The Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 launched in 2010 as part of Sony's H-series push into pocketable superzoom compacts, packing a longer lens and faster processing than typical point-and-shoots of the time into a body still small enough for a jacket pocket.
It uses a 10.2-megapixel 1/2.4-inch Exmor R backside-illuminated CMOS sensor with a 10x optical zoom lens spanning roughly 25-250mm equivalent at f/3.5-5.5. A 3-inch TFT LCD with 230,400 dots serves as the viewfinder, images and HD video record to Memory Stick Duo or SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, and about 45MB of internal memory acts as backup.
The backside-illuminated Exmor R sensor gave the HX5 noticeably better high-ISO performance than the CCD sensors in Sony's older H-series models, while sweep panorama and burst shooting modes distinguished it from simpler compacts of the same generation.
Used HX5 bodies are inexpensive travel-zoom options, so worthwhile checks include zoom lens smoothness, correct sensor-shift stabilization operation, and the condition of the NP-BG1 battery and charger, since burnt-out capacitors and sticky zoom motors are known issues on cameras of this age.