Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V

We haven’t had our hands on this product, but we know which features matter. Here’s how the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V measures up:

High Resolution Allows You to Make Large Prints

For a point-and-shoot camera, this model has a high megapixel count. You can print images from an 8- to 13-megapixel camera at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches with no loss in quality; at 13 by 19 inches, however, prints will exhibit a slight loss of detail. Images from a 13-megapixel camera look good at 13 by 19 inches and can be pushed to 16 by 24 inches. Though prints at these larger sizes will lose some sharpness, they’ll be superior to what you’d get from 35mm film printed at the same dimensions. You’ll also have plenty of latitude to crop and resize images. As the pixel count on an image sensor increases, so does its propensity to produce images plagued by noise–ugly speckling patterns. To avoid noise, look for a camera with the lowest pixel count that still serves your output needs.

Large LCD Screen

This model has an unusually large LCD screen for a point-and-shoot camera, which makes it especially convenient for reviewing shots and navigating menus. On the other hand, big LCDs tend to drain batteries quickly, so plan accordingly. When a camera’s LCD screen has its only viewfinder, you need to make sure that you can see it easily in bright daylight and in very low ambient light. Use the LCD screen to judge the composition of your images but not to gauge color and exposure. For color and contrast, histograms of your images are much more reliable–and most cameras these days provide them.

Larger-Than-Average Optical Zoom Range

The optical zoom range on this camera is sufficiently broad to give you considerable creative control. Your options extend from individual portraits to group shots to wide-angle landscapes. Most point-and-shoots offer a focal length range that’s roughly equivalent to 35mm to 105mm on a 35mm film camera. At the wide end (the 35mm, in this case), they shoot a bit wider than what you see with your eye. At the telephoto end (the 105mm, in this case), they can zoom in a good deal closer than you’d be able to with the naked eye.

Optical/Lens Image Stabilization

Instead of having optical image stabilization built into its body, this SLR relies on using stabilization technology in its lens to adjust optics and compensate for some shaking. Stabilized lenses are usually more expensive than non-stabilized lenses. Vendors rate the quality of lens-based stabilization in stops. Generally, on a 35mm film camera, the slowest shutter speed that you can safely use when taking handheld pictures is 1 divided by the lens’s focal length. So, if you’re shooting with a 100mm lens, you shouldn’t use a shutter that’s speed slower than 1/100th second. If that explanation doesn’t make sense to you, don’t worry. All you need to know is that a stabilizer rated to more stops is better than one rated to fewer stops.

JPEG Image Format

All digital cameras can capture JPEG images. The JPEG compression process greatly reduces the amount of storage an image requires, and JPEG images transfer quickly from your camera to your computer. JPEG compression is a lossy algorithm, however, which means that saving an image in JPEG format degrades its quality. The high-quality JPEG settings on most cameras are quite good, and it’s difficult to spot differences between a JPEG compressed image and a noncompressed image. Still, if you like to edit your images, you may want to upgrade to a camera that also supports a noncompressed (lossless) format, such as TIFF or RAW.

High Video Frame Rate

The video mode on this camera has a high maximum frame rate. Ideally, a camera’s video mode would capture video at 30 frames per second (the frame rate of video you see on TV). At this frame rate, output would be of good quality, and you’d be able to intercut it with video from a camcorder and not see a big difference in smoothness of motion between the two clips. Movies, on the other hand, have a frame rate of 24 frames per second, and you need a rate of about 18 frames per second to record video with synchronized sound. A faster frame rate makes for smoother pans and smoother capture of fast-moving objects.