DSC-H55 | Cyber-shot® Digital Camera H55 | Sony

Cyber-shot Digital Camera H55

Model number: DSC-H55/B

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

Model Highlights: 14.1-megapixel, 3.0" LCD, 10x optical zoom, Sweep Panorama Mode, Optical SteadyShot™, iAuto mode, 720p MP4 HD movie mode, Self Portrait Timer

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Position 1 Overview
Position 2 Features
Position 3 Specifications
Position 5 Reviews
Position 6 Accessories

Take your best shot.

Make moments last forever with the compact DSC-H55 Cyber-shot® digital camera. Not only can you easily capture awe-inspiring landscapes with Sweep Panorama mode, you can instantly review them on a beautiful 3" (diag.) screen. The wide angle 10x optical zoom lens is perfect for tight close-ups and 14.1-megapixel clarity allows for stunningly sharp images. Prepare to be impressed.

Top-of-the-line Lens

It all starts with the lens. Designed and manufactured to the highest standards of optical performance, the Sony G-Lens is optimized to perfectly complement the advanced image sensors and image processing technology in Sony's cameras. G lenses are also used in high-end digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and advanced pro-sumer HD camcorders.
- Sony G
- Wide-Angle 25mm lens
- 10x zoom
Panoramic Shots Made Easy

Sweep Panorama Mode goes far beyond traditional wide angle lenses to let you capture expansive, 244-degree shots of landscapes or skyscrapers. Just press the shutter and shoot the scene with a sweeping motion and the camera does the rest. It even detects faces and moving subjects to avoid distortion.

Explore Sweep Panorama
Goodbye Blurry Photos and Movies

Don't let a not-so-steady hand prevent you from capturing the perfect moment. Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization uses a built-in gyro sensor to detect camera shake and automatically compensates to help prevent blur without sacrificing image quality. In addition, Active Mode compensates for excessive camera shake in video by providing 10x compensation.
A Smarter Auto Mode

Unlike traditional auto mode, Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode thinks for you-recognizing scenes, lighting conditions and faces–and automatically adjusts the settings for you. The results are clear images, faces with natural skin tone and less blur.
Record and Upload HD Movies

Shoot and share your memories in HD. In 720p MP4 movie mode, you can record 1280 x 720 HD movies at 30 fps for high quality yet small file sizes–perfect for your compatible PC or Mac®. And transferring the movies from your computer to sharing websites like Photobucket® and YouTube™ is easy (internet connection required).
Put Yourself in the Picture

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.

Get ready for some beautiful pictures. The compact DSC-H55 Cyber-shot® digital camera's powerful 10x optical zoom wide (25mm equivalent) lens takes better shots from greater distances. For breathtaking panoramic shots of wide landscapes, just move in one sweeping motion and Sweep Panorama mode does the rest. Your shots are clear, too, thanks to Optical SteadyShot™ technology that helps reduce blur when your hands are less than steady. Review the phenomenal results on the large, 3.0" (diag.) screen.

3.0" Clear Photo LCD™ display (230k pixels)¹

Compose and show off your images on the large 3.0” (230K) Clear Photo LCD ™ display, which features a special anti-reflective coating for sharp visibility, even in bright sunlight.¹

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 244 degrees. Now capturing wide landscapes is as easy as press and sweep.

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.

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.

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.

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. You can 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.

Scene modes

The DSC-H55 features 11 convenient scene modes: High Sensitivity / Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Portrait / Landscape / Beach / Snow / Fireworks / Advanced Sports /Gourmet / Pet.

PHOTOMUSIC

PHOTOMUSIC combines images with music⁴ (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).

PhotoTV HD

Bring your photos to life and enjoy highly detailed, high definition images with PhotoTV HD-capable Sony^® BRAVIA^® HDTVs.⁷ PhotoTV HD fine tunes settings on your PhotoTV HD enabled BRAVIA HDTV, such as sharpness, gradation, and color to display images that look more like printed images.

Media card slot

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/SDXC media (sold separately).¹¹

Colors Available

The Cyber-shot^® DSC-H55 camera is available in black and silver

14.1 Megapixel Super HAD™ CCD Image Sensor

A powerful 14.1 megapixel 1/2.3” Super HAD™ CCD image sensor helps you capture gorgeous images with superb contrast and clarity down to the finest detail. With 14.1 megapixels, you can create stunning, photo-quality prints up to A3+ (13x19”) size, or crop your images and still come away with high resolution shots.

BIONZ™ Image Processor

The BIONZ™ image processor delivers the high resolution and fast performance you expect from a Sony^® digital camera. Fast processing enables unique Sony features such as Sweep Panorama, Handheld Twilight, Antimotion Blur, HDR, etc to take and combine multiple images in less than a second to create wide panoramic images. Images have reduced grain and appear less washed out.

Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) Mode

Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) Mode automatically detects eight different types of scenes and, within just 1/30th of a second, selects the appropriate camera settings: Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Twilight using a tripod, Portrait, Landscape, and Macro. iSCN has two modes: Auto and Advanced. In Auto Mode, the camera takes a single shot using the optimal settings. In Advanced Mode, the camera takes a photo with the optimal settings and, if in difficult lighting (low light or back light) immediately takes a second photo with another optimized setting so you can choose which to keep.

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 eight ISO settings (Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200) when shooting in Program Auto Mode to adjust sensitivity to your shooting conditions.

Anti-blink Function

It’s frustrating to think you’ve captured that perfect shot, only to review it later and discover one of your subjects blinked just as you pressed the shutter. 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.

Intelligent AF

Thanks to Intelligent AF technology, capture fleeting moments like a child’s adorable expression with the ultra-quick AF which locks focus in as little as 0.3-sec.

Function Guide

This beginner-friendly optional function helps navigate through the various functions and settings displaying the description of chosen functions or settings on the LCD screen.

In-Camera Retouching Tools

Retouch and enhance your photos on the go with in-camera Trimming, Red-Eye Correction, and Unsharp Masking functions.

Multi-purpose Resize function:

The Multi-purpose Resize function lets you change the aspect ratio of an image right in the camera, so you can adjust images as necessary, whether you want to display them on a compatible HDTV5, or e-mail them / upload them to a blog⁴.

Includes Sony^® PMB (Picture Motion Browser) Portable software³

With the pre-installed Picture Motion Browser (PMB) Portable software³ the DSC-H55 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 sites⁵ without the need for any additional software or install.

10x (25mm) Professional-quality optical zoom G-Lens

G lenses are used in top of the line digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and advanced pro-sumer HD Camcorders. Capture the action up close with the 10x optical zoom, and with the 25mm equivalent wide angle lens the H55 even allows you to capture more of the scenes in landscape or group portraits

720p MP4 HD Movie Mode⁹

MP4 is ideal for enjoying and sharing HD movies on your PC, Mac® or the Internet. You can record video up to 1280x720 at 30fps. A MP4 HD file is a compressed single file format, perfect for uploading to computers and Web sharing sites like YouTube™.

Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode

Unlike traditional auto mode, Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode thinks for you, recognizing scenes, lighting conditions, and faces, and adjusts settings resulting in clearer images, faces with more natural skin tone, and less blur. By incorporating advanced features such as Intelligent Scene Recognition, Face Detection technology, and Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization, iAuto mode lets you take advantage of the latest Sony^® Cyber-shot^® technology without leaving auto mode. Whether you’re shooting landscapes, capturing a beautiful flower, or taking pictures at an in-door birthday party or wedding shower, iAuto mode will optimize your camera’s settings to help ensure you come away with a great shot.

Optical SteadyShot^TM with Active Mode

Optical SteadyShot^TM image stabilization with Active Mode gives you the freedom to shoot movies even while walking or running. By providing up to 10x the correction of standard mode, Active Mode can compensate for excessive camera shake so you can move along with your subject while shooting.

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.

Dynamic Range Optimizer Standard and Plus

Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) Standard and Plus uses a sophisticated algorithm to help recover shadows and highlights. The result is more natural images with clearer details that more closely match what your naked eye sees. DRO is particularly effective when shooting backlit portraits or any scene with a dramatic contrast between background and foreground lighting. DRO Plus allows for even greater optimization by analyzing each region of an image and performing additional image processing.

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.

Viewing modes

Find your photos using the simple folder or calendar viewing modes

Lithium-ion battery

Included lithium-ion battery provides added convenience with longer lasting power than alkaline batteries (capacity of 310 images⁶ or 155 minutes¹² for shooting still images).

Includes Sony^® PMB (Picture Motion Browser) Software ver. 5.02

Sony Picture Motion Browser software offers a simple, intuitive way to transfer, sort, and view your video and still images on your compatible PC. In addition, multiple output options let you burn your memories to DVD using an external DVD burning device (sold separately), as well as take advantage of one click upload to a number of popular video and photo sharing sites²

Product Specifications

Optics/Lens

Lens Type : Sony G-Lens
Aperture : iAuto(F3.5/F8.0(W)) / Program Auto(F3.5/F8.0(W)) / Manual(F3.5/F8.0(W)) (2 Steps with ND Filter)
Optical Zoom : 10x
Digital Zoom : Smart Zoom / Precision Digital Zoom / Off
Total Zoom : Approximately 20x with Precision Digital Zoom
Smart Zoom® Technology : 10M:Approx.11x(Total), 5M:Approx.16x(Total), VGA:Approx.67x(Total), 16:9(2M):Approx.22x(Total)
Focal Length (35mm equivalent) : 4.25-42.5mm
Lens Construction : 10 elements in 7 groups (including 4 aspheric elements)
Macro Mode : iAuto(W:Approx.5cm(0.16') to Infinity, T:Approx.100cm(3.28') to Infinity)

Focus Control

AF Modes : 9 points AF / Center Weighted AF / Spot AF
AF Illuminator : Auto / Off

Flash

Flash Modes : Auto / On / Slow Syncro / Off
Flash Coverage : ISO Auto: Approx.0.25-Approx.4.1m(Approx.0.82'-Approx.13.5')(W) / Approx.1.0-Approx.2.6m(Approx.3.28'-Approx.8.53')(T), ISO3200: up to Approx.8.2m(Approx26.9)(W) / Approx.5.2m(Approx17.06')(T)

Interface

SD Output : Yes
HD Output : Component (1080i)
USB Port(s) : Yes - USB2.0 Hi-Speed
TransferJet : No
PictBridge Compatible : Yes

Software

Supplied Software : Picture Motion Browser Ver 5.0, PMB Portable 5.0 (for Windows), PMB Portable 1.1 (for Macintosh), Music Transfer
Operating System Compatibility : Microsoft® Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7, Macintosh® OS X(v10.4-v10.6)

Imaging Sensor

Imaging Sensor : 1/2.3" (7.76mm) Super HAD CCD Sensor
Processor : BIONZ™

Viewfinder

Type : No

Exposure System

Metering : Yes
Scene Mode(s) : High Sensitivity / Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Soft Snap / Landscape / Beach / Snow / Fireworks / Advanced Sports / Gourmet / Pet
D-Range Optimizer : Plus / Standard / Off
ISO : Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200
Noise Reduction : Yes
White Balance Mode : Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Fluorescent 1(White Fluorescent Lighting) / Fluorescent 2 (Natural White Fluorescent Lighting) / Fluorescent 3 (Day White Fluorescent Lighting) / Incandescent / Flash / One Push.

Convenience Features

Red-Eye Reduction : 2009-08-13
Date / Time Stamp : Available in the included PMB software.
Erase/Protect : Yes/Yes
Media/Battery Indicator : Yes/Yes
Power Save Mode : Standard / Stamina /Off

Weights and Measurements

Dimensions (Approx.) : W x H x D: 4 1/8" x 2 3/8" x 13/16" (102.9mm x 57.7mm x 28.9mm)
Weight (Approx.) : Body: Approx. 6.0oz. (170g), With battery and Memory Stick media: 7.1oz. (200g)

Service and Warranty Information

Limited Warranty Term : 1 Year Parts & Labor

Recording

Media Type : 45MB internal Flash Memory, optional Memory Stick Duo™ Media, optional Memory Stick PRO Duo™ Media, optional Memory Stick PRO Duo™ (High Speed), optional Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo™, optional SD/SDHC/SDXC media¹⁰
Still Image Max Effective Resolution : Aprox. 14.1 Megapixels
Video Resolution : 1280 x 720 (29.97fps, Progressive) (Approx.9Mbps,6Mbps) / VGA (640 x 480) (29.97fps, Progressive) (Approx.3Mbps)
Microphone/Speaker : Mono / Mono

LCD Display

LCD Type : 3.0"¹ Clear Photo LCD (230,400 pixels)
Histogram : Yes

Drive System

Drive Mode : Normal / Burst
Self-timer : Yes (Off / 2 sec. / 10 sec.)
Shutter Speeds : iAuto(2" - 1/1,600) / Program Auto(1" - 1/1,600) / Manual(30"-1/1600)
Burst Mode : Approx.1.84 fps at 14.1MP (maximum 4 shots)

Advanced Features

Face Detection : 8 Faces (Auto / Off / Child Priority / Adult Priority)
Image Stabilization : Optical
In-Camera Editing : Trimming / Red Eye Correction / Unsharp Masking
NightFraming System : No
NightShot® Infrared System : No

Power

Battery Type : InfoLITHIUM G type 3.6V
Battery Capacity : Approx. 155 minutes / Approx. 310 images (when shooting still images)
Power Consumption (in Operation) : Approx. 1.1W

In the Box

Multi Connector Cable (A/V, USB)

Rechargable Battery Pack (NP-BG1)
Wrist strap

Battery Charger
CD-ROM

Product Profile

Support

Find related product support and help in Sony eSupport

Product Warranty

Limited Warranty

Soft Carrying Case

$19.99
Soft Carrying Case

$14.99

DSC-H55/B 3.5 5 35 35

Disappointing This camera has been really disappointing and totally not worth it. Almost all of the pictures come out distorted as if I had a fishbowl lens on it - really sad to have everyone's face twisted or scenery ruined. It takes way too long (up to ten seconds) to turn on or off once I press the on/off button. The second time I opened the battery compartment, it no longer closed and the door gets caught on the case all the time. The panorama feature has been fun, but overall this product was a huge headache. I would not suggest buying it. September 2, 2011

H-55 Awful photos and apparently no way to fix I bought this camera for a trip to Ecuador. I have an earlier version CyberShot that I love but wanted something smaller. I am extremely disappointed. ALL the photos, no matter what setting, are washed out. Flash is much too bright with poor results and awful color. I contacted Sony help line and followed all their suggestions, including resetting camera to factory settings. Nothing has worked. Sony refuses to replace the camera with a different model. I have been a loyal Sony consumer for 20 years but this experience has ended that run. I hope Sony customer service is monitoring this site. March 29, 2011

Excellent camera for the money I am a photo enthusiast and have owned several pro SLRS. I have had this camera for 8 months and it delivers great quality in low light indoor settings. Different shooting modes offer great versatility and vivid colors. Easy to use (my children are now taking great photos with it ). I have owned more than 5 good compact digital cameras and this is the best. I compared it to the Panasonic Lumix Zs7, which also offers a manual mode, but still like this camera better. Sold the Panasonic. March 17, 2011

Worth it all.. First Sony Camera I've owned. Used to Canons... I was reluctant to own a Sony Because I have a lot of SD Cards, and I thought Sony cameras weren't Compatible with SD Cards But then I found out from a salesman at Best Buy. March 12, 2011

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VIEW FOOTNOTES

1.Viewable area, measured diagonally

2. PMB requires Microsoft® Windows® XP SP3/ Windows Vista® SP2/Windows 7. Picture Motion Browser software not supported by Mac OS. Movie format is compatible with iMovie® '09 or later versions.

3.PMB Portable for Windows is pre-loaded. PMB Portable for Mac is available at www.eSupport.sony.com . PMB Portable requires USB cable (included) and PC with internet connectivity. 64-bit environments not supported.

4. Uploading directly to the web requires PMB Portable software and USB cable (included), and PC with internet connectivity (not included). PMB Portable for Mac is available at www.eSupport.sony.com . 64-bit environments not supported.

5. When fully charged. Actual results may vary based on product settings, usage patterns and environmental conditions.

6. Compatible BRAVIA® HDTV and component cable required for PhotoTV HD viewing. Specifications for BRAVIA HDTV shown vary according to market region.

7. 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.

8. HD Movie mode records up to 1280x720p, at 30 fps, and 9Mbps.

9. HD viewing requires an HD output adapter cable (VMC-MHC1) and compatible HDTV, both sold separately.

11. When using movie mode Memory Stick PRO Duo™ with MARK2 (M2) logo, Memory Stick PRO-HG™, or SD/SDHC/SDXC (Class 4 or higher) media are recommended.

12. Actual battery life may vary based on product settings, usage patterns and environmental conditions.

© 2010 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony, Cyber-shot, Optical SteadyShot, BIONZ, Clear Photo, Smile Shutter, Super HAD, BRAVIA, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO-HG are trademarks of Sony. PlayStation is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Mac is a trademark of Apple Computers, Inc. HDMI is a trademark of HDMI Licensing LLC. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.