Sony HX5v first impressions

[CyberTron]

more pictures of some birds and a worm, taken today and yesterday.
The photos at the sea is taken with a lot of wind and also it was very dense fog (and it was very wet in the air)

[CyberTron]

continuing

[CyberTron]

just realised that iPhoto doesn't do well with exporting, some quality is lost...
i am going to use picasa from here on...

[kwill20]

Hi all. I am a long time lurker and finally registered. I really find this forum helpful and nice to "newbies". I just bought my own HX5V last Monday and I am experimenting with the camera, I am going to Florida this week to use it. I do have a couple of questions. Also, I am totally new with photography.

First of all, I've read to leave the camera in P mode, as it takes better pictures than auto. What is P mode and should I leave it there?

Also, when should I use the HDR feature on the camera? I have noticed in a variety of shots that the photos seem a tinge darker but much more sharp.

Thanks everyone. Any help is appreciated.

[mtclimber]

kwill-

Welcome to the Forum. We delighted that you dropped by.

Yes, it is always preferable to shoot in "P" or Programmed Auto Mode. So just leave it there, please. The HDR mode involves merging multiple photos into a single photo. Therefore it is that "layering" effect that increases the perception of added sharpness.

If you feel a photo is to dark, lighten it a bit. Go to Google and type in "Picasa Download." The download is free and now you can adjust and re-size your photos easily. Picasa is very intuitive and easy to use.

Sarah Joyce

[Jama]

Help!

Hi! I bought my HXV5 about 2 weeks ago...after reading a lot of the initial posts on "first impressions." I have been enjoying its many features.

I am writing for some help. I somehow have managed to change a setting that makes all my pictures narrow like a panoramic shot. I have searched the handboook for clues. I have worked my way through just about every setting I can think of, but I have not been able to return it to normal picture size. Does anyone know what I did and how I can reset my camera back to taking normal size shots?

[CyberTron]

Originally Posted by Jama

Help!

Hi! I bought my HXV5 about 2 weeks ago...after reading a lot of the initial posts on "first impressions." I have been enjoying its many features.

I am writing for some help. I somehow have managed to change a setting that makes all my pictures narrow like a panoramic shot. I have searched the handboook for clues. I have worked my way through just about every setting I can think of, but I have not been able to return it to normal picture size. Does anyone know what I did and how I can reset my camera back to taking normal size shots?

Could it be that you have put your hx5v in 16:9 mode??
you change that in menu -> image Size (choose 4:3 10M)

Otherwise, to do a reset press MENU -> Go down to the "briefcase" -> Go down to the "Hammer menu" -> Then choose "Initialize" .

[mvaldes555]

Hello all, this is my first post here!
I bought recently a Sony HX5 (notice, not HX5V, so I don't have the gps) in Tokyo where I live. I am really pleased with the camera, perfect size, and such fun features... still, i have some problem with the colors, the images seem to be washed out, especially green from grass and trees.
Also, images seem to be not so sharp as competitors such as canon and panasonic.
By photoshopping I can add some green saturation and sharpen a bit but I'm not expert and I always risk to make the pictures artificial looking.
To me they look much better but it's a pain to do that for every image.
I understand that Sony built a technically wonderful camera but somehow misjudged (according to some at least) the image processing software.
Does anyone have the same problems?
Is there any way of adjusting things? I tried to play with WB but it doesn't help much. I notice that cloudy WB is better than sunny WB for most outdoor shots regardless of weather.
Sarah Joyce, I'll ask you since you had both cameras, did you notice a big difference with the Canon s90? I'm considering buying one as well... but then I really wouldn't know which one to bring with me on which occasion!
Oh, if only I could have s90 colors and sharpness in a HX5 body!

[mvaldes555]

this is just an example, the second picture is taken with my old panasonic fx35 after a few seconds from the first pic taken the HX5... look at how stronger the green color is!
And i guarantee you that in real life it looks much more panasonic-like than sony-like!

[BPHusker]

I can't find this camera anywhere! Local stores are out, Amazon and TigerDirect are out. Is there a big shortage on these? Didn't they just come out a month ago or so?