Pentax MX-1 vs Sony HX30V

Its time to look much closer at the Pentax MX-1 vs Sony HX30V, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Pentax and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the MX-1 (12MP) and HX30V (18MP) and the MX-1 (1/1.7") and HX30V (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The MX-1 was brought out 17 months later than the HX30V making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the MX-1 matches up versus the HX30V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax MX-1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The entire galleries are viewable at Pentax MX-1 Gallery & Sony HX30V Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Pentax MX-1 provides external measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Sony HX30V has specifications of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") along with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax MX-1 vs Sony HX30V in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the MX-1 vs the HX30V.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the MX-1 and HX30V is 84 and 90 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements merely by viewing specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the MX-1 and HX30V.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The MX-1 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX30V will render greater detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos far more aggressively. The more modern MX-1 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.