Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H70 16.1 MP Digital Still Camera with 10x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom G Lens and 3.0-inch LCD (Blue)

by Sony

• 10x zoom in a compact camera body
• Capture breathtaking images in Sweep Panorama Mode
• Capture your videos in HD Movie mode (720p)
• 25mm wide lens; Optical SteadyShot image stabilization
• Active Mode stabilizes your hand held HD movies

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 2.8 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B004H8FNF8
• Item model number: DSCH70/L
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,454 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 4, 2011

Product Description

Color: Blue

From the Manufacturer

Shoot life at its fullest with the Sony DSC-H70. Get closer to your subjects with 10x optical zoom. Capture landscapes with one touch Sweep Panorama, take 720p HD videos, get perfect portraits with Smile Shutter or get everyone in the picture with the 25mm wide angle lens.

Sony DSC-H70 Feature Highlights
	3.0-inch LCD    3.0-inch LCD to preview and review your photos.
	Compact camera with 10x zoom    The Sony 10x optical zoom G lens brings distant subjects super close for great outdoors, sports, and travel photos. The compact size makes it easy to take with you in a pocket, purse, or backpack.
	Sweep Panorama Mode Reach beyond the traditional wide angle lens, and capture more breathtaking shots with Sweep Panorama Mode. Simply press the shutter button and sweep the camera in the desired direction and the camera continuously shoots at a high speed, then seamlessly stitches the images together with automatic position adjustment to create one stunning panoramic image. Available in wide and ultra-wide options, the camera can take panoramic shots of up to 260 degrees. Now capturing wide landscapes is as easy as press and sweep.
720p MP4 HD Movie Mode5    In 720p MP4 movie mode the camera shoots 1280 x 720 high definition movies at 30 fps, which is the format when working with a PC5.  Users will create high quality movies with full use of optical zoom in files small enough to transfer to compatible PC or Mac. Once transferred to a computer you can effortlessly upload your media to popular photo and video-sharing websites such as Photobucket and YouTube. (Compatible computer with internet capability required)
	Optical SteadyShot image stabilization    Optical SteadyShot image stabilization uses a built-in gyro sensor to detect camera shake and automatically shifts the lens to help prevent blur without sacrificing image quality.
Active Mode    Stabilize hand held HD movies with active mode. For recording on the go this feature was designed to minimize motion capturing the video without all of the movement.
Motion Detection Motion Detection, along with Face Motion Detection adjusts ISO sensitivity and increases the shutter speed when movement is detected, reducing blur in moving subjects and faces.
	Intelligent Auto Mode Unlike traditional auto mode, Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode does the thinking, recognizing scenes, lighting conditions, faces, and adjusts settings resulting clear images, faces with natural skin tone and less blur. Take advantage of all the technology without leaving Auto mode. Kids on the playground, landscape shots, a beautiful flower or an indoor birthday party; all result in clear images without leaving auto mode.
Soft Skin Mode    Portrait subjects will love the results. Soft Skin mode recognizes skin tones and reduces the appearance of blemishes and wrinkles without affecting the rest of the shot.
Natural Flash    Conventional point-and-shoot camera flash shots just don't capture colors the way the eye sees them. Natural Flash mode takes a reference shot without flash and then uses that reference to correct the color, for far more lifelike images.
In camera guide     Take all the guesswork out of photography with the in camera guide. It’s convenient step-by-step instructions lead to a perfect shot.
	Smile Shutter technology Smile Shutter technology captures a smile the moment it happens. Simply press the Smile Shutter button and the camera does the rest. Also select adult and child priority and indicate the degree of Smile Detection Sensitivity. Intelligent Scene Recognition can be used together with Smile Shutter mode. This means that beautiful smiles can be captured with settings optimized for the particular scene, even in difficult conditions such as twilight and backlighting.
	Face Detection technology Sony’s Face Detection technology can automatically distinguish between children and adults. Face Detection technology detects up to eight individual faces and adjusts flash, focus, exposure, and white balance to help deliver crisp, properly lit images of family and friends.
Anti-blink Function It’s frustrating to capture the perfect shot, only to review it later and discover subjects blinked during the photo. When the camera is set to Soft Snap, the Anti-blink function captures two images, recording only the photo with less squinting or blinking. If a blink is detected in other shooting modes, a warning will be displayed after you take the shot.
	TransferJet technology    TransferJet technology, developed by Sony and advanced and promoted by consortium of 18 other companies, allows transfer of up to ten files between two TransferJet enabled devices just by touching their TransferJet logos together, without the hassle of hunting for cables or the complication of pairing6.
	High Sensitivity Mode (ISO 3200) High ISO allows for faster shutter speed, so you can take photos indoors or in low light without the need for a flash. In addition to High Sensitivity Mode (ISO), you can select up to seven ISO settings (Auto, 125, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200) when shooting in Program Auto Mode to adjust sensitivity to the shooting conditions.
Easy Shooting Mode With Easy Shooting Mode, even beginners can take great photos. In Easy Shooting Mode, easy-to-understand basic instructions are displayed on the LCD screen and the camera switches to all automatic settings, removing several function choices and allowing you to focus on just your subject. Since this mode works together with Intelligent Scene Recognition, the camera selects the optimum setting for each scene. In addition the easy mode simplifies preview mode.
In-Camera Retouching Tools Retouch and enhance your photos on the go with in-camera Trimming, Red-Eye Correction, and Unsharp Masking functions.
Self-Portrait Timer    Self-Portrait Timer helps take the guesswork out of self portraits by utilizing Face Detection technology to recognize when your face enters the frame. Once the camera detects your face, it triggers a 2-second timer, and then snaps a picture.
PHOTOMUSIC4 PHOTOMUSIC4 combines images with music (4 tracks, 5 minutes per track) to produce fun and entertaining slide shows with standard visual effects (Simple, Nostalgic, Active, and Stylish). Select from pre-loaded tracks on the camera or transfer your own from your compatible computer (sold separately).
	Compatible with PC and MAC Systems    The Full HD video captured with the DSC-H70 can be used with the provided Picture Motion Browser software1 for PC and iMovie (sold separately) for Mac systems.
Includes Sony PMB (Picture Motion Browser) Software ver. 5.51 Sony Picture Motion Browser software offers a simple, intuitive way to transfer, sort, and view video and still images on a compatible PC. In addition, multiple output options let you burn your memories to DVD (sold separately), as well as take advantage of one click upload to a number of popular video and photo sharing sites7.
	Includes Sony PMB Portable software2    With the pre-installed Picture Motion Browser (PMB) Portable 5.5 (Mac vers. 1.3) software2 the DSC-H70 makes it easy to pre-select videos and images in the camera and conveniently upload them from the camera to a compatible PC and popular Internet sharing sites7 without the need for any additional software or install.
PMB requires Microsoft Windows XP SP3/ Windows Vista SP2/Windows 7 environments not supported. Not supported by Mac OS.  Uploading directly to the web requires PMB Portable software and USB cable (included), and PC with internet connectivity. Windows XP SP3 64-bit and Starter Edition and Windows Vista Starter Edition environments not supported. Compatible BRAVIA HDTV, and component cable required for PhotoTV HD viewing. Specifications for BRAVIA HDTV shown vary according to market region. Four preset music tracks stored in internal memory. Imported music tracks can be up to five minutes long. When using Music Transfer to download music, tracks longer than five minutes will be reduced to five minutes when uploading to the Cyber-shot camera. Movie recording is limited to 29 minute segments. TransferJet enabled media (sold separately) and TransferJet technology required in both devices.  Interoperability and compatibility among TransferJet enabled devices may vary. Requires compatible wireless access point(s). Some features may rely on Internet services.

Product Description

Shoot life at its fullest with the compact DSC-H70 Cyber-shot Digital Camera. Featuring a 10x zoom and 25mm wide angle lens, you'll be able to get closer to your subjects or everyone in the picture, depending on your shooting situation. Capture expansive landscapes with one touch Sweep Panorama or take stunning 720p HD videos. Advanced features including Anti-blink, Soft Skin, Face Detection and Smile Shutter technologies make it a breeze to capture amazing people photos. Additionally, this camera has High Sensitivity ISO 3200 for low-light shooting and a large 3.0" LCD to compose, review and share your photos and video.

FEATURES:

• 3.0" LCD - 3.0" LCD to preview and review your photos
• 720p MP4 HD Movie Mode - In 720p MP4 movie mode the camera shoots 1280 x 720 high definition movies at 30 fps, which is the format when working with a PC5. Users will create high quality movies with full use of optical zoom in files small enough to transfer to compatible PC or Mac

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

204 of 207 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars crystal clear pictures & mom friendly March 16, 2011

By sherman

Color Name:Blue|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this as a gift for my mom to replace her nice, but bulky digital SLR. Her requirements were the camera must take excellent pictures, be user friendly or intuitive, and also be easy to grasp and hold while taking a photo.

The Sony DSC-H70 passed all three by me, and more importantly by my technologically declined mom.

The 10x optical zoom on the camera is sweet, while it isn't as flawless as the alpha models lenses or carl zeiss lenses it comes really close. It has a very high-quality lens and internal components. For the price/quality tradeoff I think this camera beats out all camera's under $300 currently on the market. I think the 16 MP is probably overkill, but it doesn't seem to sacrifice image richness so the more the merrier. Also, the blue color looks classy.

A huge selling point is the smart design of the camera. It has a groove for your thumb on the back, and the front has a slightly raised and concave area opposite of the lens side to grip. With the really thin cameras it seems people end up pinching the edges or hold the camera in an awkward position. You can grip this with a more natural grasp which helps keep the camera steady (although it does have a really good image stabilizer on it).

I was instantly a fan of the option for the auto setting that takes two shots at slightly different settings when light conditions are low or there is abnormal backlight conditions. When I tested it under a variety of poor light conditions one of the two pictures always turned out great (the other was good too, but one was just more ideal). That feature alone is worth buying the camera for. Saves a ton of time knowing you'll have a good snapshot when light conditions are less than ideal. The smile recognizer actually does work well and I can see it coming in handy quite often. The panorama setting works better than any camera I've seen to date. I weebled and wobbled the camera on purpose and the panorama still would turn out really well.

Those are the main items noticeably better than other digital point-and-shoots. It does come with an digital instruction manual on the camera if your curious about what something is when you are away from home.

I've been playing with my FujiFilm 3D camera recently, which if you are a photography geek I recommend scoping out. I went with 3D over high-quality 2D, but after seeing this in action I'm seriously considering the H70. Before this I was eyeing the alpha line (a55) from sony, which is an amazing camera in its own right.

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Sony camera...GREAT! April 8, 2011

By H. Fink

Color Name:Black

This is my 3rd Sony camera and like the others it takes great pictures. What I mainly like about the camera is the SteadyShot stabilization and the Active mode that is available for videos. Other cameras usually only have an electronic stabilization which doesn't really do anything. Sony's actually physically moves the sensor. Getting up in years, my hands are not as steady as they used to be and at full zoom, taking a picture or video with other cameras at full zoom is very jumpy. Another cool feature is the Sweep Panorama which creates some great shots. Unfortunately the only way I have found to view them in sweep mode is using the included PMB software. Viewing them in a slideshow only gives a static image though. All-in-all, you can't go wrong with this camera.

PRO's - Steadyshot, great pictures. zoom range
CON's - Zoom noise is very prevalent in videos

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Portable Camera May 21, 2011

By Ruth Adamson

Color Name:Red Bundle|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really like this Sony. I bought it because I needed a portable camera. I use a Canon S10 IS but it is too big to carry around on vacation or casual events. I was wary because the reviews on Amazon were varied but a digital camera review site gave it extremely high marks. After having this camera for 3 weeks, here are the pros and cons:
PROS:
The best auto - mode I have seen anywhere. I took pics in Disney world in daytime and low light conditions, indoor and out, and the pictures came out great with no flash needed...ISO adjusted automatically
Burst mode - press and hold button to take 3 consecutive shots
10x zoom - almost unheard of for a camera this small
Shutter speed is great, yes really. But if you are in auto mode and the setting has changed (daytime to twilight for example) your first shot will be delayed while it changes to the new mode
Portrait mode will recognize up to 8 faces in your picture, great for families or group shots
Sony now has a slot for an SD card in addition to their Memory Stick, this was a big selling point for me
CONS:
Shutter speed for changing modes as above. You can manually set the mode to bypass that.
I have not yet figured out how to stop the preview after a pic. Not sure that is Sony's fault.
No optical viewfinder. They are more rare in small cameras but help when it's sunny out.
This camera takes some practice. Not a lot, but you really do need to look at the online manual to get the best use from it.
MY CONCLUSION:
Overall I am very happy with my purchase. If you want a point and shoot that is easy out of the box, there are better suited cameras out there. If you want a camera that's a few steps up from a basic point and shoot, this one is great if you are willing to take the time to learn how to use it. Once you do, changing the settings is fast and easy.