Close Encounters with the SONY DSC-H50 Super Zoom

"DSLRs were designed around the "razor and blade" marketing model. The body the razor... the lens the blade."

"Geez... why did you buy that? You should have bought a DSLR. What a dork."

I just smiled. He sure didn't know the struggle I had before I opted for a superzoom. I've had my share of experience with DSLRs. I got my hands dirty on a Canon 350d. I eventually sold it after a couple of months. Why? I needed a computer.

My hands on experience with a 350D made me realize that these cameras (DSLRs) were never made with a bargain in mind. They were, well, designed by the manufacturer to bring in profits for a long long long time. It is built around the "razor and blade" business model. The camera body the razor and the lens the blade. 

These views are clearer when seen through the eyes of an eternally cash strapped fellow like me.

Some people would have you believe that once you have a DSLR you'll morph into a professional photographer. They'd talk you to death about artifacts, noise, vigenetting, chromatic aberation... so you gotta buy this this and that... I, webmaster of amorsiko.com, learned to plug my ears with rolls of film.

Here's a fact. See those two "small cameras" on top? The superzoom Sony DSC-H50 has more reach than both of them. Zooms were never good for DSLRs. I'd say they work better with primes.

And Hell.. you won't see me lugging them around like some astronaut.I'm into photgraphy not weightlifting. 

But I'm not saying DSLRs are not any good. They do actually produce better images than point-and-shoot cameras. But it comes with skill and money... yes money. I myself am eyeing to get myself a Canon 40D before I reach the sunset of my life.

So which superzoom did I choose? Why of course the Sony DSC-H50.

I gathered as much as I can about the current Prosumer superzooms in the market before I comitted my self to the Sony DSC-H50. I wanted to be sure I got the best out of the money I scrounged with blood and sweat. Hahahaha!!!

I landed with the Sony DSC-H50. Here are the technical specifications of the camera. And I suggest you read them if your planning to buy a one.

Sony DSC-H50 Technical Specifications

Technical highlights of the Sony DSC-H50:

• It has an effective 9.1 megapixel resolution
• 15x Optical Zoom (31 - 465mm) - See if a DSLR can beat that.
• A quite large (well they also describe a 2" LCD as very large) 3.0" Tilting clear photo LCD monitor
• variable noise reduction
• color filter kit
• enriched bracketing e.g. white balance, exposure, color mode
• nightshot (you really can see in complete darkness at up to 20 feet)
• advanced sports mode (burst shots at 2 shots per second)
• 15 mb internal memory. (I ran around the neighborhood taking 3 shots then running back home to download it to the computer then running out again... well... I didn't have the money at that time to buy a decent memory stick).
• sensitivity of up to ISO3200
• optical steady shot
• in-camera retouching
• lithium-ion battery with at least 150 minutes of battery life.
• manual control of shutter speed, aperture, sensitivity, focus and exposure
• Oh... one thing... even the smile detection works on dogs. I swear.. it did work on our dog.

When you have used a DSLR, a Canon 350D in my case, you'll appreciate the freedom offered by manual controls. Manual controls are not often included with point-and-shoot cameras. The Sony DSC-H50 offers almost full control on the aperture, shutters speed, focus, exposure, flash intensity and metering.It even has a histogram.

Most important is the lens. It is the equivalent of 31 to 465mm (35mm). That is a lot of lens from the point of view of a DSLR user. An equivalent lens for DSLR, the closest, would cost around $3000. That's for the lenses alone.

Without the extra weight of the lenses, the Sony DSC-H50 weighs a lot lighter than any DSLR setup I or you can think of. Just imagine yourself mountain climbing with that long camera on top.

The DSC-H50 also starts fast. Very fast. You can virtually shoot then turn the camera off in less than 2 seconds. The advanced sports mode works beautifully. Using burst shot mode you can actually get at least two shots in a second. that's almost like entry level DSLRs.

Macro and closeup shots are amazing. The colors are vibrant and natural. Add in the color filters and you get enhanced images that had a DSLR been used would emloy a variety of filters. Take a look at the shots I made.

The tilting LCD is also a plus factor. Take a look at the first photo on this hub. Had I been using a non tilting LCD I would... what... been on my stomach framing the shot. Or maybe just holding it down and hoping for the best. The large LCD with the grids on is big help during composition.

It also works quite well in low light situations even without the flash. Unfortunately, images taken using ISO400 are kind of noisy but still usable. It would have been better if it had a flash shoe mount.

                  I'll be updating this list so... watch and wait for it