Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The superzoom market has a lot of 30x zoom models on offer and Sony's HX100V is an all guns blazing addition to the category. An easy to use layout with manual zoom/focus ring, significant 27-810mm zoom range, nippy autofocus, close-up macro mode and forward-thinking tech such as GPS all make the camera stand out.
Available for around £400, the Sony Cyber-shot HX100V has a premium of around £50 extra over its competitors, but as a more up to date release in this category this isn't surprising.
We like
The clever dual zoom/focus ring and the 30x zoom range that equates to 27-810mm
We dislike
It can't replace an SLR for image quality and there's no option to shoot raw files
Verdict
In general we're impressed with the Sony Cyber-shot HX100V's image results, although the sharpness and detail falloff above ISO 800 is a drawback for high ISO settings.
However, unlike many compact cameras, shots up to ISO 1600 retain enough definition to be of good use, which makes the HX100V a good all-rounder on the image front throughout its zoom range.
Although the camera doesn't offer RAW file capture and mid-high ISO shots can lack finer details, elsewhere the HX100V has plenty of positives.
For its small faults there's little holding the HX100V back – it's one of the finest superzooms we've laid our hands on.
