HX7V 16:9 Ratio

[jamesda123]

I'm thinking of getting the HX7V Camera. However, I'm trying to get some clarification on the 16:9 format because this is the ratio that I want to shoot still photos in. Does anybody have one and can advise me?

According to the product specs, the HX7V only supports 16:9 at 1920 x 1080. This seems rather a low resolution given that it is a 16.2 megapixel camera. However, the HX9V seems to support a resolution of 4,608 x 2,592 for 16:9 even though it has the same number of megapixels.

The product spec on the web site doesn't actually say "NO" to this resolution on the HX7V - it just has a "-" for some reason.

Can anybody advise what us the best 16:9 resolution that the HX7V can support in reality?

Thanks very much.

[Blencogo · Accepted solution]

The full Technical Specifications for the HX7V can be found here: -

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsc-h-series/dsc-hx7v#pageType=TechnicalSpecs

These appear to confirm the maximum resolution for still images in 16:9 mode is 1920 X1080 - which is also the maximum movie resolution at 16:9. 

Perhaps that is why the HX9V costs £50 more as it maps the full sensor width at 16:9 for stills where the HX7V only maps 16:9 for movies and uses this resolution for stills.

Personally, I would always shoot at the sensor's full resolution (4608 X 3456) and crop to 16:9 if necessary.  That way you will get 4608 X 2592 = 11.95MP

[jamesda123]

Thanks very much for the answer. Yes, I can of course crop the photos manually - I don't know why I didn't think of that. That makes a lot of sense.