These photos are among the first posted by an ordinary individual with this camera. Even though they're on Picasa and reduced down to about 500 Kb and 1600 X 1200, they look good to me.

Picasa Web Albums - Tim Schaeffer - First weekend... (http://picasaweb.google.com/timspirations/FirstWeekendWithHX1#)

Here's another bunch of HX1 photos that were taken at night with Twilight mode. They look pretty clean and sharp, considering the conditions. Some of them were at ISO 1600 in darkness, other than a street light half a block away. The two interior shots, with only the light from a monitor, were at ISO 3200.

http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv307/xsivone/Twilight/

I've got hands on one, interesting little camera, obviously not a DSLR, but it's not quite a P&S either... sort of an in between package.

So far pictures look decent overall, and video isn't bad either. Not a lot of manual control, but enough to give you something to work with if you're familiar with how Sonys operate.

A few quirks, I notice a "spring back" in the wide zoom, and the zoom definitely is loud enough to make it to the audio... but the image stabilization seems quite good, it's decent in low light (no match for the new XR500 though, I get the feeling it didn't get the "R" CMOS, but more likely something similar to the SR11/CX12 generation).

Why no flash shoe or trigger for an external flash? And what is up with the "one port" A/V HDMI/USB scheme? I suppose it woulda killed 'em to allow more manual controls... BUT, for a small superzoom, seems like a farily good package. No match for the big boys, but for the price, an interesting "all in one".

Now if they'd just release an Alpha body to replace the A350 with video capability!

I've got hands on one, interesting little camera, obviously not a DSLR, but it's not quite a P&S either... sort of an in between package.

So far pictures look decent overall, and video isn't bad either. Not a lot of manual control, but enough to give you something to work with if you're familiar with how Sonys operate.

A few quirks, I notice a "spring back" in the wide zoom, and the zoom definitely is loud enough to make it to the audio... but the image stabilization seems quite good, it's decent in low light (no match for the new XR500 though, I get the feeling it didn't get the "R" CMOS, but more likely something similar to the SR11/CX12 generation).

Why no flash shoe or trigger for an external flash? And what is up with the "one port" A/V HDMI/USB scheme? I suppose it woulda killed 'em to allow more manual controls... BUT, for a small superzoom, seems like a farily good package. No match for the big boys, but for the price, an interesting "all in one".

Now if they'd just release an Alpha body to replace the A350 with video capability!

No, the HX1 didn't get the R type of Exmor CMOS, just the same as last year's SR12. Once you learn how to manually control a camera that doesn't have manual controls, you can make it do a lot of things. There are ways to do this, by using combinations of the settings that are available. I've found methods to squeeze better photos and video out of the Webbie HD, that has even less control options. It makes a good test of your abilities, to take it and put out good results-----good practice, too, The extra-long lens of the HX1 is the big interest for me. With Smart Zoom at the 2 Megapixel 16:9 photo size and a 2.2X Raynox telextender, it will give the equivalent of 2,212mm. I have developed my own fiberglass lens adaptor tube to mount the telex. In video mode, without a telex, the 560mm photo lens, becomes 640mm. I should have my HX1 in a few days and will post pictures and videos.