The camera was fine while I took the time to learn how to work my way to a professional camera.

Design flaw. Shutter button falls off. There are whole web forums on this subject. The replacement part is only $18 but Sony charges $177 to repair it. You can order the part and choose to repair it yourself. But good luck with that. The part is a cheap plastic so order extras.

Until the button broke, was a great camera.

Shutter button has fallen off for the 2ond time. The first time I was on vacation, and it was still under warranty. This time, its no longer under warrany. They won't sell me a shutter button alone, and let me put it on (like many on the internet have done). They want me to pay about $200 to repair the camera! No way, cause I know it will happen again, as its happened once. There are forums, all over the internet with all the DSC-H models having recurring problems with the shutter button falling off, and auto focus not working. I will never buy another Sony anything.

499 down the drain. I will never buy another Sony.

Customer Service

If you have a warranty, customer service is good. If your warranty is out, forget customer service.

Similar Products Used:

Mavica

Worked great, takes great pictures, especially liked the speed . . . . . then the shutter button stopped working. Press halfway down, and nothing. Now impossible to time my photos.

Great clear pictures (7.1pixels), easy to focus (has steadyshot feature), nice zoom (12x) and not very heavy or awkward to hang onto.

Takes some time to figure out all the features and ratios this camera has (not a bad quality for the camera, just takes time for begining photographers to get used to)

This camera was given to me by my husband for Christmas 2 years ago. I absolutely LOVE this camera. It is a great digital camera and produces amazing results for just starting out with photography. We did some pricing around for this camera and found it for the best price online and I am very pleased with it. I never have had any complaints about my camera or it's quality when taking pictures for friends or professionally. I have received tons of compliments and am extremely happy with it. I just bought a used Nikon N65 that I have heard is an amazing film camera. Since I am so used to my DSC-H5, it will take some getting used to, but have the want to mess around with film again so we will see how it compares to my digital. But this camera is a great asset to photographers just starting out or even been doing photography for a year or two.

Customer Service

Haven't had to use it in the two years I have had it.

Similar Products Used:

None, just now starting to use a film camera Nikon N65, along side this digital camera.

Optical Zoom,
Lens,
Nice robust body (less shake)
Lots of preset setting exposure choices

RELIABILITY....Design flaw of camera button falling off.

Shutter button fell off one year after purchase (right after warranty expired)
I notice that this is a common problem with this camera.

I always had difficulty with the half focus or to take some shots where the button would be depressed, the camera would beep, but it would not take the shot. I thought it was some kind of autofocus flaw but in all reality was likely a problem with the shutter button.

Everything else about the camera is good.

Sony probably will not fix this design flaw until hit by another class action lawsuit (like they have been with some of their other products.)

Huge LCD
Tons of settings for all conditions
Crystal clear pictures with great color
Battery life from the standard Sony batteries is good

SHUTTER BUTTON FALLS OFF, AND SONY DOESN'T CARE!
Instruction booklet is like a small book...
Not a small/slim camera

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS CAMERA!! The shutter button problem hit us one month and 5 days after the warranty expired. The button just fell off after taking a picture. Sony advised us that they "do not acknowledge non-Sony websites" when I told them about the failure rate of the button, and how many other people have had the same issue, and that "they were unaware of any problem with the DSC-H5 shutter button"....and to top it off, they stated that it would be $181.00 to fix it!!

However, it does take great pictures with endless settings (when the button does not fall off). Love the 3 inch LCD, nice and bright!

Customer Service

Horrible...

Nice lens. If not for the button problem it would take nice sharp pictures.

The shutter button appears to have a very high failure rate, and Sony does not seem to address the problem other than repairing with the same part that will fail again.

Terrible flaw in design makes this camera unusable. The shutter button stops working when pressed halfway down, or completely falls off. There are hundreds of reported cases of this happening, so please research before considering this camera. People that get it repaired under warranty end up having the same problem return, usually very shortly. On my camera the button stopped working correctly within the first few months of use.

Customer Service

Have not tried it myself but from what I hear it's not so great.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus DSLR
Canon Powershot
Konica Minolta A2

Robust, does well with dust and rough use, good picture quality and nice big LCD. Lasts a long time on rechargeable batteries.

1/2 button auto focus problem is a huge one for me. I cannot take action shots with this thing anymore.

Do not buy this product if you want to be able to use the "half-button" down for focus before you take your picture feature of ALL other cameras. Mine broke almost immediately. Seriously annoying for the money I paid for this thing.

Otherwise...it is a good camera.

Similar Products Used:

DSC-H2

I am from argentina. I really like the camera but I am really dissapointed with the shutter button. In febrary, i bought a H2 and stoppped lockin de focus after a month. Later the place in which I bougth It, change the machine for a new h2, but after a month again began the problem. I really argued with the seller, then we made a deal. Lets change it for a H5 (I paid the difference).

Guess what! I am having the same problem, and they ask me to send to the service in USA, but I am afraid that the problems start again.

Also I´d have to wait like 2 months!!!!

Please, let me now what do you think, I read to much similar cases in the web, but no solution.
greetings.

DIEGO, SI LEES ESTO CONTACTAME knwmax@yahoo.com

Has no strengths that can't be had in another camera.
Price, I guess.

Hateful software is the worst.

The zoom is great. But it eats batteries fast due to that nice big screen. My largest complaints are: zooms good- but what were they thinking when you need to manually focus a camera on an automatic setting and WHAT made them put the control in a place where you need poke yourself in the eye and smear the screen with your thumb, when you use it? Unless you're a computer freak, don't touch this baby and if you install the software that comes with it- you'll be sorry! Really really sorry. You'll end up with a ton of files with red circles with x s for duplicated files and you can't delete them. And if you make the further mistake of installing their 'upgrade' to 'Picture motion viewer' you'll be even sorrier. Whatever order you had realized will be absolutely scrambled and the red x boxes will be replaced with grey boxes with x s you can't delete.

I would NOT recomend this camera- you want zoom go Nikon.

Customer Service

I can't find any info on how to correct the software- but the internet is full of people crying over this same problem with the software...............

Similar Products Used:

Canon with less zoom. An instamatic, so to speak. No complaint on that one. I needed the zoom, so I tried the Sony. It's cheapest in its class, for this much zoom, but now I know why!