The big brother to the H7 is the Sony CyberShot H9. Including all of the updated features of the H7, with an addition of just a few more. The Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 15x image stabilized optical zoom lens and 8 megapixel image sensor are exactly the same. The new additions are the 3 inch "flip-up" screen that features double the resolution of the H7's 2.5-inch display. Night mode is another big addition allowing photographs that simulate night vision goggles. Finally the controls for record mode and metering mode have been moved to separate buttons on the camera right behind the shutter release.

As with the H7, the 15x Carl Zeiss Optical Image stabilized zoom is main selling point for this camera. Boasting an outstanding 31-465mm (35mm equivalent) wide angle to zoom range, a whole new photography experience opens up compared to compact digicams with a 3x to 5x optical zoom. This lens will put you right in the middle of the action, enabling you to capture images you never thought possible. In order for such a large zoom to work, Sony has included an Optical Image Stabilization system to help steady the camera. This along with ISO settings of 800, 1600 and 3200, allow you to take photographs at great distances with less than perfect light without a flash. It also allows the user to set higher shutter speeds that will stop the images from blurring as a result of camera shake or fast motion photography.

Besides the NightShot feature, the other feature that was added to the H9 is 3 inch tilt-up Photo LCD Plus screen. Boasting a resolution of 960x240 compared to the 480x240 of the H7. The tilt-up screen allows for the user to direct the screen up or down which is very nice when taking pictures over or under objects or people. There is also the option of the EVF (electronic view finder), both of which are more than capable for shooting outside in bright light or in low light situations as they both gain up. There is no difference between the two when it comes to the functionality of the camera, as all menus are accessible as well as viewing photos.

The H9 is a very responsive and capable digicam approaching dSLR numbers when shooting in single image capture mode. Measuring a mere 2.6 seconds from the time you turn the camera on until the first image can be captured, it is almost always ready to go. The shutter lag when prefocused and including the pre focus were 1/10 of a second and 5/10 of a second respectively. The latter of the two can be a bit slower when using the full zoom. I was able to capture an image once every 1.5 seconds when shooting without the flash and once every 2.7 seconds with the flash. Flash times may vary, depending on shooting conditions etc. My tests were done from around 6 feet away (the further away the subject is, the more power the flash has to use, thus increasing the shot to shot time). The flash itself is very powerful, having a range of 32 feet at ISO Auto, with this carries good and bad points. While doing very well in our tests, it also took a long time to recharge and could cause someone to miss a lot of photo opportunities while waiting.

If single shot mode is not enough for you, the H9 also offers a burst shooting mode. There is no flash usage in burst mode, but the performance was pretty good. It captured one image every .45 seconds. This very slightly differs from the H7 but could be contributed to the "High Speed" card used for this test. These numbers held up for roughly 15 seconds before the camera started to slow. Even though it slowed to around 1 second per image, it never stopped capturing images. All tests where done using automatic settings and a Sony Memory Stick PRO Dual High Speed 1GB card shooting at 8megapixel fine resolution (results may vary).

The autofocus system has also been updated with this new model. Now featuring a 9-area, (over the H5's, 3- area) multi point system that also includes a single point mode that can be moved anywhere within the image area. This allows for consistently sharp images to be captured, even singling out subjects is fairly easy. Another addition is face detection, that is available in "AUTO" mode, which helps focus on your subject's faces, which matter most in your photos.

The colors in the images captured outside were very bright and vivid, providing very pleasing results. The exposure was controlled nicely making a beautiful image. There is very little noise, only noticeable in dark or shadowed areas. Well lit and bright areas, such as a light blue sky showed absolutely no noise. At the wide angle end of the lens there is a little barrel distortion, but no pin cushioning on the zoom end. The 15x optical zoom works very well outside and is great for shooting sporting events. Shooting in shutter priority mode with a top shutter speed of 1/4000 of a second combined with the image stabilization, you should have no problem capturing clear, blur-free images.

With the addition of the new lens, comes the 31mm wide angle replacing the 36mm of the H5. This will allow you capture more of a room or shoot a larger group shot at a closer distance than before. The flash is powerful enough to cover a large room, and is controlled very well by the camera. If you are not happy with the level of the flash, it can also be adjusted manually in increments of 1/3 with a range of -2 to +2. Also Shooting at ISO Auto, gives the flash a range of up to 32 feet, and surprisingly the amount of noise in photographs where the camera chose a higher ISO was a lot less than expected. When using the auto white balance indoors, i noticed that the camera had difficulty keeping the white balance the same at different levels of the zoom (shown in the samples).

The quality of the video captured by the H9 is very good. At 640 Fine (30fps) mode a movie will consume around 1.3 megabytes of space per second, so a large memory card is recommended. The camera also shoots at 640 normal, which has a slower frame rate (15), and at 340 which is half the resolution but takes up a lot less room on your card. A very nice feature of this camera is that the whole 15x zoom with image stabilization is available to use during recording. Which isn't always the case with most digicams. This will give a slight hum or buzz in the audio of your videos while the zoom is moving. Another thing that you need to remember when using the zoom, is that the mic is built into the camera and is only going to pick up the noise closest to the camera.

The H7 is powered by a NP-BG1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack with a 960 mAh capacity. This is an upgrade from the previous model that used two AA batteries. Also included is the BC-CSG battery charger. Sony claims this model has the ability to capture up to 280 images using the LCD or 310 using the EVF on one charge (depending on camera settings). I was able to capture all of the images I needed for my tests along with videos on one charge.

Bottom Line - Loaded with options and outshining the H7 with features, the Sony Cyber-Shot H9 has everything you could ask for in a camera without buying a dSLR. Offering an 8 megapixel imaging sensor, a 15x image stabilized optical zoom, 3 inch tilt-up screen and a slew of manual and automatic features, the H9 is a very versatile package that delivers excellent image quality. We feel that this camera will make a a great choice, whether you're trying to decide between a smaller digicam or a dSLR with a large zoom lens. With the loads of exposure control and a 15x stabilized optical zoom, this model is thousands of dollars cheaper than the equivalent options on a dSLR with an image stabilized lens. With an MSRP of US$479, this is a very capable digicam that offers ease of use for a beginners as well as full manual controls for novice users. If NightShot mode and the larger 3.0-inch "flip-up" LCD screen are not a necessity, please look at our review of the Cyber-Shot DSC-H7, which offer all of the same basic features, for around $80 less.