Model Design / Appearance

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 merges elements from DSLRs and compact models into its body, emphasizing the large lens barrel on the front and the huge LCD screen on the back. Indeed, the front of the camera has a huge lens that tends to look more like a DSLR; the chunky hand grip and protruding viewfinder also contribute to the DSLR image. Besides these features, though, the rest of the back could pass for a compact model. The LCD screen is enormous – much larger than any on a comparable model--and the multi-selector and zoom toggle are almost identical to other controls on compact Cyber-shot cameras.

 

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 isn’t meant to be stunningly attractive like the T-series. Enthusiasts who purchase the H5 want the controls and functionality more than the pretty looks. Still, the H5, with a heavy plastic body available in silver or black, doesn’t turn out to be ugly at all. It would even look somewhat professional in black  if it weren’t so compact.

Size / Portability

As compact as the Sony H5 seems, it is still significantly larger than the original H1. The H1 measured 4.2 x 3.2 x 3.2 inches, while the H5 takes up a good 4.5 x 3.3 x 3.7 inches of space in the camera bag—which users will definitely need. This digital camera isn’t one to throw in a pocket. Its fat lens barrel and chunky hand grip make a camera bag a necessity.

 

Despite its comparably larger size, the H5 doesn’t weigh as much as the H1. The initial model weighs 16.2 oz, while the newer H5 weighs 14.9 oz (these figures include the two AA batteries and an optional Memory Stick Duo card). The Sony H5 is still too chunky and heavy for a wrist strap; enthusiasts probably wouldn’t even think of wearing this type of bling on their wrists anyway. It comes with a neck strap that attaches at different eyelets on the right and left sides and thus hangs a bit awkwardly. This odd placement is typical of the now defunct digital cameras made by Konica-Minolta, which sold its assets – and apparently its silly eyelet placement concept - to Sony when the company went under.

 

Handling Ability

The Sony H5’s chunky hand grip and  large lens barrel may make portability a little more difficult, but they definitely make handling much easier. The right hand comfortably wraps around the grip, and   the fingers can curl around front on the rubber surface. A bumpy platform gives the right thumb its own resting place, though the back’s plastic material doesn’t give the thumb the cushy oasis that the other digits get. The left hand supports the camera beneath the lens barrel, which is wide enough for almost any hand size.

 

On the back side of the camera, the viewfinder protrudes significantly to keep noses from waxing the big LCD screen. This helps in handling, although the viewfinder’s hard eyecup and tiny size are drawbacks. If photographers are used to handling a monstrous DSLR or have been shooting with a tiny pocket camera lately, the H5 will take a little adjustment. In the end, though, the ligaments in their hands and wrists will thank them. The H5 is lighter than a DSLR and more comfortable to hold than a compact camera.

 

There are scores of designated buttons on the H5, perhaps to make it look like a fancy DSLR. Some of the buttons are useful and others prove to be absolutely worthless. The most important  is the shutter release button, which is comfortably placed atop a platform for easy reaching and pushing. Behind it are two smaller buttons that access the focus and burst modes. These are great for users who access those settings frequently, but not particularly helpful for others. The burst button is especially useless, as  users have to enter the recording menu anyway to change the shooting intervals for the multi-burst and  bracketing modes. Playback mode has  its own button, which is actually a nice touch. I’d rather touch one button than rotate the huge dial through eight different modes to review my photographs.

 

 Indeed, the mode dial is huge, probably larger than most DSLR mode dials – it matches the enormous the LCD screen.. It rotates easily, but not so quickly that users go flying past the desired mode. Likewise zoom toggle is sensitive, but not so sensitive that users can’t get just the right crop on their subjects. Finally, the multi-selector is common seen on smaller point-and-shoot models and is just as easy to use.

Pushing the designated Menu button on the back of the camera brings up the mode selected on the mode dial. The menu system looks like other Sony Cyber-shot digital camera menus: the menu appears as a gray bar across the bottom of the screen with icons describing the options. When users choose an option, the selections appear above it in a gray box that overlays the live view. The most options are available in the manual mode, so those are the ones shown below.

 

 

The recording menu has its pros and cons. Bad news first: the items are horizontally aligned, which makes it impossible to view them all on one screen. Users must scroll and scroll and scroll to the right to view everything, until they’ve entered the menu system often enough to remember where certain settings are located. Now for the good news: all of the menu items are expressed in text, so beginners don’t have to guess which icon means what. There are also live views for the color mode, metering mode, white balance, ISO, contrast and sharpness. The other upside to the menu system is that there is no way to “fall out” of it accidentally. Users must push the Menu button to enter the system and then push it again to exit.

 

The Setup menu is a portal from the recording and playback menus. Once in the setup menu, users can still escape to the previous menu without exiting altogether, though. The menu itself is organized into five different submenus, with tabs aligned vertically on the left side of the LCD screen. Icons on these tabs represent the available options. The first tab has a camera icon with a ‘1’ next to it. The Camera 1 menu is as follows.

 

 

The Camera 2 menu has the same icon with a ‘2’ next to it. Sony included a second camera setup menu to keep all of the options on a single screen for easier viewing. This setup is more organized and more preferable than the endless scrolling method required in the recording menu.

 

 

The Memory Stick Tool menu has a memory card icon and menu items related only to image storage.

 

 

There are two setup menus, which seem to be organized but generically titled. The Setup 1 menu includes camera settings and the Setup 2 menu handles connectivity issues. The Setup 1 menu is as follows.

 

 

Below is the Setup 2 menu.

 

 

The Playback menu appears horizontally like the recording menu, so users cannot see all of the options in a single glance.  

 

 

Overall, the menu system is easy to figure out and  to navigate with the multi-selector. There is always a way to cancel out of an option and there are plenty of live views.

 

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 has some ease of use features, but certainly isn’t as intuitive as a point-and-shoot. Point-and-shooters will be familiar with the multi-selector and designated buttons. DSLR users will recognize the jog dial on the front of the camera and know that it changes the exposure settings. The H5 has a huge LCD screen to make the view and menu selections easy on the eyes. Icons, text, live views, and a function guide, which can later be turned off, also help users navigate menu selections. All of the shooting modes are located on the dial, so users don’t have to dig in menus for a scene mode. The guide even helps users select an image size: it tells users how large the resolution can print and how many pictures are left on the card at that particular size. This Cyber-shot also has a chunky hand grip that makes handling comfortable.

 

However, the on-screen directions for changing exposure settings are a little harder to figure out. There is nothing on the screen that says to rotate or push the jog dial in. There is only an arrow pointing down. That suggests that users should push the bottom of the multi-selector, which  only activates the self-timer. While the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 is easy to handle and has some great features that make the ultra-zoom easier to use, it’s still not the most intuitive camera on the market.