Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 10 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization   [Black 2009]

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Rave Reviews (19)*

• 1) Everything I wanted and needed in a camera

  by Petra Springer on May 13 2009
    290+ helpful votes

  I am no expert when it comes to photography but enjoy taking good pictures of my family and friends. I have kids in sports and I like to take my own pictures for picture giving. I read many reviews (for hours) on various cameras and endet up with this one here. I first was going to get the DSC-H50 (one step up from the DSC-H20). When I went to the store to buy it, however, it was to large for my taste. It was to big to fit in a pants pocket and even for my small purse it was quite large. Here are the main reasons why this camera is awesome!
  
  This camera here is not as compact as your typical slim camera (due to the 10x zoom), but it is small enough to fit in a purse or even a jacket/pants pocket if need be.
  
  This camera has a burst mode so you can hold down the shutter and the camera will take numerous pictures, thus making it ideal for action shots. I took it to a Volleyball tournament and got unbelievable shots of my daughter serving and hitting! I cought her in mid air more then a few times...just what I had hoped for. I also took pictures at a track meet and got kids jumping hurdles...the pictures look almost like magazine shots!
  
  This camera is extremely easy to use in the easy and auto adjust mode! It tells you everything on the screen. You can start shooting pretty much right away...it's that easy! The manual is good to have for reference and questions and if you really want to get to know your camera.
  
  The zoom is great and plenty! I took pictures from the mezzanine onto the Volleyball courts and could get nice close up shots! 10x is plenty for me!
  
  The battery life is also impressive, as long as you keep your screen on a regular bright setting. First I had it set to "bright" and the battery didn't do well. Then I set it to normal and it lasts a long time. I took about 150 shots and not a single bar was missing from the battery!
  
  It has a rechargebale battery so you don't have to keep buying regular batteries. Also, it does say that you can get a international charger so the battery charger can be plugged in anywhere in the world. (Still have to get that myself). What a nice option.
  
  The quality of the pictures is also great! I took a team photo and my daughter took it to a practice to show the others. They choose the picture to use in a frame as a gift to the coaches. It turned out so good and all I did was push a button!
  
  When shooting pictures, it has a option for the file size you select. If you know you want to email pictures, or for example if you sell on eBay and want to download pictures onto the ebay site, you select the small file size and shoot pictures that way for working with them online. For pictures that you use for portraits for example, you choose a larger file (pixels I guess), and that way it does not distort the picture when you enlarge it. That is also extremely easy to figure out!
  
  Last but not least...I plugged it into my pc with the supplied USB cord and retrieved the photos the same way I always did in the past. I have not yet added the picture cd that came with it, but my guess is that it will work very good. I also took the 2GB SD card to Wal mart and made nice prints (you have to purchase the pro duo stick seperate...look for the "Sony pro-Duo Stick" cost about $13-$15). The 2 GB is plenty for me, I think it holds about 400 pictures).
  
  Great camera...I have not found a flaw yet!
  

• 2) Great Camera!! Best Value!!!

  by TechGeek on May 12 2009
    90+ helpful votes

  I bought this camera for a two week trip I was about to take. I also purchased an extra extended battery and an 8GB memory card for the camera. The main reason I purchased the camera was for its ability to take pictures quickly. I looked through consumer reports and this one was one of the top rated cameras. The cost is very good for this quality camera. I could take a picture withing a couple of seconds after turning the camera on and I could take a picture again less than a second later. This camera also has great battery life. Even if you just use the included battery, you can still get around 3-400 pictures (assuming you are not using flash). The zoom on the camera is great. It is a 10x optical zoom and additional 7x digital zoom. This gives you the power of a 17x zoom. If you take your picture at 17x zoom, you can then zoom in on your picture another 8x under the "review your pictures" menu. This camera is also small enough to fit into a small over the shoulder camera bag. It fit into my old camera bag that I used to have a small Olympus camera in. I recommend this camera for ages 16 and up. It is a great camera that it comparable to any SLR camera. I think it is better than a SLR because it is so much smaller than any SLR you could purchase.

• 3) Superb photos and for a lot less than the ZS3 / TZ-7

  by Rayaz on August 17 2009
    70+ helpful votes

  After going through 2 generations of the lumix TZ series (TZ3 and TZ4) which served well as multi purpose cameras, I wanted a multi-purpose camera that also had better video quality and superior low light capabilities. Here is my why not others comparison (it may not match with your needs, but it might help some of you)
  
  Panasonic Lumix ZS1 / TZ6 vs Sony H20
  Lower quality video (same as WVGA resolution as the TZ4), and could not adapt to the different lighting conditions like its higher model TZ7 (something that Panasonic does not mention clearly so be vary).
  
  Panasonic ZS3 / TZ7 vs Sony H20
  Unfortunately seems to have fallen prey to its high reviews with the price at $399 (even with weekend discounts it was around $340).
  Panasonic has decided to clam on cheap batteries, so you can't use OEM batteries with the latest firmware (needed as it supposedly fixes the autofocussing issue in videos). This mean you need to bust out 50-60$ for a spare battery, and since the new battery is smaller than the one's used in the previous models, you need the spare.
  
  [Update] Price has dropped considerably, but the battery prices still remain ridiculously high. After market batteries that work around the chipping proof logic seem to be available but no guarantee if they will work, so not worth the hassle. One more issue i came across after i tried the unit was that Class 6 SDHC is not good enough to record video in high quality and you need to spend loads of $$ and get high speed SDHC if you want to record in high quality :(
  
  Canon SX200 vs Sony H20
  The canon SX200 though having good picture quality and full manual controls was out simply because it does not have optical zoom in videos.
  
  Samsung WB550 vs Sony H20
  Optics that match the Lumix TZ7 in spec, and yet offering all what the Sony has to offer, so in theory its the camera that's the all rounder
  But the reviews highlighted the picture quality was not very good and had the purple fringing problem
  Uncertain quality of samsung camera (Since the samsung mobile phones are a bit low on reliability from experience)
  
  Therefore i came to the conclusion the best alternative to the Lumix that also matched my needs was the Sony DSC-H20 though knowing that the lack of a true wide screen (38mm vs 28mm in the panasonic) may limit my landscape shots and group photos.
  
  The initial impression once i received the unit was that it was definitely not as slim as the Lumix cameras, and the build quality while good for a plastic unit seemingly a bit fragile compared to the all metal lumix. I guess its going to take some time for me to shift from the lumix mindset :) The positive being that this sony model was made in Japan.
  
  However the pictures confirmed what the reviewers said that it was camera with good potential. The daylight pictures are superb, and the focus is much faster than the TZ4 i had last. The macro mode is able to go much closer than the TZ4 (and even the TZ7), and i realized this meant even better close up pictures. The video quality in good light is superb, and the zoom speed is decent, and smooth. The jump to 720p HD is definitely noticed compared to VGA/WVGA and you will not want to revert back :) The Sony focussed quite well while zooming in video mode compared to the TZ4 (and i heard the new TZ7 panasonics also still have this problem).
  
  Then i tried the indoor pictures, and the quality again was very good (My wife said the pictures were definitely a lot more clear and vivid compared to the TZ4). The dual shot capability is also useful, though in most cases the second option is useless as the modes used don't seem very intelligent. The flash definitely is very powerful, and works well even to provide background clarity. The video indoors is much better than my TZ4 as it adapts well to the low light, and in high sensitivity mode while the video can be a bit noisy it still able to provide fair footage.
  
  If you are the forgetful type remember to set the flash to auto, if not you are are going to be disappointed when the shots turns out grainy when taken without the flash.
  
  The menus are fairly easy to use the feedback from the navigation buttons are bit less than the TZ4, and i miss the context menu capability of the lumix. Sony hiding the settings menu and requiring the user to press "." at the last menu option is unnecessary initially then i realized its to keep the menu's slimmer with the options required for normal use available, and only the lesser used options are in this hidden menu.
  
  One feature that i thought the camera had was that it could increase its optical zoom to higher values just like the Panasonic range (e.g. in the lumix when i set it to 3MP, the zoom increased to 15.9X from 10X optical). However seems the Sony cannot do that, and only has the digital zoom increasing and this is of no use.
  
  Another useful feature is that you can press the play button when the camera is switched off to view the photos on the camera without having the lens come out. The play button also works when you connect the USB connector to connect to the PC again without the lens mechanism getting activated.
  
  PROS
  Good picture quality both outdoors and indoors
  Video is very good, and does well in low light as well
  Very good macro photos
  10X optical zoom an asset for an all purpose camera
  Nice features and smile shutter works well (yet to try blink detection)
  Fast focusing specially in low light conditions
  Lightweight and well balanced
  Nice 3" LCD which shows pictures well
  Manual mode useful for indoor and night photos
  
  CONS
  Lens cover is a pain, and would have preferred an automatic option like in the lumix, this also makes the camera a bit more bulky
  Not a true wide screen optics, so you have a limited view in wide mode
  Only 3 modes for video VGA (4:3), and high/low HD (16:9).
  Use of memory stick as the storage medium :(
  A slimmer profile would have been nice
  Pop-up flash while effective also mean you need to pop-it in back
  Flash recycle time is slow
  Manual mode has limited flexibility
  
  [Update]
  Sold the camera the shutter lag and long flash recycling did not suite my type of photography sadly.

• 4) Best camera for its price!!

  by Michael Pellegrino on April 21 2009
    60+ helpful votes

  Hello all, this camera is the real deal for its price. It is very easy to use and since I'm new with all this camera stuff, I love the fact you get detail info on the little icons indicating what they do. This helps my learning process for this camera. Also when the time is right, and you understand the camera, you can shut this option off. The picture quality is next to amazing. Especially at night, all my other cameras could never take pictures like this does. The detail is so crisp and clear. I'm truly impressed with this HD camera. If you are on the fence jump off and get this camera.

• 5) Completely Impressed!

  by A. Dade on May 27 2009
    30+ helpful votes

  We went into Best Buy to buy the DSC T77 - it was horrible! We loved our little W50 and decided to stick with the CyberShot line. Thank goodness we found THIS camera.
  
  I was more than happy to pay the additional cost when I saw all of the features.
  
  Super steady shot - and excellent fast motion shots. Tons of neat settings to catch the perfect shot. The macro and close up capability is in amazing detail - as well as the zoom.
  
  We took pictures at the zoo of Elephants super far away and zoomed in and got some amazing shots!
  
  This camera is positively one of the best I've ever seen Sony put out for it's type. The smile detection function is AWESOME and it REALLY works and it works fast!
  
  Also - you can edit peoples faces ON the camera to make it look like they were smiling! How cool is that?
  
  Another thing - you can set priority face recognition so that it will focus on the person you want it to when you're shooting pictures - like the bride in a wedding party for example. You can set her face as a priority face and it will automatically focus on her.
  
  We are in love with this camera and have absolutely NOTHING but good things to say about it!
  
  Buy with confidence knowing you will love this camera.

• 6) Great so far

  by D. Tran on April 14 2009
    30+ helpful votes

  I just got this camera with my Sony reward points. I was considering this camera or DSCH50. I'm a complete novice when it comes to cameras and would generally only buying a camera in $100-200 range.
  
  It's a pretty good size for me; compact but not small enough to put in your pocket comfortably. The instructions are fairly substantial at about 60 pages but straightforward and easy to understand. I've tried out the face detection, smile detection, and various scene detection options. I haven't tried the HD movie feature yet.
  
  The quality of the shots looks great with various options of file size and resolution, from email to 13X19". The construction appears fairly sturdy. The placement of the buttons is intuitive and not hard to reach. I've been quite happy with the shots I've taken and options that are available. I've taken action shots at sporting events, close-in low light shots of agarose gels under UV light (I'm a scientist), and snapshots of my wife, cats etc. I've been quite happy with the camera.
  
  The biggest drawback is that the camera, being Sony, requires Sony's proprietary memory sticks. I can't really say how it compares to models from Nikon etc in the same price range.

• 7) Great camera - 10X zoom and 720P video (w/zoom)

  by R. Calderon on May 06 2009
    20+ helpful votes

  What I like the most about this camera is the 10X zoom and the HD video. This is one of the few cameras that allow you to do OPTICAL zoom on the video (canon only do digital zoom while in video mode). The zoom is 38mm to 380mm (10X). Not that good for wide angle (38mm vs 24mm or 28mm in most P&S), but I prefer to have more zoom (380mm) than wide angle for short distance pics. Also the video format is MPEG4 which I believe is easy to manage and good in compression. Price is also perfect, got it for $230. Overall great camera!!!

• 8) 1st personally owned camera from Sony - Worthit!

  by Renan O. on June 24 2009
    20+ helpful votes

  I bought mine last week and it arrived 2 days ago. By the time i got the camera, I tested it immediately and had a couple of shots. This is my first personal camera and I am really enjoying it a lot. We had a lot of cameras before but my dad/mom owns it and most of them were Sony and I'm just borrowing. This is one of the best Sony's P&S camera in my opinion.
  
  At first, I was planning to get a DSLR or just the DSC-H50 but I am not feeling the bulky cameras as of the moment. I travel a lot and I don't think I want to bring those bulky and heavy gadgets with me. So, I did some research for a good camera specifications (that are small enough) and I ended up choosing between the Canon SD960 and this one (DSC-H20). Both of them almost have the same specs but the Canon camera is a little bit more expensive than H20. Also, I'm looking for a camera with better optical zoom and Sony-H20 offers twice the zoom strength as the Canon model that I am aiming for.
  
  What I like about it:
  - The HD quality video that it can take PLUS you can zoom while recording.
  - It's like a mini-dslr because you can switch it to Manual mode and you can adjust the aperture and shutter speed so you can do panning as well. A small camera that really works.. what can I say?
  - I love doing Bokeh and Macro shots!!! A+++
  - The features such as SCN, editing in camera etc.
  - The built and grip! Eventhough the body is made out of plastic, you can feel that it's tough and you can hold it really tight.
  - The smile shutter - works well for the Kids..
  - Ofcourse, the optical zoom.
  - The strong flash
  
  What I don't like:
  - No viewfinder
  - Popping out of flash, if you're not aware/forgot that you're going take a shot with a flash on/auto.
  - Lens cap - you tend to forget that it's there and may block the lens from popping out when you open your camera. It's a little bit annoying and it gives me the feeling that it might break my camera. Though it says that you should remove the cap and turn off your unit and turn it on again, before it works.
  
  Well, overall it's a great small camera and very worthit for its price. The cons I listed are not pretty much of a big deal especially when you see the crisp brilliant photos that you can take with DSC-H20. I bet you're going to love it too and it's worthit worthit and worthit!
  
  I bought the camera with the following stuffs: Sony 8gb mark 2 pro duo memory card, the sony pouch and a tripod.
  [...]

• 9) Sony H20 - Love it!

  by E. Goldblatt on May 24 2009
    20+ helpful votes

  I usually write long reviews, but I think this will be short and sweet. This is one great camera! My long search for a P&S camera that takes great pic's and vid's is finally over (at least for now). I've taken several hundred pictures and videos, most have come out absolutely fantastic. My only issue at all is low light performance. However, if you play with the settings, even those issues are mitigated to some degree. We all have to remember the limitations of any P&S. Overall, I will say that the H20 is the best P&S that I have used in a long long time. Good job Sony!

• 10) when the SLR is not practical

  by bykfixer on August 12 2009
    20+ helpful votes

  With this camera you get something pretty close to what the SLR can produce without taking up all that much room or breaking the bank. The 10x zoom is nice and steady with shutter speeds of about 1/25th giving me nice results at 5x7. VR was invented for people like me who quiver. 8x10's are decent as long as the viewer is 3' back or so but that's pretty much a normal veiwing point anyway. The Zeiss lens is phenominal!
  
  Bad news first: Noise becomes a factor at about 400 on large prints but anyone who wants to create a scrap book or photo album should not be dissapointed.
  Some of the layout like formating your memory card could be a drag for some. I have another Sony using #100 file on my computer and when I eventually found the "re-format" feature in the menu, it restarted back at 100 instead of #103 I use for this one. ( A Sony issue in general it seems). I would have preferred an optical veiwfinder but no cameras of this caliber have one these days. Also it would be nice to hold the "view" button when pushing the "on" button and not have the lens come out to extend battery life a bit. It has a "manual" feature but no "apperature" or "shutter" feature and the "program" feature says its adjustable but isn't unless you count the computer doing it for you as such. Point and shoot cameras all come with certain automatic features. Those who require total control must pick their poison and I chose this one for the price versus the overall features.
  
  Good news: Start up time is pretty fast. Not SLR like mind you but still pretty good. And if you tap the shutter button (like an SLR) after snapping a photo you can get another photo off pretty quick too. My favorite part about this little gem besides the wonderful pictures it takes are the re-touch features I've not seen on other cameras (yet) like partial color, fisheye and my favorite... retro. I just got the camera and figure on putting it through the paces over time. After 5 days I've shot over 500 pictures. I had to charge the factory battery after about 250 pictures. It came fully charged from the factory so I was taking pictures right out of the box. That was frequently turning it on and off, zooming frequently, retouching numerous photos and using the flash from time to time.
  
  Overall I'm pretty satisfied with Sony's little DSC-H20 and would reccomend it to others. At less than $300 it's a keeper. I haven't left home without it yet (even when I have my SLR).
  
  edit: the fact that the camera can go from feathers on a bird from 25 yards(10x) to a bug on your sleeve (1/2" away) without pushing any buttons is amazing. One more thing, I figured out you can push the "view " button and the camera turns on to display photos without the lens popping out in a touch of a single button instead of a combo like the others.. nice touch Sony

• 11) Great picture/video quality for the price!

  by R. Diblasi on June 17 2009
    10+ helpful votes

  I took my camera on vacation last week to Nashville for the CMA Music festival. I took pictures from a distance and the zoom was great! The video quality is amazing and in HD. When playing it back on the computer it looks like the singer was right in front of me when I was about 20 rows back. It was pretty simple to use, but just keep in mind the zoom button zooms very fast so touch it very gently to get a nice clear shot. I had to play around with that from time to time and sometimes the video started out blurry but then it readjusted itself. All in all, the lights flashing on stage did not effect the pictures. I am very happy with my purchase and how the pictures and videos turned out.
  I also took some pictures of flowers close up and they came out so clear and crisp full of vibrant colors. I would highly recommend!

• 12) Works as expected

  by David on April 16 2009
    10+ helpful votes

  
  As all of us, I just got mine this week and so far it's been working just perfect. Even though the included booklet might look big, explanations are easy to follow/understand. The really cool thing that made me decide for this camera is the fact that not only records movies on HD at 720p, but also allows finally zoom functionality while recording. Excellent device for the price.

• 13) Great so far.

  by Linda Sigismondi on April 15 2009
    10+ helpful votes

  I also have only had the camera for a few days but am impressed with the picture quality and ease of use. It was the size I wanted for bicycle touring and general photography when I don't feel like carrying my SLR. The included multi-function USB hook-up is a bit large - fine for the desk drawer but bulky for traveling. The included picture software is only Windows compatible and I am a Mac User but the camera works fine with iPhoto software that comes with a Mac. I put up a few of my first photos since no others were available.

• 14) Another Great Sony Digital Camera!

  by T. Lockard on July 06 2009
    10+ helpful votes

  Let me start off by saying that I'm one of those people that have to RESEARCH EVERYTHING before I buy it. Believe me, it's gets quite annoying at time - I've lost entire afternoons... Anyway, after researching my next digital camera for a July 4th trip to Gettysburg with the cub scouts and a trip to Alaska the following week, I narrowed it down to 3 different cameras. This particular camera (DSC-H20) was not reviewed by many of the more popular review sites due to it being so new. Because of the success I had with my Sony DSC-S85 in the past and the great price, I decided to give it a try. Well, I haven't gotten to Alaska yet, but I did get to Gettysburg and let me just say that I love this camera! It was so easy to just pick up and run with and use right out of the box (don't forget to buy memory - Mark2). The pictures and the one high def movie I took are INCREDIBLE! I owned a 7.1 mp Olympus between these 2 cameras and the quality of the H20 shatters that of the Olympus. I don't have to retouch a single photo - I'm awfully picky when it comes to my pictures!

• 15) Like it better than I did at first

  by M. Stone on December 06 2009
    9+ helpful votes

  My first digital camera was a Sony DSC-S75 which I still use and it takes great photos. I also own a DSC-V1 which I like for its movie clips that play right away in Windows Media Player. I loved those cameras so much I was sure I would like this one just as well, but so far I'm not sure.
  
  On the plus side, it starts up fast and takes great close up photos in macro mode. It does well with outdoor daylight or landscape photos, and the color is very accurate. I like the rounded grip on the right side and the thumb grip on the back, which makes it easy to hold, unlike the little compact cameras that feel like they might fall out of your hand.
  
  Night shots have a LOT of noise or graininess, which was disappointing. When zoomed in at 100% on the computer you can see this. The photos would probably be okay for small prints or viewing the images in a smaller size on the computer, but I doubt that larger prints would turn out well. (I shot these at the 8M size in 3:2 aspect ratio).
  
  I took some outdoor night shots of various lighted buildings, a steamboat, etc. that were lit up for Christmas and there were lights reflecting on a river. I took other night shots with lit buildings. The good thing was that the camera actually made the photos appear brighter than the scene actually looked in real life, but there was still a lot of "noise" in the dark areas.
  
  I don't really like that this camera films its movies in MPEG4, which is not compatible with Windows Media Player. Before I bought it, I thought that MPEG4 was compatible, but it's not. I also don't like that Sony has reduced the size of their memory sticks. Now if you want to use a card reader that's already in your computer, you have to find an adaptor to place the smaller memory stick in, then put the adaptor in your computer. Luckily I was able to find one at K-Mart, but good luck finding a genuine non-imitation Sony memory stick adaptor on the Internet, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. You can always hook up the camera using the USB cable, but that sort of defeats the purpose of having a card reader in your computer!
  
  UPDATE: Dec. 25, 2009 - After using this camera more, I'm starting to like it better. After comparing it with the Canon SD1200, this Sony does better with lighting and video quality. The Canon often has a hard time capturing accurate reds in certain situations. Also, the Canon does not do as well in dark lighting when it comes to making the setting brighter. I have taken many photos of Christmas lights at night with both cameras, and while the Sony still has more noise in darker areas, it has done much better at capturing the warmth and brightness of the lights. It makes dark scenes lighter and brighter, which looks nice.
  
  Also, I downloaded the VLC video player from Videolan and it works to play the MPEG4 clips. Microsoft's website says MPEG4 will not play in Media Player (unless you convert them), I've tried and it won't work. (I have version 10.) BTW, the MPEG4 video clips from the Sony are also better quality than the AVI files from the Canon. You can also use the zoom lens in the Sony while filming video and it does not degrade the quality of the video. Whereas with my Canon SD1200, it only has a 3X zoom and you can't even use the whole zoom in video mode without it getting blurry. (I know these 2 cameras aren't exactly in the same category or "class", but that's what I have right now so that's what I'm comparing it with.)
  
  Sony cameras are also more user friendly when downloading files onto a computer. I've had problems importing video files from my Canon; there are always a few video clips that show 0 file size and won't play until I re-import them using the Microsoft Camera Wizard, which is a big pain. I've never had that problem with a Sony camera.
  
  UPDATE AGAIN: Dec. 31, 2009. I've been researching noise and high megapixel count. I learned that higher megapixels in a smaller camera with a smaller sensor means more noise, because each pixel is smaller and less light reaches each pixel. After testing and using some of the new model cameras with 10 or 12 megapixels, there is just no escaping this noise issue. This Sony H20 camera still does very well with lighting, focus, and color accuracy, but I have even found that shots of people in regular indoor lighting still have lots of noise and fuzziness when viewed at 100% in Photoshop. They look okay in 4x6 size prints, but I doubt that larger ones would look good.
  
  If you read the specs at dpreview, note that the expensive SLR cameras have larger sensors with LESS pixel density, whereas most of the small cameras with 10-12 megapixels crammed in have MORE pixel density, which translates to more noise on the image. Camera manufacturers must know this, and I don't know why they continue to make small cameras this way. Higher MP count in small cameras only makes image quality worse, not better.
  
  From my experience, the best older camera for pure photo quality is the Sony DSC-V1. Its little batteries don't hold a charge for very long, and videos are a little jerky, but nothing I have found so far beats it for sharp, clear image quality with little to no noise. It only has 5 megapixels, but 5 or 6 is all most people really need for good quality prints, anyway. Unless you want to shell out over $500 for an SLR.

• 16) Easy, solid and great at a good value

  by Marcio Silva on September 13 2009
    7+ helpful votes

  I bought this camera in my country, Portugal. I don't like buying electronic stuff through internet, just a security option for me. I did bought here in Amazon a 2 GB MS card and a bag for my camera. I like them both, as well as I love the camera. I haven't got many opportunities to test it fully, but I can say this camera does more than even Sony says in their product page.
  
  For a start, its possible to add an adaptor ring to use a Teleconversion lens, a Close-Up lens, a Wide-Conversion lens, and every 58 mm filter (UV, Polarizer, Fluorescent, ND, etc.) you can find in the market. If you do a little research in Sony online shop, you can discover all this, but they seem to lack some information (like the camera compability with these accessories). I have searched in the main accessory section for digital cameras, then the H series, and then, Lenses. What do they show up? Nothing. However, in my camera box, there is a picture illustrating how easy it is to add the adaptor (Sony VAD-HA Lens Adaptor Ring for DSC-H20) and connected to this ring, one of the following lenses:
  
  - Sony VCL-DH1758 Tele Conversion Lens for DSCH1 Digital Camera
  - Sony VCL-M3358 58mm Close Up Lens for the DCR-VX2100
  - Sony VCL-DH0758 Wide Angle Conversion Lens for DSCH1, H2 and H5 Digital Cameras
  
  More detailed information and other accessories-related stuff comes in a flyer that ships with inside the camera box.
  
  Apart from this lack of information from Sony, the camera works great and does what it is supposed to do. Yesterday night, with the help of a photography book manual, I was able to get my camera to take a 30 seconds shoot just close to the window, pointing straigh-forward, and capture a nice training picture of an urban theme. I didn't know the camera could do that, as well as a 1/2000 second shoot, on the other hand. You can control a lot of other details, like ISO value between 80 and 3200, the flash level (when used), 10x zoom (but that anyone already knows by now), and the capability to slowly zoom in and out while taking a HD movie, with sound.
  
  My rating for this camera is a 5 star because I love all the things it has. If someone asks me about rating the manufacturer, Sony, I would say a 4. They lack essential information in their site, as I stated before.
  
  For a digital camera, its excelent at what it does. And great because of its value vs advanced functions, that make this almost like a tiny and "wannabe" SLR camera.

• 17) Good Balanced Camera

  by D. Dimov on December 18 2009
    7+ helpful votes

  Overall I think its the most balanced camera out there from a quality/features/price standpoint. Recently the price came down to $229 on amazon, makes a even better deal. Some things i like about it are:
  1. Good picture quality
  2. Good 10x zoom./Good Macro close up shots.
  3. Ability to record HD video (720p) and use zoom function at the same time.
  4. Large 3 inch lcd display.
  5. Has some manual control options (that by the way can alow you to take much better photos then simply leaving it on auto.)
  6. Better in low light then most cameras in its class.
  
  things that could use improving:
  1. A little slow between shots.
  2. Could be a little faster when reviewing and editing photos in camera.
  
  Overall: Very Good/ 4 stars.

• 18) Beyond happy with my choice!

  by P. Phelan on December 03 2009
    7+ helpful votes

  So, I have been looking for a while now for a new camera. It is so hard to make an informed decision with so many reviews out there! It is overwhelming!
  
  Back story.....my husband and I have owned two digital cameras so far. A Kodak Easyshare, one of the first ones when they came out. My mother got it for our wedding, it was over $500 bucks. It two years, the thing totally died on us. Got screwed over by Best Buy. They sent the camera away to "fix" it, when it came back in, they S O L D it! So we obviously got them to replace a new camera, for the total of what we originally paid for the Kodak and got a Canon PowerShot A620 (which was four years ago) That camera has been through two births of our kiddos, lots of holidays, celebrations, etc, etc. I have never LOVED the camera, but it took an ok shot for what a mommy would need.
  
  So, we decided it was time to get another. The Canon was starting to take really blurry pics, the lens was making funny noises when it would turn on and off. The husband wanted a really small camera we could throw in our pockets when we go to DIsney. I wanted one that would take excellent pictures. We ended up deciding on the Canon SD780. Small, 12mp, etc........he was in love with the idea of it.
  
  I bought it Black Friday (11/27/09) and returned it 4 days later. We took it to a wedding over the weekend, and the pictures were of such poor quality, I could have taken better with our 2mp camera phone. It was just such a big disappointment.
  
  After a lot more research, and many trips to try the cameras out in the stores, I decided to try the Sony Cyber Shot DSC H20. I saw some pictures on here by another reviewer and they looked amazing. Better then my brothers Nikon D60.
  
  I love the features on this camera, it is easy to use and fun to use. The pictures are of amazing quality, even in the lower MP settings. I was taking some ipctures in 3MP and didn't even realize it, still just beautiful. The zoom is amazing. It is so clear compared to my Canon. I could never zoom with that thing, it was always blurry. This one though I can zoom in a very low light room, and it is just so clear.
  
  My husband is not SO happy with the size, but I told him to just deal. The picture quality is so worth it! He also was not sure about having a removable lens cover, but I like it. Our Canon one was dying, this one CAN'T! The LCD display is just awesome. I just can't say enough about this camera.
  
  In closing, if you are looking for a camera around 250, GET THIS ONE! Hands down. I love everything about it!

• 19) Absolutely Amazed

  by Beth Hanson on September 06 2009
    7+ helpful votes

  After about 2 weeks of spending a portion of every night on every website I could think of reading reviews and specs of different cameras, I settled on this one, mainly because of the 10x zoom in such a compact camera. I was a little leery of the fact that it was only 10.1 megapixels, but after some research, I realized that, unless you plan to blow up your photos to larger than 14" by 11" or something, you're still getting resolution that is as good as 35mm (with the ease of a point and shoot). The pictures look fabulous (and that's on a 22" HD monitor) and the camera is very easy to use, but the most suprisingly pleasing feature is the video quality. It shoots video in 720P and the sound is actually quite good for a little camera. The most exciting thing to us is that we have been able to take it to a number of concerts this summer where video cameras would not have been allowed but where small non-professional cameras are welcome and have come away with some very high quality video souvenirs. I'm not talking 1 minute clips, I'm talking song after song after song with very good sound and GREAT video. We won't even burn it to DVD because we don't want the resolution to jump down to 480 from 720...looks like we'll need a blu ray burner soon!
  
  One thing about the video, when we played it back, the audio was a few seconds ahead of the video. It was an easy fix though because we downloaded a free program to play it through that put the audio in sync with the video. PERFECTION!
  
  I saw a couple looking at the camera in best buy and I had to stop and tell them that it is practically a must-have. I think they bought it actually.
  
  You will want a 4 or 8 GB memory stick if you plan to do a lot of video. We did about 40-45 minutes on a 4 gig and we still had extra room, but for a kid's play or a concert or something, it would probably be nice to have an 8 gig just for the peace of mind. It would also be handy to have an extra battery because we have had the low battery light come on, but only after LOTS of pictures and video (we don't have one and have been fine, but we may get one).
  
  One more thing...the small cybershot case that many people have bought with this is NOT big enough for this model, it is for the smaller cybershots that don't have the powerful optical zoom. Ours is sitting empty in our house, but the camera fits easily in a purse or coat pocket so we haven't bothered to replace it yet.
  
  I cannot reccommend this camera strongly enough. Happy shopping!