One segment of the compact camera market that appears to be doing well despite smartphone sales is high zoom travel compacts.
[Update: Several versions have exceeded the Cyber-shot HX60V, which has been on the market for for four years. Nonetheless, the price has dropped significantly recently.]
Picture Quality
This kind of camera provides a high grade optical zoom, which smartphones cannot. Because of this, they are especially appealing to people who are going on vacation or seeking something a little more flexible than what their phone currently provides.
The HX60V is among the most impressive alternatives currently on the market in that regard, at least on paper.
It boasts a compact design and a market-leading 30x optical zoom. Although you can’t shoot in raw format, it also has complete manual control. The Panasonic TZ60, which is likely this camera’s biggest rival, matches it in terms of zoom ratio. There are manual, semi-automatic, and completely automatic modes in addition to the former.
The optical zoom lens is paired with a 1/2.3-inch, 20.4 million-pixel Exmor R CMOS sensor. Exmor sensors from Sony have backlighting for the best results when photographing in low light.
The Bionz X processor should help the camera function better under a variety of shooting circumstances. This is Sony’s most recent generation of processors, and it is found in cameras that are significantly more expensive or sophisticated, such the top-of-the-line Sony Alpha 7R.
It would be fascinating to observe how the Bionz X processor handles low-light, high-sensitivity shooting circumstances because it should provide a big improvement over the HX50. Its natural sensitivity ranges from ISO 80 to 3200. In fact, the HX50 left us a touch underwhelmed, so I’m optimistic that the overall image quality will rise.
The HX60 is offered in two variations
If you want to geotag (i.e., associate a location with) your photos, the HX60V’s GPS connectivity is helpful. Other than that, the features of both cameras are identical.
The HX60V is likely to appeal to specialist photographers who are well-versed in cameras because of its complete manual control, but there is also a lot to interest beginners or those who prefer to have a little more fun with their shooting. To begin with, there is Sony’s Sweep Panorama feature, as well as a variety of image-editing software filters.
It’s becoming more and more challenging to find a camera that doesn’t support Full HD video recording, so the HX60’s inclusion of this feature is not surprising.
Although Sony doesn’t include a touchscreen, the camera has a 921,000 dot Xtra Fine TFT Display. The Panasonic TZ60 is comparable in this regard.
A 380-image battery life and 10 frames per second shooting speed are further intriguing features.
The HX60 competes head-to-head with the Panasonic TZ60, as was already said, but it’s also important to mention the Canon SX700. It has a 30x optical zoom as too, but we haven’t had a chance to review it yet as it was just launched.
Sony didn’t cut corners when it came to launching this CPU for its most recent small range; you can now find it on others, like as the WX350, HX60V, and HX400V. This is in contrast to other manufacturers, like Canon, who frequently utilize older processors even when newer ones are available.
The HX60 has Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, which is now beginning to become an industry standard. This provides you with a variety of wireless alternatives, such as the ability to remotely operate the camera using a smartphone or tablet and to swiftly transfer photographs between devices. Also, Sony has included the possibility for PlayMemories apps, which we previously saw on the company’s selection of tiny system cameras, to increase the camera’s capability.
Inclusion
The PlayMemories shop offers a variety of apps, some of which may be downloaded for free and others which must be purchased. Although though the quantity is currently quite limited, Sony has a fantastic opportunity to add more in the future for download.
