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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5

Digital Camera Review

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Components

Next: Page 5

Modes
June 02, 2006 By Emily Raymond
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5
Page 4

Manual Shooting Menu



Color Mode 
 

Normal, Vivid, Natural, Sepia, Black & White 

Metering Mode


Multi, Center, Spot


White Balance


Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash, One Push, One Push Set


ISO


Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000


Picture Quality


Standard, Fine


Bracket Step


+/- 0.3, +/- 0.7, +/- 1.0


Interval


1/7.5, 1/15, 1/30


Flash Compensation


+/- 2 in 1/3 increments


Contrast


+, Normal, -


Sharpness


+, Normal, -

 
Model Design / Appearance (7.75)
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 resemblance. Besides these features, 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 stylish aesthetic. Still, the H5, with a heavy plastic body available in silver or black, doesn’t turn out to be ugly at all.
 
Size / Portability (5.0)
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 ounces, while the newer H5 weighs 14.9 ounces (these figures include the two AA batteries and an optional Memory Stick Duo card). The Sony H5 is still too chunky and awkward for a wrist strap; it comes with a neck strap that attaches at different eyelets on the right and left sides and hangs a bit awkwardly.
 
Handling Ability (7.0)
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 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 may be desired. The left hand supports the camera beneath the lens barrel, which is wide enough for almost any hand size.
 
On the back, the viewfinder protrudes significantly to keep noses from waxing the big LCD screen. This helps 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 the hands and wrists will thank them. The H5 is lighter than a DSLR and more comfortable to hold than a compact camera.


 
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.0)
There are scores of designated buttons on the H5, perhaps to make it look more SLR-like or to expedite setting alterations. Some of the buttons will invariably prove to be more useful than others, depending on the user’s shooting style and comfort level with manual controls. The most important button is the shutter release, which is comfortably placed atop a platform for easy activation. Behind it are two smaller buttons that access the Focus and Burst modes. These controls are intuitively placed and will prove to be a great convenience for users who access those settings frequently. The burst button seems somewhat useless, as users still have to enter the Recording menu 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 photographs.

Indeed, the mode dial is huge, probably larger than most DSLR mode dials – it matches the camera's enormous LCD screen and healthy bravado. It rotates easily, but not so quickly that users go flying past the desired mode. Likewise, the zoom toggle is sensitive, but not so sensitive that users can’t get just the right crop on their subjects. The multi-selector is similar to the common control seen on smaller point-and-shoot models and is just as easy to use; however, the jog dial – used to alter exposure settings – is small and at times difficult to engage. Rather than including two jog dials for various exposure adjustments, as many DSLRs include, users are forced to depress the lone dial and rotate the control to move between settings, than depress it again to adjust the setting. While this may seem like a model for efficiency, in practice, the control is too small to comfortably render subtle, accurate adjustments to aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation just prior to a shot.
 
Menu (6.5)
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.
 
Setup Menu
AF Mode  Single, Monitor, Continuous
Digital Zoom
Smart, Precision, Off
Function Guide
On, Off
Red-eye Reduction
On, Off
AF Illuminator
Auto, Off
Auto Review
On, Off
 
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 than the endless scrolling method required in the Recording menu.
 
Expanded Focus
On, Off
Flash Sync
Front, Rear
SteadyShot
Shooting, Continuous
Conversion Lens
Off, Wide, Tele, Close-up
 
The Memory Stick Tool menu has a memory card icon and menu items related only to image storage.
 
Format
OK, Cancel
Create Rec Folder
OK, Cancel
Change Rec Folder
OK, Cancel
Copy
OK, Cancel
 
There are two Setup menus, which are 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.
 
LCD Backlight
Bright, Normal
EVF Backlight
Bright, Normal
Beep
Off, On, Shutter
Language
English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian
Initialize (resets camera settings to defaults)
OK, Cancel
 
Below is the Setup 2 menu.
 
File Number
Series, Reset
USB Connect
PictBridge, PTP, Mass Storage, Auto
Video Out
NTSC, PAL
Clock Set
OK, Cancel
 
The Playback menu appears horizontally, like the Recording menu, so users cannot see all options in a single glance.  
 
Playback Menu
Folder   OK, Cancel
Protect
Protect, Exit
DPOF
DPOF, Exit
Print
All in this Folder, DPOF Image, Select, This Image, Cancel
Slide
Interval (3 sec-1 min), Repeat (On, Off), Image (Folder, All)
Resize
7M, 5M, 3M, 2M, VGA, Cancel
Rotate
Left, Right, OK, Cancel
Divide
OK, Cancel
Setup
(portal to Setup menu)
 
Overall, the menu system is easy to figure out and navigate with the multi-selector. There is always a way to cancel out of an option, and there are plenty of live views.
 
Ease of Use (6.75)
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 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.
 

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5
Digital Camera Review
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Previous: Page 3

Components

Previous: Page 5

Modes