This was my first camera, and it gave a good experience with its manual mode, as a tool which gave the forecast about the extremities I can go with an SLR.

very good device. it fulfills the purpose. recommended for use.

I am really regretting for having this camera which do not justify its price.Theoretically it has stunning features when you read its specs but picture quality is poor.I am now planning to buy an other one but never sony.So please dnt buy it.

When I first got the camera, it was great and took pretty decent pics. However, several months later, it developed a small blue line showing up in the lower left-hand side of some of the pics—more visible in darker ones. I sent it in to Sony and the camera shop did some stuff and sent it back. When I took it on vacation, it was way worse than before. The small blue line is gone, but in dark shots, a whole lot of lines appear across the photos that weren't there before.

I'm going to try to send it back to Sony, but if they don't make this right, then I may never buy another Sony digital camera again. Me and a friend of mine seem to have the best results with Olympus, so that may be my next camera if this one fails me again.

Such a super fast startup and everything about it i love so much. it can be confusing for people who might not know too much about cameras, but i love it nonetheless. my mom took my senior pics with it and everything about it is amazing. the batteries are great and it does awesome!

I loved this camera when I first got it. The stabilizer and zoom worked so well together hat I was able to great photos under difficult circumstances. Then the first problem
developed. I missed some action photos only because the selector knob became difficult to turn. Over time this problem
grew so bad that it would not turn at all. Frustrated, I called
Sony support. I had to send the camera to Lorado, Texas for
repair and wait for three weeks for it to be returned. Now, only ten months after I purchased the camera, I'm about to set off for a business trip and the camera is again in need of
repair. This time it is a whole new problem. The camera only
occasionally recognizes the memory card. More time wasted
calling Tech Support and once again I'm faced with a three week wait while I send the camera off for repair. With no help from Sony I now have to chose between travelling without a digital camera or purchasing a new camera - and it
won't be a Sony!

Photgraphing has been my hobby since 1970 and I have had a lot of cameras since then. This is my fifth didgital camera and this is simply the best. I am very pleased with every thing but mostly with the improved possibility to take good pictures in bad light conditions.

I had an Olumpus came & wanted to upgrade my camera.I surfed the net almost for a month to buy a new digital camera,untill i zeroed down to the H9. Its a great camera when you see the features and also very handy to use,except for the accessory part.The Co.has to change the design or the size of the lens hood,which is part of the pack since it comes in way of the flash and a shadow appears on the photo. Can the concerned look into it ????????

I was in need of something to film my 2 sons high school wrestling careers. I was using a Kodak DX6490 still camera & the video was awful, but it worked. The still photos were decent, but low light conditions were poor. I started looking for a video camera, not really wanting one, and the salesman pointed me towards the H-9. The video capabillity seemed very good for a still camera, and the "steady shot" was excellent. I have since "filmed" 7 matches in low light HS gyms, with very good results. The ability to zoom while recording was new to me and a great advantage. "No flash" photos in low light with this camera seem very good, also. These are action shots in low light, and the pics are great. The optics appear to be very good, and I've even taken some shots using a lot of the digital zoom, and was very surprised at the quality, if you can hold still enough. I've played the videos back on a 27" TV, and the picture is as good as any broadcast picture. The battery seems small, and I'm sure that for all day tournaments I will need a spare, but that's a minor thing to me. I do wish the AC power cord would have been included.

As an advanced amateur, yet unwilling to pay the high price for a digital SLR, I find the H9 more than fills the gap where point-n-shoot models leave off and SLR flexibility begins. The built-in flash far outperforms typical point-n-shoot. The 15x zoom capability combined with 8.1 megapixels means I can photograph distant wildlife or sporting events from afar and then crop later to achieve the desired photo. The night mode works better than the human eye when the sun goes down. Although surprisingly lightweight, it still has a solid, quality feel about it. The display is hinged so you can adjust it, allowing you shoot over top of tall people and fences without guessing where the lens is pointing—an amazing feature unknown to point-n-shoot or SLR models. Annoyances include a frustrating inability to add filters without adding a bulky Sony-proprietary adapter. The wide angle accessory is heavy, but comes in handy when photographing large objects at close range. The image stabilization makes shooting one-handed easy, and the resulting picture quality is superb. I purchased two extra batteries and you'll need a memory stick.

I have only owned my Sony H9 for 1 month but I really do like it. I used to have a Fuji finepix 4 megapixel and it was good but this one is much better. I love the super close zoom because I take a lot of photos of my daughter in ballet and am looking forward to being able to zoom in on her and it does so much better with action shots than my fuji did. The big LCD screen is great and I put a screen protector on it and it still looks great and I don't' have to worry about scratches. I have not tried the video mode yet but my other camera had no sound but did video so I am sure I will love that to. I love that you can do a slideshow of your photos on the screen with music. That is really cool!!! The only thing that I did not like is the dial on the back is a little sensitive. You have to push it on the exact spot or it will not do what you are wanting it to, ie: deleting photos. That is no big deal to me. It takes great photos and I am not worried about using the manuel controls. I have a card reader hooked to my computer so I can put any card in it and see my photos without hooking the camera up to the computer. I don't think its cheaply designed or that it feels cheap. I don't want a heavy bulky camera that I hate taking around. I think Sony is an excellent product and that you will love this camera.

I had a Sony Cybershot prior to this Sony. I find the same problem as the 1st in that the battery and ports are made of cheap plastic.
The camera before plastic battery cover broke and I had to tape it for use.
In spite of this I purchased it because I am pleased with the lens and quality of pictures.

Well this camera does have a great zoom but the night photos to kinda suck. I had a Panasonic TZ1 and that thing has taken some awsome night pictures. This one takes good night pictures but just not as good : ( if you play around with the manual settings like i did you can get some pretty good pics.

I wanted a digital camera that gave me more. When I finaly decided to spend the money on that, I was anxious about finding one that was right for "ME". I gotta tell ya, this is it! The manual is simple to read, and isn't full of technology that a normal person wouldn't understand. The camera is very self explanatory, but yet packed with so much technology! The color you get from your photos are very bold and crisp! I have four children, my biggest disappointment in my old cameras were that I just didn't have the speed I needed. Nor the quick focus to capture those sudden moves. This camera definatly solved that! I wanted Digital SLR speed with a point and shoot price. lol (Yeah, I don't ask for much, do I!?) Anyway, this focuses super fast and you won't miss that action shot, guarenteed.

Hi, I didn't go for that camera, when shopping around for a new camera, I insisted to test the photo on a computer screen, to see the details, and so the salesman was kind enough to give it a shot, we made sure of the light/settings and all, still you can clearly see the (processing) work done on the image it leaves subtle patterns on the photo that it does not seem natural, not to mention clear, (looks like it's been worked on using a photo editing software).

It's great to have all these features and it pained me not to have it, but hey, who wants an french chef who does not know how to make croissants!? huh! it's only clear photo, that's the basics SONY Duh!

if you are evaluating I did the same testing with Olympus SP-55OUZ, (note that I am looking for >13x zoom and around 7mp resolution, the good thing about this one is that it's got wide angle lense and 18x along with the possiblity to create uncompressed raw images)

Cheers,
Coco

The only reason I bought a new camera was my Nikon D50 broke just before my daughter's wedding. I only bought the cybershot was the promise of low light photographs. I does well in low light if you don't mind blurry, motion streaked orange tinged photo I delete on the spot. I promise I'll never read another sony tinged review again. Do they take returns? If not don't buy this camera

I fish late at night for muskys and need to have photos for proof of the monsters we catch late at night. This is not the camera for low light photos. They end up very grainy or just plain out of focus. This is true in "auto" mode and also in "twilight portrait" modes. The "night shot" mode is even far worse and looks like the Paris Hilton tape. I have used 3, 4, and 6 mega pixel Fujis with much better results in the dark. I may have return and pay the 15% restocking fee at best buy. That would be like paying $80 for a few blurry and grainy shots.

it is the best, features galore!

Please, take some time in deciding what camera best suites you. For me, there are definatly some good sides to the H9, but the down sides definatly out-number the good ones. The 3-inch LCD screen is excellent for having a good view at the picture you've taken, the menu is very organized and easy to navigate, the 15x optical zoom is really handy if you want to get really clost to your subjects and the buttons are very easy to find. The down-sides include purple fringing around objects like trees and the corners of walls. The pictures don't look like they have take from a 8 megapixel camera, the quality is'nt there and also the night-shot option delivers very grainy pictures. I would recommend the Canon S5 IS over this one.

The first reaction to the camera when you remove it from the box is that it is a cheap piece of plastic junk. I read the reviews before purchase and they wanted alligator housing, blah, blah, blah. True I compared it to my Sony F828, my Cannons and old Epson. The bottom line when all comparisons were done is you buy a camera for the pictures it will take not for it's housing. It is light which with a lot of shooting is a plus. It's feature of IS works very well and its' close up work is great. It picks faces of people and renders the colors with a broad spectrum of tonality. It excels at shooting flowers and if your limited in time, gives excellent results even with point and shoot rapidity. The battery is not a long lived as I would prefer and I intend to get another one to carry with me. The night vision is adequate for most shooting of that type but not designed for color work. Maybe ghost hunting if that's your thing. Its weight won't slow you down if you see one. Bottom line is this produces excellent pictures in all areas of automatic or manual settings and definitely belongs in the semi-pros's camera bag.

I am not professional photographer, but like to have a professional camera so i chose this one due to the following reason: high ISO; big screen with up and down angles; fast speed 1/4000; big zoom 15X. i have no problem to connect USB cable to the camera, but had it to remove from the the beginning, now i figured out how to remove it the from camera easily. Video is not good, i expected to have DVD quality as to replace video camera, but unfortunately, the quality of the video is just OK. New buyer should consider the following items: there is no protector for lens; battery is not popular one and can not be replaced by 2AA or 3AAA. if you run of the battery, you can not shot unless you have back battery which is very expensive. Memory stick has become more popular and cheaper than before, but still can not compete with SD or other memory device; HD cable should be included since HDTV will be popular item in the year of 2007 and later year.

Im sorry, This review may never see the light of day because I believe critical reviews are NOT published. The reason for so many 5 star reviews? (HMMMMm)... well Im NOT happy with the image quality of my Sony H9 Period, the image stabilization seems to work well, but picture Noise spoil each photo I have taken. I had big hopes for this camera, because of all the 5 star reviews but Ive googled around the internet, and met a lot of other H9 owners that agree with me.
(PLEASE) before you buy google around other websites, please dont be conned like I was. I intend to return my camera for another H9 under warranty but Im not holding my breath.

A light, easy to use, day camera for smaller hands. Silver function button easy to bump/change, but mistakes remedied quickly. Zoom controls difficult for large hands. 72mm filter adaptor sits in way of flash causing halfmoon shadow on pictures. Okay without the adaptor & hood, but no lens protection. Sony 1-800 not helpful. No useful adaptor apparently available. Shutter/flash sync too slow to catch slow moving objects(squirrels,anoles)at night even within 6'.

I wanted a camera with a great zoom and I sure got it. The negative reviews I've read must be from folks who just don't read directions or just don't have the ability to take a picture. I've gotten some of the clearest close-up pictures. I have not been disappointed at all and it was easy. I bought it, charged it, and used it the same night! It could have come with a LCD screen protector, that's my only withdrawal. The screen is so big that I'm afraid of scratches, but I will get a protector for it. Way to go Sony! You may pay for the name, but you get what you pay for! I love it.

I purchased this camera simply for the 15 x zoom. I have a Canon Elph 600, which takes great pics, bu the zoom is way too small at only 3 x. Needless to say, going from 3 to 15 x zoom is incredible. I'm still learning alot about this camera, but I love to play around with it. so far I am very pleased with my purchase. the only thing I am disappointed in is the night time shots. These always turn out very grainy. I love the green nighttime color but not sure why they are so very grainy. When I take the photos inside with just a little light on the photo is clear. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening. I'd love to take a class somewhere on the camera to learn it all! My recemmendation is that the camera is awesome and worth all the money.

I actually give it a 3 1/2 star.
I bought this camera impulsively at Best Buy for $479. I loved it at first- I would have given it a 5 star then but now I know it a lot better- It was an upgrade from my Nikon 35mm. I chose this one becuase it was 8.1 meg and 15X zoom. ok, obviously I don't know everything there is to know about the camera so my review is going to be based on personal operation know- how.

*con's:
1.THE BATTERY IS A PIECE OF CRAP!- it only lasts about 4 hours- dies on me EVERYday
2. Night pictures do not have very good quality, they are blury even with the special night settings.
3. if you are taking a picture of a flower on a tree- and you have to zoom 15X it doesn't always cooperate- blury at times
4. Screen is large BUT does not close so therefore your finger prints and sratches get on it.
5. eye view finder does not work ( not to my knowledge)- MUST use screen
6. MUST BUY SONY ONLY MEMORY CARD - no universal one :(

*Pro's:
1- FUN! to use (movies- slide shows with music-LOVE THE PARTIAL COLOR THING!!!!!)
2- great HD quality- crisp/clear images!
3- red eye reduction
4- light weight
5- great zoom
6- I play with my camera everyday- I take many landscape pictures- the camera is great for that.
7- PERFECT LCD screen- very large!
8- it is a mini computer- you don't really have to read the manual very often because when you choose settings, it describes them on the screen for you:)
9. 4 or more flash options
10. picture viewing index so that you do not have to scroll through ALL the pics

I would advise you to shop around unlike I did- make sure you get the best camera you possibly can- read all the reviews for EACH camera!
Happy photo shooting! :)

Out of box worked great.HD pics looked good on HD TV. Wish cable had been provided, but Sony sent one out quickly.Wonder if a data disk made to save pics will have the HD quality of the memory stick pro. I use my Sony Vaio PC and Adobe program.My thumb bumps the telephoto button by accident alot.When I turn on the lens cap pops off.Wonder if that will damage anything.Focus wheel on eye piece hard to turn but was able to get in focus with glasses off.Works great on Auto settings.Not tried manual setting as I am not good at remembering manual procedures.HD cable fits into camera only one way and seems not to stable when connected.Soon will try to use the new power adaptor I purchased, to save battery life. Don't know how many pics I will get on a 1 gb memory stick, I have two to use. No doubt I will have to use the memory sticks for storage rather than a CD as I will want to watch in HD all the time. I love it so far.Still playing around with it.

I have only had my h-9 for a week and I simply love it. It was a tough decision with the other camera's out there but the night shooting sold me. I have taken over 100 pictures with the camera and the picture quality is unbelievable. The zoom is amazing and the lcd is perfect. Reviewing your pictures is easy. The are numerous add ons you can purchase to make your picture taking even better. Overall this is the best camera out there right now. From close ups to lost distant shots this camera does it all.

I got my Sony H9 last week after 3 week waiting. I use it a lot since last week and honestly speaking i miss my old S2 IS camera. I donot know why people write overwhelming review. Sony H9 has nothing exceptional in comparison with other cameras in this range. My advice for all reviewers to please be bit critical in judging things. Your unnecessary generous review can spoil someone’s hard-earned money. Well, This does not mean that I totally hate this camera, but still it is not a perfect camera to get 5 points. There are few good things in Sony H9, like the picture quality (is ok, not excellent, there are some compression issues and other chromatic aberration, read dpreview for deatils), focus is fast, image stabilizer works well (again, I find it less efficient than canon, may be due to 15X zoom), LCD screen is big, ability to capture photo in near darkness is also good. But when it comes to movie, Sony H9 is a huge disappointment. You can clear hear the motor noise during playback (i donot know if my camara is defective). Moreover Sony donot have stereo sound, neither has it had 60 fps capture (now available in S5IS). You cannot take snaps in movie mode. The cable for photo transfer is clumsy and a bit difficult to attach. Remote is good addition but again it is useless because you cannot rotate the LCD to see your self-portrait.
Overall, I am not happy with Sony H9. I am writing this review so that prospective buyers can have a good look into other similar models before finalizing this one and not be fooled by not so professional reviews. All the best for yours camera hunt!!!

Very easy to use, nice size, great display - true colors, fantastic results from point and shoot, manual adjustments are easy to get to, long batter life, very hih quality video for a DSC, macro shots are incredible!
The eyepiece is hard to adjust if you don't wish to use the screen display, additional lenses are expensive, USB cable is difficult and awkward to attach to the camera.
Overall I have no regrets - best value for money I could find. I love it!

Outstanding camera. Good exposure and aperture control. Fabulous colours, great LCD and great shutter speed and ISO sensitivity. DVD like movies too!

I upgraded from a Kodak. I have purchased 4 cameras in the past couple of weeks and even looked at the SLRs from Cannon. I take family and pictures of my boys for scrapbooking. I determined the SLR was not for me, and this is a perfect camera for me. I have already taken shots today, easy out of the box. They are crisp, clear and great color. The software is great and very easy to use! I am so glad I upgraded and got this one!

Great shooting quality, wonderful slideshow option,and so on. Flash is wonderful even in dark places you shoot as if you were in the midday. Also Video recording quality is as good as a video camera. I wish the mode dial button were better.I mean it must be a little bit hard to turn.That's the only negative point I want to mention.

Previously I have owned the Cybershot H1, a Nikon, Canon and also a Fuji. I am absolutely thrilled with this camera. Little effort is needed to make the most superb pictures. Extremely easy to transfer on to computer or watch your pictures on TV. I enjoy looking at the slideshow accompanied by music on the actual camera too. Manipulation on the camera is simple too. There are so many possibilities with this beauty and at the same time it can be used for just point and shoot. It's fabulous and easy to understand. The large screen is crisp and clear and the buttons are easy to use. Ad I take many pictures in doors one of my favourite settings is the shooting in low light conditions. Great! All in all a very good buy.

This camera has been great and it's easy to use. I didn't need the owner's manual to get the pictures onto my computer. It has an enormous amount of capability, but simple enough to use as a point-and-shoot when needed. My wife loves that she can just pick it up and start shooting. At first, she was worried that it would be too complicated or time consuming. The images and performance are phenomenal. I purchased this camera based on reviews of its predecessors and the upgrades for the H9.

I am an experienced amateur. I won 7 digital cameras from Kodak's,Casio's,Canon,Olympus and now Sony. I bought the Olympus 550 which took absolutely great pics, but returned it because the zoom motor noise was SO loud you could hardly hear the audio when filming. And it was only 7 meg. The Sony was a few dollars more, but the zoom motor is much less audible. I do alot of birding, horse shows, dogshows and the like. The Sony is very easy to understand, set up and operate. The menu system is easier to navigate than the Olympus 550. I wish they had a dedicated delete button, it would be more convenient. The macro quality is great, although a super macro setting and the fact that they should of made it a 10 meg would of made it an absolutely super camera.

So far I am very impressed. Fast auto focus, fast shutter speed, great zoom and the pics are sharp with beautiful color. Many features in a small enough size to easily take any where you go.

Traded in my SLR for the H9, couldn't be happier.
Wanted a camera for family shots,vacations.
I have fairly big hands and find no problems with the buttons. You don't have to use fingernails at all to move the wheel, a little pressure with the tip of the thumb moves it easily.
I am very impressed with how the menu is displayed
and with all the modes. Having the 1/4000 shutter speed is one of the reasons I selected this model
I have taken several shots with flash indoors and they are very good. The first shot that I took of my daughter is one my favorites. Outdoor shots are excellent, really like the zoom, the auto focus is sharp and quick
. The large flip up Lcd is very handy , saves all the bending to get a shot.
Video, while not the best quality is easy to use and can certainly be useful if camcorder is not available.
I had no trouble downloading to computer.
Only negatives points are the lens cap, has to be removed before turning camera on, or lens can't extend. Cable connection to camera is awkward to insert.
Very impresses with the H9, have been having a lot of fun with it.

I was disappointed when I received the camera.
The buttons are so fiddly and you surely need good finger nails to operate the centre wheel - its ridiculous. Also felt like throwing the H9 out of the window when trying to set up the camera direct with USB with my computer (OS Windows XP Pro). The hard copy instruction manual is hopeless for info on setting up with computer di. So I cannot really say what the pictures are like as I cannot transfer from the camera storage.
Gary UK