Sony Cyber-shot H5 and H2 First Impressions Review

Connectivity
Software
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 and H2 will come with PicturePackage software, though Sony did not specify which version.

Jacks, Ports, Plugs
There are two jacks located beneath the port door on the left side of the camera. The USB and AV-out jacks are combined like they are in many compact digital cameras. In the setup menu, users can select the USB mode to be PictBridge, PTP, Mass Storage or Auto. There is also a DC in jack for an optional power adaptor.

Direct Print Options
The Sony H5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 are PictBridge compatible. There is no specific Print button on the camera body and users will have to familiarize themselves with the menu system to print pictures, but it really isn’t hard. DPOF print orders can be created within minutes.

Battery
The Sony Cyber-shot H5 and H2 models use two AA batteries to power them. They come packaged with alkaline batteries, but work better with NiMH AA rechargeable batteries. With the rechargeable batteries, the Sony H5 can take 340 shots and the H2 can take 400 shots. This is much better than the Sony Cyber-shot H1, which sucked the life out of batteries quite quickly in our tests.

Memory
The H5 and H2 both have 32 MB of internal memory, which is the same amount that the H1 had. This certainly won’t be enough, so users should plan on purchasing more memory. The cameras accept Sony MemoryStick Duo and Duo Pro cards up to 4 GB. The camera has a buried Format option that cleans the card off, but the prototype models took forever to do so – and for only 32 MB! Hopefully that is just a prototype bug.