 1/2000 second. The flash can be set to Forced
On or Forced Off, and sensitivity is automatically adjusted
between 64 and 320 ISO.
Portrait: also has a shutter speed range of
1/8 to 1/2000 second and an Auto ISO range of 64 to
320 ISO. Sharpness is lowered and the camera optimizes
the image for skin tones.
Next is the Movie Mode:
Movie: can capture
videos with sound at any of 3 frame sizes:
640 (Fine) has a frame size of 640 x 480
pixels with a low compression, but is only useable
when the camera is fitted with a Memory Stick Pro.
640 (Standard) also offers a frame size of
640 x 480 pixels, but applies a stronger compression.
This format is useable with standard Memory Sticks.
160 has a frame size of 160 x 112 pixels
and applies an average compression.
Whatever the frame size, movies are captured at 25
frames per second with sound. The optical zoom is disabled
at the first frame but exposure and white balance are
adjusted as needed during recording, while the length
of the recording depends on the capacity and space available
on the Memory Stick.
The last setting on the Mode Dial is for the Playback
mode.
The DSC-H1 is equipped an Electronic
Viewfinder (EVF), whose 0.75 cm (0.3 inch) LCD screen
has a resolution of 115,200 pixels, and which includes a diopter
correction control immediately below the rubber-wrapped exit
pupil.
It is also equipped with a 2.5-inch (6.2 cm) LCD monitor
that occupies the major portion of the camera's back, and
which also provides a resolution of 115,200 pixels.
And both the EVF and the monitor can be used to review images,
in addition to being able to show all menus and camera settings.
The choice of whether the EVF
or the monitor is active is made with a small silver button
on the right of the EVF's housing, one of two similar buttons
there.
The second button ()
controls the optical image stabilizer, SteadyShot.
The button cycles between On and Off, but the stabilizer can
be set to either of two modes, as determined in the Setup
menu (see the Interface and Software section of
the review for more details on the contents of the Setup menu).
In between, a small LED serves to indicate the flash state,
or the fact that an image is being saved.
On the upper right of the camera's
back, the Zoom control not only serves to adjust the
focal length of the lens, but also to review images as thumbnails
in an Index display when pressed to the wide angle
, presenting 9 thumbnails first, and then 16 when pressed a
second time. The telephoto side, ,
can be used to magnify an image up to 5 times.
The remaining controls are clustered
on the lower right side of the monitor:
At the top is the MENU
button, which displays — either on the 2.5-inch monitor
or on the EVF — the menu that corresponds to the current
Mode Dial setting.
Directly below the MENU button is the 4-direction controller
which serves to navigate the menus, review images, adjust
the focus point when the camera is set to Flexible Point AF,
and adjust the focus in the Manual focus mode, while the small
button at its centre can be used to confirm certain menu selections.
The 4 directional arrows of the control also have secondary
functions, embossed on each button, when the DSC-H1 is set
to a capture mode:
The up arrow serves
to select the Flash Mode: Auto, Forced On, Slow
Synch, Forced Off. Red-eye reduction must be activated
in the Setup menu.
The right arrow turns
on the Macro mode, allowing the camera to focus
on a subject 2 cm (0.8 inch) from the front element of
the lens when the zoom is at the wide angle end; and 90
cm (35.5 inches) when the lens is at the maximum telephoto.
The down arrow activates
the 10-second Self-timer delay, flashing the Self-timer
lamp on the front of the camera, next to the grip, as
the camera counts down.
The left arrow accessed
the Quick Review mode, providing a fast way to
see the last captured image.
The last two buttons, below the 4-direction control, have
both capture and playback functions:
In the Capture
modes, the DISPLAY button controls the information
superimposed on the periphery of the monitor. By default,
the indications are: battery state, capture mode, flash
mode, resolution and image quality, shot counter, whether
the internal memory or a Memory Stick is in use, ISO setting,
AF mode, shutter speed and aperture, and exposure compensation,
if any.
Pressing the button once adds a real-time histogram,
a graphical representation of the brightness in the
frame. A second press removes most of the superimposed
information, with the exception of the focus point,
the shutter speed and aperture, and the exposure compensation,
if any.
In the Playback mode, the default setting presents
the image with, superimposed on it: the battery state,
image resolution, memory in use, the number of shots
in the folder and the image's position within it, the
image's file name and the date and time of its capture.
Pressing the button once overlays the histogram for
the image, and adds data such as the shutter speed and
aperture, exposure compensation setting, ISO setting,
flash mode, and the white balance setting. Pressing
the button a second time remove all superimposed information,
leaving only the image.
Finally, the button on the right controls:
The selection of the image
size when the camera is set to any of the Capture
modes, including the Movie mode.
When the camera is set to the Playback mode,
it serves to delete unwanted images, either one
at a time, or multiple photos at a time with the use
of the Index view, or all the photos contained in a
folder. With the camera in Quick Review mode,
only the last image can be deleted.
The DSC-H1 has a pop-up flash
that, when open, deploys to a sufficient height that the lens
does not cast a shadow when the subject is relatively close
and the zoom is at the widest angle.
The flash is fully automatic, and opens when the camera judges
it to be necessary, or when it is Forced On. There is no external
button to release it.
The Sony DSC-H1 is a very pleasant
camera to hold and manipulate. It has a very conventional
ergonomic design, which allows it to become familiar quickly,
and external controls that are well-positioned and very responsive.
The H1's large 2.5-inch monitor makes it possible to visualize
the shot clearly and, should the ambient light be too strong
to make the monitor comfortable, the EVF ensures a view that
is as detailed but protected from any external light, while
still able to show complete camera setting information.
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Introduction
Multi point AF (default), uses a wide
area encompassing 3 horizontal AF points in the middle
of the frame. Multi point AF is the only focus mode
available when using the Auto shooting mode.
Centre AF focuses using the centre AF point.
Flexible Spot AF allows moving the focus point
over most of the frame using the 4-direction control.
mode.
)
controls the optical image stabilizer, SteadyShot.
The button cycles between On and Off, but the stabilizer can
be set to either of two modes, as determined in the Setup
menu (see the Interface and Software section of
the review for more details on the contents of the Setup menu).
, presenting 9 thumbnails first, and then 16 when pressed a
second time. The telephoto side, 
,
can be used to magnify an image up to 5 times.
