Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H3 has pretty much everything that a high zoom SLR-like camera (it’s still not a SLR, it comes with an integrated lens) should have: full manual controls, RAW mode, pop-up flash, histogram display, features like face detection and image stabilization, but, it lacks a viewfinder (nor electronic or optical).
10x optical zoom and 8 megapixels are satisfying for anyone who goes deeply into photography when combined with the manual functions, but, the image quality is not as good as the one provided by similar cameras: noisy shots starting from ISO 400.
The camera took 1.8 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG, 1.3 seconds between JPEGs with the flash disabled and 2.6 seconds between shots with the flash turned on. Shutter lag is between 0.4 second and 1 second while continuous shooting mode speed is 2fps regardless of the image size.
An advantage of this camera is it’s small size and lightweight besides the robust design – available in both black and silver. As for the buttons and menus, it’s OK in therms of usability but there are better ones on the market too.
In case the built-in lens isn’t wide or long enough for you, Sony offers both a 0.7x-wide angle converter (VCL-DH0758) and a 1.7x telephoto converter (VCL-DH1758). The necessary adapter comes with the camera and can also accept 58mm filters. The camera also has a lens hood which unfortunately, it’s so large that it obscures a large portion of the flash. However, the adapter itself can likely provide enough shade from the sun when the lens is zoomed to its widest, which means that the hood is only really necessary when shooting telephoto shots.
Sony Cybershot DSC-H3
Sony Cybershot DSC-H3 Digital Camera Specifications
Functions:
• Shooting Modes: Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Macro, Movie
• Scene Modes: Advanced Sports Shooting, Beach, Fireworks, High Sensitivity, Landscape, Snow, Soft Snap, Twilight, Twilight Portrait
• Movie Mode: MPEG VX Fine with Audio (640×480 at 30fps) (MPEG VX Fine requires Memory Stick PRO DUOâ„¢ media), MPEG VX Standard with Audio (640×480 at 16.6fps), Presentation Mode (320×240 at 8.3fps).
• Effects: Black & White, Natural, Sepia, Vivid; Red-eye correction, soft focus filter, trimming, cross filter, partial color filter, fish-eye filter
• Features: DPOF support, Direct print, Face detection, Audio recording, Histogram display, PictBridge support, PRINT Image Matching, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, In-camera red-eye removal
• Flash Modes: Auto, Forced On, Forced Off, Slow Synch
• Focus Modes: 9 Area Multi-Point AF, Monitoring AF
• White Balance: Automatic, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent, Flash
• Metering: Spot, Multi-segment, Center-weighted
Technical Data:
• 2.5 inch LCD
• 8.1 megapixels
• 10x optical zoom + 2x digital zoom
• Focal Length: 6.3 – 63 mm (35 equiv.: 38 – 380 mm)
• Aperture: f3.5-f10.0
• ISO Range: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
• Flash Range: 8 in – 23 ft
• Focus Range: Macro Minim: 2 cm, Normal: 19.7 in – infinity
• Exposure Compensation: ±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Step Increments
• Shutter Speed: Auto( 1/2000 – 1/4 ) / Program auto( 1/2000 – 1 ) / Manual( 1/2000 – 30 )
• Self Timer: 10 seconds, 2 seconds
• File Format: RAW, JPEG
• Memory Stick PRO DUO + 31MB internal memory
• Lithium-ion battery NP-BG1 up to 330 shots
• Dimensions: width: 4.2 in, depth: 1.9 in, height, 2.6 in
• Weight: 9.3 oz
