Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
Digital Camera Review
Mar 05, 2009
- By Richard Baguley
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 falls into a curious mid-range point in the consumer camera market. With a 10X zoom lens, it doesn't have the incredible zoom reach of some cameras. But neither does it have the sleek, thin profile of other compact cameras; it has a practical, blocky design that is more for use than show. But it does have an attractive feature set, shooting 10.1 megapixel images and 720p high definition video.
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Overview
In size and shape, the H20 is midway between a compact and an ultrazoom - it lacks the thin profile and sleek design of a compact camera, but is much smaller and thinner than its long-lens-equipped cousins such as the Sony HX1. The H20 has a rather blocky design, but it is practically, rather than flashily styled.
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| The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 |
Front
On the front of the camera, the main feature is the lens. To the right of this is the AF illuminator, and the small holes to the left of the lens are for the microphone. Above the lens you can see the hump that holds the flash.
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| The front of the H20 |
Back
The back of the camera is the location of most of the controls. At the right are the playback button, the 4-way controller and the buttosn for accessing the on-screen menu and deleting images. The patch above the buttons is where the thumb of the right hand rests while holding the camera.
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| The back of the H20 is the home to the 3-inch LCD screen |
Sides
Both of the sides are relatively feature-free. The only feature on the left is a small strap loop at the top.
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The left side of the H20
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On the right side is a similar loop, and you can see the edge of the mode dial.
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| The right side of the H20 |
Top
Several more controls are located on the top of the camera. From the left, we have the on/off button, the smile shutter (which takes a photo when it detects a smile), the shutter and zoom control and the mode dial. As the legends indicate, the zoom control doubles as a playback zoom.
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| The top of the H20, complete with smiley faced buttons |
Bottom
The bottom is where the power goes; the cover over the battery compartment is on the left. Above this is the connector for the multi use cable that provides video output or connects to the optional dock. On the right is a tripod socket, which is filled with a security device in this demo unit.
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| The bottom of the H20 |
