The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX100V's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds in the Manual mode, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography.

In low light, where using a tripod isn't possible and using a noisy high ISO setting might not be desirable, the HX100V's Hand-held Twilight mode could come in handy.

The hx100v allows from adjusting the level of noise reduction to "-" in the menus but even set to minus I found the NR heavier than I'd like.

Despite its massive zoom lens, the HX100V is still quite a compact superzoom, weighing 577g with the battery and memory card fitted, with a large 3-inch, 921k-dot resolution LCD screen at the rear tilts 90 degrees both up- and downward.

The rear of the DSC-HX100V is dominated by the large 3 inch LCD screen, with the resolution now a much improved 912k dots, fixing one of our main criticisms of the HX1.

took p500 back and bought sony hx100v to compare to the canon, they are close, the pictures from the canon were not as crisp, with purple fringing on photos and the lcd screen is not nearly as nice as the sony.

The HX100V is aimed at users for whom pocketable size is trumped by the desire for more traditional DSLR styling and functionality, larger control points and a zoom lens that would be unwieldy, to say the least, if coupled with 'traditional' compact camera ergonomics.

The Steady-Shot optical image stabilization function works well for both still image and video capture, a benefit which is especially valuable at the long end of the HX100V's zoom, where without it, camera shake would inevitably ruin sharpness.

The Sony Cyber-shot HX100V is the latest in a series of 'superzoom' cameras from Sony which are intended to combine the versatility and portability of compact cameras with a DSLR-like form factor and operational ergonomics.

Helped by such effective image stabilization, at its telephoto focal lengths, the HX100V's lens produces crisp, pleasing images.

The Sony DSC-HX100V joins the party with a 30x extending optical lens with very respectable maximum apertures of f/2.8 at the 27mm wide-angle setting and f/5.6 at the 810mm full telephoto setting.

The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX100V's 30x zoom lens offers an incredibly versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples.

I'm now excited about the new Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100V digital camera coming out on May 1, 2011.

Without going into technical details, let me finish by stating if you are looking for a new digital camera that will NOT DISAPPOINT you, then the P500 from Nikon is the way to go.

The Nikon Coolpix P500 has an vibration reduction mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras.