Sony HX1 - Any feedback from new user?

[mtclimber]

Here is another outdoor photo in bright sunshine where I elected to us EV-1.0, but I still had to deal with a small amount of over exposure. This photo also shows good sharpness as well.

Sarah Joyce

[Tullio]

Originally Posted by mtclimber

The HX-1 has a real tendency to over expose in bright sunshine. I began shooting at EV-0.7 and increased to EV-1.0 and still found some over exposure.

I was attempting come up with some color samples today. The left photo is with the R Mode which is described as natural color reproduction. The right photo is with the V for Vivid Mode.

IMO the difference is rather small. However, I thought it wise to do this test sample as I have seen more that a few comments about the HX-1 having "washed out" colors.

Sarah Joyce

Ignore my comments. After I posted it, I went back and the second image of the trees appeared normal.

[Tullio]

Originally Posted by mtclimber

Here is another outdoor photo in bright sunshine where I elected to us EV-1.0, but I still had to deal with a small amount of over exposure. This photo also shows good sharpness as well.

Sarah Joyce

This is a good image IMO. Seagulls are not easy to photograph. Quite often you get over exposed spots because of the high contrast between the dark grey and white feathers. However, under expose by -1.0 is significant.

[Biro]

The seagull shot is very good indeed. Not only good sharpness... but quite a bit of fine detail in the feathers. Very impressive.

[jack55]

Hi Sarah... I considered this camera when I was comparing with the Nikon P90 that I ended up getting. I still don't think it is worth the extra $140, $500 for Sony, $360 for the Nikon. I was real happy with the Sony H50 I had to be sure. The real deal breaker besides the price was the longer x4 zoom the Nikon had. I haven't regretted buying it yet.

Don't take this as a knock against Sony. I really did like that H50 when I had it.

[mtclimber]

Thanks for all of the input we have received on this relatively new thread. This morning, because we have dense fog this morning, I decided to get some comparison shots indoors, using just window light. To make things even a bit more demanding I kept both cameras set to Auto WB.

The first photo, of my easiest subject, my husband Bradley, is a control and comparison photo. This photo was taken with the Sony H-50. Once again, just like the HX-1, I had to use EV-0.7 to get a good exposure.

Sarah Joyce

[mtclimber]

Now these two photos were taken with the HX-1. The left photo was taken in the Program Mode where I had to use EV-1.0 to get the proper exposure. The camera chose F 4.5 at 1/30th of a second while using ISO 400. The right hand photo was taken using the new Twilight Mode where 6 photos are taken and then they are merged together for the best result. The camera selected ISO 800 and used F 5.0 at 1/50th of a second.

Of course, I realize these were not the optimum conditions to experiment with the Twilight Mode, but I wanted to get a chance as to how it felt holding the camera. Frankly, I was quite amazed at how quickly the HX-1 was to capture those 6 exposures. One can really conjure, based on that small Twilight Mode experience, what the camera could do with sports or action shots when the Burst Mode is used and you get 10fps.

Sarah Joyce

[Tullio]

The images look very grainy at ISO 400, which is quite disappointing. I also find the picture taken in Twilight mode washed out compared to the one taken in P mode. Then again, the condition in terms of available light is far from ideal to test these features. So, it's hard to tell whether the HX-1 is a big improvement over it predecessor or not. In any case, thanks for taking the time to take and post these pictures.

[mtclimber]

Tullio-

I had the very same feeling about graininess. The more I use this new camera, the more convinced I become that you have to love it for its "whiz-bang" features, because otherwise it is not quite as good as the H-50.

Sarah Joyce

[mtclimber]

Tullio-

Here is another look at the "Twilight Mode" Photo. I got rid of the "pasty" look to Bradley's complexion. I also did not like how it came out of the camera.

Sarah Joyce