Being a current and happy owner of the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX5V, I was curious as to what the updated version, the HX9V, would bring to the table. Judging from reviews, it seems to be a heck of a whole lot. The respected camera site the “Photography Blog” has now reviewed the HX9V and calls the camera “the best travel-zoom camera that we’ve reviewed to date.” That’s because Sony gives you a ton of features while still making sure that the camera fits in your pocket or purse, like:

• 16 Megapixels
• 1080p AVCHD Video Recording
• 3-inch LCD
• 16X Optical Zoom
• Super Steady shot
• 2D/3D Panorama Mode
• 10 FPS Full-res Burst Mode
• Full Manual Control
• f/3.3 Wide-angle Aperture.
• GPS for Geotagging
• SD/Memory Stick

Hit the jump for the full story.

 In addition to the excellent still images, the Sony HX9V cameras are some of the very few digital compacts to offer full 1080p video recording, gaining the upper hand on its key rivals. You can use the 16x zoom during recording, sound is stereo rather than mono, and the AVCHD format ensures that file sizes don’t get out of control. The built-in GPS also works well, unobtrusively and reliably recording your every movement 

With a price tag of just $349 MSRP, the HX9V gives a lot of bang with high features in a compact sized price. During my time off in Hawaii, I personally had some hands-on experience with the HX9V as well, seeing how a family member had just purchased one and the quality difference versus my HX5V is impressive. Night shots looked crisp and daylight scenes were gorgeous and sharp with a lot of detail. Consider that this is coming from a guy who was viewing the pictures on a 27-inch iMac screen which has a resolution of 2560 by 1440. Hopefully I can put together a shot comparison between the HX5V and the HX9V for you in the future.

Those looking to purchase the camera can always use our link below which not only will it get you a better price, but it will help the site pay for fees like our servers.

[Via Photography Blog]