The little brother to the HX5V is the new H55, which has some pretty solid features for the price of $250. With 14.1 megapixels and a 3.0 inch LCD (230k pixels), this workhorse should satisfy someone for quite a long time with its 720p HD movie recording capabilities (30fps, MP4) and our favorite Sweep Panorama Mode, which makes wide shots as easy as a sweeping motion with your hand. Automatic mode (which is really helpful when you need to grab a quick picture is greatly enhanced with iAuto, and you’ll feel comfortable even shooting in low light situations with Sony’s advanced G lens. We have noticed an improvement in overall picture quality and contrast with that type of lens.
Self-Portrait Timer helps take the guesswork out of self portraits by using 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. The DSC-H55 features 11 convenient scene modes: High Sensitivity / Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Portrait / Landscape / Beach / Snow / Fireworks / Advanced Sports /Gourmet / Pet. In addition to High Sensitivity Mode (ISO), you can select up to eight ISO settings (Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200) when shooting in Program Auto Mode to adjust sensitivity to your shooting conditions. For convenient storage and sharing of your images, the DSC-H55 accepts Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick PRO Duo/Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo media (sold separately) or SD/SDHC media (sold separately).
