Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9

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Cyber-shot DSC-H9 Prices

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The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 retails for $479, which puts it up there with its ultra-zoom competitors. The 12x Canon PowerShot S3 IS retailed for $499 when it was announced last year and can now be found online for about $350. The Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd with its long lens and face detection has the same story as the Canon: $499 retail and $350 street. The freshly released Olympus SP-550UZ has a longer 18x optical zoom lens and a $499 retail price, but doesn’t allow the zoom to work with audio in the movie mode and doesn’t have interesting features like infrared and dynamic range optimization. Thus, the Sony H9 is fairly priced with its full feature set.

 

The companion to the H9 is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7, which has the same resolution and 15x optical zoom lens but with a few tweaks in the specs. It still has face detection and HD viewing, although it isn’t compatible with the optional docking station. It does not have the folding LCD screen, and the display it does have measures 2.5 inches and has sub-par resolution at 115,000 pixels. It doesn’t have the infrared NightShot technology for shooting in low light either. For users who don’t mind the smaller view and won’t use the NightShot feature, the H7 would be a good choice. It costs $399, and still comes with all the manual and automatic modes and control settings.

 

Point-and-Shooters – While the Sony H9 does have an intuitive interface and great controls, it probably won’t be a first pick for these consumers. There are many more cameras that are much easier to use.

 

Budget Consumers – The retail price of $479 will likely scare these consumers away, but the H7 provides a more affordable option with its $399 price.

 

Gadget Freaks – With NightShot, face detection, image stabilization, and even a remote control, the Sony Cyber-shot H9 satisfies any craving for gadgets.

 

Manual Control Freaks – These consumers will be pleased with the manual modes on the dial and the manual settings that have good selections and a good control wheel interface for changes.

 

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists – The H9 is only a few steps below Sony’s DSLR, the A100, and even includes some of its technology. It could serve as a backup to A100 users.