Sony Cybershot DSC-H3 Super Zoom Camera - Features
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I've already talked about the main feature of this camera which is the 10x optical zoom capabilities. Combine this with the nice 8.1 mega-pixel sensor, and you can get some good quality long-range shots. There are a host of other features that help to enhance the quality of the long range shots, including advanced sport mode, face detection, HD output, Sony's Super SteadyShot image stabilization, and Sony's smart zoom feature.
Sport mode is a very useful feature used to capture high speed shots, such as at sporting events. Sony accomplishes this by speeding up the shutter speeds drastically. Sony claims a shutter speed boost of up to 1/2000 second. This mode also uses auto focus, as well as predictive focus, to follow the moving object to get the best possible shot.
Face detection has become pretty standard on new digital cameras. The face detection feature in the H3 will detect up to eight faces in a photo, and the camera will automatically adjust the focus, exposure, color, and flash to get the best possible shot. This feature will also automatically adjust the skin tones to look more natural, as well as fix any red-eye issues.
For those people with HD TVs out there, you will be glad to know that with the H3, you can view your photos in HD quality on your TV at home. The down side is that you will not have this capability right out of the box. You must purchase the VMC-HD1 component video cable to connect the camera to your HDTV. This cable costs around $40.
Sony's Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization (IS) system is one of the best in the industry. While some IS systems don't really work very well, this one does. Because Sony uses an optical sensor in their IS system, it works very well at stabilizing the shot without causing blurriness or losing any accuracy. Sony's IS system in the H3 is on par with Canon's, who has always had a very good IS system in their cameras.
Sony has slightly adjusted their digital zoom feature to work more effectively without losing quality. They have a 51x smart zoom feature in the H3, which can be used to crop in close to an image without losing the shot's sharpness. This feature functions at 1920 x 1080 resolution, allowing the user to zoom in even closer to an object without sacrificing quality.
Other notable features in the Sony H3 include video mode, in-camera retouching, 9-point auto focus, and ISO 3200 capabilities. The video mode in the H3 is very good. This camera allows the user to shoot VGA quality (640 x 480) videos at 30 frames per second. You can even use the optical zoom feature for shooting video, which most other cameras do not allow you to do.
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