It takes a lot to stabilize a 30X lens with a reach of 810mm; and though the camera's Optical SteadyShot system is effective at wide-range-to-midrange focal lengths, you'll benefit from using a tripod or monopod when shooting at full telephoto. A tripod becomes all the more important when there's not enough light to permit use of a super-fast shutter speed. The rule of thumb is that the minimum shutter speed should equal 1/focal length; in this case, that would be at least 1/810th of a second. At 810mm, however, holding the camera steady enough to keep the subject in the frame isn't easy.

Manual focus is available at the flip of a switch on the lens barrel and through use of the lens focus/zoom ring. Once you press the focus button atop the grip, the camera enlarges the image up to 7X, so you can fine-tune the focus more easily. Frankly, autofocus seems to work better (and faster), but tweaking the focus manually in macro mode is a helpful touch. By using the same ring, you can manually operate the zoom in conjunction with autofocus.

With its lens retracted, the HX100V measures 4.6 inches wide, 3.5 inches tall, and 3.6 inches deep, making it a bit smaller than either the Nikon Coolpix P500 or the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS. With its lens fully extended, the camera's optics don't protrude much, so the unit is relatively compact for its class; it's by no means pocketable, however.

At 1 pound, 4 ounces, the camera has enough heft to counterbalance the lens. The grip is raised and grooved, with enough room between it and the lens barrel to provide a solid handhold--particularly for people with large hands. Photographers with small hands may find the grip a little too deep, but it's nicely contoured for comfort.

Like other superzooms, the HX100V is equipped with both an adjustable LCD and an eye-level EVF (electronic viewfinder). The 3-inch, high-resolution, 921,000-pixel LCD provides a clear view for composing and playback, with a five-step brightness control, and it worked well in our testing under most lighting conditions. The monitor is hinged at the bottom, so you can flip it out and tilt it for overhead and low-angle shots. The EVF is clear, albeit a little dark, and a diopter enables you to adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight. An eye sensor automatically switches between the LCD and the viewfinder, but sometimes it's faster to switch manually, thereby avoiding a slight delay in the automatic process.