Sony Cyber-shot HX100V review

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.