The Sony Cybershot H5 is a 7.2-mega pixel camera with an impressive 32 GB storage capacity and video capability. PC Mag says of the camera, “It’s a nicely designed camera, but falls short in some key quality and performance areas”. PC Mag also wrote a review of the Sony Cybershot H5 where they write:

“In my view, the H5 doesn’t quite live up to its compelling design. Namely, I found some significant shutter lag as well as some fringing which keeps this shooter from getting a higher rating. Also, like most Sony models, it’s pricey, at $499.95 list. Plus, the H5 is a little on the bulky side, which given Sony’s love of making super tiny cameras, like the T50, is a bit surprising too.

In looking at the specs, the H5 doesn’t stand out all that much from the pack: it’s a 7.2-megapixel camera with a 6mm-to-72mm range (which is equivalent to a 35mm lens with a 36mm-432mm zoom) and corresponding maximum f-stops of f/2.8 to f/3.7. Sadly the lens doesn’t have a wide-angle end of the zoom. Nor can the camera shoot in the RAW image format, although only a few high-end superzooms can. And although I liked the H5’s ISO range–ISO 80 to ISO 1000, the shots I took at the top of that range had too much colored noise for my tastes”.

“In my test shots, I didn’t see much noise in any of the shots, even those taken at low ISOs. I really liked the color saturation in these images. There was a bit of purple fringing, but nothing too noticeable. And the flash shot produced a pretty good exposure, but it did blow out some highlights.

The H5’s resolution averaged 1725 lines, which is excellent for a 7.2 MP camera. But performance could be better: Although the 3.4-second recycle time and 3.4-second bootup time are respectable, the noticeable shutter lag was disappointing.

Overall, the lens was quite good, displaying just a bit of barrel distortion and no pin cushion distortion. I also found that the optical image stabilization worked in both bright light and low light situations”.

Source: PC Mag