Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD (Black) (2012 Model)

When my backpack was stolen in May in Barcelona, I found myself in the market for a new camera. My old camera was a Sony DSC-HX1, which with only minor flaws, we absolutely loved. I never liked the fact that Sony forced you to use their memory stick, and the picture quality was acceptable, but no where near that of a DSLR. So, when I started my replacement search, I was focused more on Canons, Nikons, and the new Sony Alpha series DSLR. But because we had had such good luck with the Sony DSC-HX1, I decided to at least take a look at the new model, the DSC-HX200V.So, I did a ton of research, visited with several high-end camera shops in the Raleigh area, and spoke with a number of experienced photographers. All the research and the advice led me right back to the DSC-HX200V. My wife wants something that is simple to use and takes great pictures in "auto" mode. And the advice that one photographer gave me, pushed me over the top - he said, "If you spend a lot of money on a Nikon d5100 and leave it in auto-mode, you have wasted a lot of money!" And he was right. Almost any point-and-shoot, including the cameras built into most smartphones today, can take perfectly acceptable pictures in auto-mode. The real question is - what else do they have to offer. The answer to this question is where the Sony DSC-HX200V really shines!Like its predecessors, the camera has a built in panorama mode...just hold the shutter button down and pan left to right. The internal processor stitches the images together into a perfect shot! Don't go looking for this on any other brand camera because Sony acquired the patent when the bought the 'Minds of Minolta'. It is truly amazing technology that allows for the capture of incredible shots. To get these shots with a high end Nikon would require you do stitching in a 3rd party software on your computer like Photoshop.We liked the DSC-HX1, but its big brother has much more power and capabilities. This camera sports a 18 MP processor, and its picture quality rivals (not equals...and it never will) the DSLR. And in 'Scene' mode, they have added a few settings that I really love...like an HDR mode (three images combined to give you perfect light balance) and a "background defocus" mode, which produces DSLR-like images with shark subjects against a blurred background. And for the creative types that like Instagram, you will love the "miniature" mode, which somehow applies filters and light settings to make any picture appear as if it is a miniature model and not real. There is also a setting that will take a B&W shot with one predominant color left in...something that it takes me hours to do in Photoshop in post production.Another really cool feature this camera has is that it automatically senses when you are putting it up to your face, so it switches from the LCD image to an image in the view finder. Sweet! Add to these features the fact that this camera now comes with a 30X optical zoom, allowing you to take shots of craters on the moon (no kidding), and it is one powerful beast. Oh, and Sony got the message about the overall dislike of the memory stick, so now you can also use a standard SD card in this camera! Thanks Sony!All-in-all, this new Sony DSC-HX200v is absolutely everything we ever wanted and more! I give it a full five stars!BTW - warning to those traveling in Europe - take precautions not to fall victim to teams of crafty thieves! They will distract you, take your belongings and you will never ever know it. I suppose the silver lining in this experience for me, was being able to get this new camera!

I purchased the sony hx200 and the nikon p510 loaded the same class 10 sd card, set the same auto functions for both camera's and took the same shots with both cameras. Wow, what a difference in function, photo quality and ease of use the Sony is. Using the sony zoom compared to the nikon there were interesting differences. The sony photo image has clear image detail along with excellent color rendition compared to the nikon. In fact, I had to take 6 photo's of the same image with the p510 to try to get a similar quality image as the sony and it still didn't show the fine detail and color the the sony did in the first try! (the nikon p510 going back). Just started using the hx200. But from the looks of the terrific image quality, ease of use for the menu navigation user interface, and overall quality features and options I will keeping this. I purchased the Case Logic DCB-304 High/Fixed Zoom Camera Case, which fits perfect and room for filters, small accessories and the shape of the case is easy to wear/use. This replaces a 4 year old panasonic smaller point and shoot. The sony hx200 does some excellent low light images and very quick image capture and shoots 10 fps! Very happy with the hx200 and would highly recommend this camera.**UPDATE 12/20/12 just finished a 2 week vaca and took more than 1500 images along with over 90 min of video with the hx200. Performance was accurate, color rendition is very crisp and impressive from no zoom to super full zoom. Was able to capture whale splashing in the ocean in full zoom with crisp definition and droplets of water. I enjoyed learning some of the functions to improve various images. Including a function to add high 'vivid' colors to landscape photos. It would be difficult to take a bad image with the well designed hx200. Overall ease of use was simple and quick. I have small hands and this camera fits well for me. The one thing I had to get used to for this camera was the lens cap. I took the hx200 on long hikes, sailing, flying ect. Low light performance is excellent! I took a little time to learn the functions and experiment to find what settings worked well for me. What a terrific camera and very happy to recommend the hx200.**another Update** 1/24/13 I wanted to note that I use this camera frequently on a daily basis. I purchased an additional battery but even after a day of 300 shots and 20 min of vid, I have not had to change my battery that came with the camera. Also: for those that are saying it is slow. Not the case! Are you using a class 10 card?? The card you are using may be what is making your camera record slow!! I use a class 10 card and I get no lag for camera shots. Still loving the camera :)