Customer Ratings & Reviews

I have been buying Sony compact digital cameras since about 1999. I have had a Sony Mavica and two Sony compacts before this one. In addition to this Sony I also have a Nikon D5500 (also bought at best buy) and an iPhone 7 plus. This Sony is not an expensive compact but puts out quality images well above what I expected. This includes close ups, people, distance shots, and so on. The only thing I have had some issue with is a 3.5-6.4 lens means low light shots might be a problem unless you use the built in flash. The built in viewfinder is small and takes a while to get used to. But now that I have it works fine. You NEED a viewfinder to shoot in full sunlight. If you don't have one you are just guessing on your shots. The images size of this viewfinder is small, but it is a small camera, which is one of it's best features. Sony also puts an auto shutoff and turn on into the viewfinder which is handy. The color rendition of this camera is excellent. Plus you can adjust the color to how you want it. I have found that the automatic functions work really really well. The camera's computer seems able to know a close up from and landscape and people and so on. The Zeiss lens is very good. I take lots of close ups. Used right this lens is very sharp. Plus it has amazing and I mean amazing ability to zoom. And the camera is stabilized! That means you can take birds in flight with high zoom and they turn out well. Amazing for this size and cost camera. I caught a hawk in flight a couple of weeks ago and the results were very good. The downsides are not great low light ability. My iPhone 7+ works better in low light. Sorta cheep feeling case and body compared to my last Sony compact (A DSC - W100). The thing is this camera is SMALL and packs a lot of capability into your pocket. I carry this in one pocket and my iPhone 7+ in my other pocket and have a really great duo. This camera is far better for long zoom. iPhone better in low light.

I primarily use the Sony a6000 with vintage pentax kmount prime manual lenses. While this setup is great for landscape and portrait photos, it is not so good for variable distance photography nor is it well suited for action shots. I was looking for ZEISS Vario-Sonnar lenses to put on my a6000, but they are very expensive and hit only about 50% of the photos I like to take while out for the day. I decided to I wanted two cameras, to have on demand access to the type of lenses I would use for the day; enter the DSC-HX80. The HX80 had the optics I was looking for, the size I was looking for, the right cost point and close to the aperture range and max shutter speed I was looking for. It is nice that the buttons, menus and software for the HX80 are just like the a6000 so I didn't have to learn a bunch of new stuff and when switching between the two won't have to adjust my thinking. Heck, in full manual mode (ISO, Shutter, Aperture) are all individually manually configurable and aperture stops are range bound by the zoom level (24mm- 720mm) - this is a nice feature. I used the HX80 for the last few days and it is really simple to use, even on full manual. It is great outdoors! Indoors, the low light is so-so. In low light it has a nice "automatic" feature where it takes several pictures at once and overlays them to eliminate has much "shake" as possible with the slower shutter speed. Outdoors it is a star and the max shutter of 1/2000 is sufficient. The 30x digital zoom is really nice for such a small camera and helps cover the 24mm on the small side and the 720mm on the big end. Only thing - the HX80 only takes photos in jpeg format so there is limited post production opportunities (just adds a little more pressure to take the picture right the first time). Overall this is a great camera, with many advanced features, well worth the buy - just pay attention to indoor low light (but all cameras struggle with this unless you are using a $1.5k lense).

I bought this camera to take on my trip to Ireland. It is lightweight and did the job great, but I truly underestimated other peoples reviews about how it handled in low light. Some of the photos that I look in low light would have been better if I took the photos on my phone. When we did get the occasional blinding light the view finder was very helpful! Overall I would purchase again!

I bought this camera to replace my 7 year old Sony Digital camera. It still worked after many campouts, hiking, kyacking, and sightseeing trips, and riding in my briefcase. I bought it because I wanted to upgrade my pocket sized camera capabilities. for 379.00 this is not a cheap camera so I had pretty high expectations. It will not replace my Canon D60 completely but I was surprised at how good the pictures are and how clear and capable the 30x optical zoom lens is. I find that the pop up view finder is indispensible for use in bright sunlight, that is one of the reasons I picked this camera. I do wish the flash was on the front of the camera instead of a pop up. I have had great experiences with my old Sony compact digital camera so another Sony was my first choice. The viewfinder even focus adjusts to your eyes, important if you wear glasses or want to use the camera without your glasses. The camera takes bright clear pictures and focuses quickly in different lighting situations. The automatic modes and semi auto modes give you great flexibility in setting the camera. Of course the physical lens size also limits the f-stop range of the camera which can be a problem in low light photography. That is an issue with any compact digital camera. The WIFI feature of the camera is nice and if you have an Android or an Apple phone it will connect seamlessly. Play memories does not work very well on any of my windows 10 computers and I cannot connect directly via bluetooth or WIFI because there is no play memories mobile for Windows 10 machines. Dear Sony please fix this issue. Play memories does work OK if you plug the camera in via USB but at that point its easier to use the camera as a USB drive without Play Memories software. All in all I would highly recommend this camera for a beginer or for a dedicated SLR fan who wants a compact pocket alternative without giving up too much in capability.

I love this camera, I was needing something with a zoom that could reach the football field from the stands, while having really good quality, I get the best pics and videos with this camera, it’s small and easy to pack in purse , the wristlet came very handy as well... love it!! Definitely recommend, ,, Quick note... this works best with a tripod stand. So it keeps a steady video. The pic I posted was zoomed out way too much but it’s the only pic I had on my phone from the camera.. it’s way better in person I promise!!

Bought this DSC-HX80 while on vacation to replace the exact same one we had that was stolen. Would probably have gotten something different if I'd had time to do more research and been in a less remote location. THE GOOD: 30X zoom in a compact form factor Digital pop up viewfinder with diopter adjustment + full info Tilt out LCD screen flips up for selfies Long lasting battery & pop up flash THE BAD: Slow to process a picture - long lag until ready for next shot Auto focus struggles at times to lock on when zoomed in Flip out screen only tilts up, not down for overhead shots Generally overexposes pictures. Poor handling of high contrast scenes - blows out highlights Tripod a must for low light scenes - High ISO's are very grainy Heavy for it's size and not ergonomic. Has rather sharp edges SUMMERY: Not many compact cameras in this price range have all these features. The pop up digital viewfinder was the clincher for me...so much easier to see in bright sunlight and to keep the subject in frame when zoomed. I've learned to live with it's shortcomings but spend a good deal of time in post production to get the results I want.

I researched a few different P&S cameras because I wanted one that had great quality but wasn't too expensive. I already have a Sony a6000 but wanted something smaller and compact to carry around. I stumbled across this one and I really liked it because of the 180° screen. The only downside which is also a complaint by other customers is that it doesn't perform really well in low light. I bought it primarily to follow my toddler son around and capture silly moments on the fly. It does the job, even in the low light. But my Samsung S9+ is wonderful in low light, so I'd expect more from a camera, nonetheless a Sony. But other than that, I love it!!! And so does everyone else! I also love that it is compatible with PlayMemories Mobile app so I can transfer pics and vids (in mp4) to my phone within seconds. And can also use my phone as a remote so that I can take pics by using the PM app. Would definitely recommend!

This is a great little pocket camera that has 30x optical zoom which is around 720mm and then it actually has a digital zoom that functions well at almost 1100mm. I use it to take photos of lamp stamps and ballast stamps on a 30’ ceiling. Works great and has in camera image stabilization that produces readable results from less than ideal shots. I love the filter effects that you can do with the camera as well.

This is my first Sony camera. I got it to replace my Canon SX710 which I dropped by accident and broke the lens. I wanted a camera that has the same 30x zoom and sharper lens and decided to give the HX80 a try. Having now had the Sony for a couple of months have to say that while it is overall a pretty nice travel camera - lens is super sharp with fast focusing, very compact size easy to carry around, wide angle is great for landscapes - it did not measure up to my expectations. Specifically it doesn't perform well under low light, or in closeups, and the image quality gets very coarse if your subject is small and you need to crop afterwards. In photos of animals, birds and insects the fine details of fur or feathers gets lost, no matter how sharp the image is, no matter the lighting or the resolution, especially if you need to enlarge the image afterwards - everything would look splotchy and muddy when enlarged. In terms of ISO settings - I usually use the P or A and set ISO manually - anything above 400 will look pretty rough, a lot more so than the same or higher ISO in other cameras (in addition to the SX710 I also use an Olympus TG3, both provide smoother images and the latter is excellent for low light and closeups). Wifi transfer to phone or tablet works fairly well. The "Download all on date" feature is very convenient. I'm attaching two sets of images for comparison - same size subjects shot under similar conditions and focal length: Birds - blue taken with SX710 at ISO800, red with HX80 at ISO400 - while the red has better focus and at lower ISO, it gets splotchy feather details when enlarged Insects - yellow with SX710, green with HX80 - again while the green has sharper focus and at lower ISO, it can't be enlarged because of the noise.

I took this camera to Israel because I wanted somethihng small, and I was amazed at the quality of photos I got. The camera works well for both wide-angle and telephoto settings, and has most of the features of my larger Sony Alpha 6000 camera. The viewfinder didn't work as well as I wanted, but the LCD display is great. I'm a little concerned about durability. The lens mechanism got a little grit in it on my trip, so I think I'm going to have it professionally cleaned. But overall, its a great camera at a great price. Here's a photo I took of Jerusalem (reduced file size to fit BestBuy requirements)

I would recommend this camera to anyone who is a beginner it takes great pictures great video Easy uploading pictures right to your phone love it highly recommend this camera

I actually wore out my Sony WX350 over a two year period, I'm such an impulse shooter, but this latest iteration adds a tilt-screen, an extra 10x zoom, popup viewfinder and a Zeiss lens and I couldn't be happier with it so far. It's actually a bit worse in low-light situations compared to my 350, so I docked it half a star. Burst shooting is inactive during tight zoom shots, so there's another half star. Write times are a bit long. Other than that, it's been excellent.

I'm still figuring out all the features and settings, but so far I'm really happy with this camera. I wanted something small enough to fit in my pocket; wanted a decent zoom; and wanted to be able to transfer photos to my tablet or phone easily. This camera does all of that. I take it hiking and kayaking and have captured some decent pictures of wildlife thanks to the zoom. I'm looking forward to learning how to use all the settings and features to improve my results.

My first choice was going to be the Canon G7 MK II but the price was a Bit more then I wanted to spend, and I really wanted a Point and Shoot with a Flip Up screen so I could see myself while I recorded and this was the next best option and I LOVE it. DEFINITELY A good first time Point and Shoot.

I find it easy to use and play with and the pictures are sharp. I can take selfies and there's still a lot for me to learn but I get around with it. Super happy with it and it was a good choice. Thank you to the clerk that told me about it and then I googled it at home to find out more.

Needed a small, easy to use camera that took great pictures so I bought this Sony. It does exactly what I need. Point and shoot with great results. Nice unit for a couple hundred bucks. My home Christmas morning...

I love Sony cameras!! This camera's shutter seems slower than my Sony G and the sure shot is not as good. However the pictures are good. It is easier to carry, more compact. Great camera!

This is the great camera to travel with. Takes great photos and is small enough to carry it everywhere.

This is a great camera. I took it to Africa and was so pleased. The zoom is amazing and others on the trip that brought"big" long lens that are heavy compared photos with me and vowed to go home and purchase a camera like mine. Couldn't be happier!

Great camera the only one thing I dislike about it is that it doesn’t have a microphone jack! But other than that it’s a pretty awesome Carew for any first timer.