Super zoom Super zoom
February, 2011
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Sony CybershotDSC-HX100v

Summary Sony DSC-HX100v

Prices Price
Camera only $398 - $428
all DSC-HX100v prices
Score Snapsort rank
Within its price range #4 of 25 Among similar cameras #4 of 33
details details
Specifications Key specs
Zoom Help 30x Screen size Help 3.0"
Aperture Help f/2.8 Screen resolution Help 921k dots
Wide angle Help 27 mm Movie format Help 1080p @ 60fps
see all specifications
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100vSony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

reviewsWhat are people saying about the DSC-HX100v

"The Sony scored an Acceptable rating in overall image quality."
popphoto.com | talking about the camera's image-quality
"It's easy to find what you are looking for."
popphoto.com | talking about the camera's button-layout
"Despite our few gripes, we still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the HX100V to someone interested in a superzoom camera."
popphoto.com | talking about the camera's overall-performance

Videos

Sony DSC-HX100V Camera Review ...

Sony DSC-HX100V Digital Camera...

Sony DSC HX100V Full Test - Ti...
Sony DSC-HX100V Camera Review (HD) - BinaryCafe
  • Review
  • Preview
 Sony DSC-HX100V Digital Camera Unboxing
  • Tutorial
  • Exposure bracketing
  • White balance
  • Shooting video
 Sony DSC HX100V Full Test - Time is nothing
  • Sample video
  • Short film

Browse all Sony DSC-HX100v videos

Pros

The Sony DSC-HX100v vs other recent digicams

Zoom Huge zoom Help
30x
Image stabilization Image stabilization Help
Lens
Sensor type CMOS Sensor Help
Better in low light
GPS Built-in GPS Help
Great for travel
Viewfinder Doesn't use battery, see more detail Help
Digital
Popularity Very popular Help
Among snapsort users
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds
Aperture Wide aperture Help
f/2.8
Movie format Full HD Help
1080p @ 60fps
Screen resolution Very high resolution screen Help
921k dots
Continuous shooting Rapid fire Help
10 fps
Screen flips out Flip-out screen Help
Great for movies
Macro focus Good macro Help
1 cm
Fastest shutter speed Fast shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second

Cons

The Sony DSC-HX100v vs other recent digicams

Touch screen No touch screen Help
More buttons
Thickness Thick Help
3.7"
Weight Very heavy Help
577 g
Size Quite large Help
Prosumer size 122x87x93 mm
Announced Old Help
February, 2011
Lowest price Expensive Help
$398.00

The Sony DSC-HX100v vs other recent super zooms

Supports RAW No RAW support Help
Less editing fidelity
Light sensitivity (boost) Lacks boost light sensitivity Help
None
Wide angle Poor wide angle lens Help
27 mm
External flash No external flash Help
Less expandable

Appearance

front photo of the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100vback photo of the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100vangle photo of the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Discussion What do you think about the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of this camera here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 25 comments

Lobsangggaltsen (11:20 AM, February 13, 2012)
i really would like to buy a sony cybershot dsc hx100v
so, could i pay only 10.00
 
Gmiura (3:49 PM, January 17, 2012)
I have one and I think this is the best multipurpose zoom camera to date. You must be aware that the image quality is very similar from the compact cameras (which is very good for general use), but it records in full hd and have several other cool features really fun and easy to use. I was very impressed how fast the auto focus is on this camera when using zoom comparing to others from the same range. It is not for professional use but it is a very complete camera to use everywhere.
 
Maxbern007 (11:58 AM, January 11, 2012)
Subissant l'attaque publicitaire en règle de ses adversaires (Canon, Panasonic surtout..etc), ça me conforte à penser que Le SONY HX100V reste le meilleur bridge...jusqu'à présent
 
SASQUATCH (7:23 PM, December 03, 2011)
Not only was your information very helpful Snapsort, but I've grown to trust your data haha.  IN FACT, I returned this camera that was 2 days old for the Sony NEX-5NK and couldn't be happier.  And to boot the "true-resolution" was 16.1mp which I found on here, so thank you, I actually needed the full reso and also RAW capabilities with what I'm planning.  What amazes me is the expansion capabilities with the NEX-5NK, it's limitless, reminds me of my JEEP Wrangler, very modular and customizable. 
 
SASQUATCH (7:33 PM, December 01, 2011)
Sony, quicker shutter speed (1/4 vs 1/3), Sony has a GPS, couple other minor things better on the Sony than the Canon.  After handling the Canon I didn't care for the pre-K looking fonts all over it, just felt and looked clunky, but very comparable spec wise.
 
SASQUATCH (7:28 PM, December 01, 2011)
Um yeah, pretty much it does not flip out, it tilts only, not sure why snapsort would state "it does", lol, it is NOT fully articulated therefore not considered a flip-out, period.
 
SASQUATCH (7:26 PM, December 01, 2011)
Awesome, thank you for the intel, makes sense.  Appreciate the true-resolution intel as well.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (6:45 PM, December 01, 2011)
Hi Sasquatch, here at Snapsort we quote the resolution of the images produced by the camera.  According to dpreview, the Sony HX100v produces images that are 4608x3456 pixels, which is 15,925,248 pixels, which in our books is 15.9MP.  We're not 100% sure what Sony means when they claim their camera is 16.2MP, it seems a bit misleading to us.

The true resolution is a calculated estimate based on the sensor size.  The theory is that light gets focused into small circles, and there is a physical limit to how small those circles are, so once the photo sites on a sensor are smaller than those circles they are no longer capturing more detail.  Some background here: http://snapsort.com/learn/sensor/true-resolution
 
SASQUATCH (6:05 PM, December 01, 2011)
Janice that's so nice to hear.  My youngest son is 24 and like his Dad an outdoorsman, so we both love photography along with the adventuring we do.  He has a Canon SX20 and I can't believe the shots he takes with it.  Couple weeks ago he bought a Nikon D5100 because he's stepping up, but for the pricetag I'm just getting into the "real" camera scene and found this Sony at BestBuy, nice demo from the camera tech and I was convinced.  Had mine two days now and am impressed.  After handling the Canon SX40, Fuji HS20 and Pan FZ150, none of them compared quite the same as this Sony.  I have 14 days to return it if unhappy with it, so we'll see. 
 
Still looking (6:05 PM, December 01, 2011)
Any specifics please. I am trying to decide...
 
SASQUATCH (5:59 PM, December 01, 2011)
No it does not, the articulating LCD of the sony is "Tilting" ONLY, not fully articulated aka (flipout), BIG difference in that the flipouts can actually flip around and protect the screen when not in use.  I don't mind the Sony tilting screen because I've ordered a screen film for it (good enough), if I decided to keep the camera that should suffice.  Wish they would have made it fully articulated though.
 
Still looking (5:58 PM, December 01, 2011)
what about the Canon sx40HS in comparison with the hx100v? Anybody with hands on experience on both these?
 
SASQUATCH (5:56 PM, December 01, 2011)
To clarify snapsort, it's not a matter of living up to expectations, I found this place doing a google search, didn't take long to hear from a few friends who are heavyduty photographers to share that you take some of this data as good and other with a grain of salt, so it's still a good idea to have this type of info databased and honestly I'm having fun as of right this moment checking out all kinds of specs and comparable information.  I'm just a stickler for folks keeping accurate specs of any model, now things like subjective true-resolution (that's something we can all live with and decide what to take from it) but the rest of it's good intel.
 
SASQUATCH (5:52 PM, December 01, 2011)
(from those listed in my link above) Sony, Canon & Panasonic were listed by snapsort as a 9.7 true-resolution (again, how accurate that is without real-time testing and just database data is questionable, but interesting nonetheless).  Fuji had 10.6mp.  Now the true DSLRs I'm considering (likely the 5100 over 3100) came in as advertised, imagine that's primarily due to the larger APS-C Sensor size?  Man this is tough, just bought this Sony two days ago, absolutely love it compared to the other superzooms I considered, handled, and just didn't personally care for.  My biggest gripe is the lack of "raw" with it and my learning Photoshop Elements 10 and Corel Paintshop ProX4 Unlimited.  But I'm actually playing with some photos now with Corel and not seeing the big deal really.  That said I'm not an expert either, new territory with the in-depth photo-editing and my biggest thing is getting the most bang for the buck with a camera.  Just not sure the superzoom is going to keep me happy longterm.  Then again maybe I can find a MUST SELL BABY ON WAY deal locally for a real DSLR to toy around with, we'll see. 

Meantime you can't go wrong with this Sony, it's a beast!
 
Still looking (5:49 PM, December 01, 2011)
Very true. The auto-focus on zoom is a joke.
 
SASQUATCH (5:38 PM, December 01, 2011)
15.9 mp is incorrect for this camera, it's 16.2,
it's been 16.2 and hasn't changed to date.  This may help, not sure if
you guys will correct the mistake, regardless here are the accurate
specs . 
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=canon_sx40hs&products=fujifilm_hs20exr&products=panasonic_dmcfz150&products=sony_dschx100v&products=nikon_d3100&products=nikon_d5100&sortDir=ascending
 
SASQUATCH (5:37 PM, December 01, 2011)
(To snapsort) my post here should hopefully answer the inquiry by you on my separate post yesterday whereby you asked "what inaccurate data" was posted by snapsort.  15.9 mp is incorrect for this camera, it's 16.2, it's been 16.2 and hasn't changed to date.  This may help, not sure if you guys will correct the mistake, regardless here are the accurate specs .  http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=canon_sx40hs&products=fujifilm_hs20exr&products=panasonic_dmcfz150&products=sony_dschx100v&products=nikon_d3100&products=nikon_d5100&sortDir=ascending

That said I'm now interested in using the (snapsort calculated true resolution) for all of the cameras in my link above, albeit I've pretty much ruled out the Fujifilm and Panasonic which both came in low by comparison with consumers, primarily due to image-stabe and clumsy zoom compared to the Sony.  Regardless they were my runner ups for a superzoom, so left them in there and want to see their "true-resolution".  I'm curious if snapsort openly states you don't actually test cameras, just gather intel and database it, how accurate your true-resolution is?

All that aside, included in my link are two DSLRs I'm now considering vs a zuperzoom, D3100 & D5100.  Canon's been ruled out completely, I hate what they did to the new SX40, compared to my sons SX20 the new one has a cheap clunky pre-K GIANT letters all over it feel, doesn't feel let alone look professional, but I left it in the comparatives within the link as well.

Very interested in your true-resolution process snapsort.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (7:08 PM, November 30, 2011)
Hey Sasquatch

Glad you found us, sorry that we did not live up to your expectations. We encourage our users to check out other sources for more information, so thanks for sharing that link. 
I did a quick check of our specs on the Sony HX100v against Sony's specs and I did not notice any differences.  If you saw something specific please let us know, we are only human and on an occasion do make mistakes.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (6:55 PM, November 30, 2011)
It does
 
SASQUATCH (6:02 PM, November 30, 2011)
Found this site doing a simple search, The relational database comparison idea while a good idea, wouldn't be bad if there was accurate specs within each represented model.  Disappointed with the inaccurate specs posted by snapsort.  Otherwise interesting approach to various camera comparisons.  Liked this comparisons better since it had accurate intel/specs, but honestly anyone with a little basic search ability should try continue researching options before purchasing and not just go by one sites feedback or comparison.  An "average" of which overall is best is always the best road provided the spec information is accurate.

Very informative site with "accurate" specs....  http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=canon_sx40hs&products=fujifilm_hs20exr&products=sony_dschx100v&products=panasonic_dmcfz150&sortDir=ascending, in fact I already setup a good line of comparable PS superzooms with the HX100V in the link above.

Snapsort defensive post in 3, 2, 1....lol
 
Lola (4:33 AM, November 28, 2011)
This doesn't actually have a "flip out" LCD, like this review states, does it?
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (0:25 AM, November 26, 2011)
Have you seen our comparison on the Sony DSC-HX100v vs Canon SX40?
 
Irshad Chohan (10:29 PM, November 25, 2011)
Please help me choose between Sony DSC-HX100v vs Canon SX40-HS, based on Image & Video Quality.
 
Vjdithya (6:44 PM, November 20, 2011)
i bought this amazin camera Sony Hx 100v and found what i was lookin for.. Its truely built to zoom pictures and capture it.. Focus is great.. And it comes with full H.D which gives amazin clarity of video's.. But am bit confused in using macro as camera doesn come with dedicaTed macro button.. Please reply how to take macro pics..
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (3:50 PM, November 08, 2011)
Hi Satyam, when Snapsort compares cameras it uses a calculated true resolution, not the manufacturer stated resolution.  You can see on the Sony X100 specs page that we have the resolution listed as 15.9MP.