Ok, this Sony DSC H9 sucks ass, so much noise it looks like a camera phone shot it. I don't need the super zoom and other features that give this ca,mera adecent value. I need to shoot the following as my main needs:

1.) Medium and low light level on location shoots of cars.
2.) Mostly tripod shots for low light shots
3.) In studio HIGH quality shots of wheels and products
4.) NO NOISE, High quality shots, crisp and clear.
5.) Point and shoot, with manual controls, similar to the Sony I have now in price.

I don't really care for movement and zoom or any other special features, just low level light quality shots and in studio clear shots, with NO NOISE.

I used to have the DSC F717 and that was a better camera, 5 years old, but damn, it was only 5 mp.
Help!!!!

 

A byproduct of the megapixel wars is that low light performance has gone down and noise levels have increased. This is because the chips stay about the same size but the light sensitive pixel holes get smaller and smaller.

In my opinion, the sweet spot was hit around the 5 megapixel days. Prior to 5 mp, noisy circuits caused noise. Afterwards has been just manufacturers cramming more pixels in for marketing.

Furthermore, Sony has always been big on relying on electronic wizardry.

I would recommend something like a Canon PowerShot S3. It has the same sensor size as the Sony, but only 6 mp and I feel Canons are generally less noisy than their Sony counterparts. Plus you're not paying for the superzoom that you don't need.

Or, if you haven't been completely turned off by the Sony brand, get the Sony DSC-R1. This camera is 10 mp and has a APS-C sensor (the same size sensor found in many DSLR).

Also, I wonder if you have the Sony H9 on auto ISO. It may be pumping the ISO in dark light which would look pretty bad. Set it to the lowest setting possible and you might get some good images.

 

Also, I might ask why you need more than 5 mp. For me, megapixels matter so little except that they give you more stuff to work with when you crop. If you're in a controlled shooting environment, cropping isn't really an issue. I don't advocate blowing up a 1 mp image to 8x11, but I do feel that any 4-5 mp image will produce pretty much the same printed results as an 8. Especially when dealing with non dSLR cameras.

 

Well, I do alot of print sized images, hence the large resolution. I returned the camera, it was unacceptable. I do wish I had the 2002 DSC F717 Five Megapixel camera in a higher res camera. I will try out the Cannon you mentioned.

So I am looking for at least 8 mp non-dSLR camera for now with the best and clearest pics in low light levels. NO NOISE.

 

With those specs in mind, I might actually push you more towards the DSC-R1 I mentioned. But I'm not sure what the price of those things are. That will definitely give you the cleanest images in a 10mp non dSLR solution.

However, maybe somebody with 1st hand experience with a Canon S3 can advocate for the camera. There's an S5 out that added megapixels to the S3, but I don't know if that came at the cost of more noise or anything like that.

 

maybe u got a defect model? my experiences with sony cams have been all good.

 

I've had three other Sony Cameras and they all have some level of noise that they are notorious to have, but this latest H9 was just worse than anything else i've seen. Even my F717 was better. my natural assumption is that Sony addressed this issue with their latest line, but apparently I was wrong. I am now looking at the Sony DSC-F828 since it has been labeled as the predasessor to the F717, and I liked that camera so much. I think I'm going to get that one and run with it.

 

^^
ahhh i see. well then best of luck to u

 

Well, I will only buy a camera from a local vendor so I can get insurance and make sure that it can be exchanged if it doesn't perform well, but I can't find anyplace local to me that carry's the camera I want. Anything out there that Bestbuy or something would carry?

 

I'm such a retard, I looked at the settings on the photo info, and I am getting anywhere between 800-3200 ISO, on the best pics, 100 ISO, so I think thats my problem. The previous camera only went up to 320 ISO, which isn't so bad, but this new camera in auto seting goes up to 1600 and 3200 ISO, shich to me is useless.

Man, I might go back and pick up the same camera now. Ima take a day to think about it

 

Yes I was wondering if you had it on auto ISO.

A note though, the F828 was a lot noisier than the F717. I have a F707 and never bothered to upgrade because of that.

 

I'm about to repair my F717 and keep it. The display shows some weird lines and distortion.

 

Ok, got the Canon Powershot S5 SI, and this thing is so easy to use, especially the "C" or custom mode. Gonna try some nightime shots and see how they come out. AThanks guys.