The Winner by a Nose
Pros:
Build quality, handling, HUGE LCD, fluid focusing, PHOTO QUALITY.
Cons:
Bet she'd run longer if she used 4 batteries instead of only two....
The Bottom Line:
This is a camera that 2 years ago nobody would have thought would be available at anywhere near this price.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I agonized over the choice of what to augment my Kodak DX7590 with. No mistake, the DX7590 is a great camera, but I needed something with a longer zoom and higher resolution.
The dSLR route I did not care to go as the trade-off is (at an affordable price-point) a tad better photo quality in exchange for the weight, time, bother and expense of multiple lenses. So it came down to a fixed-lens camera.
After a fair amount of research, the field was narrowed to two: the H5 and the ubiquitous Canon S3 IS.
To make a long story short, the H5 wins the contest, JUST.
The Canon IS more responsive, JUST. The burst mode limited only by storage capacity IS a plus for Canon no doubt.
The Canon also has the better movie set-up. And it uses SD memory instead of the almost-propritary Sony "Memory Stick."
"Memory Stick".....LOL, there's a name for ya, huh........ ;-)
In terms of "styling" the Sony is a bit avant garde, while the Canon looks like the Harley-Davidson of long-zoom cameras. Styling is subjective, but the Canon's sexier.
Now come the "but's" in favor of the Sony.
The H5 holding it your hand is noticeably a higher-quality product in it's weight, it's feel and the ease and consistency in which it's controls work.
Then there's that 3" LCD. No arguing that.
The VF is MUCH better than the Canon's and the zoom is fluid whereas the Canon feels like it's running on cheap, hard plastic gears.
I also prefer the zoom control on the back as the H5 haqs versus the lever on the front of the Canon.
But it's a camera, and after taking real-world photos with both the H5 simply delivers better photographs. The details are sharper, lines are sharper, the Canon DOES have some "muddiness" that the H5 doesn't.
Both deliver brilliant color.
The H5 has MUCH less noise that the Canon, too.
Don't get me wrong, it's a REALLY close call between these two. They are both VERY FINE cameras, but by a nose, in a "photo finish," right now today, the H5 takes the prize.
JUST.
