I promised some friends I’d post about my new camera and since I’m no good with the technical talk (which can all be found online anyway) I thought I’d offer a few comparisons of my own. 

My old handbag camera is a Sony HX9V

My new handbag camera is a Sony HX60

My big camera is a Canon SX50 HS

Though I like to take photos, my motivation is to capture the moment rather than to create a masterpiece.  I almost always use the automatic setting because I grew up with a point and shoot compact camera and never bothered with stop numbers and so on.  I seem to be able to get pleasing results without the hassle, so I focus on other aspects and keep it simple.  All the photographs here were taken on the auto setting then.

To begin with, the flowers on the windowsill, for colour and detail.  Same order of cameras: old one, new one, big one.  I think the old camera is outdone by the two newer models and prefer the detail and depth of colour captured by the new Sony (middle image).

Poor light levels on the sitting room bookshelf, the big Canon’s extra bright results are evident.  There’s not much to choose between the other two. (Same order: old, new, big)

Teetering on the garden room step to take pictures of the dreary day outside, I found how tricky it is to take identical shots!  Sorry about that.  I think the different levels of brightness are apparent here too.

But here’s the surprise.  I thought I could see some rather lovely lichen on that tree branch.

That one, there – captured at full zoom with my old Sony HX9V.

Seen a little closer with my big Canon SX50HS, 50x optical zoom.

But actually, most surprising of all, seen to best advantage with my new, Sony HX60 30x optical zoom.

How strange is that?  I appear to be able to zoom in more closely (more accurately?) in sharper focus with the 30x optical zoom than the 50x.  Hmmm.

As you’ll imagine, my handbag camera gets thrown into the bag, churns around in my pocket and gets almost daily use.  I don’t “treasure” my electronic bits and pieces as much as perhaps I should – I use them and expect them to withstand reasonable care without the need for protective cases and kid gloves.  Maybe that’s the reason why some bits drop off!  In the case of my old Sony (actually, about three years old) it’s the rubber thumb grip.  Not something which is mission critical, but what’s annoying is that without it, my thumb slips slightly in the direction of that movie button and more than once, I’ve found myself shooting an unintentional show reel.

Not only that, but over the years, the scene selection button on the top has worn a little looser than it was originally, and it has a tendency to slip around.  Occasionally, I’ve questioned the cause of a sub-optimal photograph, only to find later that it was taken on a completely random setting.  Both this and the thumb grip issue are mere minor irritations but are gradually becoming more frequent.

I was pleased then, to see the newer model had a redesigned arrangement of controls which would reduce the likelihood of inadvertent switching of settings.  There’s a new manual override too, which might mean I change the habits of a lifetime?  The on/off button is relocated to that area too, which is something to get used to but otherwise, the settings and general interface remain much the same.

The new camera is slightly bigger all round and slightly heavier too, but nevertheless, it’s likely to be my camera of choice for almost all occasions, the more so since the zoom appears to be as good if not better than the larger, more cumbersome Canon.  I’m delighted with my choice and look forward to giving it a good workout on our adventure next month.

I might even share some of the results