Digital Cameras – Squeezed Out
Compact Digital Cameras have reached a plateau in their existence, and perhaps it is only downhill from now. Picture quality has remained mostly the same over the past 3-4 years, and prices have not reduced. Cell phone cameras are becoming more and more ubiquitous, and even the general populace are buying digital SLR’s for use on holidays. In such cases, is there any point reviewing a superzoom camera like the Sony HX9V?
In a word. Yes.
While compact digital cameras may be squeezed out for general purpose use or professional shots, they still have a very important niche that phone cams and digital SLR’s are not particularly suited for, and that is travel photography. This is where a camera like the Sony HX9V(and it’s successors like the HX20, HX50, WX350 etc.) shine
Still, why buy a HX9V for travel? Well, let’s look at the reasons below:
Size
If you have every tried lugging around a SLR plus lenses for your holiday, whether it be the beach, mountains, or just a quick weekend tour, you realize that the size and weight make it impractical to carry around. Not to mention, the size makes it difficult for you to get quick shots of people or locations. Most people freeze up and stiffen when they see an SLR, which makes it difficult to get natural photos.
The HX9V is a small camera. Think of it as the size of an iPhone 5 with 4 times the thickness. While it will not fit in a pair of jeans, it can be carried around discreetly and whipped out quite fast.
Controls
A phone camera might be easy for some to use, but personally, I find the controls of the HX9V to be just the right blend of buttons and dials. A phone relies on a touch screen interface, which works well. But for fast speed, the Sony’s mode dial cannot be matched. Also, zooming can be more easily controlled with the zoom dial than a touchscreen. The HX9V allows you to easily use the controls whether you are a novice or an expert.
Zoom Lens Range
Most phone cameras have digital, not optical zoom. Which means that while they capture wide shots effectively, they cannot effectively zoom into a subject. SLR’s have lots of zoom, but for that you need to mostly change lenses, which would cause you to miss the shot. And if you do buy an 18-200mm zoom lens, which comes closest to matching the zoom of the HX9V, you will spend an additional R.s 20, 000 – 30, 000 just for the zoom lens.
The sony has a 24mm wide angle, which means it can capture a huge amount of landscape details. It is also very useful if you are in a small room and want to capture a group of people. The whole please shuffle and adjust need is reduced. It also has a 16X zoom which means you can zoom into the trees and shoot those far off birds / wildlife. Now some may argue. But I do not need so much zoom 90% of the time. True, but isn’t it great to have it available for the 10% of the time you need it?
Intelligent Auto Mode
Even people who buy SLR’s mostly leave it on automatic mode and fire away during holiday shots. After all, your subjects would get increasingly frustrated as you change every microcosmic detail of aperture, white balance, ISO etc. Just to get a shot. What we want are good looking pictures easily.
The Sony’s Intelligent Auto Plus mode is one of the best I have used. It knows exactly what scene mode, white balance, exposure setting and ISO to be used depending on the photo. It also goes into macro or close up mode automatically. For more than 90% of my shots I just leave the camera in this mode and shoot. It is very effective.
Panorama
Sure, phone cameras can do effective panoramas these days, but the HX9V, for me, has the best panoramic mode available. And on holidays a wide panorama shot is great fun, especially of wide picturesque landscapes. You just hold the shutter button, release and move the camera in the direction you want the panorama. Over 75% of the time it take an excellent panorama. You can have regular(180 degrees) or wide(270 degrees) view panoramas taken.
HD Video with Stabilization
The Sony has one of the best video modes in the camera industry. It shoots full 1080p with stereo audio. Granted, the mic is pretty poor, especially in windy conditions, but the video quality is excellent, especially seen on the HD tv. It also has a smart stabilisation mode which ensures that the camera remains steady if you are walking and moving. But don’t expect it to save the video, especially if you are running or moving in a bouncy vehicle.
Battery
One main problem I have with using a phone while travelling is that you are constantly worried when the battery runs out. And using the camera on the phone reduces battery life dramatically, since the LCD needs to be on continuously. Instead, carrying a compact separate camera means you do not have to worry about your phone. The HX9V delivers around 300 photos on one charge, which is sufficient for a day of shooting if you choose carefully.
*So, the HX9V seems like the prefect camera, right? Nope. It still has some faults.
Average Picture Quality compared to a DSLR*
The Sony is still a compact camera with a small sensor. So while it performs better than phone cameras, it cannot deliver the ultimate level of sharpness and detail that a digital SLR can. This is especially true in night time shots, where the HX9V’s pictures become grainy, while and SLR’s might still retain sharpness. Also, the HX9V compresses photos a lot for its 16 MP sensor. I feel it could have delivered much better quality if you could control the compression, but the user has not choice in the matter.
Not enough Manual Control
Enthusiasts should look elsewhere. The HX9V is primarily a camera for families and people who want fully automatic shooting. While it has 2 manual modes, they do not offer too much adjustment in shooting options.
Competition: There are a lot of other Compact Zoom cameras like the Nikon S9700, Canon SX260, Panasonic TZ series etc. They offer comparable performance and price to the HX9V.
For people who want good quality with small size, mirrorless cameras like the Nikon J1, Olympus PL series are just a few thousand more.
Verdict: At Rs. 16, 000 the HX9V(now replaced by the HX20, HX50, WX350) does everything you ask for in a travel camera. Until camera phones have as good quality in a small size, there will still be a market for such compact cameras.