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Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
56
Overall
46
Nikon 1 J1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs

Nikon 1 J1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 234g - 106 x 61 x 30mm
  • Revealed January 2012
  • Later Model is Nikon 1 J2
Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Revealed July 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony HX10V
  • Renewed by Sony HX30V
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Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V Overview

Below is a in-depth overview of the Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Nikon and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the 1 J1 (10MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the 1 J1 (1") and HX20V (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The 1 J1 was launched 6 months earlier than the HX20V so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon 1 J1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the 1 J1 matches up vs the HX20V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon 1 J1 over the Sony HX20V

 1 J1 HX20V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Nikon 1 J1

 HX20V 1 J1 
Screen resolution922k460kCrisper screen (+462k dot)

Common features in the Nikon 1 J1 and Sony HX20V

 1 J1 HX20V 
RevealedJanuary 2012July 2012Similar generation
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and size. The Nikon 1 J1 has physical dimensions of 106mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 234 grams (0.52 lbs) and the Sony HX20V has specifications of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the 1 J1 and the HX20V.

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 1 J1 and HX20V is 91 and 90 respectively.

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V top view buttons comparison

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by checking specifications. The graphic here should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the 1 J1 and HX20V.

To sum up, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 1 J1 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX20V will give greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively.

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V sensor size comparison

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon 1 J1 Portrait photography information
Sony HX20V Portrait photography information
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
no external flash support
low resolution (10 megapixels)
45
has manual focus
decent MP (18MP)
includes face detection autofocus
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Nikon 1 J1 Street photography info
Sony HX20V Street photography info
69
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition (234g)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (254g)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon 1 J1
Sports photography with Sony HX20V
48
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
nice sensor size (1")
supports tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no image stabilization
low resolution (10 megapixels)
low battery life (230 per charge)
49
great zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon 1 J1 Travel photography advice
Sony HX20V Travel photography advice
60
lighter than competition (234g)
flash built-in
low battery life (230 per charge)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
69
lighter than competitors (254g)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long zoom (500mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon 1 J1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX20V as a Landscape photography camera
56
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Nikon 1 mount)
screen is a good size (3")
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
low resolution (10 megapixels)
low battery life (230 CIPA)
50
has manual focus
really wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon 1 J1 Vlogging information
Sony HX20V Vlogging information
30
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (234g)
does not have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
lack of external microphone support
34
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (254 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone support
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Nikon 1 J1 vs Sony HX20V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon 1 J1 and Sony HX20V
 Nikon 1 J1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Sony
Model Nikon 1 J1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-01-20 2012-07-20
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3872 x 2592 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 135 9
Lens
Lens mount Nikon 1 fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 13 -
Crop factor 2.7 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT LCD XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.00 m 7.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/60 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 1072 x 720 (60 fps) 640 x 240 (400), 320 x 120 (1200) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 234 gr (0.52 lbs) 254 gr (0.56 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 61 x 30mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.2") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.0 not tested
DXO Low light score 372 not tested
Other
Battery life 230 photographs 320 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL20 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $625 $397