With the Cyber-shot DSC-H50, Sony continues its incursion into the big zoom bridge market.  Even if it doesn’t set any records, the H50 has a rather practical 31-465 mm stabilized zoom.   We can also note the presence of a rotating screen, a characteristic that has become rare enough to catch our eye.  So is this new bridge a threat to Olympus, Fujifilm, Nikon or Panasonic models?

Handling

Construction is serious.  Even if it is entirely plastic, the body has honest finishing touches and it doesn’t appear very fragile.  Of course, the LCD screen is the first thing that will catch your eye.  It is large at 3 inches but definition seems a bit tight (230,000 pixels).  Images lack a bit of precision but display is fluid and viewing angles are large.  In full sun, it is practical, the cherry on the top being that it is mounted on a joint that enables 180° horizontal rotation.  Not bad, Sony.  However, I personally tend to prefer joints that also allow vertical movement.   Otherwise, a quick look through the electronic viewfinder and we immediately realize that this component is more used in dire need instead of for its comfort.


Overall, handling is very pleasant and the handle has a large role in this.  There are a few shortcuts on the body, but most settings are via the dial on the back of the camera.  Unfortunately, it is not the easiest to use.  The LCD is too close to and the thumb constantly hits the screen.  For priority modes, settings are also a bit tricky as our finger kept sliding off the button which validates commands.

The DSC-H50 isn't very fast but is well into the average of other current bridges.   Startup isn’t particularly rapid and autofocus (in our test studio) can’t really be qualified as reactive with its more than one second of latency.  Otherwise in good lighting, the AF system offers much better performances.  Finally, the burst mode attains a rather decent 1.7 i/s.

Quality of images

The Sony 15x zoom (signed by Carl Zeiss) produces nice results. It is relatively uniform on the entire surface while sharpness is as good in wide angle as it is in tele.  In extreme positions, distortion is indeed visible and we slightly noted the presence of chromatic aberrations and colored fringes on well contrasted subjects.  Colors are flattering to the eye due to very vivid rendering.  White balance is correct outdoors, but unfortunately is too warm under tungsten lighting as is too often the case.  Otherwise, Sony’s exposure system works quite well.  As for noise control, it is better than with previous models (the Cyber-shot H7 or H9) and images conserve good detail up to 400 ISO.  Optical stabilization is impressive and enables obtaining interesting shots at 1/3 s.   Once again, not bad!  Finally, with the 1cm macro mode we can see the appearance of colored fringes.