Sony DSC-H2

Reviewed July 2006

Image Quality

In general, to be able to seize as many photo opportunities as possible, it is imperative to have access to a wide array of focal lengths. With an SLR, that usually means carrying a bulky camera bag and at least two or three lenses.

The H2’s lens covers from a wide angle that is the equivalent of a 36 mm, to an impressive telephoto equivalent to 432 mm. When one imagines the size a lens with such a focal length would have to be for an SLR camera, especially if it had an f3.7 aperture, the compact size of the H2 becomes even more attractive.

Moreover, equipped with Sony's famous SteadyShot image stabilization system, the zoom is even useable while the camera is handheld, and can be used while framing the shot. The stabilization, by the way, is even available — as well as the zoom — when capturing video clips.

The same holds true for chromatic aberration, occasionally visible as a thin violet line tracing the contours of strong contrasts areas in some wide angle shots, but absent at all other focal lengths.

Metering, using the Multi pattern that is the H2’s default setting, is very reliable and generally produces excellent exposures. Similarly, the Auto white balance is trustworthy and yields colours that natural and not over-saturated.

At sensitivities of 80 to 100 ISO, noise is normally non-existent in photos if there is sufficient light for a good exposure, and it is only starting at 100 ISO that a bit of noise can be detected in deep shadows.

200 ISO images start to show a bit more noise, but still mostly in the shadow areas, and it is really only as of 400 ISO that noise is readily visible, albeit no more than it is in the photos of many other cameras set to the same sensitivity level. Pushed to 800 or even 1000 ISO, however, images tend to be very noisy and have a granular look, even when shot under bright light. This, in turn, makes the High Sensitivity scene mode, which boosts the sensitivity to help maintain a high shutter speed, a bit less useful than it would appear at first blush.

The DSC-H2’s flash is noteworthy as it is particularly efficient. First, the flash is bright enough to provide fill-light in daytime, ideal for adding light to backlit subjects. Second, its brightness can be adjusted up, or down, using the Flash Level setting. This makes it possible to capture a well-lit photo in a 5 m (16.4 ft) long room at 80 ISO, which is effectively noise-free, and without any noticeable loss of brightness in the corners of the frame.