Leica V-Lux 5 vs Sony Cyber-shot HX100V: Bridging the Gap Between Large and Small Sensor Superzooms

Selecting the right superzoom camera can often feel like walking a tightrope between versatility, image quality, and budget. I've tested both entry-level and high-end superzooms across my 15+ years of shooting - from awkwardly lugging bulky gear in the wild to squeezing into crowded event spaces. Today, I’m diving deep into two bridge cameras from vastly different eras and sensor classes: the Leica V-Lux 5, launched in 2020 with a large 1” sensor, and the decade-old Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V, a compact powerhouse from 2011 boasting a small 1/2.3" sensor but an ultra-long zoom. Both cameras offer fixed zoom lenses but wildly different philosophies. Let’s unpack how they stack up across all the photography angles that truly matter.

First Impressions and Ergonomics: Size Matters, But How Much?

Right off the bat, the Leica V-Lux 5 feels more substantial in your hands, measuring 137x97x132mm and tipping the scales at 812g with a built-in battery. The Sony HX100V is smaller and lighter at 122x87x93mm and 577g, making it easier on extended shoots or when slipping the camera into a daypack.

What’s interesting - and frankly a nod to thoughtful design evolution - is how the Leica balances a chunky grip with well-placed rings for zoom and focus control. The Leica's heft signals a built-for-serious-photographers machine, while the Sony leans more towards run-and-gun portability, appealing to travelers and casual shooters. Both feel solid but are uncompromisingly plastic in their build - no heavy magnesium alloy shells here.

Looking down from the top, the Leica clearly embraces the modern era with dedicated dials for ISO and exposure compensation, plus a smooth zoom rocker delightfully responsive to thumb pressure. The Sony HX100V’s control layout is simpler but slightly cramped, typical of older bridge cameras designed before touchscreen dominance. It’s not bad, just less refined and intuitive compared to the Leica, which benefits from a decade more of ergonomic R&D.

Sensor and Image Quality: Bigger Sensors, Better Images?

Here’s where the Leica V-Lux 5 really flexes its muscles: the 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor, measuring 13.2 x 8.8 mm with 20MP resolution, dwarfs the Sony’s tiny 1/2.3” sensor at 6.17 x 4.55 mm and 16MP. Sensor size isn't just marketing fluff - it makes a tangible difference in dynamic range, noise control, and depth of field.

If you’ve ever tried to shoot in low light with a small sensor compacts or point-and-shoots, you know the struggle: noisy images and crummy color gradations. The Leica’s larger sensor area (about 116 mm² vs Sony’s 28 mm²) promises better tonal gradation, more pleasing skin tones, and the all-important ability to generate background blur. The Sony HX100V’s sensor, while respectable for its era, feels decidedly dated and cramped by today’s standards.

In practice, when shooting portraits or close-ups, the Leica’s images have noticeably richer color depth and smoother bokeh thanks to the aperture range (F2.8-4) and sensor size. On the other hand, the Sony often shows harsher highlight clipping and struggles at ISOs above 800.

Lens and Zoom Range: The Great Focal Length Debate

Sony’s HX100V shines in zoom reach with an astonishing 27-810mm equivalent (30x) and an aperture range of F2.8 to F5.6. For wildlife or sports photographers on a tight budget, this super-telephoto reach is a siren call.

Leica’s V-Lux 5 offers a shorter zoom at 24-400mm equivalent (16.7x), but with a brighter aperture range of F2.8 to F4 and notably better sharpness, especially in the telephoto range. The Leica’s fixed lens is a versatile one: wide enough for landscapes, yet sufficiently telephoto for many practical wildlife shots without the noise and softness penalties smaller sensors endure pushing high ISOs at extreme zoom.

That said, the Leica’s zoom is noticeably smoother and more precise thanks to its modern stepping motor, which makes manual focus fiddling and zoom adjustment a sheer joy compared to the Sony’s older, noisier lens mechanism.

Autofocus and Speed: Tracking Your Subject in Real-Time

The Leica V-Lux 5 features a contrast-detection AF system with 49 focus points and offers face detection and touch AF - features you wouldn’t expect in a high-end bridge camera a decade ago. Although not on par with the fastest phase-detection-based systems, I found its continuous AF and tracking capabilities surprisingly nimble for a bridge.

The Sony HX100V, meanwhile, relies on a more basic contrast-detection system with just 9 AF points, with no face or eye detection. Live view focusing can feel sluggish, particularly when hunting in low-contrast or dim conditions. Continuous AF is nonexistent, limiting your ability to track fast-moving subjects effectively.

Given these constraints, the Leica is a far better pick for wildlife and sports photographers who need reasonably quick AF and tracking. The Sony might frustrate users attempting action genres but can still handle casual snapshots or static subjects reasonably well.

Display and Viewfinder: Seeing Your Shot Clearly

Both cameras sport 3” LCDs, but the Leica ups the ante with a fully articulated touchscreen boasting 1240k-dot resolution, great for shooting from tricky angles or framing video with precision.

Conversely, the Sony HX100V has a fixed tilting, non-touch 921k-dot LCD with Sony's XtraFine technology, great for day-to-day use but much less flexible in bright sunlight or awkward shooting positions.

The Leica’s electronic viewfinder (EVF) boasts 2.36 million dots covering 100% of the field, offering a clear, crisp preview no matter the lighting. Sony’s EVF resolution isn’t specified but is widely considered inferior, with poorer coverage and less vibrance. This is critical if you frequently compose in bright conditions or need focus precision through the viewfinder.

Image Stabilization: Keep Your Shots Rock Steady

Both cameras include optical image stabilization, crucial for compensating hand shake during telephoto zooms, especially in low light or at high zoom ranges. The Leica V-Lux 5 uses modern Optical IS that works well up to 4 stops of shake correction, letting you handhold longer exposures effectively and improve sharpness at 400mm equivalent.

The Sony HX100V also has optical IS, but its older system can only realistically provide 2-3 stops of stabilization, which means more blurry shots at the extreme telephoto end or in minimal light.

Video Capabilities: Is 4K Worth the Hype?

If you shoot video as much as stills, the Leica V-Lux 5 clearly wins hands down, offering 4K UHD recording at 30fps and 24fps, encoded in modern H.264 format with 100 Mbps bitrate. It also supports an external microphone input, a boon for content creators who want crisp sound without relying on internal mic quality. No headphones jack, alas, for real-time audio monitoring, which somewhat dampens professional video workflows.

The Sony HX100V maxes out at 1080p HD video, with 60fps available but locked at a paltry bitrate and outdated codecs (AVCHD, MPEG-4). There’s no mic input or headphone jack, limiting audio quality and monitoring options.

Battery Life and Storage: Longevity and Convenience

The Leica has a built-in battery rated for approximately 360 shots per charge - modest but manageable with spares or USB charging on the go. Sony's NP-FH50 battery (removable) offers a longer life by the specs, but real-world user reports say expect 250-300 shots, slightly below modern expectations.

Both cameras use a single SD card slot, but Sony supports Memory Stick Duo series as well. The Leica benefits from more modern SD card standards, allowing faster write speeds which is particularly useful for 4K video and burst shooting.

Connectivity: Wireless and Geotagging

Leica wisely includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for easy image transfer, remote control, and firmware updates - the kind of modern conveniences that can save you time and hassle, especially for social media sharing or tethered shooting.

Sony HX100V supports Eye-Fi cards (Wi-Fi enabled SD cards) and has built-in GPS, helping automatically geotag your images - a handy feature for travel and landscape shooters who like organizing photos by location.

Toughness and Weather Sealing: Out in the Field?

Neither camera is weather-sealed, dustproof, or shockproof. Both demand care in adverse conditions. For photographers who shoot landscapes or wildlife in changing weather, that means packing rain covers or limiting shooting windows. It’s a limitation that shouldn’t be ignored but is typical for bridge cameras in these price brackets.

Real-World Usage Across Photography Genres

Let’s examine how these two hold up under specific photography scenarios:

Portrait Photography

Leica V-Lux 5 shines here. Its larger sensor and faster aperture produce more natural skin tones and attractive background separation even handheld. Face detection and touch AF help land sharp focus on eyes. The Sony HX100V provides softer portraits with harsher noise above ISO 800, and the small sensor limits creamy bokeh.

Landscape Photography

Leica’s sensor and dynamic range yield more detail in shadows and highlights. Wide-angle coverage 24mm and articulating screen help with creative compositions. The Sony’s wider zoom thankfully can capture distant details but at lower resolution and higher noise. Neither is weather-sealed, so plan accordingly.

Wildlife and Sports

The Sony HX100V’s massive zoom range is tempting for birders on a budget, but slow AF and lower burst speed (10fps) hold it back. Meanwhile, Leica’s 12fps burst, decent continuous AF, and higher ISOs allow fair trackability in reasonably lit conditions. For serious pros, neither replaces dedicated DSLRs or mirrorless with exotic telephotos, but Leica is richer in versatility.

Street Photography

Sony’s smaller size favors discreet shooting, and the quieter lens is less attention grabbing. Leica’s articulating screen adds framing options, but the larger zoom barrel might draw gazes. Both manage decent low-light ISO ranges, with Leica delivering cleaner images after sunset.

Macro Photography

Leica allows focusing as close as 3 cm with stabilized optics, great for flower or insect portraits. Sony does not specify macro range, limiting its finesse here.

Night / Astrophotography

Neither camera is designed for deep-astro - but Leica’s larger sensor and max boosted ISO 25,000 make it marginally better at star snaps or dim scenes. The Sony’s maximum ISO 3200 caps its usefulness in near-darkness.

Video Work

Leica’s 4K 30p with high bitrate, mic input and touchscreen control make it a compact vlogging and documentary camera. Sony’s HD output and absence of audio inputs tailors it more to casual home movies.

Travel Photography

Looking through the lens of a seasoned traveler (that’d be me), Leica’s overall package - weight, image quality, zoom versatility, and wireless features - makes it a solid all-rounder for diverse shooting scenarios. Sony’s zoom might lure cheapskates, but overall technology and image fidelity lack polish for demanding trips.

Professional Work

For demanding pro workflows requiring RAW, precise exposure, and reliable autofocus, the Leica V-Lux 5 wins hands down. Sony HX100V does not shoot RAW, limiting post-processing flexibility, and lacks modern AF sophistication.

Technical Deep Dive: Processing Power and File Handling

While the Leica doesn’t publicly detail its processor, its snappy responsiveness and video specs suggest a modern imaging engine comfortably handling 4K encoding and burst shooting with minimal buffer delay. Its support for RAW files broadens post-edit potential - a prepper’s dream for image quality.

Sony’s older BIONZ processor serves well for 1080p video and 10fps bursts but shows its age with longer buffering and no RAW support.

Price-to-Performance: What Are You Really Paying For?

At launch, the Leica V-Lux 5 retails around $1,550, placing it in a premium segment of bridge cameras. The Sony HX100V originally sold for about $429 but is now only available used, often under $200.

Does the Leica justify its steeper price tag? Absolutely - for photographers craving a competent all-in-one solution with excellent image quality, video capabilities and ergonomic refinement. In contrast, Sony HX100V’s budget appeal is hard to beat for beginners or casual users unwilling to splurge.

Leica V Lux 5 front Leica V Lux 5 screen back Sony HX100V front Sony HX100V screen back

Summary Scores and Final Recommendations

Here’s a snapshot of how these cameras perform in key areas I test rigorously with real-world shooting and lab measurement:

And diving deeper into genres:

Pros and Cons At a Glance

Leica V-Lux 5

Pros:

• Large 1” sensor with 20MP delivers superior image quality
• 4K video with mic input, touchscreen, and 100 Mbps bitrate
• Fast, smooth, versatile 24-400mm zoom with bright aperture
• Advanced autofocus with face detection and tracking
• Articulated touchscreen LCD and high-res EVF
• Modern connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• RAW shooting and manual modes suited for advanced shooters

Cons:

• Relatively bulky and somewhat heavy
• No weather sealing
• Pricier than many bridge options
• No headphone jack for full video monitoring

Sony Cyber-shot HX100V

Pros:

• Massive 27-810mm zoom ideal for reach-demanding subjects
• Lightweight, portable form factor
• Optical stabilization for handheld telephoto shooting
• Built-in GPS for easy geotagging
• Decent for casual snapshots and travel memories
• More affordable used on secondary market

Cons:

• Small 1/2.3” sensor limiting image quality and low light performance
• No RAW support; limited post-processing latitude
• Outdated autofocus system with no face detection
• Maximum 1080p video with no mic input and lower bitrate
• Less refined interface and no touchscreen
• No weather sealing, mediocre ergonomics

Who Should Buy Which?

• Buy the Leica V-Lux 5 if you want a high-quality all-round bridge camera that balances portability, image quality, and modern video features. It’s ideal for enthusiasts or professionals needing a reliable, versatile secondary camera or a serious travel compact. Portrait shooters, vloggers, and landscape photographers craving detailed files will love it.

• Buy the Sony HX100V if you are on a strict budget and desperate for huge zoom reach and basic portability, accepting compromises in image quality and autofocus speed. It makes a good first superzoom or backup camera mostly for outdoor daylight situations.

Closing Thoughts

The Leica V-Lux 5 and Sony HX100V, though both “bridge” superzoom cameras, couldn’t be more different testaments to how camera tech evolves. Leica’s model carries the torch forward with modern sensor tech, improved processing, and video capabilities that align with contemporary creator demands. Sony’s HX100V remains interesting as a relic of the early 2010s, catering to zoom enthusiasts not ready to delve into the mirrorless or DSLR realms.

As someone who’s tested countless models both new and older, I find the Leica V-Lux 5 is simply the superior choice for serious photography in 2024 - unless price is your absolute bottom line, in which case the Sony might still bring some fun to beginner photographers on the cheap.

Whichever side of the fence you land on, knowing these practical strengths and tradeoffs will help you make a confident camera buying decision tailored to your style and budget. Happy shooting!

If you’re curious about specific shooting scenarios or want an in-depth hands-on test of one of these models, drop me a line. I’m always excited to share more personal insights from behind the viewfinder.