Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
2:48

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V

Culture
Hi, I'm Josh Goldman, senior editor with CNET and this is a closer look at the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V, our top choice for camera for the Holidays! Now, there are a lot of compact megazooms in the market. Even Sony has 3 units current lineup and the HX9V is at the top. The basic specs include a 16-megapixel high speed sensor designed for improved low-light performance, a 16x24-mm ultra wide-angle zoom lens, and a 3-inch high-res LCD. Now, the camera can be a simple automatic point and shoot or you can set it to full manual with control over shutter speed, aperture, focus, and even white balance shift, and color, saturation, contrast, and sharpness can be adjusted. If you find a combo of settings you've used regularly, it could store up to 3 sets of custom settings and while you have to dive into the menus to make most setting changes, the menu system is easy to figure out, but should you need help a full manual is a button push away. It shoots full HD video at 60 frames per second at the push of a button. In fact, the video quality is some of the best I've seen from a compact camera making HX9V a good option for those looking for a model to do both photos and movie clips. It does a few other cool things like shoot high resolution panoramic just by sweeping the camera. It shoots burst up to 10 frames per second in full resolution, and if you've got a 3D TV, you can take decent 3D photos and panoramas with it too. It even has GPS for geotagging photos so always know where you were when you shot something. Of course all the features in the world don't matter if the photos aren't good, but for a compact megazoom, they're excellent, especially if you take full advantage of the HX9Vs tech. Colors aren't necessarily accurate, but they are pleasing and vibrant and if you don't like them, there's a real color mode for sure color. It does very well in low light too and shooting performance is faster enough to get clean shots of active kids and pets. Now all of this doesn't come cheaply. Its price tag is just more than $300. So if that's more than you were looking to spend, check out the rest of our holiday gift guide for other options, but basically if you're feature geek looking for a pocket camera, the HX9V is what you want. I'm Josh Goldman and that's the Sony Cyber-shot HX9V.

Up Next

Here's why you'll want to gift the Apple iPad Air 2 this holiday season
ipadair2still.jpg

Up Next

Here's why you'll want to gift the Apple iPad Air 2 this holiday season

This giving season, consider the Apple iPhone 6
giftguide2014iphone6still2.jpg

This giving season, consider the Apple iPhone 6

The Asus RT-AC87U Wi-Fi router is a great gift for anyone
tgg14asusrouter.jpg

The Asus RT-AC87U Wi-Fi router is a great gift for anyone

The August Smart Lock secures our top pick for smart home and appliances
giftguideaugustsmartlock0.jpg

The August Smart Lock secures our top pick for smart home and appliances

UE Boom: Still a great portable Bluetooth speaker a year after its release
2014pslogtiechueboom.jpg

UE Boom: Still a great portable Bluetooth speaker a year after its release

Lenovo reinvents its flagship hybrid with the Yoga 3 Pro
productspotlightlenovoyoga3pro.jpg

Lenovo reinvents its flagship hybrid with the Yoga 3 Pro

Vizio TV a cheerful value for giver and receiver
productspotlightvizioe.jpg

Vizio TV a cheerful value for giver and receiver

GoPro's Hero4 Silver tops our list of camera picks
productspotlightgoprohero4silver.jpg

GoPro's Hero4 Silver tops our list of camera picks

Pebble Steel remains the best smartwatch, for several reasons
2014pspebblesteel.jpg

Pebble Steel remains the best smartwatch, for several reasons

Here's why we love the PlayStation 4
2014psps4.jpg

Here's why we love the PlayStation 4

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories
screenshot-2024-03-22-at-17-41-16.png

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies
240321-site-nvidia-project-groot-vs-tesla-optimus-v1

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit
240321-site-doj-sues-apple-for-antitrust-on-iphone-v2

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here
240320-site-microsoft-surface-pros-first-look-v2

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here

Everything Announced at Microsoft Copilot and Surface Event
yt-microsoftai-supercut-clean

Everything Announced at Microsoft Copilot and Surface Event

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
adobe-lightroom-00-02-58-03-still006-1

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro