Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

Overview

The DSC-HX1 is a relatively compact camera for an ultrazoom; although the lens adds a lot of bulk to the camera, the body itself is pretty thin, and the camera weights in at just 1.8 ounces. But it is not small by any stretch of the imagination; the body and lens combo is just under 5 inches deep, so it won't fit into a bag or pocket.

The HX1 is small for an Ultrazoom

Front

The main feature on the front of the camera is the lens. Above this is the bump that the flash calls home, with the AF illuminator to the left of this. Atop the raised ridge of the hand grip is the combined shutter and zoom control.

The lens is the dominant feature on the front

Back

Again, the back is dominated by one single feature; the 3-inch LCD screen. This screen is on a pivoting arm that allows it to tilt 90 degrees up or down, but, unlike the Canon SX1, you can't rotate the screen around to protect it when not in use. However, the screen does have a thick plastic coating on it that should protect it from knocks and damage. To the left of the screen are (from the top down) a control dial, the menu button, the 4-way control and a single button for deleting images. To the right of the viewfinder are two buttons for playback mode and enabling the smile detection, where the camera will only take a photo when it detects that the subject is smiling.

The back is the home of the large 3-inch LCD screen

Sides

The left side of the camera body is the home of the ports, both of which are under rubber covers that keep dust and grunge out. The top port is a power port, while the bottom is a multi-purpose port that provides video output (both digital and analog) and the USB connection. A single cable provides the analog video and USB connection, while an adapter that turns this multi-purpose port into a HDMI port is also included.

The ports are located on the left side

The only major feature on the right side of the camera is the neck strap loop.

There are no significant features on the right side of the camera

Top

There are a number of features on the top of the camera. From the left we have the button that switches between the viewfinder and the LCD screen, the microphone just below the flash, the on/off button, the mode dial and buttons that control the focus mode and burst mode right below the shutter button.

There are a lot of buttons on the top of the body

Bottom

The bottom is the home to the cover over the battery and memory card ports, plus the tripod socket.

Only the battery cavity cover and tripod socket are on the bottom