Sony today announced the new HX50V compact camera. The camera features a 20 Megapixel 1/2.3″ BSI sensor. And has a huge 24-720mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom. The full press release can be read at Dpreview, ThePhoBlographer, some image samples at Photographyblog and preorders at Amazon and SonyStore.
What’s more important for us is that Zeiss will have an announcement on May 7th. Be sure to be on SAR that day!
31 Responses
I’d personally be much more inclined to purchase such a camera if it had much less zoom range with a constant aperture f2.0 or f2.8. But the super zoom will tempt those who want it.
Multi Interface Shoe =
No slave or external flash when using EVF.
No EVF when using XLR Adapter.
No XLR Adapter when using video light.
I really wish they’d just left the hot shoe alone, and put the ports on the side for mic, and continued with the original FDAEV1S EVF for NEX-5N smart port.
Always such a smart arse. Well genius, the HX series couldn’t do ANY of those things before, so in all of these scenarios it is a huge step forward from before. In fact I don’t know of a super zoom model by any other manufacturer that can take an EVF, or XLRs etc. We all bitch and moan because we don’t like change. Fact is the old shoe could ONLY be used for flash guns, the new shoe (and it IS a NEW shoe – not just the ‘old’ ISO shoe) can be used for so much more, things that your small brain hasn’t even thought of yet. So quit your sooking boo hoo hoo about the freakin’ hotshoe!
Take it easy man. Relax a little.
Hi MdB. Thanks for drawing more attention to my post. And thanks especially for showing how weak your argument is by having to resort to personal insults and name calling.
You’ve provided a grand opportunity to illustrate Sony’s lack of vision, and support for their customers.
Now, you know as well as I do that the old shoe iISO, is not old. Half of Sony’s current cameras still use it, and will continue to use it at least until the middle of 2014, since they backed off a78 and others for now. Seems that the Hasselblad Lunar will also be a NEX7 in disguise, with the current iISO shoe. You can buy dozens of current smart and dumb radio slaves and flash units for iISO right now too. iISO is very current my friend, and far more compatible.
You also must know that the newest Sony MIS provides nothing that an improved compatible iISO update couldn’t have provided better, and with much more respect to legacy customer base.
Did you also know that the new Sony MIS is actually the worst ISO compatible shoe in history? Because the rails on the accessories are missing over 1/3rd of the plastic. They’re not even full rails. Their more like guides.
What do you believe the likelihood is that 3rd parties will release ANY smart accessories for the new Sony MIS? Probably as likely as competitor cameras are to start making memory stick slots.
It should be very plain to see that Sony is fast becoming a trickster company. One that touts devolution as progress. They count on the ignorance of new customers to support this business model.
They do however, a great job at flaunting their propensity for tech masturbation. It may be novel, yes. But there is no synchronicity or elegance to developing a line of accessories that cannot be applied in unison. I fear there are no visionaries collaborating with Sony. Their designers don’t seem to think past a sales brochure.
They should at least provide an adapter for the older FDAEV1S EVF to fit the MIS.
FDAEV1S EVF fit NEX-5N, but nothing older, although they had a crippled port for it. Plus, it had a secure locking screw.
So many recent wasted dollars burned up by Sony inconsistency. Very disrespectful to customers.
Why would something from the nex line be made to fit a cyber shot camera. Different product lines. You can always get a 5r if you want to upgrade 🙂
The entire purpose, supposedly, of the new shoe, is to promote compatibility across the lineup. A noble goal, on the surface. Everything from the tiniest Cybershot to the most expensive Pro VG Cams are to be unified with a consolidated accessory line.
But it negates the individual qualities of the different formats, and what their customer base is likely to really need in real world shooting environments.
We certainly didn’t need a line of perfectly capable two year old NEX accessories that are now junk. Basically screwing the early adopters who trusted Sony to support their investment. An adapter from the abandoned accessory port to the new MIS would be respectful.
But I like your path of questioning why a Cybershot would need compatibility with a NEX. I ask the same thing about Alpha line to VG cams, and why that promise only brought less compatibility for legacy investment and 3rd party smart accessory development.
Id rather have the new shoe on the cameras. That old mount was odd. At the time when you purchased it, did you buy it in hopes that it could be used with all future cameras. I have one too but im not sad that it doesn’t fit my rx1, in fact im in love with the new hot shoe and evf. The old viewfinder was a great bridge to the new stuff but its was time for Sony to move on to bigger and better things. Maybe someone should try to make an adapter that will allow the old evf to slide into the new shoe. I bet a lot of people would buy it.
What exactly makes you “in love” with the new hot shoe?
Is it the inability to use native mount smart slaves?
Is it the lack of smart aftermarket accessories and smart flashes?
Is it the plastic foot on Sony accessories which is missing over one third of the rails?
Is it that Yongnuo, Metz, Sigma, Nissin don’t make flashes for Sony any longer, when they did for iISO?
Is it the lack of a one button quick release?
Is it the iISO to MIS adapter that doesn’t have locking pins?
So much to choose from. But if you “love” it because you can use old dumb radio slaves and vintage flash units without an adapter… Sorry, but I don’t think that’s what Sony had in mind.
OT as it is but it’s a very impressive camera for family videos and snapshots! My wife would appreciate it very much.
Does this EVF fit the RX1? Does the EVF cost more than the camera? 😮
https://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666557527
its not bad.
Plus you know the next r100 will use the viewfinder too 😉
doing great Sony.
Looks a great little camera, well done Sony!
Absolutely horrible image quality.. Who would ever want this?
It’s ok if you don’t print large or don’t shoot in dark. This kind of camera is sometimes very fun to carry. And it’s also very affordable from my point of view.
+1
IQ seems very poor for a 20 megapixel…………..
Good luck getting a stable shot with a three degree angle of view on a point and shoot. You’ll really need to pray to the image stabilisation gods.
Point and shoot? Isn’t that the case for ALL cameras? The solution is to use a tripod. Doesn’t the camera have a mount?
So, the same EVF that fits the RX1 can be used on this camera. This lets me hope for a few things:
1) RX line will continue to be developed. Maybe an RX2 with a 50mm and RX3 with a 24mm lens coming along too? Having a shared EVF saves a lot of dough.
2) The next RX100/200 could also be able to use the EVF. I have an RX100 and an EVF would be really nice.
3) The contacts will be standard (hopefully) and thus new EVF’s will come to the market making the RX models slightly longer living by updating their EVF technology. The RX1 is already the type of cam its image quality is good for some years to come (see how 5D2’s are still used today and have the standard to deliver as much as NEX 7’s and 5n’s)
Maybe Sony is playing a really cool cards here. The fact that the battery is also the same is a major plus (tell that to Nikon and Canon users that have to ditch their batteries for every new cam they buy)
Looks like a nice camera but I think its BS they put a hotshoe on this camera but decide that only the Nex-6 & Nex-7 should have one. I have been saying from day one all the nex cameras should have a hotshoe. Lets see what they do with the next new nex below 6 & 7.
Nice camera for the target group which is aimed at.
Nice cam. Have an HX9V that I use mainly for video and it does very well there. This could offer some intriguing possibilities. I too wish the sensor had no more 12Mpx and the zoom range was smaller but the lens was faster. Not going to jump on this right away but if the image quality matches the HX9v I might grab one when the price inevitably plummets.
Lost me at no raw support. No thanks. I don’t understand why companies aren’t enabling raw capture in all or at least most of their cameras. Doesn’t make sense to me.
The Nikon Coolpix A and Ricoh GR both have RAW support. I was astonished how incredible the photo quality was at DPReview comparison page. The Ricoh syncs flash at 1/2000th SS native, any flash, without the need for HSS. Of course they aren’t super zoom cameras. But they have constant f2.8 apertures.
Those camera’s are in a different class of the Hx50V. Heck they are double the cost of the Hx50V. The two camera’s you mention compete with the Rx100. Go find a camera in the Hx50V’s range that compares favorably to it. I haven’t seen anything.
Those camera’s are in a different class of the Hx50V. Heck they are double the cost of the Hx50V. The two camera’s you mention compete with the Rx100. Go find a camera in the Hx50V’s range that compares favorably to it. I haven’t seen anything.
My pre-order is in. Being able to use the new mic in the MI shoe as well as triggering strobes is pretty sweet. The HX9 and HX20 were great cams I had a lot of fun with and this looks like the best yet.
1/2.3″ sensor. That is tiny. And with 20MP, the pixel density is high.
What justifies this cost, with such a tiny sensor, versus a Canon G15 or G12, with a 1/1.7″ sensor? Extra lens reach? Not enough.
The G series has been rightfully criticized for having such a small sensor.
Also, the newest one, G15, is only around 12MP.
Don’t look for any real image quality from this Sony. I have an old Sony P&S, the DSC-W290, complete with “Zeiss” lens. It is great for video, absolutely horrible for stills.
Way to much money for such a tiny sensor. Who cares if it has a 30x zoom, I doubt anyone would every use it… Lord my wife’s camera has a 20x zoom and if you ever get past 10 the image go to pot because any movement kills it… And with that many pixels crammed on a tiny sensor, not going to be worth much unless you are in the daylight.
At that price anyone wanting a sony point and shoot would be better off with the rx100, not nearly the zoom but at least you have a larger sensor…. I just don’t understand the reason behind this one.
I guess people can complain about sony and there supposed lack of vision, or deft marketing strategy, however, at the end of the day, nobody makes you buy it.
It’s a 450$ camera, shame about the raw, i challenge anyone to show me a camera that has or does it all, especially in that price range, the thing is, regardless of all the apparent inconsistencies with hot-shoes and other aspects,
at least as consumers we have more choice as of this announcement, and therein lies the beauty of the camera market as it stands today, an abundance of choice, what’s not to like about that i ask? If you don’t like sony, don’t buy sony. and if you do and it’s not what you perceived it to be, do more homework or wait for user/reviews before purchase, yes?
It reads like a well funky little pocket point and shoot, probably does a beaut job too. And thats about it. Get over it please.