Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V review

The apparent difference in processing power made no dent on general performance. Autofocus was quick and photos were captured at one-second intervals in normal use. Continuous mode ran at either 10fps or 2fps, although both options are limited to 10 frames, whereupon the camera took eight seconds to save them.

Noise levels are surprisingly low in this ISO 800 shot – click to enlarge

With the same sensor as the HX20V, it comes as no surprise that the two cameras are indistinguishable for noise levels. Even brightly lit scenes exhibited a small amount of noise, which gave darker details a slightly scruffy appearance and glossed over subtle textures. Noise levels inevitably rose when low light demanded fast ISO speeds, but by less than we would have anticipated. Image quality in low light isn’t up to the standards of the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS or Fujifilm Finepix F660EXR, but it’s similar to that of our current Best Buy, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25.

Details in telephoto shots look a little vague and scruffy when viewed up close – click to enlarge

The HX20V and HX10V were closely matched for lens performance. The HX20V has the bigger zoom range but its focus deteriorated at the telephoto end of the zoom. The HX10V’s lens was sharper, and there wasn’t much to choose between them for detail levels in telephoto shots. They weren’t as sharp as wide-angle shots, though, and couldn’t match the Panasonic TZ25’s telephoto shots either. The HX10V excelled for video capture. Details were crisp, autofocus was responsive, the soundtrack was clear and stabilisation worked wonders at telephoto zoom settings.

Wide-angle photos are much sharper. Noise reduction has smoothed over the texture in these trees but it’s not too upsetting – click to enlarge

When the HX20V cost over £300, a HX10V for £250 looked like a tempting proposition. At current prices, though, it’s a trickier call. We’ll leave the decision to you, but if you hanker after Sony’s clever shooting modes more than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25‘s sharper lens or the Canon and Fujifilm’s lower noise, both Sony models are excellent buys.