Review on 📷 Sony Cybershot DSCH1 5.1MP Digital Camera with Enhanced 12x 'Steady Shot' Zoom (Discontinued by Manufacturer) by Angela Johnson

I have been using the Sony DSC-H1 for over 2 months now and am very happy with the results. Before purchasing, I read countless reviews and spent hours deciding which ultrazoom to buy. Finally it came to the Sony DSC-H1. I chose it over Canon S2-IS because Sony is better. The H1 includes the following accessories in addition to those supplied by Canon and Sony: 2100mAh batteries and charger, lens adapter, lens hood and 32MB of internal memory (as opposed to a 16MB card). , which comes with S2). So for less money you get rechargeable batteries, a lens adapter, a lens hood, more memory and a 2.5-inch LCD (even the tripod socket on the H1 is metal, but the S2 is plastic). H1 seems (to me) to be much more profitable than S2. H1 is very well done. It feels very good in the hand and is very durable. Thanks to the large handle and the lens barrel, it is comfortable to hold. The battery compartment is very strong and doesn't feel like it's going to break even with heavy use (there's a nifty hinge in the middle of the battery compartment that allows you to read memory cards without the batteries falling out; you can even change the cards on a tripod)! I recently went to Wal-Mart and as I was strolling around the neighborhood I decided to pop in out of curiosity. Next to it were S2-IS and DSC-H1. I got the S2 and it didn't feel like a reliable and expensive camera like the H1. And then the LCD. After using the H1's 2.5 inch screen for a month, I saw how small the 1.8 inch screen is! It is so small that it is very difficult to see the details of the frame both before and after the shot. So once you've tried the H1, you won't want to go back to the small LCD! The camera is very easy to use. The controls are conveniently placed and with a little practice you can operate the camera without taking your eyes off the viewfinder (or LCD). The lightning is very strong and far-reaching; it can be turned off to capture closer subjects. Some complain about the slow charging of the flash drive. It's a bit slow, but I don't mind; It doesn't last that long if you have it low, which is what I use most of the time. It's only slow at normal and high levels, but that's to be expected with a flash this powerful. It doesn't bother me as I mostly shoot outdoors (so I wanted 12x zoom)! If you shoot mostly indoors, it might be worth looking elsewhere. The 2.5 inch LCD screen makes taking photos a real pleasure! It's bright, sharp, and boosts in low light (not as much as some cameras like Kodak, but it's good enough for me). I also bought a screen protector off eBay to protect the LCD from scratches and fingerprints. The zoom lens is smooth, fast, and has plenty of stops for fine-tuning. With 12X you really can do a lot more! There is some controversy that the lens is not very high quality. I didn't think that was true. Most of my shots are sharp and clear (occasional shots are blurry, usually my fault; shutter speed too slow, etc.). The image stabilization is incredible! This makes taking pictures in low light or far away much easier than usual. I am very happy with the quality of the pictures this camera takes. The cinema mode is also very good. It's also very high quality. It's fun filming things you just can't photograph. I have to admit that I was seduced by the Panasonic FZ5, but the small screen, lack of manual focus and quirky design just didn't suit me. .Now for the accessories: I bought an extra set of batteries for $6 and 2 extra 256MB cards for about $40 and now I'm fully ready to shoot. Don't turn your back on Sony with MemorySticks. While they used to be more expensive than SDs, they are falling in price quickly and if you search online you can easily find them cheaper than their SD counterparts. I also bought a Tamrac Digital 6 camera bag to carry everything and it fits the bill! I bought this case because it fits the H1 with the lens adapter (I like to keep it on all the time to protect the lens). Be sure to check out this H1 case as a very high quality alternative to Sony's inferior case (at only $18 this Tamrac case is a bargain)! Overall I think this is a great camera and I am very happy with my purchase.