I decided to get the Sony last Saturday.:thumbsup: I was picking between the Nikon P80 & Sony DSC-H50/B and after playing with both for over an hour, the Sony was clearly the better camera. Much sharper low light hand-held photo's and faster and crisper photo's. I like the remote for the Sony and the flip out LCD which Nikon has neither of. I never forgot when I first bought the sony DSC-H1. That was a great camera... I used it for 2 years.

My camera before this new Sony? The Canon S5is
which I just sold Saturday on craiglist. I tend to keep these cameras only 6 months at a time, then get the latest one out. The Sony H1 was the only camera I EVER kept longer than 6 months... it was that good. I thought I'd try the Canon S5is and it was a good camera, but I missed the Sony... so I got the latest one.

Once again I toyed with getting a DSLR, but it just doesn't justify the bulk and price, compared to these superzooms. Try packing around 3 lenses that will reach the 31 - 465 mm range that the DSC-50 has! With the loads of exposure control and a 15x stabilized optical zoom, this model is thousands of dollars cheaper than the equivalent options on a dSLR with an image stabilized lens. NOPE, no DSLR for me.

I was excited to get mine. Here is what to expect for those of you who plan to get one:

The BOX that I couldn't wait to open!!!
http://corvettec3.com/sony1.jpg

What you see when you first open the box:
http://corvettec3.com/sony2.jpg

What you see when you first open the box after taking the manual & software out:
http://corvettec3.com/sony3.jpg

Everthing out of box and srpead out. Lots'of goodies.
http://corvettec3.com/sony4.jpg

It's going to go well with my XPS notebook. I do a lot of on site photography at car shows:
http://corvettec3.com/sony5.jpg

My 3rd or 4th photo shown on LCD screen "crystal clear"!
http://corvettec3.com/sony6.jpg

This was the 3rd or 4th photo I took! Not bad at all. Resized for posting.
http://corvettec3.com/sony9.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/sony7.jpg

....the properites:
http://corvettec3.com/sony8.jpg

Hey jack54,
Agree with you,these Sony super zooms are amazing-I have the H-9,did you ever own one ?
-think yours is a step ot two up.
-Expect the entry DSLR s will get around to articulated screens,one day..when mine finally dies,will be replacing it.

Nice Camera! I picked up the H50 about a week ago and it will be my primary shooter for upcoming trips (Yosemite, Next Week). I too, made several comparisons, the other major consideration was the Canon G9.

After using a W80, I've grown to love the PSP based interface and pleasantly surprised to see the expansion of this system within the H50. Side to side and head to head, I couldn't sell myself on the G9 (although I must admit, the camera has a sexy retro look), the H50 just offered so much more at a lower price point!

Look forward to seeing some more pics!

Some more shots with new camera!
Interesting shots of the same plane! I love those old engines! :D
Wifey posing...
http://corvettec3.com/OlympiaAir2.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/OlympiaAir3.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/OlympiaAir4.jpg

right below the chrome prop hub:
http://corvettec3.com/OlympiaAir11.jpg

Shooting into that highly polished prop hub!
http://corvettec3.com/OlympiaAir5.jpg

Good job on the symmetry of the 2 plane shots. You should do a horizontal flip on the last shot so we can read the sony and cabelas logos.

Good job on the symmetry of the 2 plane shots. You should do a horizontal flip on the last shot so we can read the sony and cabelas logos.
DONE! Uhhh... why didn't I think of that? :rolleyes: :D

That's a mini review? Looks pretty detailed to me. Just in case you don't know about our user review section, there's a Sony Cybershot H50 review page here:

Sony Cybershot DSC-H50 Uers Reviews >> (http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/cameras/digital-cameras/8-10-megapixel/sony/PRD_418427_6446crx.aspx)

I hope you'll post a review there, too. It's cool to post here on the Sony forum. But for ratings, searchability, and to keep all H50 reviews in one place, it's best to use the review section. But you should definitely include a link to this thread in your review.

Thanks for sharing!

That's a mini review? Looks pretty detailed to me. Just in case you don't know about our user review section, there's a Sony Cybershot H50 review page here:

Sony Cybershot DSC-H50 Uers Reviews >> (http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/cameras/digital-cameras/8-10-megapixel/sony/PRD_418427_6446crx.aspx)

I hope you'll post a review there, too. It's cool to post here on the Sony forum. But for ratings, searchability, and to keep all H50 reviews in one place, it's best to use the review section. But you should definitely include a link to this thread in your review.

Thanks for sharing!Ok, I'll go over there and make a review soon.

Here are some more shots taken with this fantastic camera. My very first Rose bloom from outside. Same rose, different types of lighting, outdoor, indoors, all hand-held, only one with flash, resized for here. You couldn't hand hold a camera a couple years ago and get shots like these.

The ROSE inside with flash.
http://corvettec3.com/June08roses-800.jpg

The ROSE outside in sunlight.
http://corvettec3.com/June08roses1-800.jpg

The ROSE inside with window light, no flash.
http://corvettec3.com/June08roses2-800.jpg

The ROSE inside with window light behind it, no flash.
http://corvettec3.com/June08roses3-800.jpg

These look great! I just got back from my trip to Yosemite with my H50 and will post some pictures to this thread as well! I must say, one incredible camera!

These look great! I just got back from my trip to Yosemite with my H50 and will post some pictures to this thread as well! I must say, one incredible camera!
I'd love to see some of those photos! I'm sure others would too!

The second-to-last window light rose is beautiful. I have tons of roses right now. I always just shoot them on the bush. I really should try cutting some and bringing them indoors and shooting with controlled light.

Thanks again for sharing so much about your new camera!

I thought I'd add a little bit on how/why I picked the Sony H50. :)

First... it is the photographer that "makes/takes" the photo's and dictates how the photo's come out. All the camera is, is a 'tool' to acheive that.

That said, it is a matter of preference, so I'd suggest going down to Best Buy like I did and spend an hour trying the big three they have parked next to each other, the Sony H50, Canon S5is & Nikon P80. I spent over an hour there twice playing with all three. I'd pick out an object way accross the store and zoon in and take the picture with all three cameras and compare. Do the same taking a photo of a nearby camera, then try the macro out. Take some flash shots and non-flash shots. Trying shooting as fast as you can with all three cameras.

You get the idea! When I did that, for me the Sony was the easy winner.

I did notice that of the three, the Sony had the fastest shutter times between shots. That can be important. Also the Sony's photos were sharper with hand held no flash shots than the other two. The Flash shot recovery time is faster with the Sony too. However, the Canon has a flash shoe for adding a flash and that is a plus for Canon.

That's a mini review? Looks pretty detailed to me. Just in case you don't know about our user review section, there's a Sony Cybershot H50 review page here:

Sony Cybershot DSC-H50 Uers Reviews >> (http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/cameras/digital-cameras/8-10-megapixel/sony/PRD_418427_6446crx.aspx)

I hope you'll post a review there, too. It's cool to post here on the Sony forum. But for ratings, searchability, and to keep all H50 reviews in one place, it's best to use the review section. But you should definitely include a link to this thread in your review.

Thanks for sharing!I posted my review there. I hope it is acceptable. :)
http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/cameras/digital-cameras/8-10-megapixel/sony/PRD_418427_6446_2249916crx.aspx

Here is another outdoor, bright sunlight flower shot in my garden:
It is NOT macro, stead shot with my zoom at 45mm, F5, 1/500sec, 100 ISO, program mode resized to 800 pixel width with 20% compression.

http://corvettec3.com/yellowflower-800.jpg

Earlier in this post I had said one of the reasons I got this Sony DSC-H50 was that I liked the original H1 series so well. I have a habit of getting a new camera every 6 months, but this one I hung onto for over 2 years and the only reason I got the Canon was to try something new and I had dropped my H1 on the pavement, OUCH! I bought a few cameras while I had the H1 and ended up taking them all back, (except the canon) as the H1 was better made and did the job just fine. Here is a photo I took with that H1 and you will see what I mean.

http://corvettec3.com/june07-800.jpg

The specs:
http://corvettec3.com/H1specs.jpg

Looks Great Jack! As promised, here is my H50 in action!
http://sutherland.vox.com/library/post/three-day-escape---yosemite-1.html

Looks Great Jack! As promised, here is my H50 in action!
http://sutherland.vox.com/library/post/three-day-escape---yosemite-1.html
Beautiful shots in a beautiful place! Say... on the "Rock, Down in Front" photo, did you use a polarizer to get that deep blue sky and extremely white clouds? I'm a heavy user of polarizer in outdoor shots.

Nope! I did some post level adjustments as the lighting was changing constantly.

Nope! I did some post level adjustments as the lighting was changing constantly.
Please explain what you did... in camera adjustment and/or photoshop?

Here is what the Sony H50 is good at, the zoom range.
Mt. Rainier from Downtown Tacoma, WA

http://corvettec3.com/TacomaDowntown1-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/TacomaDowntown2-800.jpg

Here is a hand-held shot taken with available light in my living-room. This was unheard of a couple years ago.

http://corvettec3.com/Rosebloom1-800.jpg

Here is a variety of shots I took over the weekend with this great little camera!

http://corvettec3.com/japan.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/iryn-roses.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/chippy.jpg

Now let's see how good the Sony DCS-H50 zoom is!

Here are some comparisions so you can see just how much zoom the Sony H50 has!

All shots are HANDHELD! No tripod as I forgot it.

This was shot from the 14th Floor of my folks retirement condo. The yellow arrow is where the ships show up later. I had forgot to shoot wide then... just zoomed in.

http://corvettec3.com/4th-1.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/4th-4.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/4th-5.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/4th-5a.jpg

I'm telling you folks... to get a DSLR zoom lens that goes that wide and then zooms that far out you have to buy two lenses and it would set you back a couple thousand at least and yet, they won't really get any better quality than this $400 camera!!! AND I don't have a backache from carrying around all those lenses and tripod.

Here is using the Scene/Fireworks mode... works pretty well.

This was shot from my bedroom balcony overlooking Tacoma, WA
http://corvettec3.com/4th-6a.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/4th-6.jpg

This was shot from my backyard balcony.
http://corvettec3.com/4th-7a.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/4th-7.jpg

Here is what I think anyone should get when they get the camera. (what I got at least) I tend to stay with SONY products that are made specifically for that model.

* Sony LCS-HB Soft Carrying Case: This is a matter of choice!

* Sony 2GB & 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Media (one each) If you don't shoot that much, 2GB is enough.

* Sony NP-BG1 Type G Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery Pack for Sony W Series. (If you shoot much at all, you WILL need an extra battery) Not cheap and I wish it was like the H1 that had the double AA batteries.

* Lens cleaning kits of your choice. (I buy 2-3 of them, because I'm finding that that LCD needs constant cleaning as it easily gets smudges & dust on it and I can't stand that.)

* Tripod of your choice for sure and a mono-pod. I use both. There will be times that hand-holding won't cut it, such as night shots etc.

Tip... I feel one should always have a circular polarizer, but not the one the camera maker is push as then you have to by the adapter and then your forced to buy the very large and expensive circular filter. On my last 5 cameras I have used the same 58mm circular polarizer filter. I simply hold it against the lense when I shoot. A tad bit of a hazzle but better than spending the $100+ for the above setup.

Later on I "may" buy a slave flash and the Tele-extender.

Sorry for the delay in response! All photographs were shot in full manual mode, in terms of production, with the exception of shutter and aperture adjustment, just some level changes in Photoshop.

The BG-1 is a nice battery, but Sony just came out with the FG-1 which is tabbed as the "Successor", not sure if there is any truth to longer battery life or not. The San Disk Memory sticks have a slight edge in write speed (then again, most P&S handle poorly over 800, so write speed isn't as big of a factor, also no RAW, so speed may not be as necessary...but they are priced well!).

I'm planning a two week trip in September to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks, so I am actually mulling over the decision to purchase extra batteries or opt for a inverter for charges while in the car.

I currently have two BG-1 batteries (one from my H50 and the other from my W80). I may just purchase two extra batteries (FG-1s) and an extra 2GB to compliment my two other memory sticks (Just for a little peace of mind).

As of right now, my H50 is my primary shooter, and it is certainly a fantastic camera. I am eager to read the "professional" reviews and see how they take to it. After a lengthy test drive, the G9 (Canon's "Bridge" camera) is not even close.

Ok... today I played with the close-up and low-light settings. I'm more than happy with this camera... not much it can't do.

Here is a close-up with my favorite watch. Pretty good detail. I was just using the available light in the kitchen steading the camera with my elbows, no tripod.
http://corvettec3.com/yellow-watch.jpg

This is what I call macro!
http://corvettec3.com/yellow-watch1.jpg

This is shot in my bathroom on tripod using the program mode in TOTAL darkness.
http://corvettec3.com/yellow-watch2.jpg

This is fuzzy due to high ISO, but C'mon, it was shot in TOTAL darkness in my bathroom using the "night-shot" button on top left side of camera. Of course I had to use a tripod for this shot!
http://corvettec3.com/yellow-watch3.jpg

Not a whole lot of responses here? I'll keep posting as it should help some in their decision on what to get...
Sony People shots:
I was back east on vacation and went to the Amish farmlands of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country and got these shots. This link tells about the Amish culture:
http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml

http://corvettec3.com/Amish-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/Amish1-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/Amish2-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/Amish3-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/Amish4-800.jpg

Like I said above... not a lot of responses lately? This will be my last post unless I see some responses.

I went to a large air show yesterday and took a lot of photo's. These will tell you how good the H50 is on speed and zooming. I was impressed. I was next to a couple of guys that had the canon & nikon DSLR's with the Big/Long lenses and they were having trouble getting the shots they wanted. Not me!
BTW, what would be YOUR favorite shots of the 24 photo’s I took?
http://corvettec3.com/McChordAirExpo2.htm

It was tough, but I like at least half of what I have on the webpage... I guess I'd pick these two... The F16 Thunderbird is just firing up.
http://corvettec3.com/McChords4aaaa-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/McChords3-800.jpg
(I deliberately underexposed -3 to get the mountain to show up more.)

BTW, you WILL need an extra battery if you shoot much. I've found after several shootings, that the battery will last between 235-245 stored shots before it runs out. I left the camera on long periods of time during the Car show & Air show as not to miss shots, so I'm sure that affected the amount stored too. If you turn it off after each shot, you should get even more photo's.

Very contrastie, unless my monitor is off color The shadows are way to black. The airshow pictures seem to be underexposed. My humble opinion.

Very contrastie, unless my monitor is off color The shadows are way to black. The airshow pictures seem to be underexposed. My humble opinion.
As I stated in my last post, I deliberately underexposed to bring out the sky and mountains more. No getting around that.

While back in Newark, DE (30 minutes from Philadelphia) I shot these cute little Yellow Finches. It was hard to get a shot of them upright as they eat upside down! I had to use the full zoom range as they were very spooky if I got too close.

http://corvettec3.com/yellowfinch1.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/yellowfinch2.jpg

OK... adding to the previous thread above, here is an interesting comparison shots. My friend back east in DE that I shot the yellow finches at has the superzoom Kodak Z712 IS digital camera. We shot from the same place on patio. He was sitting down, I'm standing up. He shot his yesterday, I shot mine when I was there two weeks ago from the same spot. Compare and tell me which camera seems to do the best job?

Kodak Z712 IS shot:
http://corvettec3.com/yfinch1.jpg

Sony DSC-H50 shot:
http://corvettec3.com/yellowfinch4.jpg

Kodak Z712 IS shot:
http://corvettec3.com/yfinch2.jpg

Sony DSC-H50 shot:
http://corvettec3.com/yellowfinch1.jpg

Jesus thats one hell of a camera, the only thing seperating those super digital cams from DSLRs now are the interchangeable lenses and sensor sizes, some of them with firmware upgrades can shoot in RAW and exposure bracket up to 5-7 images.

Just curious; how much of the 15x is optical zoom and how much is digital zoom? Those are wicked images

[QUOTE=Kajuah]Jesus thats one hell of a camera, the only thing seperating those super digital cams from DSLRs now are the interchangeable lenses and sensor sizes, some of them with firmware upgrades can shoot in RAW and exposure bracket up to 5-7 images.
Before I got the Sony H50, once again I toyed with getting a DSLR, but it just doesn't justify the bulk and price, compared to these superzooms. Try packing around 3 lenses that will reach the 31 - 465 mm range that the DSC-50 has! With the loads of exposure control and a 15x stabilized optical zoom, this model is thousands of dollars cheaper than the equivalent options on a dSLR with an image stabilized lens. NOPE, no DSLR for me.


Just curious; how much of the 15x is optical zoom and how much is digital zoom? Those are wicked images All of the 15x (465mm) is digital. Then in the photo's above with the yellowfinches, I cropped into it 25% (similar to digital zoom) and it was still sharp! So who needs RAW?

you got quite the cool camera,i have the sonyh5,and the nikon d50, and i will never get rid of the h5,that sony can take way better macro shots than my nikon because i can't afford the quality lens to get near the quality the sony delivers,my sony will go to 432mm with my zoom conversion lens i have for the sony it can now go 732mm thats just awesome amount of zoom that my nikon 200mm lens can't get close too, congrats on your sony,i know where you're coming from.

I was downtown Seattle this weekend and got some good shots of two extremely different birds.

This was at the famed Seattle Pikes Place Market
http://corvettec3.com/Macaw-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/Macaw2-800.jpg

This was at the Famed Seattle Waterfront
http://corvettec3.com/gull-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/gull2-800.jpg

Here is 3 taken in Seattle the same day

http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/1seattle1.jpg

http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/seattle2.jpg

http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/seattle3.jpg

we point and shoot guys need our own forum :d all my stuff on my flickr is done with an sx 100 from canon.

I had something unusual happen today. I was in the kictchen getting my coffee when ilooked out the window and I saw what thought was a cat way out in the corner of my back yard. I got my binoculars and saw it was a HAWK. I never seen a hawk around here before! Anyway, these 3 pixs were shot from my kitchen window. It show the incredible range of the H50 zoom.

The frist shot shows no hawk, but the wide angle of my yard so you can see just how much I zoomed in.
http://corvettec3.com/ahawk-800.jpg

The second shot was zoomed to the max
http://corvettec3.com/aHawk2-800.jpg

the 3rd shot was the cropping to bring in the hawk and the power of having 9.1 megapixels.
http://corvettec3.com/aHawk3-800.jpg

Here is a shot I took today near Port Townsend, WA
No photoshop, just cropping and resizing

http://corvettec3.com/2violetflower-800.jpg

Once again I toyed with getting a DSLR, but it just doesn't justify the bulk and price, compared to these superzooms. Try packing around 3 lenses that will reach the 31 - 465 mm range that the DSC-50 has! With the loads of exposure control and a 15x stabilized optical zoom, this model is thousands of dollars cheaper than the equivalent options on a dSLR with an image stabilized lens. NOPE, no DSLR for me.

If that is true for you that's great, but no one will ever tell me that one of these super zooms is beter than my DSLR. Not a chance. Image quality, choice of lenses, Pro lenses, off camera flash systems, speed, ect.. No all in one can beat a DSLR for these things. They might make a decent backup or beginer camera, but for anything more a DSLR is a must. There is a reason they cost more. You get what you pay for.

If that is true for you that's great, but no one will ever tell me that one of these super zooms is beter than my DSLR. Not a chance. Image quality, choice of lenses, Pro lenses, off camera flash systems, speed, ect.. No all in one can beat a DSLR for these things. They might make a decent backup or beginer camera, but for anything more a DSLR is a must. There is a reason they cost more. You get what you pay for.
I wouldn't say something you can't back up! Have you tried the Sony H50 yet? I bet you won't take your DSLR with the300mm lenses everywhere with you and I mean everywhere. I think not. :wink: Well, I take the Sony EVERYWHERE so I don't miss pixs.
I can probably match any photos you take with your big gun too. I do with my buddies DSLR all the time. In fact I have a DSLR and leave it home most of the time. I've been doing photography for over 40 years to boot. That's grandpa's camera in the pix below that he used 75 years ago! So it helps that I know "how" to use these cameras.

http://corvettec3.com/Cameras-800.jpg

There is pretty much nowhere I don't take my camera. As for my big gun, it's a Canon EF 100-400L IS. The lens on a super zoom can't even begin to touch that. That lens cost more than your entire camera, and there is a reason for that.

I have used quite a few all-in-one zooms. My first digital was an AIO. As for your H50, I am sure it's a great camera for what it is, but i was not singeling it out. I was speaking of superzoom in general.

When it comes down to it, your zoom can't match the qulity or diversity of a true SLR. I am not saying they are bad cameras. I have used many of them actually. But to say they can stack up against a DSLR is ludicrous.

There is pretty much nowhere I don't take my camera. As for my big gun, it's a Canon EF 100-400L IS. The lens on a super zoom can't even begin to touch that. That lens cost more than your entire camera, and there is a reason for that.

I have used quite a few all-in-one zooms. My first digital was an AIO. As for your H50, I am sure it's a great camera for what it is, but i was not singeling it out. I was speaking of superzoom in general.

When it comes down to it, your zoom can't match the qulity or diversity of a true SLR. I am not saying they are bad cameras. I have used many of them actually. But to say they can stack up against a DSLR is ludicrous.
I can guarantee you don't take that monster lens (BTW, nice lens!) everywhere with you like I do with my Sony! Nobody does. I mean do you take it to church with you, to the grocery store, to work every day etc as not to miss any shots? I don't think so. Too much to pack. That is where the camera type importance comes in. It's not like I don't have a dSLR too. :wink: How many times do you see something like an deer or eagle doing something special while your driving and you slam on the brakes grab your camera and the shot? By the time you get the dSLR and put on that big lense, the opportunity is gone. This is where the super zooms really shine... you don't miss the rare shots. The most expensive equipment in the world is not going to help you if you don't have it on hand for that rare shot.

I do take the dSLR when it is for important shots and I have the time and energy to take all the gear.

Yes, the dSLR makes it "easier" for the pro to get better shots... but I have some friends who are not pros and I can get better shots than them because I know how to use the camera. Happens all the time.

As for the quality of the shots... yes, I can match the majority your shots. It may take a bit more work to do but it is knowing how to manipulate/use the camera (it has the manual, A, S, P modes) and of course, knowing the all important composition/lighting. These principals have NOT change in the past 100 years. So just because you have an expensive equipment does not mean your going to get the better shots than someone who knows what their doing.

As for your equipment... you have darn nice stuff. I do like that lense. But I don't like the price. That Canon EF 100-400L IS cost over three times what my Sony H50 cost.

Here are four photo's I took at the local park this weekend.
Not bad for a non-dslr. :wink5:

http://corvettec3.com/redwhite-flower-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/bee-800.jpg

http://corvettec3.com/pink-rose-800.jpg