Zoom
Big Screen for photo review
Light weight

EVF and LCD are slow in respond
Shutter button has major problems, my camera has been serviced by Sony three times due to the malfunctioning shutter button.

Goto:
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:YVZYpimetywJ:forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D28026+dsc+h5+problems&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us

A LOT of people have the same problem!

I am preparing a big complaint against Sony about this product, if you have experienced the same problem and willing to help me bring the equality back, contact me at : lucheng@luchenghome.com Thanks!

Despite all of the trouble it brought to me, this camera is definitly a superb!

The zoom is so powerful that I can use it to read my friend's book when he sits downstairs...

However...

Shutter button has major problems, my camera has been serviced by Sony three times due to the malfunctioning shutter button.

Goto:
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:YVZYpimetywJ:forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D28026+dsc+h5+problems&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us

A LOT of people have the same problem!

I am preparing a big complaint against Sony about this product, if you have experienced the same problem and willing to help me bring the equality back, contact me at : lucheng@luchenghome.com Thanks!

Customer Service

Awful.
Customer Service Reps treate you like an ape (did you put you battery into the camera?)

Repair cost as long as 12 days, and they even forgot to repair my camera before they ship it back once.

Then, they sent me 2 feedback evaluation sheets, because I called them twice.

Compare to other companys' customer service, this one is like a even-not-funny joke.

Well, just hope yours won't get anything wrong, so you won't need them!

Similar Products Used:

N/A

12x optical zoom puts it way ahead of 90% of the P&S digital cameras out there. High quality Zeiss lens; totally controllable features; super Auto mode for those who don't want to control or want to "learn " their way into full control. Small size ( for a 12x ); no extra lenses and other junk to carry around. Big three inch screen is more than I'll ever need. I use the LCD viewfinder and it is clear and it helps me choose the right framing for my shots. Shoots to 1/1000ths for stop-action football and soccer shots. Great framing marks for manual focus needs.

I'd like to see some way to protect the LCD screen from potential scratching. I am going to buy a stick-on protector..but that could have been included with the camera at almost no cost to Sony.

The manual is pure garbage. It includes a "Quick Start paper".... which, by itself, is a wonderful idea. The problem is that the actual thicker MANUAL constantly refers one back to the "Quick Start" paper, which, when unfolded, is the size of US State map. I can see some poor user pulling that thing out on a windy day to look up a simple control feature!!

Sony has had some camera recalls as well as other bad press lately. I wonder if my new addition will some day be subject to a recall, too. I expect that Sony will stand behind its product if any problems did develop.

The camera has a few controls that I cannot easily reach without looking, but that problem will go away as I become better accustomed to the unit.

RAW processing and a flash hot shoe would make this a dream camera...

The H5 was just added by me a week ago, because my Sony DSC H2 was stolen. I replaced it the same day. Between the two cameras... in a 4 month time frame..., I have taken five or six hundred shots. I am totally impressed with the ability of the 12 x zoom to get me into the action from afar. Shooting at a Bar-B-Q, ( with the H2) I was able to shoot tables full of four or six people. Due to the high quality and high megapixels, I was able to crop out and choose some great individual head shots.

I do some shooting (from the stands) of my grandsons' football games. Again the 12x zoom puts me "on the field". I couldn't be happier with the full control over every aspect of shooting, as well as the simple "auto" mode that does its job better than I can, sometimes. Why anyone of my skill level, with my interests, and my budget..would want a different style of camera, I don't know. I intend to add the 1.7 telephoto to help me bring some bird shots even closer..but that is all.

Customer Service

I haven't had any occasion to use them yet.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DSC H2; My original Pentacon SLR ( a long time ago) ;a Minolta SLR that, since the advent of digital , sits unused on the shelf,;and a Nikon Coolpix 4 mgp P&S

12x zoom
Movie Mode
Large LCD
Image stabilization

Mode dial is cheaply painted and rubs off easily, becoming unreadable.
Flash recharge a bit long at times but acceptable
Some buttons are awkwardly placed and get hit inadvertently (ie. macro)
Very very small internal memory requires immediate additional purchase

I've owned this camera(DSCH5B) for just over two months. Sadly even with light usage the painted mode dial icons have worn so much as to be unreadable. If not for that I would be extremely satisfied with my purchase. The large LCD is great for instant viewing. The 12X optical zoom can really bring you in close and combined with the stabilization feature makes it possible to get a decently clear picture without a tripod. Some buttons are awkwardly placed and get pressed inadvertently. This has been occurring less and less as I get used to this camera so as to become only a minor issue. Will take nice no flash indoor shots, but be sure to use program mode and set the ISO manually to 400 or less. Auto mode will select a much too noisy higher ISO which isn't evident when viewing the picture on the LCD. I'm hopeful Sony will resolve the mode dial paint problem. Even a sticker with the icons on it would eliminate my dissatisfaction with this product.

Customer Service

Buyers Beware!!! I contacted the online service chat representative concerning the faded paint on the mode dial. He informed me that this would not be covered under warranted repairs. I have not called Sony directly to confirm that this is true. It seems to me an obvious defect in materials/workmanship. Fortunately I opted to buy a four year service contract from Best Buy and hopefully they will handle this problem for me.

Similar Products Used:

Fuji Fine Pix S3000

Inexpensive (<$500)
Huge image stabilized zoom, 432mm equivelent.
lens is fast, f/2.8-3.7
full manual mode, plus auto modes.
quality lens, takes good photos.
Threaded lens adaptor/lens hood to attach lenses/filters to.
the Sony branded accessory lenses are very high quality and inexpensive.
small and lightweight compared to DSLR
works on two NIMH AA batteries, available anywhere cheaply.
LCD might as well hang on my wall, it's enormous and has great resolution.
manual WB, although the presets are good...i usually leave it on AUTO WB.
adjustable flash intensity

In order of preference:

no RAW.
no hotshoe, flash sync outlet.
purple fringing is moderate.
flash recycle time can be slow, depending on intensity of flash needed.
sony memory stick duo pro, only.
burst mode is pretty pathetic
would be nice to be able to use ISO 800 and 1000, but what do you expect?
shutter speeds accessable over 1/1000 would be nice, but not necessary.
no cable shutter release, but the 2 second timer works almost as well.
the software is not very good, I haven't even installed it. I'll stick with PS.

The Sony DSC-H5 is a well made, well featured camera for the price. I needed something to take photos of venomous snakes, so the 36-432mm equivelent lens with image stabilization is great. The sub $500 price tag makes it replaceable if I drop it to avoid being bitten, although I am sure the build quality is good enough to withstand a drop or two.

The camera takes sharp images at all focal lengths, with only very mild diffusion dropoff at full zoom or high F/stop. Color/contrast/saturation is generally very good to excellent. There is moderate purple fringing on high-contrast edges, but a few seconds in photoshop will fix that. The 7 mp image size allows some cropping before it is not usable at 8x10.

The H5 is essentially a feature upgrade to the DSC-H1, allowing higher usable ISO (ISO 400 is very usable, ISO 800 and 1000 might make an ok 4x6) , more flash control, manual focus assistance (focus peaking) and a 2 second timer. Most other options are the same or similar.

Still lacking in this line of products are more range of stops (f/2.8-f/8 is just not enough for a lot of situations), a hotshoe or flash sync outlet, a capable burst mode (5 images is NOT a burst), RAW capability, and higher battery power (currently uses 2 AA) so that between-shot flash recycle times are not excessive, and a card slot for ANYTHING other than the proprietary Memory stick pro duo.

I would highly recommend this camera for people who can't afford the same features from a DSLR, do not want to put a more expensive camera in harm's way, or do not want to be bothered by carrying around tons of gear to get good pictures. Those are the very reasons I like this camera, so they are the same reasons I will recommend it. The cameras that this one directly competes with are all capable too, but there is something about this Zeiss lens that reproduces things wonderfully. If only it shot RAW and had a hotshoe, it would be just about perfect for my use.

Customer Service

thankfully i have not had to deal with customer service.

I did get this camera on a best buy misprint, and saved nearly $200 dollars. I'd call that customer service :-)

Similar Products Used:

Sony DSC-H1

This is a worthwhile improvement over the H1, assuming that you value the feature upgrade that this provides. The ergonomics of finger placement are a little different, i am finding that to be the biggest handling difference since the menus and buttons are pretty much the same.

Picture quality is outstanding. Camera is a pleasure to use.Superb,razor sharp macro mode.

None in my eyes,though could be faster for some users,this is not a problem to me.

I owned the Sony DSC H2 but was very disappointed with its handling so tried this one out instead. It is without a doubt the best camera I have ever used. The photo quality is excellent,resolution is excellent and it handles like a dream. I have compared some shots to those taken with a Nikon D70 which I no longer use and the jpeg images leave the Nikon cold.Please don`t laugh at that unless you have actually tried to compare yourself--like I have--I can assure you whatever you may think,it is a fact. This camera,once it starts being more widely available will leave the competition cold in the water-I cannot see anything on the horizon that comes near to matching the picture quality it produces. Canon will have to scramble in the design department to beat this little beaut. I cannot understand anyone wishing to carry about lots of dslr gear when a camera like this is on the market--Zeiss lens=36-442 , stunning macro mode -you would need to spend a fortune just on lenses to match it.

Customer Service

Have not had to use Sony yet.

Similar Products Used:

Canon S2 --no comparison, Sony H1 --still an excellent camera,Sony DSC h2 --terrible handling characteristics,though picture quality is very good.