Digital Camera Reviews

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 is a replacement for the DSC-H2, and combines eight megapixel resolution with a 2.5″ LCD display and an impressive Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branded 15x optical zoom lens, offering a range from a better-than-average 31mm wide angle to a very useful 465mm telephoto.

The Sony CyberShot DSC-H7 is an 8.1 Megapixel digital camera features a huge 15X Optical Zoom (35mm film equivalent: 31 - 465 mm) with Optical Image Stabilization, HD Output, 9-Point Auto Focus, and a 2.5? TFT LCD Screen. The camera measures 4 5/16? x 3 5/16? x 3 3/8? (109.5 x 83.4 x 85.7 mm) and it weighs approx 514 g including battery and memory card.

The DSC-H7 lets you add creative effects to photos after you shoot — including soft edge filter to soften backgrounds, cross filter to place starry “dazzles” at highlight points, partial color filter to mute surrounding colors, even fish-eye filter to create interesting fish-eye lens effects.

Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom lens for up-close shots of big plays on the field. You won’t miss the look of victory in your champion’s face with Sony’s new face detection technology. It can identify up to eight faces in the camera’s LCD frame, and automatically adjust white balance and flash as well as focus and exposure for correctly exposed, sharp photos.

With Super SteadyShot® image stabilization to minimize blur, High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 3200) lets the DSC-H7 shoot effectively in low light without flash to preserve the mood — and Sony’s original Clear RAW™ NR (Noise Reduction) image processing technology helps suppress the color noise that can accompany high-sensitivity shooting.

The H-series cameras incorporate selectable in-camera editing functions so you can spend more time on the field and less time behind a computer. Equipped with Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimizer, originally developed for the Alpha digital SLR system, the new cameras can analyze captured image data and instantly determine the best exposure and tonality of each picture before JPEG compression.Other helpful in-camera functions include red-eye correction and photo retouching effects with filters. You can create fun and artistic photos with up to four filter selections, such as the partial color filter that can highlight your star athlete in color while the background of the photo is in black-and-white.

 Cyber-shot DSC-H7 vs DSC-H2 - key changes-:

* New sensor (8MP versus 6MP)
* longer lens range (15x up from 12x)
* Higher maximum sensitivity (ISO 3200)
* Larger screen (2.5-inch vs 2.0 inch)
* Lithium Ion battery
* Control dial has moved to rear of camera
* 9-point AF (was 3-point)
* New Sports mode
* HDTV (1080i) video output (via optional component cable)
* Face detection
* D-Range optimization (auto contrast)
* In-camera retouching
* Remote control included

Cnet reviews Sony changed quite a few details, inside and out, between last year’s H5 and this year’s megazooms, the Cyber-shot DSC-H9 and DSC-H7. An f/2.7-4.5 31mm-465mm 15x supersedes the 12x zoom on last year’s, and the resolution kicks up a notch from 7 to 8 megapixels. Say goodbye to AA batteries and hello to a proprietary lithium ion.Two features differentiate the H9 and H7: The H9 retains the same excellent 3-inch flip-up LCD as the H5, while the H7 uses a fixed 2.5-inch version, and the H9 includes Sony’s NightShot infrared mode. They are otherwise identical.

Steve’sDigicams reviews the Sony CyberShot DSC-H7 and writes;
“The quality of the video captured by the H7 is very good…With an MSRP of $399US, this is a very capable camera that offers the ease of use for a beginner to full manual control, this is an excellent choice for the features included. ”

Product summary

The good: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 has a relatively wide angle for a megazoom; tons of manual and automatic features; fast continuous shooting.

The bad: Small EVF; lens aberrations and vignetting; image noise and some processing artifacts; lacks hotshoe and raw file support.

The bottom line: If you shoot primarily outdoors in daytime–especially sports, children, and animals–the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 is a good choice. The more expensive DSC-H9 has a larger, flip-out LCD, infrared shooting, and has a few interface differences, but is otherwise identical.

Specs: Digital camera type: Full body; Resolution: 8.1 megapixels; Optical zoom: 15 x

Cnet rating  — 7.0/10