Mei 到處 8

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200907/programs/ZX0319A001D30072009T203000.htm

Millions of years ago, a little girl was born. It's time to meet our 47-million-year-old ancestor...

The Link: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor? tells the story of the 47-million-year-old fossil known as Ida, which scientists believe could be an indication of one of the roots of anthropoid evolution - the point at which our primate ancestors began first developing the features that would evolve into our own.

Lying inside a high-security vault, deep within the heart of one of the world's leading natural history museums, this scientific find of a lifetime connects to everyone.

Kept secret for two years, Ida is the most complete early primate fossil ever found.

With exclusive access to Ida and the team of scientists who have examined her, this documentary follows the University of Oslo's two-year journey to secretly analyse and verify Ida, piecing together her forensic secrets.

The film shows how various techniques were used to examine and re-create the creature, revealing that this early primate was a previously unknown species and one of our earliest ancestors.

Discovered in Messel Pit, Germany, Ida is 20-times older than most fossils that explain human evolution, and is 96 percent complete.

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, The Link: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor? brings Ida to life, using 3-D animations and imaging technologies to re-create Ida and the world that she would have inhabited.

 

…  to be continued

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2009/s2631046.htm

300 多年前, 在 Northern Ireland,  大概有一大部份人是來自Ireland, 他們相信 Catholicism. 而剩下的另一大部份人是來自Scotland & England, 他們相信Protestantism 新教教會(應是Anglicans, 請看以下解說). 於是他們互相憎恨,  當然Catholics 都想趕走那些Protestants, 咁 Ireland 就可統一了,  但是 Northern Ireland 是英國領土, 英政府說Protestant 住了那麼久, 點可搬走他們呢.  於是為了平亂, 便建了一圍牆分隔兩教住民了.

{ Protestant 原自 Catholics (當然, Catholics 也是原自 Christians), 自 Martin Luther (1483-1546 德國人)從天主教教庭分列出來後.  便自立門戶來反對羅馬教宗而成立了Protestantism. 在英國的 Henry the Eight (1491-1547)睇到 Martin Luther 的成功, 為了廢除現在皇后, 娶個女侍官.  於是佢又要出來反對羅馬教庭而成立了 Anglicans 聖公會(因為他們也是反對天主教的POPE, 所以都叫Protestant). Henry the eight, 成立了聖公會後, 斬鬼咗個第二個老婆個頭, 前前後後共娶了6位老婆!!!!}  0依!!! 睇嚟做男人, 信聖公教會好過天主教囉, 可以不斷換老婆!!!! 哈哈哈!!!!

Kilometres of high concrete walls snake through Belfast in Northern Ireland - graffiti daubed and grim. They divide catholic neighbourhoods from Protestant.
They’re called the Peace Walls.
But do they keep the enduring hatred and suspicion locked outside or inside?
The consensus among the locals participating in this story is pretty clear – if the walls came down there would be a swift return to the bad old days of intractable sectarian violence.
'If you pull that wall down there’ll be murder, mayhem, there’ll be blood spilt, you can guarantee now, there’ll be big, big trouble.'
William Brown, loyalist resident.
Even as Europe Correspondent Phil Williams was putting the final touches to his story on the quality of peace in Northern Ireland, he found himself in the middle of a dangerous melee. Petrol bombs and water cannon exploded as police tried to break up a riot that had erupted around one of the traditional annual Orange Day parades.
It was a frightening example of what happens when Catholic and protestant communities chafe, undivided by the so-called peace walls.
“Well it’s ugly, it’s horrible, but at the minute, it’s necessary. But there’s also walls of prejudice … walls that were built 300 years ago here and they're still here in legislation, in prejudice and bigotry. So those are the walls that are going to have to come down first.” Sean McVeigh, Republican resident
Despite marked political progress since the signing of the 1998 Peace Agreement, steps towards mending the enduring divisions between some Catholic and Protestant communities have been much slower.
In recent months the killing of two soldiers, a policeman and a Catholic community worker indicate that the tensions of The Troubles still lurk very close to the surface.
Are the Peace Walls monuments to the past or vital and necessary peace-keepers in the present and the future?
_________________________________

Transcript

WILLIAMS: Like veins they snake through the city streets, across parks, through schools. Twenty kilometres of suspicion and hatred separated by bricks, metal and wire. But as well as providing protection from the rocks, bottles and pipe bombs, the so-called ‘peace walls’ also offer opportunity, employment and a sense of purpose.
China has its Great Wall – Berlin used to have one and now no visit here is complete without a tour of the mighty walls of Belfast.
SEAMUS KELLY: We’re now in Comway Street and I remember this particular street in 1969 as a 16 year old. I remember the gunfire coming from the Shankill, which is only fifty metres ahead of us here. You can actually see the dividing peace wall and I just remember running, jumping into the houses to get down out onto the safety of the Falls Road at that particular time. Quite an experience.
WILLIAMS: In his wildest dreams Seamus Kelly could not have foreseen that he would end up as a tour guide, explaining the troubles from a Nationalist point of view and how he and so many of his friends ended up in prison after fighting for a united Ireland.
SEAMUS KELLY: [Republican tour guide] “It’s emotional, but there’s been much more things that have happened since then, between then and now that have been much more emotional. When I relate to the H blocks and the hunger strikes and the comrades who I knew, spent time with, who actually died on hunger strike - that to me is very, very emotional. That’s raw, that’s like yesterday, although it’s twenty-eight years ago. That’s very, very raw.
WILLIAMS: The tour takes in the murals and the memorials to the fallen and provides jobs for former IRA prisoners like Seamus Kelly.
“You wouldn’t consider going through these gates yourself and doing the tour on the other side?”
SEAMUS KELLY: “It wouldn’t be practical. I wouldn’t be talking about a…. ah coming from a unionist perspective, so that’s why loyalist ex prisoners would do that”.
WILLIAMS: [Handover to other tour guide on other side of the wall] Through these gates it’s loyalist territory and time for a change of guide and side.
“Twenty years ago you’d have been trying to kill each other”.
SEAMUS KELLY: “That’s correct, but times move on. There’s a whole new political dispensation here in Ireland at the moment. Projects such as this help… that understanding”.
WILLIAMS: Neither side has changed fundamental beliefs but the days of assassinations and knee cappings appear to be over.
WILLIAM SMITH: “It’s like the fear of being killed, it’s like the fear of being blown up…”.
WILLIAMS: Loyalist tour guide, William Smith, also spent time in prison during the troubles. The transformation from war zone to tourist town was unimaginable a few years ago.
WILLIAM SMITH: [Loyalist tour guide] “I was in prison for attempted murder, but I mean that may sound… you know really, what would you call it, bizarre now at this particular time, but in that, in 1970, thousands of young men went to prison. I will always say that that was a lost generation”.
WILLIAMS: At least some in that generation are now finding a new sense of purpose, explaining their side of the conflict to visitors who’ve left thousands of messages on the walls.
WILLIAM SMITH: “Tourists from all over the world will come here and they will write a message”.
WILLIAMS: “I can see one here from Sara Nicolas from Australia”.
WILLIAM SMITH: “Oh yeah, yeah there’s plenty of Aussies”.
WILLIAMS: While we walk the wall, more tourists draw their conclusions on it. Here the writing on the wall is almost exclusively from foreigners.
TOURIST: “I think it is kind of an odd thing, I think it would make more sense to see locals coming to sign the wall instead, so….. and that would make it a peace wall for sure”.
WILLIAMS: It’s an extraordinary transformation when tourism supplants terrorism. This is enormous progress but while the visitors come and go, the walls remain, splitting two communities.
“It may seem strange that years after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, although there was political progress and measurable, as chaotic as it may sometimes be, here at the interface where Catholic meets Protestant these walls are still as they were. In fact there have been more built because the people here see them not as dividing communities but protecting them”.
And this is what can happen where there are no walls. In the north Belfast area of Ardoyne there’s been a tradition of violence handed down from one poisoned generation to another. It erupted again during the annual Orange Order marches. Hopes had been so high that this was over - and the day begun so differently.
NELSON MCCAUSLAND: [Culture Minister, Northern Ireland] “Well the 12th of July is a special occasion, it’s one of the most important dates for me in the year. As you can see it’s a great carnival, a great festival. You’ve only to look at the parade itself and see the artistry of the banners, the music of the bands, the colour of the occasion, the great crowds that are out. It’s a family occasion. You’ve grandparents, parents and children. It’s a day really that could be enjoyed by anyone”.
WILLIAMS: You won’t see many Catholics here. Most see this celebration of the Protestant victory at the battle of the Boyne in 1690 as offensive and a provocation. The majority stay away, but four years of relative peace came to a violent end this time.
[On street] “You can see things are getting very tense here. The marchers are expected to come up through this area, a Catholic area very soon and there’s a large police presence trying to hold the Catholic protestors back. This is just an expression of the sort of tension this day evokes and at the moment, it’s getting very rough”.
The Ardoyne has long been a flashpoint. It’s where Catholic and Protestant territories meet. No wall keeping them apart. No place either for an Orange order march according to these people. Everyone here is used to the rocks and even the petrol bombs - and in reply, the baton rounds and the water canon. But for the first time since the 1970’s, someone fired a gun here - a worrying new threat that had police on edge.
Eventually the Orange Order did pass as the rocks and abuse rained down on them. Sinn Fein’s, Gerry Kelly was quickly on the scene, blaming the Orange Order for marching here, but also dissident Republican groups like the Real IRA for organising the attacks.
“What does this say about the peace process?”
GERRY KELLY: [Sinn Fein MLA] “The peace process is solid, the political process is solid, let us not exaggerate what happened here. These are small micro groups who incidentally came together when they thought they saw the opportunity to bring down the peace process. In a single incident, in a single night they will not achieve that. They will feel…. they have already felt…... They have no strategy… they are going nowhere”.
MARTIN MCGUINNESS: [Deputy First Minister, Northern Ireland] “It’s very important not to, and it’s even important for the Australian Broadcast Media not to distort what happened over the last couple of days from the overall picture which has I think been a very good news story world wide for some fifteen years”.
(News reports of the killing of two soldiers)
WILLIAMS: It’s an optimism not reinforced by recent events, a series of killings over the last few months. The first left two soldiers dead - shot at an army post - and two days later, the Dissident Continuity IRA was blamed for the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll – the first policeman killed in a terrorist attack in Northern Ireland for twelve years.
KATE CARROLL: “He was my life - my son and my husband were my life and I just feel now that I’m dead inside”.
WILLIAMS: Another funeral, this time forty nine year old Catholic community worker Kevin McDaid. He was beaten to death as he tried to help a friend being attacked by a mob. His wife was bashed too. Amongst the mourners was Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
MARTIN MCGUINNESS: “We have to see all of this in a proper perspective. The big story of the killings over the last number of weeks has been the way in which the political process has come together to repudiate the activities of those who would try to plunge us back into the past. You cannot compare, under any circumstances, the way things are today from where they were fifteen or twenty years ago. We are in a fundamentally different and better place”.
WILLIAMS: It is true despite the recent setbacks, it’s still a long way from the bad days of open sectarian warfare and ironically the very structures that divide, also secure.
WILLIAM BROWN: “In a perfect world it would be great to see peace but let’s face it, it’s Belfast, Northern Ireland - and there’s never going to be peace here”.
WILLIAMS: Loyalist William Brown and his family have lived for years across the road from one of the walls. Talk of knocking them down is not seen here even as a faint possibility.
MRS BROWN: “No, definitely not. For everyone’s sake it’s best just to keep the wall up, to keep the peace”.
WILLIAM BROWN: “Aye if you pull that wall down, there’ll be murder, mayhem, there’ll be blood spilt. You can guarantee now, there’ll be big, big trouble”.
WILLIAMS: “So we’re just coming on dark now, is this about when the rioting would start when you were young?”
WILLIAM BROWN: “Yes when the night falls and the rain falls, that’s when we’d come out”.
WILLIAMS: William Brown takes me the few hundred metres from his house to the same place where the political tours do their handovers.
WILLIAM BROWN: “I don’t trust anyone. I wouldn’t trust anyone with my life”.
WILLIAMS: “No chances of peace?”
WILLIAM BROWN: “There’s no peace here and there’ll never be peace”.
WILLIAMS: “That’s a pretty pessimistic view isn’t it?”
WILLIAM BROWN: “Well I’m the one living on the peace line. I know, I’ve seen it. You will always have your factions. This place is like, like the Palestinians and the Israelis – this is the same scenario”.
WILLIAMS: On the Republican side, Sean McVeigh cannot escape the shadow of the walls. He lives too close to forget this has been a war zone and his family and home attacked.
“How do you feel about this wall now? Would you like to see it down?”
SEAN MCVEIGH: “Well it’s ugly, it’s horrible but at the moment it’s necessary. You know it’s, in my mind, walls aren’t only physical, aren’t only made of mortar or steel or wire, but there’s also walls of prejudice. There’s walls that were built 300 years ago here and they’re still here in legislation and the prejudice and bigotry so those are the walls that are going to have to come down first”.
WILLIAMS: It’s a sentiment echoed across this city – it’s attitudes, not masonry that need dismantling…. and Father Aiden Troy has learned from bitter experience.
FATHER TROY: [2001 footage] “I was terrified, but I was terrified not for myself so much but I was terrified some child was going to be killed or very badly injured - and with that a live device, a bomb was thrown over. In that split second it dawned on me, this is beyond anything that anyone could have imagined”.
WILLIAMS: Back in 2001, Father Troy found himself in the middle of one of the ugliest confrontations in recent years as Protestants tried to stop Catholic children from walking through their area on their way to school.
FATHER TROY: “We were always very conscious that once we got through the gate they moved without looking left or right, right into the school”.
WILLIAMS: “Now that terrible period is over but the conflict isn’t over is it?”
FATHER TROY: “No I think this is one of the very sort of worrying aspects that I think I’ve learnt so much from this. I this peace is very much a gradual process and I think there is genuinely a move forward but there’s always the danger of slipping back”.
WILLIAMS: There are no riots here. At Hazelwood Integrated Primary in North Belfast, Catholics and Protestants share the playground, and the classroom. The main lesson here is if you educate people together, you can break the cycle of distrust.
PEACHES MCCORRY: “If it was a Catholic school only Catholics could go there”.
WILLIAMS: “And what do you think about that?”
PEACHES MCCORRY: “I don’t know”.
WILLIAMS: “Do you think that’s a good idea or not?”
PEACHES MCCORRY: “I don’t think it is because it’s good to let other people in your school”.
WILLIAMS: “Do you think about if they’re a Catholic or a Protestant?”
FEMALE STUDENT: “No, it doesn’t really matter”.
WILLIAMS: Despite the obvious success here, few of Northern Ireland schools are integrated and for Principal Jill Houston, it’s been a frustrating struggle against entrenched opposition.
JILL HOUSTON: [Principal Hazelwood Integrated Primary] “Opposition from government, opposition from parents, opposition from churches but a total belief that having children educated together is sensible. It shouldn’t be something that’s different. It should be the total norm in any normal society”.
WILLIAMS: “And yet there’s only about five per cent of Northern Ireland children in schools like this.”
JILL HOUSTON: “Yes. Basically I regret to say our politicians and our senior civil servants and our people who’ve come over from English rule, have not seen the value and don’t want to upset the local politicians I think by ensuring that most schools should be integrated”.
WILLIAMS: “And yet for you it’s a no brainer”.
JILL HOUSTON: “Total no brainer”.
WILLIAMS: Integration is something happening in some unexpected places. In this Belfast commercial art gallery, two street mural artists are working side by side – that’s new. But what’s also unique is that they come from diametrically opposed backgrounds.
DANNY DEVANNY: “I’m just recreating a picture of Bobby. It’s a mural I did several….. well, many years ago on the Falls Road”.
WILLIAMS: This is Danny Devanny’s iconic mural of Bobby Sands, the IRA hunger striker who died in prison. Devanny’s artistic talents are well known in Republican areas. He was imprisoned for attempting to rob a bank to raise money for the IRA. Now he shares a gallery with Mark Irvine, the son of a Loyalist politician who was gaoled for fighting the IRA. It’s a level of collaboration unthinkable just a few years ago.
Danny Devanny hasn’t changed his political views. His work reflects a worldview of revolutionary struggle, but both he and Mark Irvine have bridged the religious and political divide. Their message, that with goodwill anyone can do it.
DANNY DEVANNY: [Mural artist] “We totally are appalled by the issues of sectarianism where young people are divided apart because of their religion. In fact the irony is, me and Mark live about a hundred yards from each other and we’d never met each other. His father would have been the same age as mine and in the end when we did meet we got on very well together. We have so much in common”.
WILLIAMS: “Do you worry it could descend back to the bad old days again?”
MARK IRVINE: [Mural artist] “You’ve always got that worry, but I can’t see sort of how that could happen. I think we’ve moved too far forward and I think that the general populous don’t want it. They just want to live a normal peaceful life and get on with their lives. I don’t think anybody wants to go back to the way it was”.
WILLIAMS: “Have you had any luck convincing him about the Unionist cause and vice versa?”
MARK IRVINE: “No. But we agree to disagree”.
WILLIAMS: Inside the glass and steel of a modern Belfast shopping mall, the dominant ideology is consumerism. It’s part of a new world where old brands seem unnecessary – Catholic, Protestant, Loyalist or Republican – and in the city streets and many residential areas, people do live peacefully side by side and yet it seems most in the city still see the removal of the walls a long way off.
FATHER TROY: “People still are fundamentally distrustful of each other and I think that’s why we have so many peace walls – “peace walls” in quotes - in Belfast. It’s bridges we need to build in this society and yet we’re very poor bridge builders. We’re actually brilliant here in Belfast at building walls”.
WILLIAMS: If ever a place was captive to its history then this is it. And yet there is real change. The camera-toting tourists are a clear sign of that. But the walls remain, and there’s not enough confidence to change that for now. Still, this was the only masked man we saw and with luck and goodwill, when he grows up, perhaps all of this will be gone.
MARTIN MCGUINNESS: “Those walls are obviously something that we would like to see removed and I think as the political process goes from strength to strength, that the day will come but I think that decision has to be in the hands of the people who live on both sides of the walls. Our job is to, within the political process, continue to make the gains that I know the vast majority of people welcome. Build a better future that our people want to see, and build a situation where people feel comfortable to remove those walls”.
WILLIAMS: In some areas the fires of sectarianism will continue to burn no matter what the politicians say. At this Loyalist bonfire, Republican flags and posters are destroyed. More often than not, nights like this use to end in violence. Not now. Perhaps the best that can be hoped for in these places is peaceful coexistence. Around here, that’s huge progress.

在冬天, 我們這裡的月亮在下午3或4點就升起來的了, 每次我同EDWARD行沙灘的時候, 總覺月亮永遠跟著我們一樣, 我每次都想問EDWARD為什麼, 但次次都沒記在心裡. 今天記起, EDWARD就舉了一個實例和畫了一圖來解釋(請看兩附圖).

以下是網上資料:

Why does the Moon seem to follow us when we drive?

By Kathy Wollard

Why does the Moon seem to follow us when we drive? asks a 4th-grade class in Lancaster, OH.

Feel like you're being followed? While it seems like the Moon is always just over your shoulder on a moonlit night, the Sun is also shadowing you as you drive on a sunny afternoon. And then there are those distant mountains to worry about…

According to astronomers, the reason why the Moon and the Sun seem to be following us is because they are so far away. The Moon, for example, is about 240,000 miles away; the Sun about 93 million miles. And no matter how fast we drive, we just can't pass them.

When you drive by a stand of trees or a series of telephone poles near the road, you pass them very quickly. So you see roadside objects first ahead of you, then next to you, and finally behind you, receding into the rear-view mirror.

But when you drive (or stroll) by the Moon, it's a different story. Because the Moon is so far away, the angle you view it from will change very little as you move along. So mile after mile, the Moon will remain in roughly the same spot of sky. And just as you can't “pass” the Moon, neither can you shake the presence of the Sun, planets, or stars. Even very distant mountain ranges appear nearly stationary as we drive by. And far-away farms and city skylines seem to move by very slowly.

Since we can't pass the Moon, we can't pass its reflection, either. When you walk along the beach at night, the river of moonlight reflected off the water moves right along with you. Try to wade out into the moonlight, and you'll find it remains tantalizingly out of reach, just as a shimmering patch-of-water mirage retreats down the road as you drive toward it.

When you stand on the beach, moonlight bounces off the water and into your eyes at a nearly fixed angle. As long as the Moon is in the same spot of sky and the water level doesn't rise or fall much, the angle of reflection will remain roughly the same. So if you can see the entire ribbon of moonlight, your eyes are at just the right height to intercept the rays of light bouncing off the water from the horizon to the beach.

Once you wade out into the water, however, you've also moved your eyes. The moonlight bouncing from the water at your feet doesn't strike your eyes; instead, it shoots right past you at a lower height. So the water at your feet looks dark.

Friends on the beach behind you, however, will see you standing right in the moonlight road, and could even snap a picture of it. So to bathe in moonlight, simply sit down in the water, where your eyes can catch the silvery light at the right angle.

Meanwhile, just as every car on the road thinks the Moon is following them, so every walker on the beach sees their own ribbon of moonlight, stretching towards the horizon.

http://www.word-detective.com/howcome/moonfollow.html

 

 

 

 

Sample photos
Click on the thumbnails below to view the full resolution images.

Focal Length: 21mm 
Aperture: f/4
Shutter: 1/500 sec. 
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 5mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/250 sec.
ISO: 100

 

Focal Length: 5mm
Aperture: f/4
Shutter: 1/160 sec.
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 5mm
Aperture: f/4.5 
Shutter: 1/250 sec.
ISO: 100

 

Focal Length: 5mm 
Aperture: f/4
Shutter: 1/125 sec.
ISO: 100

 

Focal Length: 5mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/800 sec.
ISO: 100

 

Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/800 sec. 
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 11mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/500 sec.
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 9mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/500 sec.
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 5mm 
Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter: 1/250 sec.
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 8mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/640 sec.
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 8mm 
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/320 sec, 
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 7mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/400 sec.
ISO: 100

Focal Length: 9mm 
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/250 sec.
ISO: 100

Connectivity
Software (4.5)
The production model we received did not come with software, but the Sony H7 is slated to include editing and organizational software called Picture Motion Browser version 2.0. Unfortunately, this program only runs on Windows operating platforms so Macintosh users are sans editing software.
Jacks, ports, plugs (6.5)
The camera comes with an octopus-like cable that connects to USB and AV outlets. The multi-port for these is located beneath a black door on the left side of the camera that is hardly noticeable. In the setup menu, users can choose between PictBridge, Mass Storage, or Auto USB connections and NTSC or PAL standard video output. The component can be set to high definition (1080i) or SD. High definition output is only possible when an optional high-def cable is purchased from Sony; it will cost about $40. A power adaptor is optional and fits into a tiny door on the right side.
Direct Print Options (5.0)
The H7 is PictBridge compatible and can create print orders through the playback menu. Single or multiple images can be selected at once and added to the DPOF order. Orders don’t have to be created although they do streamline transfer of large batches of prints. The camera’s playback mode also has options to directly print without adding to an order. Direct printing can be done from the playback and home menus, but the DPOF orders can come only from the playback mode. Movies taken with the H7 cannot be made into prints like on some digital cameras.
Battery (4.0)
The Sony H7 comes with a lithium-ion battery that fits into the bottom of the camera. The door that holds it in slides outward and springs open and seems a bit flimsy. It takes special care to fold the door back and slide it in again. The battery doesn’t last long, which is unfortunate. This NP-BG1 battery is a change from previous H-series cameras: the H5 ran on two AA batteries. While those batteries are more convenient, they didn’t last long and added too much weight to the camera. The Sony H7 comes with a compact wall-mount charger and a small plastic case to protect the battery leads when transporting. The 3.6 v, 960 mAh lithium-ion battery lasts about 300 shots per charge, which is about average for a battery for this type of camera.
Memory (4.0)
This Cyber-shot comes with 31 MB of internal memory. This is nice to have when memory unexpectedly runs out, but users will want to purchase more to really take advantage of the Sony H7 because the internal memory holds less than a dozen pictures. Users should also keep in mind that videos can’t record at the full 30 fps frame rate without a Memory Stick Duo Pro card; the internal memory can only record 16 fps. The Sony H7 accepts Memory Stick Duo and Duo Pro media up to 8 GB, but does not support the Access Control security function on some cards.
Other features (3.75)
Remote Control – Using the included remote control, users can connect their cameras to a television with the included AV cable and then sit on the couch and scroll through images with the remote control. The control has navigational arrow buttons and a designated slide show button. Users can also snap pictures with the control by pressing the red shutter button. Zoom can be controlled and the menu and home buttons accessed using the remote. This makes the H7 a lucrative choice for wildlife photographers who put out their cameras and hide behind bushes for hours with their thumbs hovering over the remote control’s shutter release button in anticipation of capturing some awesome wildlife.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H7-Digital-Camera-Review-13152/Connectivity--Extras.htm

Picture Quality / Size Options (8.0)
At the top of the recording menu is a list of image sizes: 8M, 3:2, 5M, 3M, VGA, and 16:9. The JPEG images are recorded at fine compression only; there is no option to record standard or basic compressed files like on most other digital cameras. That’s probably just fine though because increasing compression decreases the quality. This way, users are guaranteed high quality pictures. A help box appears that specifies how large each resolution can be printed. The top 8-megapixel image size can print up to 11 x 17 inches.

Picture Effects Mode (7.5)
There are plenty of picture effects available on the Sony H7, although they are scattered throughout the recording and playback modes. Before shooting, the color mode can be changed to black-and-white, natural, sepia, and vivid. There is a live view when scrolling through these, and they aren’t accessible in the auto or scene modes. Also in the recording menu are options to adjust the contrast and sharpness to +, Normal, or -. The contrast menu also has a DRO (dynamic range optimizer) option that automatically adjusts the exposure to get the absolute widest range of highlights and shadows and everything in between. In the playback mode, there are several effects that can be applied through the “retouch” option: soft focus, partial color, fisheye lens, cross filter, and red eye correction. These don’t produce professional results all the time but are better than the majority of in-camera effects offered on other digital cameras. Users can manually select where the subject is and then adjust the picture around it. For example, users can choose the point of focus in the soft focus mode and then everything around that point is blurred.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H7-Digital-Camera-Review-13152/Image-Parameters.htm

Manual Control Options
The Sony H7 has a full palette of modes and settings ranging from completely automated to fully manual. Manual, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Program, Automatic, and preset modes cater to any level of expertise. There are plenty to satisfy those who prefer manual controls: white balance, ISO, focus, and more. Most of the manual controls can either be found in the recording menu or changed with the rotary dial and selection button. They are detailed below.
Focus
Auto Focus (8.5)
The Sony H7 has a 9-point auto focus system that is superior to most comparable cameras’ systems. It acts quickly and reliably much of the time, although its dependability decreases as the zoom increases. The auto focus mode defaults to multi but can be set to center and flexible spot auto focus. It can be activated continuously (monitoring AF) or singly.
The camera’s viewfinder or LCD screen shows green brackets around the focus area when the exposure and focus are locked just before pictures are taken. In low light, the camera shoots out an orange auto focus assist lamp. This adds some time to the focus system, but it is still effective. The camera has trouble focusing in low contrast situations and when there is no clear subject, like a field of grass or a close-up of flower petals. In these cases, there is a manual focus mode that is a better option. Manual focus is outlined below.
The Sony H7 has a face recognition mode that can be turned on and off in the auto and portrait modes. Some other cameras have face detection technology but flaunt it prominently with its own position on the mode dial or a designated button. The H7 buries its technology and is a hidden gem. The Sony H7’s face recognition technology superimposes white boxes around faces within view and tracks whether the photographer or the subjects move. The H7 tracked eight faces at most when I tested it with groups of people. It recognized and tracked faces very quickly and is competitive with other systems by Fujifilm, Samsung and Canon. This technology automatically finds faces and adjusts the focus and exposure accordingly.
Manual Focus (3.0)
As stated in the previous paragraph, the manual focus function is useful in low-contrast shooting situations. Using the manual focus isn’t entirely simple though. The LCD screen’s resolution is so poor that it’s hard to tell if the subject is in focus, and it’s hard to look through the viewfinder and adjust the focus without glancing at the buttons. The H7 does have an expanded focus feature in the setup menu that activates to blow up the center of the image – but the resolution still isn’t good enough to tell if subjects are sharp. The manual focus is grouped with the auto focus modes directly on the screen and accessed by the rotary dial and selection button. Selecting a point of focus is then done by pushing right and left on the multi-selector and moving across the bar that appears with “1 cm” on the left and “∞” on the right. It is best to avoid the manual focus feature, but is sometimes unavoidable when snapping pictures of rose petals, walls, and low contrast subjects.
ISO (8.75)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 has a vast selection of ISO settings that can be used at any resolution. Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 settings are available on the viewfinder or LCD screen. They are accessed by scrolling with the rotary dial and selecting with the central button. There is a live view so users can see how the ISO 80 setting differs from 3200. Even when eyeballing pictures snapped at high ISO sensitivity, such as those in the High Sensitivity scene mode, the prevalence of speckled noise can be seen and edges that should be clean and straight look tattered and fuzzy. There is a distinct difference in illumination and noise; for more complete analysis, see the Testing/Performance section of this review.

White Balance (8.5)
The Sony H7 has a plethora of white balance modes: Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent, Flash, and One Push. The last mode listed is Sony’s manual white balance setting and there is a One Push Set option next to it in the recording menu. When users select this setting, the camera automatically takes a reading of whatever is in front of the camera, so users have to be ready and have the camera framing white before selecting it. The custom white balance works well; check out the testing section for a more detailed analysis on the accuracy of colors and such. In the recording menu, there is a live view of the white balance options. There is also a help menu that explains when to use the different white balance settings, making it even easier to choose a good setting for the situation.

Exposure (8.0)
Users have complete control over the exposure if they desire it. In the manual mode, the shutter speed and aperture can be adjusted. In the priority modes, one or the other can be changed along with a more basic exposure compensation mode that can be changed in almost all of the shooting modes. The +/- 2 scale shows in steps of 1/3 and is accessible on-screen with the rotary dial and selection button complete with a live view. The live view is nice because it allows users to select an exposure value without looking at numbers or charts, although there is a histogram available. Exposure bracketing is available and is grouped with the burst mode: it snaps three pictures in increments of +/- 0.3, +/- 0.7, or +/- 1. If users have no desire to manually adjust the exposure, there are plenty of modes that use auto exposure.

Metering (7.5)
The Sony H7 has three metering modes typical of compact digital cameras: multi, center, and spot. There is a live view in the recording menu that they are located in.

Shutter Speed (8.75)
The Sony H7 has a nice wide shutter speed range that goes as slow as 30 seconds and as fast as 1/4000th of a second. The full range is available in the shutter priority mode only. The manual mode truncates the shutter speeds to 30-1/2000th of a second. The aperture priority mode uses shutter speeds from 8-1/2000th of a second. The program mode uses 1-1/4000 and the auto mode uses 1/4-1/4000th of a second. The H7 employs a noise reduction system when shutter speeds slow down past 1/3 of a second. Users can scroll through shutter speeds with the rotary dial and selection button on the screen and view the effect on the exposure in real time. Overall, the H7’s shutter speeds are impressive and the ability to access the entire range in the shutter speed priority mode is a big plus.

Aperture (7.0)
The massive 15x optical zoom lens lets in plenty of light with the max f/2.7 aperture. When fully zoomed in, the aperture can still open to f/4.5. Throughout the range, the aperture can shrink as small as f/8 and can be controlled automatically or manually. These numbers are very similar to the Olympus SP-550, which has an 18x lens that opens to f/2.8 in wide and f/4.5 in telephoto.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H7-Digital-Camera-Review-13152/Control-Options.htm

Auto Mode (7.0)
The only green icon on the otherwise cluttered mode dial belongs to the auto mode. The simple green camera icon is an oasis for beginners who want to avoid the camera’s many options and just shoot. In the auto mode, there are a few options that and be customized. Image size, face detection, burst, and red-eye reduction can be accessed in the recording menu. On the multi-selector the macro, self-timer and flash can be found. The exposure compensation can also be changed via the rotary dial to easily brighten or darken the image. This mode seems to work well in most situations.

Movie Mode (7.5)
The movie mode is accessed through the mode dial via a film strip-like icon. The H7’s movie mode is a lot like other Sony digital cameras’ movie modes. It can record MPEG1 video at 640 x 480-pixel resolution at a frame rate of 16 fps. This looks very choppy, so users will want to make an extra purchase to get a better frame rate. With the Sony Memory Stick Duo Pro card, the frame rate bumps up to a television-quality 30 fps. Having to make the extra purchase is a little annoying, but it’s necessary to get a larger capacity card anyway because the included 31MB of internal memory certainly won’t be enough.
There is also a 320 x 240-pixel resolution that snaps slowly by at 8.3 fps: some cameras’ burst modes shoot faster than this at much higher resolution. Still, the small file size is designed to be easier to email. When scrolling through the resolution options in the recording menu, the approximate remaining shooting time appears at the bottom of the screen: this is helpful in choosing an appropriate size.
There are plenty of other options in the movie mode. The color mode can be set to black-and-white or sepia. The metering can be set to multi or center. The white balance is as fully functional as it is when shooting still images. Having all these settings makes the H7 more versatile. It ensures that backlit subjects won’t be completely darkened and that Cousin Sue’s beautiful white wedding dress will look white instead of ivory in the movie.
Backing up the solid list of settings is even more functionality. The 15x optical zoom lens is fully functional in the movie mode even while the audio works. This is a change from the Olympus SP-550UZ, which has an 18x lens that only works in the movie mode if the audio is turned off. The Sony Cyber-shot H7’s lens makes an audible noise when it zooms in and out, but it isn’t incredibly loud. It will only be annoying if recording a quiet ballet performance or something of that nature. The bigger problem with the lens is the lagging auto focus that doesn’t seem to catch up with the zoom until a few seconds later.
Adding to the functionality of the H7’s movie mode is Sony’s Super SteadyShot image stabilization system. This can be turned on and off, but should be turned on at all times. It is very effective in keeping bumps and hand shake from ruining video.
Movies can be played back on the camera, but not edited. The playback mode has VHS-like controls, but no option to divide or edit the file in any way.
Overall, the Sony H7’s audio is clear and the video looks great. It operates on a list of automatic default settings, but can be easily changed in the recording menu so videos look even better in some situations.
Drive / Burst Mode (6.25)
One of the most marketed aspects of the H7 is its Advanced Sports Mode that combines the burst mode with a predictive auto focus mode. This mode is located directly on the mode dial and activates the 2.2 fps burst that can snap away for 100 shots at any resolution. This is a huge improvement over the Sony H5 that had a 1.1 fps burst mode that stopped after only five shots. The burst can be activated in the recording menu alongside the normal and exposure bracketing shooting modes. Of note is the self-timer that can delay 2 or 10 seconds and is activated with the bottom of the multi-selector. Overall, the Sony H7’s burst mode is quick and very impressive.

Playback Mode (7.5)
The playback mode has its pros and cons. The most disappointing aspect of playback is the poor screen resolution. The 2.5-inch LCD has only 115,000 pixels, making each red, green, and blue dot visible to the discerning eye. The poor screen resolution is a calculated move on Sony’s part though: it’ll drive consumers with a little more cash to the H9 with its bigger screen and additional resolution. With the exception of the screen resolution, the two cameras have the same playback mode.
There is a button on the back of the Cyber-shot H7 that easily enters and exits the playback mode. I’m glad the playback mode isn’t accessible from the cluttered mode dial; that would take too long to find, enter, and then return to shooting.
The following outlines many of the playback menu’s available features.

Delete

This Image, Multiple Images, All in this Folder

Slide Show

Start, Exit, Image (Folder, All), Effects (Simple, Nostalgic, Stylish, Active, Normal), Music (Music 1-4, Off), Interval (3, 5, 10, 30, 60 sec), Repeat (On, Off)

Retouch

Soft Focus, Partial Color, Fisheye Lens, Cross Filter, Trimming, Red Eye Correction

Protect

This Image, Multiple Images

DPOF

This Image, Multiple Images

Print

This Image, Multiple Images

Rotate

90 Right, 90 Left, OK, Exit

Select Folder

(from choices)

The retouching features are interesting and only somewhat useful. They are certainly not professional and are sub-par when compared to results from computer editing software, but they are also far better than what is often offered on digital cameras. The soft focus, partial color and fisheye lens features allow users to select the point of focus/color/etc. using the multi-selector and then adjust the picture from there. Soft focus blurs the background around the selected subject, partial color dulls everything around the subject to black-and-white, fisheye lens distorts the entire image, and the cross filter adds tacky crosses to lights and highlights around the frame. When pictures are retouched with these filters, they are saved as separate files so users can keep the original – always a good idea.
Users can navigate through images using either the multi-selector or the rotary dial, although the latter is much more comfortable and will save your thumb from overuse. The only drawback to the quick navigation is the lagging processing time. When pictures first appear, they look blurry. It takes about a half-second for them to sharpen up.
Pictures can be viewed individually or in groups of nine. Images can be magnified up to 5x, which isn’t much compared to other cameras that can zoom in to 8x or 16x. The 5x magnification was also on the Sony H5.
Videos can be played back and the volume adjusted. There are VHS-like controls to rewind, fast forward, pause, stop, and play. There aren’t any movie editing features though. Many digital cameras allow users to at least divide a movie file into two, but the Sony H7 doesn’t allow even that.
One of the coolest features in the playback mode is the slide show. Users can choose from interesting effects that are more exciting than a fade or wipe transition. Music can be added too. The camera comes with four preloaded soundtracks and Sony claims more music can be added, although we didn’t receive the software with our review unit. The included soundtracks last about 30 seconds and then repeat; this is an improvement over Olympus digital cameras that have a four-second tune that plays over and over again.
Overall, the Sony H7’s playback mode has lots of great features and would be pretty incredible if it had a better LCD screen.
Custom Image Presets (6.0)
An abundance of scene modes clutter the H7's mode dial. The High Sensitivity, Portrait, Advanced Sports Shooting, Twilight Portrait, and Landscape modes are located directly on the dial. There is also a “SCN” position that accesses the Twilight, Beach, Snow, and Fireworks modes via a menu.
The High Sensitivity mode uses the ISO 3200 setting and keeps subjects nicely illuminated but noise takes away from the sharpness of the image. Pictures taken in this mode are shot at full resolution, but they wouldn’t look good enlarged and hung on the wall because of the noise, undersaturated color palate, and limited dynamic range.
The Portrait mode took decent pictures even when the flash was used. The Advanced Sports Shooting mode was impressive as it kept subjects sharp even while they moved because the camera predicted the movement and locked its auto focus on it. The 2.2 fps burst mode that snaps up to 100 shots at a time is very impressive too. Entering the sports mode doesn’t automatically activate the burst mode though; users still have to enter the recording menu to turn it on. This is a little disappointing as preset scene modes are supposed to be just that: preset and ready to go.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 has nine scene modes, which isn’t an incredibly lengthy list but it still covers all the basics. Consumers who are looking for vast amounts of preset modes should look at Casio digital cameras that stock more than 30 on most models.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H7-Digital-Camera-Review-13152/Modes.htm

Model Design / Appearance (7.5)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7’s SLR shape is great for handling and gives it a serious look. It has an enormous lens barrel on one side and a substantial hand grip on the other. The ultra-zoom digital camera comes in silver and black housings - our review model came in black. There aren’t too many chrome highlights on the housing, but there are several textures and colors that mesh together. The hand grip has a leather-like black texture, the lens barrel has a dark silver-colored rim, the strap lugs are chrome, there is a glossy black stripe down the top and front, and the controls are colored the same as the body except for the chrome multi-selector/rotary control and the power and shutter release buttons. The H7’s design isn’t sexy; it doesn’t want to be a bombshell that looks hot but doesn’t have brains. Instead, it aims for a smart and modest design.
Size / Portability (5.0)
The Sony H7 is a chunky SLR-shaped camera similar to other ultra-zoom models on the market. It won’t fit in a pocket, but will fit in a large purse or diaper bag. That said, this camera will require a special bag of some sort to properly protect it. It would be nice to have a bag to tote around the extra lens hood and adapter too. The protruding lens needs the most protection; it is big and durable, but is still vulnerable to bumps and nicks. The H7 comes with a lens cap and strap that attaches to the main neck strap. The body measures 4.31 x 3.28 x 3.37 inches (109.5 x 83.4 x 85.7mm) and its weight fits it just right at 13.2 ounces (375g).
Handling Ability (7.0)
The Sony H7 has an SLR-type shape that aids in handling. The chunky camera has a large hand grip that is wrapped in a rubber surface and textured to look and feel like rubber. Opposite the hand grip is the large lens barrel that provides a wide base at the bottom of the camera for the left hand to hold. The Sony H7 isn’t designed for one-handed shooting; it is a bit too heavy and off-balance for that. The best way to hold the camera is with the left hand supporting beneath the fat lens, the right hand cradling the grip with the index finger on the shutter release and the last three fingers curled around front. The thumb supports the camera from the back and usually sits on the rocker-like zoom control.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.0)
Despite its chunky shape, the Cyber-shot H7 doesn’t have a slew of designated buttons like DSLRs do. Instead, there is a Home button that is new on Sony digital cameras this year. This Home button accesses all kinds of setup and function menus and has a similar layout to a Windows-based Start menu.
On the front of the camera is the shutter release button that is plated in chrome and prominently positioned for comfortable activation. Also atop the camera is a mode dial that is cluttered but useful. It keeps lots of exposure modes within easy reach, but there are so many icons on the dial that it’s hard to pick out the desired mode with just a quick glance.

On the back of the camera is a playback button; having this as a button rather than as a position on the mode dial makes it easier to enter and then return to shooting. The zoom rocker on the back isn’t as comfortable as the other buttons; it feels cheap and isn’t as sensitive as it should be. Also on the back is the multi-selector with a rotary dial surrounding it. The rotary is perhaps the most interesting control on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7. It provides for quick and easy navigation through pictures in the playback mode. When recording, it scrolls through exposure settings like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, and the auto focus modes. This movement is much easier on the thumb; it sure beats mashing the side of the multi-selector 90 times to look through many pictures.
Overall, the buttons are nicely placed and labeled. There aren’t many of them so users shouldn’t be overwhelmed by their presence. The controls improve the user’s experience by making functions easier to access and use.
Menus (6.25)
Most of Sony’s recently released digital cameras have a revamped menu system that resembles computer menus. This is something that only Sony has done up to this point; other manufacturers tend to have more traditional camera menus.
There is a Home button on the back of the camera that is similar to a Windows Start menu. When this button is pushed, several icons appear across the top of the screen. Below the icons are options for users to choose from. In the chart below, the items on the left represent the icons and the items on the right are the options.

Shooting

(opens to larger shooting menu)

View Images

Single Image, Index Display, Slide Show

Printing, Other

Print, Music Tool

Manage Memory

Memory Tool

Settings

Main Settings, Shooting Settings, Clock Settings, Language Setting

The shooting menu is also accessible from the Menu button when recording. It appears in detail below.

Image Size

8M, 3:2, 5M, 3M, VGA, 16:9

Recording Mode

Normal, Burst, Bracket +/- 0.3, Bracket +/- 0.7, Bracket +/- 1

Color Mode

Normal, Vivid, Natural, Sepia, Black & White

Metering Mode

Multi, Center, Spot

White Balance

Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light 1, Fluorescent Light 2, Fluorescent Light 3, Incandescent, Flash, One Push, One Push Set

Flash Level

+/- 2 in 1/3 steps

Red Eye Reduction

Auto, On, Off

Contrast

-, Normal, +, DRO (dynamic range optimizer)

Sharpness

-, Normal, +

SteadyShot

Shooting, Continuous, Off

Setup

(portal to setup menu)

The menus don’t wrap. For example, users can’t scroll from the widescreen image size to the 8-megapixel size with one push. They have to scroll backwards instead. This isn’t a problem in most of the menus, but there are many choices in the recording menu so it’s a slight pain. The setup menu is accessible from the bottom of the recording or Home menus.

Main Settings 1

Beep

Shutter, On, Off

Function Guide

On, Off

Initialize

OK, Cancel

Main Settings 2

USB Connect

PictBridge, Mass Storage, Auto

Component

HD (1080i), SD

Video Out

NTSC, PAL

Shooting Settings 1

AF Illuminator

Auto, Off

Grid Line

On, Off

AF Mode

Single, Monitor

Digital Zoom

Smart, Precision, Off

Conversion Lens

Tele, Wide, Off

Shooting Settings 2

Flash Sync

Front, Rear

Auto Orientation

On, Off

Auto Review

On, Off

Expanded Focus

On, Off

The menus have a light gray background and very readable, simple text. The recording menu has live views of most of the options, but other menus have the opaque background. Once in the menus, they are fairly intuitive, but determining whether to use the Menu or Home button to get to them is a bit confusing at first.
Ease of Use (6.5)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7’s Home and Menu buttons can be easily confused because some of the menus are found in both places. Once past that initial quirk, the camera is fairly intuitive. The buttons are nicely labeled and the rotary dial makes navigation simple. The help guide is a great asset for beginners - it explains everything from exposure modes to metering and flash settings. Options are clearly explained and help users make better decisions. Overall, the Sony H7 isn’t a beginner’s digital camera but it doesn’t take much time to learn.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H7-Digital-Camera-Review-13152/Design--Layout.htm

Viewfinder (6.0)
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 has an electronic viewfinder on the back that is encased by a hard plastic eyecup. It’s far enough away from the back that noses won’t rub against the LCD screen. The view jumps from the LCD to the viewfinder when the LCD/Finder button to the right of the viewfinder is pushed.
This component is small – the window measures only 0.2 inches diagonally – but is useful when shooting outdoors when the LCD is difficult to see. The small viewfinder has much better resolution than the LCD screen too. With 201,000 pixels, it isn’t the best electronic viewfinder on the market but it’s not bad either. It shows a 100 percent accurate view, like the LCD, and has good color and contrast. It refreshes rapidly too, so even moving subjects will look like a video rather than a choppy film strip.
Users can choose what information is displayed on the viewfinder and LCD by pushing the top of the multi-selector labeled “Disp.” The view can be blank or full shooting info can appear. Pushing “Disp” again will brighten the screen, and pushing yet again will display a histogram with the shooting information. Overall, the viewfinder is small but has decent resolution and is most useful when bright light makes viewing the LCD impossible.
LCD Screen (6.0)
The H7’s LCD screen isn’t that great. Perhaps this is a strategic move on Sony’s part though. The Cyber-shot H9’s banner feature is its 3-inch LCD monitor that has a wide viewing angle and folds out from the camera so it can tilt up and down. Perhaps to make the pricier H9 more enticing, Sony put a sub-par LCD on the H7. It measures 2.5 inches, which is a decent size. But the resolution isn’t very good at only 115,000 pixels. At this resolution, the individual blue, green, and red pixels can be seen. It is difficult to judge whether subjects are focused on this LCD screen, although composition can be determined. The H7’s LCD doesn’t have a very wide viewing angle either, so holding it anywhere but directly in front of the eye will make the screen look like a film negative. Viewing the H7’s LCD outside in bright light is nearly impossible. The glassy surface catches glare and is quite hard to see. When reviewing images outdoors the electronic viewfinder is the way to go.
Flash (8.25)
Sony opted to give the H7 a solid built-in flash unit rather than a hot shoe to attach external flash. The flash pops up automatically when needed; if users want to force it up, they will have to activate it through the flash menu. This is accessed by the right side of the multi-selector. Auto, On, Off, and Slow Sync options are available from here; red-eye reduction can be turned on and off in the recording menu and works in all the flash modes.
The flash is very effective for faraway subjects but useless for macro shooting. It is effective from 0.66-32.41 feet when zoomed out and 3.94-19.69 feet when zoomed in. Don’t even try using the flash for macro shooting: half the picture will be glaring white and the other half will have a dark shadow from the lens.
For portraits, the flash performed well. It provided even coverage on subjects’ faces and didn’t overexpose foreheads. Just a note: the corners of the frame are much darker than the center. This won’t show up unless shooting images of blank walls – which hopefully you don’t do often. But for those art photographers out there, this slight vignetting could be a problem. The Cyber-shot H7’s flash level can be adjusted on a +/- 2 scale in third increments from within the recording menu.
In the playback mode, there is a red-eye correction filter. I never had to use it because I never got a picture with red eyes. The Sony H7’s flash performs well in most situations and will especially provide excellent coverage for portraits.
Zoom Lens (8.75)
The Sony H7 is equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 15x optical zoom lens, the same lens as the fancier H9. The lens is made up from 13 elements in 8 groups with 4 aspheric elements and 1 ED lens. Sony’s Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization system keeps these elements afloat so that any jostles from hands, toddlers, or earthquakes don’t ruin a picture.
The optical image stabilization is the most useful in the movie mode, when every little jostle is magnified and recorded. The optical zoom lens is fully functional in the movie mode, although its motor can be heard in the video. The lens isn’t loud, but it’s definitely audible. The Super SteadyShot stabilization is also useful in reducing blur in still images, but is more noticeable in movies. It can be turned on and off in the recording menu. When snapping still images, there is also an option to activate it only when the exposure is locked – rather than run it continuously – to save power.
The 15x optical zoom lens measures 5.2-78mm, which is equivalent to 31-465mm in the traditional 35mm format. The zoom is controlled by a rocker-type button on the upper right of the H7’s back. This rocker isn’t very sensitive; it only stops at about 21 focal lengths throughout the 15x range. When zooming around, a horizontal bar appears on the LCD or viewfinder. The bar shows the user’s approximate location in the 15x range and gives a numerical value as to its position: for example, “2.4x.”
The camera comes with a lens adapter and hood. The hood comes in useful in sunny shooting situation, but should be used with caution as the lens hood shows up in the photo when shooting at the widest angle. Users have to zoom in to about 1.5x to not have the black petals peek into the sides of pictures. The camera also comes with a lens cap and strap that attaches to the neck strap so it won’t get lost.
The Sony Cyber-shot H7 has 2x “precision” digital zoom, which degrades image quality and should basically never be used. It also comes with something called “smart zoom” that works well when used correctly. When the image size is reduced, the camera uses the entire image sensor to digitally zoom. There is no degradation of image quality in this mode. When the image size is set to 5 megapixels, the camera can zoom to 18x. When set to 3 megapixels, it is set to 23x. In the 2-megapixel widescreen mode, the H7 can zoom to 25x. At the smallest 640 x 480-pixel size, users can zoom up to 76x.
The lengthy Carl Zeiss lens has a fat barrel with a wide base that is great for handling and gives the camera a good solid feel. The lens has a wide f/2.7 max aperture that lets in lots of light. The 15x lens with image stabilization is a solid component as it should be; after all, it is the highlighted feature on this ultra-zoom digital camera.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H7-Digital-Camera-Review-13152/Components.htm

Color (10.97)
Just about every digital camera promises perfectly accurate colors, so we put them all to the test by photographing a GretagMacbeth color chart and analyzing the colors with Imatest imaging software. The H7’s predecessor, the Sony H5, was not impressive in this area.
After selecting the most accurately colored image, Imatest output a modified version of it so readers can compare the original colors of the chart (depicted as the central vertical rectangle of each tile) to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7’s colors (the outer frame of each tile). The inner square is the ideal corrected for luminance.

The 24 tiles on the above chart are represented in a graph below. The original colors of the GretagMacbeth chart are shown as squares and the Sony H7’s colors are shown as circles. The line connecting the two shapes shows the degree of error and is only visible sometimes: in fact, it is better if it isn’t seen at all. Circles that are closer to the center of the image are undersaturated and circles closer to the edge than the squares are oversaturated. The Sony H7 has some going both ways but they balance each other out with an overall saturation of 100.2 percent.

Few of the H7's colors are truly erroneous - the blue end of the spectrum is the most inaccurate. The H7’s mean color error of 5.47 reflects color accuracy far better than its predecessors. The Sony H5 had a mean color error of 6.45 and an overall score of 7.14, while the newer Cyber-shot H7 boasts a great 10.97 score.
White Balance (9.53)
Auto (8.52)
The automatic white balance performed well in almost every kind of lighting except for tungsten when it made images look way too blue. The auto white balance setting is safe to use except for in a studio lit with tungsten lights.

Auto WB - Tungsten Illumination

Auto WB - Shade Illumination

Auto WB - Flash Illumination

Preset (10.54)
The H7 has a healthy list of white balance presets including Cloudy, Daylight, Incandescent, Flash, and 3 different Fluorescent settings. The H7 was most accurate in the flash and fluorescent presets and performed poorest with the cloudy setting, where neither the auto or preset modes worked well.

Tungsten WB - Tungsten Illumination

Shade WB - Shade Illumination

Flash WB - Flash Illumination

Fluorescent WB 1 - Fluorescent Illumination

Fluorescent WB 2 - Fluorescent Illumination

Fluorescent WB 3 - Fluorescent Illumination

Still Life Sequences
Click to see high-resolution images.

Still Life Scene

ISO 80

ISO 80

ISO 100

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 3200

Resolution (7.52)
As with all digital camera lineups, newer cameras come with more megapixels; the older H5 has 7.2 megapixels and the newer H7 has 8.1 megapixels. We tested how well the H7’s sensor captures detail by photographing a busy-looking black-and-white industry standard resolution test chart. We varied the focal lengths and apertures to eliminate any bias from the lens and Imatest software waded through the stack of photos and selected the sharpest one.

Click to view high-resolution image

The sharpest shot, shown above, was snapped with a focal length of 16mm and an aperture of f/3.5. To keep noise out of the picture, we manually set the ISO to 80. Imatest churns out resolution results in terms of line widths per picture height (lw/ph), which represents how many black and white alternating lines of equal thickness could fit across the frame without blurring. This sharp shot resolved 1878 lw/ph horizontally with 6.8 percent oversharpening and 1957 lw/ph vertically with 23.3 percent oversharpening.
The Sony H7 employs heavy in-camera sharpening that could make processing photos in software an ordeal, but its 7.52 overall resolution score is very respectable.

Noise - Auto ISO (5.35)
We photographed the color chart while letting the camera automatically set the ISO. The lighting is kept very bright: 3000 lux. As with most digital cameras, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7, chose a low setting. It selected an ISO 100 setting, which isn’t its lowest (ISO 80 is) but is close. The H7 performed well but the H-series has a good history of even better performers in this area. The Sony H1 had a 6.8 overall auto ISO noise score, followed by the H5’s 5.82 score, and finally the H7’s still-healthy-but-overshadowed 5.35 score.
Noise - Manual ISO (8.78)
The old Sony H1 had an ISO range that topped out at 400. The Sony H5’s ISO range stopped at 1000. The new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 has a manual ISO range that extends from 80 to 3200. We tested the noise levels in optimal light at each ISO setting. The percentage of the image degraded to noise is shown on the vertical axis of the graph below with the horizontal axis showing each ISO setting.

The earlier H5 performed decently in this test and even has lower noise at the ISO 800 setting than the newer H7, but the newer model’s extensive range is very impressive and its lower ISO settings performed just as well as the H5’s. The noise level increases each time the ISO is bumped up, but the slope isn’t as steep at the higher range when compared to similar cameras with very high ISO sensitivity offerings. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 outscored the H5’s 8.21 with an 8.78.
Low Light (8.82)
Older digital cameras didn’t cater to low light photography, but now it’s all the rage. Most new models offer a high ISO sensitivity, vast flash options, and long exposures. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7 has the works. We put it to the test by photographing the color chart at decreasing light levels of 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux. 60 lux is a common light level found in averagely lit rooms after dusk. 30 lux is about the light found at a pub where it takes a second for your eyes to adjust. 15 and 5 lux are very dark and certainly not common settings for photography, but these tests push the image sensor to the limit.

Low Light Tests

60 Lux

30 Lux

15 Lux

5 Lux

Colors remain accurate throughout testing: at the darkest 5 lux, the mean color error is still less than 8 which is unheard of. This is great, along with the constant illumination of the images. Noise is constantly an issue in low light and we tested that too. Below is a chart showing the exposure time on the horizontal axis and the percentage of the image transformed to noise on the vertical axis.

Most cameras show an increase in noise but the Sony H7’s noise eventually decreases after about 10 seconds because of heavy in-camera noise reduction. The noise reduction system smoothes noise over but the images are very splotchy. The H7 performed well with very low noise in all of its long exposures, so it received a fabulous 8.82 overall low light score.
Dynamic Range (6.40)
Most photographs have some variation in light and dark subject matter: it makes them more interesting to look at. However, most digital cameras have trouble capturing all the details in black suits and white shirts in one image, for instance. To test the Sony H7’s dynamic range, we photographed a Stouffer step chart that shows a row of rectangles ranging from very light to very dark, which represent about 13 exposure values. We photographed this chart at various ISO settings because this parameter dramatically impacts the dynamic range. Below is a chart showing the H7’s performance with the manual ISO settings on the horizontal axis and the number of exposure values captured in one shot on the vertical axis.

The Sony Cyber-shot H7 captured a good amount of detail until ISO 800; there is a huge drop of about 2.5 exposure values from 400 to 800. It gets steadily worse from there, which is expected. In general, users should keep the ISO set at or under 400 and should avoid anything beyond that in order to keep details in light and dark portions of the pictures.
Speed/Timing
Startup to First Shot (7.3)
This ultra-zoom digital camera has to wake up and extend its lens before it takes its first picture. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t take long to fire its first shot. It only takes 2.7 seconds, which isn’t as quick as some compacts but is better than most ultra-zoom models.
Shot-to-Shot (9.5)
The burst mode on the H7 snaps pictures at a lively 2-frame-per-second rate and it can do so up to 100 shots straight. This is very impressive. The 3 bracketing modes snap strings of 3 shots each at a rate of a shot every 0.3 seconds. This is also very quick.
Shutter-to-shot (9.0)
The 9-area auto focus system works very quickly; it took 0.2 seconds from the push of the finger to the click of the shutter. When the shutter release button was pushed and the exposure and focus were previously locked, the shutter lag was hardly measurable.
Processing (7.4)
The Sony H7 took approximately 1.3 seconds to process one shot, and the same amount of time to process a burst, even one as long as 100 shots. This suggests that the burst mode processes its images at the same time that more are being captured.
Video Performance (5.44)
Bright Indoor Light - 3000 lux (6.44)
The noise remains fairly low, which is expected in this bright light. But other than that, there aren’t many positive things to say about the Sony H7’s movie mode. The camera’s accurate colors while shooting still images are completely gone when shooting video. The mean color error jumped to 26.5 and the saturation went overboard to 137.6 percent. This performance is horrific.

Low Light - 30 lux
The video test chart we recorded looks very drab under 30 lux of light. Surprisingly, the mean color error returned to 13. That still isn’t impressive but isn’t as bad as the 26.5 at 3000 lux. Colors are undersaturated at only 86.48 percent and the average noise level increased to 2.2 percent of the image.

The video test chart we recorded looks very drab under 30 lux of light. Surprisingly, the mean color error returned to 13. That still isn’t impressive but isn’t as bad as the 26.5 at 3000 lux. Colors are undersaturated at only 86.48 percent and the average noise level increased to 2.2 percent of the image.

Resolution
The Sony H7’s movie mode records at a top resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Imatest analyzed the video of the test chart and had trouble with it because a significant percentage of the clip was too dark. This is from the movie mode’s inability to properly expose the video. Thus, results could be better than this. At best in the studio, though, the Sony H7 can resolve 239 lw/ph horizontally with 23.2 percent undersharpening and 400 lw/ph vertically with 10.3 percent undersharpening. Despite all the trouble, this is actually better than most compacts’ movie modes with the same 640 x 480 resolution.

100% Crops

Outdoor Motion
We took the H7 for a spin outdoors. After recording movies of bikes and passersby, we looked at the footage and noticed strong contrast and no obvious moiré. When subjects exited the frame, there was some unnatural jerkiness that is common on most compact cameras so this isn’t a big worry. The camera tended to underexpose the video as it did with still shots but users shouldn’t be afraid to take their H7s outdoors.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H7-Digital-Camera-Review-13152/Testing--Performance.htm