Sony Cyber-shot HX · on sale May 2012 · a retrospective
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V: a 20x zoom with GPS in a coat pocket
In 2012 Sony's travel zoom stretched from 25 mm to 500 mm, tagged every picture with its location and shot Full HD video. Reviewers loved the features and argued about the pictures and the price.
Meet the camera
Imaging Resource described a coat-pocket-friendly camera that sacrifices nothing in zoom reach and resolution, with a 20x lens that protrudes telescope-like from a chunky body.1 TechRadar found a solid-feeling metal build with integral GPS, stereo microphones and a top-of-the-range Sony G lens, a serious black finish, and a leather-effect rubber grip that made one-handed shooting at full telephoto possible.3 T3 said it had a better build than most compacts.4
Imaging Resource gave it availability from May 2012 at around US$400.1 TechRadar listed £349 and $398 and set it against the Panasonic Lumix TZ30 and bridge cameras like the 30x Fuji HS30.3 Expert Reviews called it the pricier of Sony's two such models, and noted rivals such as the Canon SX260 HS, Fujifilm F770EXR and Panasonic TZ30 had very similar specifications for less.2
Why this one was interesting
A very long zoom in a small camera
The 25 to 500 mm range is the headline. TechRadar noted the debut of what Sony called its Advanced Aspherical lens design, built to deliver a big zoom in a fairly small body.3 T3 liked that sharp shots could be achieved consistently even at full zoom without a tripod, which was not always the case with travel zooms.4 Expert Reviews disagreed on the long end: it found the HX20V a little disappointing for telephoto shots, where out-of-focus areas looked scruffy.2
Photos while filming
Expert Reviews' favourite feature: the camera could capture 1080p video and 13-megapixel photos at the same time, with no special mode selected beforehand, as long as video was recorded at 25 fps rather than the top 50 fps. It called this tremendously useful.2 Video itself was clean and detailed with remarkably little noise in low light, in the same review's words.2
Sweep panorama, and 3D
T3 noted that 2D or 3D Sweep Panorama stitched a burst of shots automatically into one elongated image, and that 3D files could be viewed only on a suitably equipped TV, not on the camera.4 Expert Reviews described a portrait-orientation panorama mode producing 43-megapixel images.2
The idea of a slim, stylish Sony compact is told earlier in our DSC-T90 retrospective.
The dark: noise reduction at work
With the sensor's resolution crammed into a small chip, Expert Reviews worried about noise, but found the HX20V coped surprisingly well: by ISO 800 the noise artefacts were only a little worse and there was still reasonable detail, and combining six frames reduced noise further. It was not quite as good as the Canon SX260 HS but narrowly ahead of the Panasonic TZ30.2 T3 found results between ISO 3200 and the maximum ISO 12800 slightly artificial but still usable.4
Real photographs taken with this camera, from Wikimedia Commons, all by one photographer. The sensitivity shown is recorded in each file's own EXIF data.
Like that look? See recent eBay sold listings for this camera ↗
How it drew the picture
Expert Reviews found wide-angle shots sharp and packed with detail, but noise reduction glossed over subtle textures such as grass and hair and struggled with skin; photos were consistently respectable but never really much better.2 TechRadar called the results sharp and colourful but listed some barrel distortion and loss of highlights as the drawbacks.3 T3 noted noticeable softness and slight curvature toward the corners at 25 mm, with fringing and burnt-out highlights in bright conditions.4
Photos taken with this camera, from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each picture.
On eBay right now
Live listings for this camera, supplied by eBay and updated automatically. We earn a commission if you buy through them.
The little wins
.JPG){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
Manual control, in a pocket
The mode dial included Manual with aperture and shutter speed, TechRadar said, plus Superior Auto and Intelligent Auto.3
Background defocus
T3 played with a background defocus mode that generated portraits that looked as if they came from a DSLR.4
Charge in the camera
The battery charged in the camera from a USB lead and mains plug, T3 noted, so there was no separate charger.4
Where it let you down
TechRadar's one reason to avoid it was the price,3 and Expert Reviews and T3 agreed it was expensive next to its rivals.24 Expert Reviews found its file management left a lot to be desired, with a twelve-second wait to write folders to a blank card, separate folders for photos and videos, and a USB socket on the base.2 Manual settings were ignored in video, according to the same review.2
What the reviewers said in 2012
| Outlet | Date | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Expert Reviews | 30 May 2012 | A fantastic array of innovative and useful features, but image quality has its ups and downs; an outstanding video camera but photo quality is the sticking point.2 |
| TechRadar | 12 Jun 2012 | Broad zoom, solid build, GPS and panorama, sharp colourful results; expensive.3 |
| T3 | 10 Sep 2012 | Won the top prize in its September compact camera group test, and called it very close to the perfect travel zoom in practice.4 |
The timeline
- 27 February 2012Imaging Resource previews the HX20V.1
- May 2012On sale at around US$400.1
- 30 May 2012Expert Reviews publishes its review.2
- 12 June 2012TechRadar publishes its review.3
- 10 September 2012T3 publishes its review.4
Should you buy one now?
Buy one if you want a pocketable camera with a 500 mm reach, GPS tagging and good video, and you can live with processing that smooths fine texture. It launched at about US$400;1 what it sells for now is a question for the sold listings, not for us. Before you bid, check these:
- The lens. It extends telescope-style; check that it extends and retracts smoothly through the whole zoom range.1
- The battery. It uses an NP-BG1 (an NP-FG1 also fits), rated for about 320 shots;1 a fresh one is on Amazon ↗. It charges in the camera by USB.4
- The card. It takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, or Memory Stick Duo;1 Expert Reviews found a blank SDHC card slow to initialise.2
- USB mode. If your computer cannot see the internal memory, Expert Reviews fixed it by switching from MTP to Mass Storage mode in the setup menu.2
- The grip. TechRadar liked the leather-effect rubber grip; check that it is intact.3
If you are wondering why cameras like this are being hunted down again, we tell that story once, in Pictures that never left the card.
See recent sold prices on eBay ↗Shop on eBay ↗NP-BG1 battery ↗
New to the jargon (CCD, ISO, xD cards, IXUS vs ELPH)? Read our plain-English digicam glossary.
Sources
- Imaging Resource, Sony HX20V overview and specifications (posted 27 Feb 2012)
- Expert Reviews, Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V review by Ben Pitt (30 May 2012)
- TechRadar, Sony HX20V review by Gavin Stoker (12 Jun 2012)
- T3, Sony HX20V review by Gavin Stoker (10 Sep 2012)
Camera photos by Liondartois (CC BY-SA 3.0) and Falcon Photography (CC BY-SA 2.0); sample photographs are credited under each one, all via Wikimedia Commons. Links to eBay and Amazon are affiliate links.