Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #340 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DSCH9/B
• Released on: 2007-05-01
• Dimensions: 1.00" h x 2.50" w x 4.00" l, 1.00 pounds
• Display size: 3
• Included Software: Yes

Features

• 8.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 16 x 22-inch prints
• Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom lens; 3.0-inch LCD display
• High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 3200) allows for shooting even in low-light conditions
• MPEG Movie VX Fine mode captures VGA (640 x 480) audio/video clips at high frame rate
• HD output; HD slide show with music feature

Manufacturer Description
Capture the action and relive the magic with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 camera. Its 8.1-megapixel resolution, powerful Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom lens design and Advanced Sports Mode with high shutter speed (1/4000 seconds) combine to make digital photography more exciting and creative -- and the NightShot system lets you shoot nocturnal scenes by infrared light. Also: a large 3.0-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus screen that tilts up for low-angle shooting, Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization, high sensitivity (ISO 3200) and new high-tech features like a Face Detection and HD output for sharing memories with family and friends in spectacular high-definition clarity on compatible HDTV screens.

Cyber-shot DSC-H9 Highlights

High-power Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom A superb lens for bringing long-distance subjects up close, the pro-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens design of the DSC-H9 provides 15x optical zoom design -- with 25x HD digital zoom to enlarge the center portion of the picture so you see even more detail.

8.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD More megapixels give you more detail and definition for editing, cropping, and making large digital prints. Sony's advanced Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design allows more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise.

3.0-inch tilt-up screen, simple controls The DSC-H9 provides a huge, bright 3.0-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus screen that tilts up for comfortable low-angle shooting -- plus simple camera menus, a new GUI Home button, and Function Guide display that makes it easier to learn camera setup operations.

NightShot infrared system Sony's NightShot system provides infrared illumination for shooting in near-dark or totally dark conditions without using a flash -- so you can capture sleeping children, nocturnal animals and creative night scenes that lie beyond the power of conventional cameras.

Advanced Sports mode To capture fast-moving subjects in split-second detail, this innovative DSC-H9 shooting mode combines high shutter speed (1/4000 seconds) with intelligent continuous AF that responds more quickly to rapid motion -- a great way to catch the perfect moment in sports, children's games, pet tricks and more.

Long-Distance Flash A powerful flash provides extra illumination to light up subjects farther from your camera, with precise light control and the ability to adjust flash for both front and rear sync when shooting at low-speed sync setting.

Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization Other image stabilization systems crop in to compensate for "camera shake" -- but with the Super SteadyShot system, optical sensors detect camera movement and send correcting signals to a stabilization lens that allows even ultra-long-distance digital photos to capture more detail with less camera shake distortion.

High Sensitivity mode With Super SteadyShot image stabilization to minimize blur, High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 3200) lets the DSC-H9 shoot effectively in low light without flash to preserve the mood -- and Sony's original Clear RAW NR (Noise Reduction) image processing technology helps suppress the color noise that can accompany high-sensitivity shooting.

Face detection. By automatically controlling focus, exposure, color and flash, this new Sony feature reveals faces in shadow, makes skin tones look more natural and eliminates harsh facial glare -- to help bring out every expression on every face in every shot, so you'll capture the personalities and emotions that make memories come alive.

HD output Thanks to Sony, your photo album can go high-def -- with direct HD output to your compatible HDTV screen, so you can view DSC-H9 still photos in spectacular high-definition clarity and detail. Your life never looked so exciting!
_{Note: HD output requires an optional Sony HD connector cable; HDTV sold separately}

HD slide show with music It's the high-definition viewing experience that makes photos come alive on compatible HDTV screens, accompanied by your choice of visual effects and any of four preset musical selections stored in memory or your favorite MP3 tunes downloaded from PC to your camera for use as background music.

9-point Auto Focus. Because an off-center subject can make your shot more interesting, the DSC-H9 can measure auto-focus precision at 9 points on your screen -- giving you greater creative freedom to compose your image.

D-Range Optimization Powered by the exclusive Sony Bionz high-speed processing engine, D-Range Optimization preserves image data in bright highlights and reveals more detail in shadows or backlit areas -- for great results even in difficult lighting conditions.

In-camera retouching The DSC-H9 lets you add creative effects to photos after you shoot -- including soft edge filter to soften backgrounds, cross filter to place starry "dazzles" at highlight points, partial color filter to mute surrounding colors, even fish-eye filter to create interesting fish-eye lens effects.

In-camera red-eye reduction Irritating "glowing eyes" can ruin even the most creative photos -- so the DSC-H9 gives you in-camera correction at the touch of a button to reduce lingering red-eye effect that other systems might miss.

Electronic color viewfinder In addition to its bright 3.0-inch LCD screen, the DSC-H9 has a built-in electronic color viewfinder that lets you shoot in traditional camera style and save battery power by turning your LCD screen off.

Remote control function In both shooting and play mode, you can use a supplied remote control unit to control basic camera functions -- including zoom, menu settings, etc. -- so you can put yourself in the picture when shooting with a tripod or sit back and enjoy the show when you share images on your home TV screen.

Wheel dial for manual exposure modes For more creative freedom, a simple wheel-dial control lets you quickly change camera settings in manual modes (shutter speed priority, aperture priority, manual exposure) and also control ISO sensitivity, focus area, and exposure value. In play mode, the wheel dial provides a quick way to view your next or previous shot.

31 MB internal memory The DSC-H9 allows you to capture shots in-camera for later transfer to PC or Memory Stick Duo media -- so even if you forget your flash memory card, you can always get the shot.

Memory Stick Duo media The DSC-H9 has a built-in slot for optional Memory Stick Duo media or higher-capacity Memory Stick Pro Duo media -- the ultra-compact media for shooting, storing and sharing your photo images.

76x Smart Zoom feature Sony's Smart Zoom feature gives you an amazing ultra-close crop on the central portion of interest in your photo while avoiding the image degradation of other digital zooms.

MPEG Movie VX Fine Mode The DSC-H9 can capture VGA (640 x 480) audio/video clips at high frame rate (up to 30 frames per second) -- with optical zoom in movie mode to let you zoom in or pull back while taking action shots.

Stamina battery power The DSC-H9 provides up to 250 shots with a fully-charged NP-BG1 Lithium-ion battery -- enough shooting capacity to cover a long weekend or a whole vacation.

Customer Reviews

Very good
I'm very satisfied with this camera, it took me a lot of time to read the entire manual but I was worth the effort, I'm using it without any problems.

H-9 Sony Cybershot
I have two other Sony cameras, but this one is the best by far. It is compact enough as not to be cumbersome to carry. It gives high resolution photos even at far distances. The action mode gives clear pictures of moving players. The image stabilization works very well with no blurred pictures. The battery life is adequate for a days worth of picture taking, but a spare battery is recommended. I really like the large LCD screen to view the subject of the photo. The only minor drawback to me, is the location of the "On Switch". It is located where it is easily turned off and on by accident. I would heartly recommend this camera for the all-around photographer.

Best Camera in 30 Years
I've read the other reviews and I agree that it takes some work and experience to understand the settings. Someone needs to produce a "Missing Manual" for this camera. Sony is no help with either information on product use or product knowledge. Their customer servivce was clearly trained on a Kodak box camera. But what is most important? Having someone else do your homework or getting great pictures?

I have used manual SLR's; point and shoot digitial and film type; Kodak, Cannon, Minolta, Nikon, and Sony. This ca,era takes the best pictures I have ever taken. My skills have not improved with age, if anything the reverse is true. But shaky hands, poor eyesight, impatience all seem to be taken into consideration with this camera. Having worked as a photographer before the advent of the digital camera, I can tell you this is the best thing that ever happened to photography. And let's face it. Aren't most of you going to download your pictures and use photo software to improve them? You'll get much farther with this wonderful camera.

For the price this is a wonderful value. Buy it, shoot it, and enjoy yourself!