Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX5V Digital Camera

This week at the consumer electronics conference CES 2010, Sony unveiled 7 new digital cameras in it's Cyber-Shot range. Among them was the eagerly awaited DSC-5HXV, a digital compact camera that boasts a long list of innovative features you wouldn't expect to see in a camera this size.

Inside its compact, purposefully styled new body, the Cybershot HX5 houses an incredible wealth of cutting-edge imaging innovation by Sony. The highlights of this camera include:

• 10x opticially stabilized G-series zoom lens,
• built-in GPS and compass for geo-tagging your pictures,
• Transferjet technology for wireless photo sharing,
• new HDR mode (high dynamic range)
• SD and SDHC card compatibility
• True HD movie mode (up to 1920x 1080 resolution)

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX5V replaces the DSC-HX1, one of Sony's big sellers of 2009. Laden with sophisticated electronics and innovative features, it's an ideal 'bridge' camera for anyone that needs plenty of shooting options, but doesn't want to learn how to use a complicated SLR and carry around interchangeable lenses etc.

Pro Quality G-series Lens

The Cybershot DSC-HX5V is a worthy addition to the compact ultra-zoom category. It has a 10x (25mm-250mm) professional-quality optical zoom G-Lens. The lens is optically stabilized meaning you don't have to worry about camera shake at high zoom settings. G lenses are used in top of the line digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and advanced pro-sumer HD Camcorders. You can capture the action up close with the 10x optical zoom, and with the 25mm equivalent wide angle lens the HX5V allows you to capture more of the scenes in landscape or group portraits.

Low Light 'Exmor' Sensor

The DSC-HX5V also features Sony's new 10.2-megapixel, low-light optimized "Exmor R" CMOS image sensor. This brings out the full resolving power of the camera's wide angle G lens to deliver extremely fast speed, high resolution, and impressive low-light sensitivity with improved sharpness and less picture noise, even at low ISO settings.

High Speed Shooting

The HX5V can capture full 10.2-megapixel resolution images at up to 10 fps, ( 10 frames per second)helping to ensure you never miss the decisive moment. Additionally, the HX5V employs a mechanical shutter that helps reduce distortion when continuously shooting moving subjects.

Take Night Shots Without A Flash

A new low light mode mode lets you capture cleaner and sharper night shots without using a tripod. When set to Handheld Twilight Mode, the DSC-HX5V captures six images in a fraction of a second with one press of the shutter, and combines the data from all six to create a single image of extraordinary detail and low noise. This is great for taking images in low light, without flash, and is beyond the capability of traditional cameras.

Making Photography Idiot Proof

Sony's Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode does all the thinking for you. The DSC-5HXV includes a range of helpful features to make the process of getting that perfect shot effortless. These include:

• Face Detection - detects up to eight individual faces and adjusts flash, focus, exposure, and white balance to deliver crisp, properly lit images.
• Anti-blink Function -when the camera is set to Soft Snap, the Anti-blink function captures two images, recording only the photo with less squinting or blinking. 
• Smile Shutter technology - Smile Shutter technology captures a smile the moment it happens. Simply press the Smile Shutter button and the camera does the rest.

The new DSC-HX5 features groundbreaking Transferjet technology. This enables you to download pictures and videos wirelessly between compatible devices.

Transfer rates are up to 300Mbps, much faster that Wifi or Bluetooth. The technology works by simply bringing the two devices together in a range of a couple of centimeters, saving you from removing the memory card or plugging in USB data cables

The The DSC-HX5V is the world's first compact digital camera to feature a true HD movie mode. Using the AVCHD format it can shoot video up to a resolutions of 1920 x 1080 pixels and at 60 frames per second. The AVCHD format captures a high degree of detail and smooth movement, and when burned to disc, it can be played back on most Blu-ray Disc players, Sony PlayStation 3 systems and compatible PCs and HDTVs.

Additionally, a built in High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) allow you to connect the camera directly HDMI connects digital audio/video sources such as a compatible camcorder, Blu-ray Disc player, personal computer, games console, video projector or plasma screen.

In another world first, the HX5V features an integrated GPS receiver and compass. This lets you record the location and direction of every photo you take. This automatic geo-tagging feature lets you see exactly where you took a picture and can be integrated into many software applications and services like Flickr and Google maps.

The HX5V can also take breathtaking panoramic vistas in seconds thanks to some clever built in technology. In one easy press-and-sweep motion, the camera takes a series of shots, creating a 224 degree panorama, then stitches the photos together seamlessly without any additional software. Perfect for landscapes or tall buildings where a traditional wide angle lens just isn't adequate.

You can compose and show off your images on the large 3.0-inch (230K) Clear Photo LCD display, which features a special anti-reflective coating for sharp visibility, even in bright sunlight.

The Sony DSC-HX5V is available from March 2010, and you can pre-order from Amazon.It's priced at $350 in the USA, which is good deal cheaper that it's predecessor, the Sony DSC HX1 at the time of it's release.

A more compact version of the HX5V is available in February, the DSC-TX7 offers many of the features of it's bigger brother in a slimmer attractive styling. It's the world's thinnest compact camera offering true HD video.