Sony's 2012 pocket travel-zoom — a top HX-series compact with built-in GPS.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V is a pocket travel-zoom compact announced in February 2012, sitting near the top of Sony's HX series of the period. The V in the name denotes built-in GPS for geotagging, and it succeeded the popular HX9V with more resolution and a longer lens.
It combines an 18.2-megapixel 1/2.3-inch Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor with a 20x optical zoom covering 25-500mm equivalent, stabilised by Sony's Optical SteadyShot. Video runs to Full HD 1080p at 50 frames per second, there is a 3-inch 921k-dot LCD, 10fps burst shooting, sweep panorama modes and built-in GPS logging. Power comes from the NP-BG1 battery and it accepts SD cards as well as Memory Stick Duo.
On the UK used market the HX20V remains a practical low-cost travel compact, offering a genuinely long zoom in a jacket-pocket body for a small outlay. It is a common sight in UK listings, which keeps prices competitive, and it appeals both to buyers wanting a simple holiday camera and to those caught by renewed interest in 2010s digital compacts.
Used buyers should test the zoom through its full range and listen for grinding, as lens mechanisms are the usual failure point on travel zooms of this age. Check the lens barrel extends and retracts without hesitation, confirm the rear screen is free of delamination, verify GPS acquires a lock outdoors if that feature matters, and make sure a genuine NP-BG1 battery and charger or USB lead are included. Sensor dust visible at long zoom settings against plain skies is worth checking for, as it cannot be cleaned economically.