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The Cyber-shot DSC-H10 was announced in late January and comes as a successor to the DSC-H3 which itself was only launched a mere 5 months earlier. The H10 only constitutes a relatively minor upgrade with the new larger 3.0" screen with its increased resolution (230K pixels vs 115K) being the only major difference between the two camera generations. In Sony's 'High Zoom' hierarchy the H10 is the junior partner of the new flagship H50. It offers a 10x zoom in a very compact body for photographers on a tight budget and is equipped with an 8MP sensor. The feature set is virtually identical with the H3's and includes Face Detection, Optical Image Stabilization and HDTV output (albeit using an optional composite video cable or Cyber-shot Station dock). In the fairly small bracket of compact long zoom cameras the H10 is going head-to-head with competitors such as the brand new Panasonic TZ5 and the similarly specified Canon SX100 IS.

In our January review of the H3 we said the camera was a reliable point and shoot performer but also had its fair share of flaws. We'll see if Sony has managed to get rid of at least some of those on the H10 in the following review. Let's get started, as ever, with the headline features:

1/2.5" CCD sensor, 8.1 million effective pixels
10x (38-380mm equiv.) Carl Zeiss branded optical zoom
3.0" LCD screen
HDTV video output (requires optional cable or dock)
Super Steady Shot image stabilization
2cm macro
ISO 100-3200
Face Detection
Dynamic Range Optimizer