Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H50 review

The H50 is a subtle update to the H9.

The resolution is up from 8 to 9 megapixels and the internal memory is down from 31MB to 15MB, but on paper there's little else to separate them. This is good news, as the 15x zoom and 3in hinged screen make for an impressive package. Manual control is plentiful and accessible. Automatic exposure bracketing is included, but the lack of manual focus is disappointing.

There's a generous smattering of fun features, too. A Nightshot mode uses an infrared lamp to shoot in complete darkness. Smile Shutter takes a photo only when the subject is smiling. Maniacal Grin Shutter would be a more accurate name, but it's amusing. There's even a dedicated button for the slideshow mode.

Sadly, various niggles make the H50 annoying to use. We like the audible confirmation that the autofocus has locked on to its subject, but this is available only by activating an onslaught of whizzes and beeps to accompany every button press. Portrait-shaped photos are rotated automatically, but the camera frequently rotated landscape shots by mistake. Performance was generally reasonable, with two seconds between shots, but startup is slow at over four seconds. When we pressed the shutter button before the camera was absolutely ready, nothing happened.

Test shots exhibited impressive detail right into the corners of photos at the far reaches of the huge zoom range. However, barrel and pincushion distortion plus purple fringing took the shine off. As usual for a 1/2.33in, high-resolution sensor, noise was a problem for indoor shots without the flash. Sony's noise reduction did well to restore the smoothness of skies and walls, but textures looked ugly. Worst of all, skin textures often had an unnatural painted appearance, even in bright light.

The H50 has its strengths, but they're overwhelmed by its many weaknesses. Ultimately, this is a camera to avoid.