I should have known that going from 9 megapixels on the HX1 to 16 on the HX100 was too far a leap, so now I cherish my HX1 more than ever.

Unfortunately the longer lens and move to a 14 megapixel sensor doesn't do the SX30's image quality any favours, especially in low-light, and the official price increase puts it into direct competition with other premium super-zooms, entry-level DSLRs and compact system cameras.

It's pretty obvious even after one day, how superior it is to any other camera in this sensor size class.

The image quality will never be as good as a DSLR or a Micro Four Thirds camera such as the Panasonic DMC-GH1 and I would not recommend this camera for professional or fine arts photography, but it would be a convenient and versatile choice under daylight conditions when you want to carry a minimum amount of equipment.

* wide-angle lens 27 mm - Sony can make better; other brands does better: Nikon(24mm) and Panasonic(25mm).

Excellent camera.... The wide angle and zoom are to die for.

The combination of the fast f/2.8 aperture, effective optical image stabilizer and maximum ISO speed of 3200 makes this camera well suited to hand-held low-light photography.

the F numbers or the F-Stops as they were referred to in the old days, are aperture sizes.

The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX100V is one of the best super-zoom camera that we've ever reviewed, offering a compelling mix of advanced features, excellent still image quality, fantastic lens and a class-leading video mode, all at a price that is competitive with its main rivals.

That was an SD400 and it served really well even though it's optical zoom really didn't zoom much and video was mono but it was great at concerts because it was so small, no security guard ever found it in my purse!

It shows how fast compact cameras are evolving, becoming pretty solid computers at the same time.

So, If you want a lightweight camera, that has the ability to capture excellent photos, and you like to adjust things, besides having full automatic features.