Photography

Sony wants you to pack its new 28x optical zoom in your suitcase

Sony wants you to pack its new 28x optical zoom in your suitcase
Cyber-shot HX99 Travel Zoom: A teeny travel zoom with a 28x optical zoom lens and 18 MP BSO CMOS image sensor
Cyber-shot HX99 Travel Zoom: A teeny travel zoom with a 28x optical zoom lens and 18 MP BSO CMOS image sensor
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The DSC-HX99 compact features a retractable electronic viewfinder
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The DSC-HX99 compact features a retractable electronic viewfinder
The HX99 camera sports a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24 - 720 mm F3.5 - 6.4 zoom lens
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The HX99 camera sports a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24 - 720 mm F3.5 - 6.4 zoom lens
Framing shots on the HX99 can be undertaken on the 2.95-inch TFT display panel or through the pop-up OLED Tru-Finder
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Framing shots on the HX99 can be undertaken on the 2.95-inch TFT display panel or through the pop-up OLED Tru-Finder
The HX99 measure just 4.01 x 2.28 x 1.39 inches
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The HX99 measure just 4.01 x 2.28 x 1.39 inches
The HX99's 921,600-dot TFT display panel tilts by 180 degrees to frame the perfect selfie
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The HX99's 921,600-dot TFT display panel tilts by 180 degrees to frame the perfect selfie
802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 have been cooked in, for wireless image transfer and sharing
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802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 have been cooked in, for wireless image transfer and sharing
Cyber-shot HX99 Travel Zoom: A teeny travel zoom with a 28x optical zoom lens and 18 MP BSO CMOS image sensor
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Cyber-shot HX99 Travel Zoom: A teeny travel zoom with a 28x optical zoom lens and 18 MP BSO CMOS image sensor
View gallery - 7 images

Smartphone cameras are getting better all the time, so surely there's no longer a need to carry a separate pocket compact around with you, right? Sony believes there is, and has announced the Cyber-shot HX99 Travel Zoom to prove it – which is billed as the world's smallest travel high-zoom snapper.

First up, the two main attention-grabbers – the optics and the proportions. The Cyber-shot HX99 sports a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24 - 720 mm F3.5 - 6.4 zoom lens made up of 11 elements in 10 groups (including five aspheric elements) and comes with optical image stabilization to negate the effects of camera shake. And the camera measures 4.01 x 2.28 x 1.39 in (102 x 58.1 x 35.5 mm) and tips the scales at 8.6 oz (242 g), including battery and memory card.

The HX99 camera sports a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24 - 720 mm F3.5 - 6.4 zoom lens
The HX99 camera sports a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24 - 720 mm F3.5 - 6.4 zoom lens

Inside that pocket-friendly body is a 1/2.3-inch Exmor R CMOS sensor that tops out at 18.2 megapixels. Working with the Bionz X image processing engine, this pairing gives the HX99 the ability to acquire focus in 0.09 seconds, rock 10 frames per second (fps) continuous shooting for bursts of 155 stills and have light sensitivity of up to ISO6,400, though that can be extended to 12,800.

The camera comes with an assist mode that allows the photographer to quickly and temporarily zoom out to show more of the scene in front of the lens, which can be useful if you're at the telephoto end and lose track of a fast-moving subject.

Eye AF has been brought over from the company's Alpha cameras, which locks focus on a subject's eye, and the HX99 can record 4K/30p video with full pixel readout and no pixel binning. Lowering the resolution to Full HD caters for slow-mo action-grabbing at 120 fps.

Framing up a shot can be undertaken using the touch-enabled, tilting 2.95-inch, 921,600-dot TFT display around back – which supports Touch Focus and Touch Shutter – or through the camera's pop-up OLED Tru-Finder. Users can also customize the functions available on the Control Ring to make shooting easier.

802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 have been cooked in, for wireless image transfer and sharing
802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 have been cooked in, for wireless image transfer and sharing

And finally, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 have been cooked in, for wireless image transfer and sharing, and to facilitate the collection of location data from a paired mobile device.

Cyber-shot HX99 is due for release in early November for US$449.99, but does it tick enough boxes to convince you to give your smartphone's camera a break and take a dedicated snapper along on your travels?

Product page: DSC-HX99 Travel Zoom

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1 comment
1 comment
T N Args
That lens is actually 4.2-125mm f/3.5-6.4
If Sony want to market it as a full frame equivalent, then it is a 24-720mm f/20-36 lens.