Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 Review

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 Review, May 2007
Simon Joinson

Almost exactly 12 months after the launch of the Cyber-shot DSC-H2 and DSC-H5 Sony announced the replacement cameras; the DSC-H7 and the top-of-the-range model reviewed here; the DSC-H9. That Sony chose to increase the pixel count (to 8MP) and to include this year's 'must have' features (face detection and ludicrously high maximum ISO) can't have surprised many, but there are a few less predictable new features, and a few welcome changes. The former include Sony's unique 'NightShot' infra-red mode (seen on many camcorders as well as a few Cyber-shots over the years), a 15x zoom and HDTV (well, 1080i) output. The latter include an articulated (tilt-up) screen, improved focus system, faster performance and a new (in the box) remote control.

The super-zoom market is still one of the most competitive sectors and the H9 is up against some stiff competition from old foes such as Panasonic, Canon and Olympus. The H2 and H5 were both well-received when reviewed this time last year, so let's find out if Sony has built on that success or not.

Cyber-shot DSC-H9 vs DSC-H5 - key changes

• New sensor (8MP versus 7MP)
• longer lens range (15x up from 12x)
• Higher maximum sensitivity (ISO 3200)
• Tilt-up articulated screen
• Lithium Ion battery
• Control dial has moved to rear of camera
• 9-point AF (was 3-point)
• New Sports mode
• HDTV (1080i) video output (via optional component cable)
• Face detection
• D-Range optimization (auto contrast)
• In-camera retouching
• Remote control included
• NightShot function for shooting in the dark
• Entirely new user interface

	Sony DSC-H9	Sony DSC-H5
Sensor	• 1/2.5 " Type CCD • 8.1 million effective pixels	• 1/2.5” CCD, • 7.2 million effective pixels
Lens	• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar • 31-465mm (35mm equiv) • 15x optical zoom • F2.7-4.5	• 36-432mm equiv • 12x optical zoom • Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar • F2.8-3.7
Maximum Image Size	3264 x 2448	3072 x 2304
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 80-3200	• Auto • ISO 80-1000
Top shutter speed	1/4000th	1/2000th
Autofocus modes	• 9 Area Multi-Point AF • Center AF • Flexible spot AF	• 3 Area Multi-Point AF • Center AF (selectable) • Flexible spot AF
Scene modes	• Twilight • Twilight Portrait • Portrait • Landscape • Beach • Snow • Fireworks • High Sensitivity • Advanced Sports Shooting	• Twilight • Twilight Portrait • Portrait • Landscape • Beach • High-speed shutter • High Sensitivity
Continuous Shooting	100 shots, 2.2fps, 8MP (max)	1.1 fps, up to 7 frames
Flash range, Auto ISO	Up to 9.8m (wide)	Up to 9.0m (wide)
LCD screen	• 3.0-inch tilt-up TFT • 230,000 pixels	• 3.0 " TFT • 230,000 pixels
Power	• Lithium-ion NP-BG1 battery	2x AA
Battery life (CIPA standard, using LCD)	280	340
Weight (inc batteries)	546g	554g
Remote control	Included	No
Other	• NightShot infrared system • Face Detection • HDTV output (optional cable) • Bionz processing engine • In-camera effects

Cyber-shot DSC-H9 vs DSC-H7

As we saw with the previous generation the DSC-H9 has a 'little brother', the DSC-H7. Basically a slightly cut down, cheaper version of the H9, the differences are actually fairly minimal - for most users the screen will be the key.

• H9 has a larger (3.0 inch), higher-resolution tilting screen (H7: 2.5-inch non-articulated)
• H9 has external buttons for metering and continuous shooting modes, H7 doesn't
• H9 is around 32g (1.1 oz) heavier
• H9 has NightShot function, H7 doesn't.

DSC-H9 specifications

Street price	• US: $480 • UK: £320
Body Material	Plastic
Sensor	• 1/2.5 " Type CCD • 8.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 3264 x 2448 • 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x 1536 • 640 x 480 • 3264 x 2176 (3:2) • 1920 x 1080 (16:9)
Movie clips	• MPEG VX Fine / Standard (640 x 480 @ 30 / 16 fps MPEG-1 with audio)
File formats	• Still: JPEG • Movie: MPEG VX (MPEG-1)
Lens	• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar • 31-465mm (35mm equiv) • 15x optical zoom • F2.7-4.5
Image stabilization	Super SteadyShot®
Conversion lenses	Yes
Digital zoom	• 2x (24x total) • Up to 30x Smart Zoom (dependent on selected resolution)
Focus	• Auto • Macro • Single • Monitoring
AF area modes	• 9 Area Multi-Point AF • Center AF • Flexible spot AF • Contrast detect
AF assist lamp	Yes
Focus distance	• Normal: 50cm (19.7 in) minimum (W), 120cm (47.25 in) minimum (T) • Macro: 1cm (0.4 in) wide only
Metering	• Multi-pattern (49 zone) • Center weighted • Spot
ISO sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200
Exposure compensation	• +/-2EV • 1/3 EV steps
Exposure bracketing	+/- 0.3, 0.7, 1.0 EV
Shutter speed	• Auto: 1/4-1/4000sec • P: 1"-1/4000sec • S: 30"-1/4000sec • A: 8"-1/2000sec • M: 30"-1/4000sec
Aperture	F2.7-5.6 (w) F4.5-8 (t)
Modes	• Program • Aperture priority • Shutter priority • Manual • 9-preset select scene modes
Scene modes	• Twilight • Twilight Portrait • Portrait • Landscape • Beach • Snow • Fireworks • High Sensitivity • Advanced Sports Shooting
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Fluorescent 1, 2, 3 • Incandescent • Flash WB • Manual
Self timer	• 10 or 2 secs
Continuous shooting	100 shots, 2.2fps, 8MP (max)
Image parameters	Natural, Vivid, Sepia, B&W, Sharpness, Contrast
Flash	• Auto • On • Slow Synch • Off • Red-eye reduction • Front/rear synch • Auto/Daylight synch • Range: 0.2 - 9.8m (wide) 1.2 - 6m (tele)
Viewfinder	• 0.2" EVF • 201K pixels
LCD monitor	• 3.0-inch tilting TFT • 230K pixels
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 high speed • HD • AV w/multi-jack • DC in
Print compliance	PictBridge, DPOF
Storage	• Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo compatible • 31MB internal memory
Power	• Lithium-ion NP-BG1 battery • BC-CSG Charger
Weight (inc batt)	554 g (1 lb 4.3 oz)
Dimensions	113.2 x 83 x 94 mm (4.6 x 3.3 x 3.7 in)

Design Sony hasn't reinvented the wheel with the H9, and the design is very, very similar to the H2 and H5 that came before it. Maybe it's the materials, maybe because it's a bit lighter, but the H9 doesn't have quite the same 'quality' feel as the H5. In fact everyone who picked it up commented on how light it was, which helps when walking around all day, but doesn't help stability - nor does it inspire confidence. A few of the buttons have moved around and the command dial has migrated from the handgrip to the rear panel, but overall the recipe is the same as it has been since the original H1. In your hand Like the models that preceded it, the H9 is well-balanced and fits the hand nicely (the grip is slightly different to the H5, and I prefer it, but everyone's hands are different). Although you can easily shoot holding the camera in one hand, it's a lot steadier (and a lot easier to use the zoom control) if you use both. As a point and shoot camera it's suprisingly easy to use, but if you like to change your exposure, ISO, white balance etc settings a lot the H9 takes an awful lot of getting used to - partly because of the reliance on menus, partly because the new control dial is in a much less useful place than it used to be. The camera is also quite deep, but this will only be an issue if you're blessed with tiny hands. Body elements One big change over the previous 'H' models is the use of a Lithium Ion battery pack (presumably to deal with the power demands of that huge screen). Battery life isn't terrible, but it isn't great - especially if you use the LCD screen (as opposed to the viewfinder) and leave the IS on all the time. Sony quotes 280 shots per change (LCD, CIPA standard), but we struggled to get more than about 200 per charge. Spare battery a good idea. Directly beside the battery is the Memory Stick Duo (or PRO Duo) slot. The H9 - like most recent Cyber-shot models - doesn't ship with a card, but there is a measly 31MB of internal memory to get you started (enough for about 10 shots). The electronic color viewfinder appears to be the same as the one used on the H5, so it's still a bit small (it's like watching a film from the very back of the cinema), but the resolution is good and it's fairly bright. One small point - the new design doesn't have much of an eyecup at all, meaning in bright light the viewfinder can be hard to see. The screen is simply superb, and puts most competitors to shame. At 3.0-inches and 230,000 pixels it's the same as the H5. Like the H5 the H9's screen could do with being a bit brighter - it's nigh on impossible to see in bright light. This is despite a fancy anti-glare coating (which you need to polish continually as it shows every finger - or nose - print). Of course the big change is that the screen is now articulated, albeit in a way that only allows a limited degree of movement (apparently there are patent issues surrounding the side-hinged approach used by Canon). The screen can be tilted up and and through 90-degrees - great for waist-level or over the head shooting. The only downside is that mechanism adds further to the depth of an already quite chunky body. The H9's flash pops up automatically when needed, and it's got a great range (up to 9.8m / 32 feet), but be aware that this relies on the auto ISO going very high, so don't expect miraculous image quality at anything over a few meters. There is a very bright AF illuminator that allows the H9 to focus in total darkness up to a distance of around 1.5m. Making a reappearance on a Cyber-shot for the first time in half a decade is 'NightShot' - Sony's infrared 'night vision' technology (featured on most of its camcorders). Flip this switch and an invisible infrared light is activated allowing you to take monochrome pictures (with a lovely 'desert storm' green glow) in total darkness. It's great for sleeping kids or shy badgers. The biggest change over the previous H range is the new lens, which now covers an even more ambitious 15x zoom range. The good news is that Sony hasn't just stretched the long of the zoom; the wide end got wider too, the lens now covers an incredibly versatile 31-465mm equivalent range. The only downside of this focal length largesse is that the maximum aperture at the long end has dropped nearly two thirds of a stop (from F3.7 to F4.5). As with previous models Sony supplies a lens adaptor ring and a rather unwieldy bayonet-fit lens hood that adds considerably to the bulk of the camera but is essential for avoiding flare on bright days. If you like to use filters on the front of your lens be warned: the lens adapter has a huge - and decidedly non-standard - 74mm thread. On the left side of the body (viewed from the rear) you'll find the usual Sony multi-connector. This doubles as a video out and USB port (and can provide 1080i HDTV signal with the optional component cable). Why Sony didn't go the whole hog with HDTV output and allow a digital connection (HDMI) I don't know - that would be really impressive. Above the connector is the NightShot on/off slider switch. On the opposite side of the body is a funny little square connector for use with the (optional) mains adapter. The standard four-way controller offers instant access to flash, macro, display mode and self-timer functions, and is used to navigate the on-screen menus. Around this is the new control wheel, which has moved from it's (much more sensible) position on the front of the grip - this is very easy to knock with your thumb accidentally too. Note the new 'home' button, used to access all basic settings no matter what mode you are currently in. The mode dial sits next to the recessed power switch on the top of the camera. Here you'll find all the manual exposure modes, movies, plus the four most commonly-used scene modes (portrait, advanced sports, twilight and landscape). The shutter release is perfectly positioned on the top of the grip. Directly behind the shutter release are two buttons for metering and drive modes (the drive button also activates the various bracketing options). Last but not least the H9 ships with a fairly sophisticated remote control. Nice touch.

Operation and controls

I have to say that - despite a raft of spec and performance improvements over the H2/H5 - the H9 is a real disappointment when it comes to to actually using all those advanced features. The problem is twofold; there is still the lack of external controls that we complained about last time, but this is seriously compounded by a new user interface that may look nice but is over complicated and often awkward to use. The newly positioned rotating dial is a huge step backward from the 'click and turn' finger wheel used on the previous model - it's not as fast (mainly thanks to the fact you have to press the center button to switch between settings), and it's nowhere near as easy to use without taking your eye away from the screen.

Of course the truth is that in normal photography you aren't changing all the settings with every shot, but I do like fast access to ISO, white balance, AE compensation and Aperture (program shift is perfect for most situations), and most of the time you can just leave everything on auto and just 'point and shoot'... but I found myself cursing Sony for making it so fiddly to change such basic settings on a regular basis.

Elsewhere flash, macro, metering and burst modes do get their own buttons, and the main screen offers direct access to ISO and AE-C.

Rear of camera

The back of the camera is where we find the most important external difference to the H2/H5; the 3.0-inch screen dominates, though there's still room for some controls above and to the right. At the top, next to the electronic viewfinder, are (from left) the finder/LCD button, the play mode button and zoom rocker (which you'll struggle not to press accidentally if you try to hold the camera with one hand). Below the zoom controls are the menu button, the four-way controller and control dial and the new 'home' button. AE compensation, which had its own button the H5, is now accessed via the screen. The big screen means the controls are a little cramped, and we found the control dial a little too easy to nudge accidentally (which will change settings).

Top of camera

	The H9 - like most of its direct competitors - has an 'SLR-like' design with a fairly deep body and deep grip. As you can see, the body is actually quite deep if you include the articulated LCD.

Display and menus

Although what you see on-screen when actually taking pictures hasn't changed significantly since the last 'H' cameras, the latest generation of Cyber-shots has an entirely new menu system. It's a fairly radical departure from the system used on previous cameras (which had remained fundamentally unchanged for many years), and appears to have been inspired by the user interface of Sony's other personal electronics devices, particularly the PSP and PS3. This extends to the the use of a 'home' screen with all the basic camera settings and functions gathered into one place - accessible at the push of a button no matter what the camera is doing at the time.

The system looks great but is overly complex, often counter intuitive, has inconsistent navigation and takes forever to master. Having a two-level menu system with several ways to access the same settings just means it takes longer to learn and as I used the H9 I kept wondering if the designers had forgotten that its primary - only - function is to take pictures and movies.

The only saving grace is that you can avoid entering (and getting lost in) the menu system most of the time because the key settings are accessed from the main record screen.

As usual the DISP button cycles through the various on-screen display options. This is the most basic in P mode - shooting settings are shown along the bottom. ISO, AE-C, program shift and focus pattern can be changed directly using the control dial (in a system very similar to that used by Kodak on its high end cameras). Note that the aperture and shutter speed settings are updated continually (i.e. you don't need to wait until you half-press for metering).	Half-press the shutter release and the camera will lock focus and exposure. The H9 has three AF area options (center, flex spot and - as shown here - area).
The most detailed display has additional information - plus a live histogram. The grid lines you see in all these shots are optional.	A new virtual mode dial appears when you turn the real mode dial - useful if you don't want to take your eye off the screen (though it stays around for too long).
The control dial on the back of the camera is used to change ISO, exposure values (in A,S,M modes), program shift (P mode), AE compensation and focus pattern. Because you need to use the 'OK' button when selecting which setting to change it's nowhere near as fast as the front control wheel on the H5 - a real usability step backwards.	Manual focus is also set via the control dial.
A switch on the side of the camera turns on one of the H9's more unusual features, NightShot. This allows you to photograph in total darkness using infrared illumination.	Two buttons behind the shutter release allow you to cycle through continuous shooting (including bracketing) and metering modes.
Pressing the menu button in record mode brings up a scrolling menu of less commonly-accessed settings (image size, color mode, white balance, flash AEC, red-eye mode, contrast & sharpness settings, stabilization). I was disappointed that you can't use the control dial to scroll up and down the list - you have to use the arrow keys. Note that the menu is actually shown as an overlay on top of the live preview.	The contrast menu has the usual 'low', 'standard' and 'high' options, plus a 'Dynamic Range Optimiser' setting that automatically sets the contrast according to what you are photographing.
As with record mode you have three choices when it comes to the amount of information overlaid on images viewed in playback mode; none, basic and advanced (with histogram, shown here). You can scroll through images using the left-right buttons or the control dial.	Pressing the left (wide) zoom key brings up a display of 3x3 thumbnails of saved images. Unusually for a camera with such a large screen you can't view a greater number of (smaller) thumbnails.
Pressing the right (tele) zoom key allows you to magnify images up to 5x. You can also scroll around magnified images using the four-way controller.	The play menu offers the usual range of options, including protecting, rotating and deleting images, plus slide shows and print ordering (DPOF).
New for the H9 are a set of built-in image effects (under the 'retouch' menu item). Here you can apply soft focus vignettes, turn parts of the image black and white, remove red-eye and add a 'cross filter' or fisheye effect. The tools are actually pretty good - if you like that kind of thing.
Most offer several options for the location and strength of the effect.	It's worth giving the slide show function a quick mention, as its one of the most advanced we've yet seen, with professional transitions and a choice of background music (you can even add your own music). In conjunction with the remote control and HDTV output it's a fairly powerful way to show your pictures on a television without any other equipment.
Pressing the 'Home' button - no matter where you are in the menus or what you are doing with the camera - brings up the camera's 'home' page. This is supposed to be a simple way to access the most common functions - and change some less common settings, but since it isn't in any way customizable it's hard to see the point of it.	The play tab has options to switch directly to play mode (like pressing the play button), index display or slideshow. Next to this is the print tab (where you can go straight to the printing page and, oddly, download music for use in slideshows). Then there is the 'Manage Memory' tab - the only place you can format the card (as well as create new folders and copy between the internal memory and MS Duo card).
The settings tab has several pages of general camera and shooting options.	The shooting settings include options for single or continuous focus, AF illuminator, digital zoom, conversion lenses and more.

Timing & Performance

The H9's overall performance is roughly the same as the H2 and H5 that came before it. Although it's a little slower than some direct competitors when it comes to many basic camera operations - startup, power off, playback and so on, the H9 never feels slow in use (and we are talking about differences measured in 1/10ths of a second). Where it really matters - focus speed, shutter lag, shot-to-shot times (without flash) and so on - the H9 no worse than most super zoom cameras, and is a lot faster than many. The rather lackluster burst mode on the H5 has been beefed up a little, and now offers very nearly 2 frames per second for as many shots as you want.

Although a touch faster than its predecessors, the focus system feels like it could be faster at the long end of the zoom, as even in continuous AF mode the focus hunts every time you half-press the shutter. This means that you can be watching the live preview, everything is perfectly focused, and when you half press the shutter the focus moves in and out briefly - but quite dramatically - before settling exactly where it was before you did anything. The only saving grace is that the focus is - in good light - very fast anyway, and the hunting only really occurs at the extreme long end of the zoom; at wider angles the focus feels almost DSLR-like, it is so fast. In low light or at short subject distances the telephoto focus does get dramatically slower, but if this is the type of photography you're likely to be doing a lot of you really need an SLR.

The only other slightly disappointing results were fairly long shot-to-shot times with flash, especially if using the red-eye reduction mode.

Timing Notes

All times calculated as an average of three operations. Unless otherwise stated all timings were made on an 8MP JPEG image (approx. 2210 KB per image). The media used for these tests was a 1.0 GB Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo card.

Action	Details	Time, secs
Power: Off to Record		2.5
Power: Off to Play	Image displayed	1.6
Power: Record to Off	Lens retracted and all activity ceased	2.2
Power: Play to Off	When buffer is empty, lens extended	2.2
Power: Play to Off	When buffer is empty, lens retracted	~0.5
Record Review	Image displayed	1.0
Mode: Record to Play		1.3
Mode: Play to Record	Lens already extended	~ 0.9
Mode: Play to Record	Lens retracted	~ 2.2
Play: Magnify	To full magnification (5x)	~ 4.4
Play: Image to Image	Time to display each saved image	~ 0.2 *1
Play: Thumbnail view	2 x 3 thumbnails	~1.6 *2

Action	Details	Time, seconds
Zoom from Wide to Tele	31 to 465 mm (15 x) Hi Speed	2.1
Zoom from Wide to Tele	31 to 465 mm (15 x) Lo Speed	4.7
Half-press Lag (0->S1)	Wide angle	~ 0.25 - 0.6 *3
Half-press Lag (0->S1)	Telephoto	~ 0.5 - 1.1 *3
Half to Full-press Lag (S1->S2)	LCD live view	~ 0.07
Half to Full-press Lag (S1->S2)	Electronic Viewfinder	~ 0.06
Full-press Lag (0->S2)	LCD live view, wide angle	~ 0.4
Off to Shot Taken	LCD live view	~ 2.9
Shot to Shot	Flash off (autofocus)	~ 1.3
Shot to Shot	Flash on (red-eye reduction off)	3.1 *4
Shot to Shot	Flash on (red-eye reduction on)	6.0 *4

*1	Time to display low res thumbnail - to load the entire file (if you want to zoom in for example) takes around 0.6 seconds.
*2	3x4 thumbs takes another 0.8 seconds
*3	Focus can be very fast indeed, but varies widely depending on light levels, subject distance and subject type. There is little measurable difference in speed between the three area AF modes.
*4	In this test the subject distance is only 3 feet (0.9 m) - the recycle time will increase at greater subject distances, and if the batteries are running low (as long as 8 seconds)

Lag Timing Definitions

Half-press Lag (0->S1) Many digital camera users prime the AF and AE systems on their camera by half-pressing the shutter release. This is the amount of time between a half-press of the shutter release and the camera indicating an auto focus & auto exposure lock on the LCD monitor / viewfinder (ready to shoot).	(Prime AF/AE)
Half to Full-press Lag (S1->S2) The amount of time it takes from a full depression of the shutter release button (assuming you have already primed the camera with a half-press) to the image being taken.	(Take shot, AF/AE primed)
Full-press Lag (0->S2) The amount of time it takes from a full depression of the shutter release button (without performing a half-press of the shutter release beforehand) to the image being taken. This is more representative of the use of the camera in a spur of the moment 'point and shoot' situation.	(Take shot, AF/AE not primed)

Continuous mode

The tables below show the results of our continuous shooting test, indicating the actual frame rate along with maximum number of frames and how long you would have to wait after taking the maximum number of frames before you could take another shot. Media used for these tests was a 1.0 GB Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo card. Shutter speed was kept above 1/160 sec during these tests.

The H9 has a single continuous (burst) mode that averages just under two frames per second (a distinct improvement on its predecessor), and there appears to be no practical limit on the number of shots per burst.

Image Type	Mode	Avg. frames per sec	Frames in a burst *1	After burst *2
8MP JPEG	Continuous	1.9 fps	100+	~ 1.6s pause
5MP JPEG	Continuous	1.9 fps	100+	~ 1.5s pause
3MP JPEG	Continuous	1.9 fps	100+	~ 1.5s pause

*1	In a single "burst" (finger held down on shutter release).
*2	The H9 can shoot indefinitely (until the card is full or the battery exhausted) at any file size - there is a slight delay of around one and a half seconds after a burst whilst the last few images are written to the card.

File Write / Display and Sizes

Timings shown below are the time taken for the camera to process and "flush" the image out to the storage card, the timer was started as soon as the shutter release was pressed and stopped when activity indicator went out. This means the timings also include the camera's processing time and as such are more representative of the actual time to "complete the task". The media used for these tests was a 1.0 GB Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo card.

Image Type	Time to store (secs)	Time to display (secs)	File size *1 (approx.)	Images on a *2 1.0 GB Card
8MP JPEG	~1.3	~0.6 *3	2,210 KB	312
5MP JPEG	~1.2	~0.6 *3	1,700 KB	397
3MP JPEG	~1.2	~0.5 *3	1,100 KB	637
0.3MP JPEG (VGA)	~0.9	~0.5 *3	120 KB	6121

*1	All file sizes are an average of three files. As is the case with JPEG it's difficult to predict the size of an image because it will vary a fair amount depending on the content of the image (detail and noise).
*2	Camera estimation.
*3	Time shown is to load the full image (thumbnails are displayed in around 0.2 secs)

With write speeds averaging around 1.7MB/s the H9 is no speed demon, but you'd never know as it is more than made up for by the large, fast buffer and small file sizes.

White Balance

The H9 has seven white balance presets (daylight, cloudy, fluorescent 1, 2 and 3, incandescent and flash) in addition to the default auto white balance and a custom (manual) option. In our tests the auto WB system worked pretty well in all outdoor situations (though we did notice a slight warm tone to daylight shot), coped very well with mixed light sources, but struggled to correct the color cast caused by shooting under artificial (indoor) lighting. If you want neutral tones in such situations you need to use manual white balance.

Incandescent - Auto WB Red 16.0%, Blue -25.4% Very Poor	Incandescent - Incandescent preset WB Red 5.1%, Blue -4.3%, Average
Fluorescent - Auto WB Red 2.7%, Blue -10.7%, Average	Fluorescent - Fluorescent preset WB Red 6.2%, Blue -6.5%, Average

Flash Performance

The built-in pop-up flash has a range (using auto ISO) of up to around 9.8 m (32 feet) at the wide end of the zoom, dropping to 6.0 m (19.7 feet) at the long end - pretty impressive for a camera in this class (though be aware that at great distances the ISO may get pushed too high for really great quality). We found exposure and color to be very reliable, with the flash quenching well at distances down to about 10cm. There is a slight warm tone to flash photos, but in most cases this is better than being too cool, and produces nice skin tones. One minor complaint is the flash shot-to-shot time (partly due to the pre-flash metering used), which stretches to just over three seconds when red-eye reduction is turned on. If the batteries are low or your subject is a few feet away flash recycle times can rise to as much as 6 or 8 seconds.

Skin tone - Warm tone, good exposure	Color chart -Slight warm tone, good exposure

Macro Focus

The H9's macro mode is even better than its predecessor, and lets you get as close as 1cm at the wide end of the zoom, capturing an area 35mm (1.37 inches) across. Obviously there are some limitations on the usefulness of a macro mode than requires you to get so close to the subject for really impressive magnifications. The biggest is the issue of the camera casting such a large shadow over the subject that you can't see it. If you prefer to shoot your close ups from a more respectable distance the long end of the zoom does allow you to get down to around 120cm (about 47 inches) to capture an area just under 10cm across, which isn't bad at all for a zoom this big (though there is some corner softness and mild distortion).

Wide macro - 35 mm x 26 mm coverage 92 px/mm (2338 px/in) Distortion: High Corner softness: Low Equiv. focal length: 31 mm	Telephoto macro - 97 mm x 72 mm coverage 34 px/mm (853 px/in) Distortion: Mild Corner softness: Mild Equiv. focal length: 465 mm

Barrel and Pincushion Distortion

Although the measurements aren't terrible for a camera with such a huge focal length range, the H9 produces images with visibly more distortion than most of its competitors. There is fairly strong barrel distortion at the wide end and noticeable pincushion distortion at all longer focal lengths (not just the longest setting). Of course it always looks worse when shooting test charts, but if you need straight edges (such as copying documents or artwork) then this ain't the camera for you.

Barrel distortion - 1.3% at Wide angle Equiv. focal length: 36 mm	Pincushion distortion - 0.1% at Telephoto Equiv. focal length: 465 mm

Specific image quality issues

Away from the studio in the 'real world', overall impressions of the H9's output are mixed, to say the least. On a positive note the focus, exposure and color are generally excellent (though the default settings may produce output that is a little 'overcooked' for purists). Highlight clipping is pretty low too, and the sheer versatility of such a wide zoom range - combined with fast focus and an effective stabilizer - means there are few photographic challenges it can't handle.

But look a little closer - particularly at a pixel level - and you start to see the compromises involved in squeezing a 31-465mm equiv. lens and 8 million pixels into such a compact form. We're not sure if it's noise reduction, poor demosaicing or over-compression, but viewed on-screen the images just don't look very pleasant, with visible artefacts and more than a fair share of optical issues.

On the optical side the main issues are chromatic aberration, purple fringing, particularly at the wide end of the zoom, and excessive noise reduction. The latter causes smearing of low contrast detail (hair, foliage etc) even at low ISO settings and can add a watercolor-like dappling to out of focus areas and other soft details.

In fact at the very widest zoom setting it's kind of hard to find anything really positive to say about the H9's photos; at wider apertures there is a noticeable fall off in sharpness at the edges (on our sample it's much stronger on the left than the right), strong fringing and an overall lack of crisp detail. If you stop the lens down you get less fringing but diffraction starts to soften the images.

I should stress that unless you're in the habit of printing your images at large sizes or peeping at pixels the H9's output is unlikely to disappoint, and it has a remarkably high 'hit rate', with few focus or exposure failures. But for us the output was uninspiring.

A couple of side notes; firstly the lens hood is definitely useful for reducing flare and should be left on whenever possible when shooting outdoors. Secondly we were surprised to find that even in sunny weather the H9's program mode tended to default to rather small apertures and slow shutter speeds (we're guessing this is to reduce the fringing and edge softness).

This is doubly problematic; over about F5.6 diffraction effects start to soften the H9's output - the lens' sweet spot is around two stops in from the maximum aperture (resolution drops fairly rapidly at higher F numbers), and you can easily end up with shutter speeds too slow to guarantee a blur-free result.

This problem reaches its zenith in the new Advanced Sports Shooting mode, which on a bright day was giving me 1/60th second at F7.1!! This means that all that predictive focus cleverness is totally wasted. This can only be described as a bug in the firmware, and needs to be fixed (there's no way round this either - unlike normal program mode the sports mode doesn't have program shift or ISO control).

Chromatic Aberration & Purple Fringing

All super zoom cameras suffer from some fringing (though Panasonic's processing removes it before you ever see it), and this camera's predecessor (the H5) was the worst offender. The H9 seems to be just as bad, and it is fairly prevalent at the edge of the frame when shooting at the wide end of the zoom and around high contrast edges. Unusually we found evidence of purple fringing even where the edge wasn't particularly high contrast (see example below). There's also fairly strong chromatic aberration at all focal lengths (though most obviously at longer zoom settings), although to be fair it's harder to spot this in normal prints as the fringes are only a few pixels wide in most shots. Either way this whole fringing issue - be it lens related or CCD related - is something Sony really needs to sort out in future models.

100% crop	465mm equiv., F5.6
100% crop	31mm equiv., F5.0

Noise reduction at low ISO settings

We can forgive noise reduction artefacts creeping into shots at higher ISO settings, but there are times when they are all too visible in low ISO shots too - even at base ISO. The watercolor effect tends to be most obvious on soft, out of focus areas (such as when shooting at full zoom with a wide aperture to minimize depth of field) - if I was to guess what was happening it is that the Bionz processor is mistaking soft detail as areas of solid color and applying heavy NR thinking it won't be seen, though you can sometimes see messy edges even in areas full of detail.

It's certainly not something you see in every shot (and you'd need to be printing pretty big for it to be an issue) but without any control over noise reduction or the option of shooting raw I just wish Sony hadn't turned up the Bionz processor's NR controls so high.

100% crop	465mm equiv., F5.6

Corner/edge softness

At the wide end of the zoom the sharpness drops off fairly rapidly as you move away from the center of the frame, particularly at wider apertures. Combined with the almost inevitable fringing and visible distortion this means that - a welcome addition or not - the new wideangle capabilities of the H9 are not suited to photography intended for large prints. Note that none of the examples below are anywhere near the widest aperture.

100% crop	31mm equiv., F5.6
100% crop	31mm equiv., F4.5
100% crop	31mm equiv., F5.6

ISO Sensitivity / Noise levels ISO equivalence on a digital camera is the ability to increase the sensitivity of the sensor. The works by turning up the "volume" (gain) on the sensor's signal amplifiers (remember the sensor is an analogue device). By amplifying the signal you also amplify the noise which becomes more visible at higher ISO's. Many modern cameras also employ noise reduction and / or sharpness reduction at higher sensitivities. To measure noise levels we take a sequence of images of a GretagMacBeth ColorChecker chart (controlled artificial daylight lighting). The exposure is matched to the ISO (ie. ISO 200, 1/200 sec for consistency of exposure between cameras). The image sequence is run through our own proprietary noise measurement tool (version 1.4 in this review). (Note that noise values indicated on the graphs here can not be compared to those in other reviews.) Sony DSC-H9 vs Olympus SP-550UZ vs Panasonic DMC-FZ8 Sony DSC-H9 ISO 80 n/a Olympus SP-550UZ ISO 50   Sony DSC-H9 ISO 100 Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ISO 100 Olympus SP-550UZ ISO 100 Sony DSC-H9 ISO 200 Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ISO 200 Olympus SP-550UZ ISO 200 Sony DSC-H9 ISO 400 Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ISO 400 Olympus SP-550UZ ISO 400 Sony DSC-H9 ISO 800 Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ISO 800 Olympus SP-550UZ ISO 800 Sony DSC-H9 ISO 1600 Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ISO 1250 Olympus SP-550UZ ISO 1600 Sony DSC-H9 ISO 3200 Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ISO 3200 Olympus SP-550UZ ISO 3200 With tiny, high pixel count chips noise is always going to be an issue, and to a large degree this is more a test of the effectiveness (both measurable and visible) of a camera's noise reduction system. Designers have to balance the desire to produce smooth, clean results with the need to retain as much detail as possible (if you blur away the noise, you blur away image detail too). All 'super zoom' cameras struggle with noise since they have particularly small sensors (they have to be small or the lenses would be the size of a trash can) - this is one of the key compromises we have to accept if we want a lightweight camera with a lens this big. Sony's approach to noise reduction seems to be that you can't have enough of it, and once you get to ISO 200 or over the combined effects of noise and heavy NR are enough to cause a serious loss of fine detail. It's not significantly worse than most of its competitors (though the NR - and therefore detail loss - is amongst the heaviest); this is what you get when you stuff eight million pixels into a 1/2.5-inch CCD sensor. Luminance noise graph Cameras compared: Sony DSC-H9, Olympus SP-550UZ, Panasonic DMC-FZ8 Note: FZ8 ISO 100-1250 only measured Indicated ISO sensitivity is on the horizontal axis of this graph, standard deviation of luminosity is on the vertical axis. The graph shows what we'd observed in real life photographs: the H9's noise levels at ISO 80-400 are very low. Since Sony doesn't have a magic sensor this can only be the result of heavier than average noise reduction. RGB noise graph (ISO 50-1600 only) Cameras compared: Sony DSC-H9, Olympus SP-550UZ, Panasonic DMC-FZ8 Note: FZ8 ISO 100-1250 only measured Indicated ISO sensitivity is on the horizontal axis of this graph, standard deviation of each of the red, green and blue channels is on the vertical axis. Once again ISO 80-400 noise is very low, thanks to the Bionz noise reduction process, but as our tests show, this comes at a price; the loss of fine detail at anything over base ISO. it's still better than either of the other cameras in this comparison. Low contrast detail What the crops and graph don't show is the effect of noise reduction on low contrast fine detail such as hair, fur or foliage. An inevitable side effect of noise removal is that this kind of detail is also blurred or smeared, resulting in a loss of 'texture'. In this test the crops below show the effect of the noise reduction on such texture (hair) as you move up the ISO range. 100% Crops, F3.5 ISO 80 ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1600     ISO 3200     These crops illustrate perfectly the extent to which the H9's heavy-handed noise reduction has an increasingly destructive effect on fine, low contrast detail even when photographed from a fairly short distance (these crops show how hair appears in a typical head and shoulders portrait). Even at ISO 80 there is some detail being lost through 'smearing', though it's mainly an issue for distant foliage - and even then only if you're producing prints over 10x8 inches (or of course peeping at pixels like this). Things get increasingly bad as you move up the ISO range, with ISO 200 the point where our 'acceptable' threshold starts to give way. ISO 400 looks distinctly painterly, and ISO 800-3200 may all well be created by a random pixel generator. So then, if you're shooting landscapes (with lots of distant foliage) or anything with fine, low contrast texture, and you want to produce anything over a postcard sized print you need to stick to ISO 80 or 100, and even then be prepared to lose something to noise reduction. As mentioned earlier in the review, this camera really needs a low NR option for those of us that like to make our own decisions about how much detail we're prepared to sacrifice for a 'smooth' result.

Image stabilization

The optical image stabilization ('Super Steady Shot') system used on the H9 works, though I would say it is perhaps marginally less effective than those found in the Canon S3 IS and Panasonic FZ series. The H9 has two modes: Continuous (IS on all the time) and 'Shooting' (stabilization is only activated when the button is half-pressed to lock exposure). The first option makes framing easier - the Steady Shot system steadies the preview image - but obviously uses more battery power (it's on all the time).

I certainly found it made handheld shots at 2 even 3 shutter speeds slower than normal perfectly possible, though beyond 1 stop it's nowhere near 100% reliable. The 100% crops below show the effectiveness of the IS system when shooting at full tele at speeds as low as 1/50 sec.

Real world example: 144mm (equiv), 1/50th Second, hand-held
Stabilization off	Stabilization on

The stabilization test

In this simplified version of our SLR IS test, four hand-held shots were taken of a static scene with the stabilization off and on. The shutter speed was decreased and repeated (from 1/1000 sec to 1/20 sec). The zoom was set to its maximum position (465mm equiv.), the test target was 6 m away from the camera. The test was repeated three times and an average taken.

The resulting images were then inspected and given a blur score - 'Sharp' (no visible blurring at 100%), 'Mild Blur' (the kind of camera shake that is tolerable at small print sizes) and 'Heavy Blur' (virtually unusable due to camera shake) and 'Very Heavy Blur' (little discernible detail).

As the charts below show the IS system does give you a couple of stops' advantage, though it isn't quite as reliable as some we've tried. Even at only one stop below the recommended minimum shutter speed (using the focal length reciprocal rule of thumb) you may only get one really sharp shot in three, so you need to take a few safety shots if the shutter speed drops too far.

Hand-held, no stabilization (465mm equiv.)

As you can see from the chart below only at 1/500th sec or above can we be confident of getting sharp results from the majority of shots, and once you get to 1/125th sec and below the majority of shots are heavily blurred, and none are sharp.

Hand-held, stabilization on (465mm equiv.)

With stabilization on the results are better - we got no blurred shots at all above 1/250th sec, and the majority of shots down to 1/125 sec have little or no blur. If you're shooting at one to three stops below the recommended minimum shutter speed you have a one in three chance of getting a completely sharp image.

Dynamic Range Optimization

Although the H9 offers a fairly standard range of image parameters (color presets, sharpening, contrast) it also offers a version of Sony's Dynamic Range Optimization (first seen on the Alpha digital SLR) - this is the default setting. DRO works in a similar way to Nikon's D-Lighting and HP's Adaptive Lighting technologies, using a form of contrast masking to reduce the clipping of highlights and shadows in scenes with a very wide dynamic range. The difference is that the processing is done on the raw data at the point of capture by the Bionz processor, rather than applied later (HP and Nikon offer this type of adjustment as an option in playback mode), which should mean there is more information to work with.

The effect is subtle, but it does work - mainly by lifting the shadows a little (it's helped by an excellent metering system that does a good job of preserving highlights). Compared to HP's and NiIkon's systems the results show less noise and also look more natural (though any attempt to compress dynamic range in this way tends to produce output that looks a little 'processed').

Apologies for the slightly different framing; these were taken handheld (I intended to go back and re-shoot using a tripod but it's rained continually since).

Standard contrast	100% crop
DR Optimizer (default)	100% crop
Low contrast	100% crop
High contrast	100% crop

Movie mode

Once at the vanguard of DSC movies Sony is now in danger of being left behind by companies such as Canon and Panasonic who both offer higher than VGA resolution clips on their latest models. The H9 - like most recent Cyber-shots - offers movie capture up to 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second using its MPEG-VX setting. You need to use a Memory Stick PRO Duo if you want to shoot movies at the maximum size.

The movies are recorded in MPEG-1 format, which means they are small (much smaller than standard M-JPEG or AVI movies), but the small sizes come at a price. MPEG-1 movies use a much less efficient compression system than the more modern MPEG-4, which results in visible compression artefacts - take a look at the samples below and you'll see it's much worse in scenes shot at the wide end of the zoom with a lot of fine detail.

Overall quality using the fine setting is far from the best we've seen, but it isn't too bad (the compression artefacts can sometimes be quite obvious), and you can keep shooting until the card runs out (this will give you about 12.5 minutes on a 1GB card at the 640 x 480-pixel / 30fps setting). Using the 'normal' quality produces files with distractingly visible compression artefacts (and jerky motion thanks to the lower frame rate), and I'd avoid using it.

The focus system tends to hunt a little when shooting videos at the long end of the zoom, something you can only stop by switching to manual focus, which is a pain. Like the H5, the H9 allows you to zoom whilst filming though this does exacerbate the focus hunting.

	As with stills recording you can choose the amount of information overlaid on the live preview image (though there's no histogram). There is an EV compensation (lighter or darker) control in the bottom right of the screen - and a focus mode control.
	In movie mode you get a slightly more basic set of menus offering options for white balance, image stabilization and picture effects. You can also choose from one of three movie settings; 640 x 480 pixels/16.6 or 30 fps and 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps.
	In playback mode you get some basic controls for playing movies, allowing you to play, pause, rewind/cue. Nothing fancy.

Sample movies

	640 x 480 pixels @ 25 fps File size: 2.4MB Duration: 6.2 secs Standard Quality Mode with zooming Click on the thumbnail to view the movie (caution: large file!)
	640 x 480 pixels @ 30 fps File size: 9.7MB Duration: 7.24 secs Fine Quality Mode Click on the thumbnail to view the movie (caution: large file!)