Samsung HZ30W vs Sony A57

The following is a thorough comparison of the Samsung HZ30W and Sony A57, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Samsung and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the HZ30W (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the HZ30W (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The HZ30W was introduced 3 years prior to the A57 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Samsung HZ30W being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the HZ30W matches up against the A57 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Samsung HZ30W and Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are available at Samsung HZ30W Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Samsung HZ30W comes with external dimensions of 107mm x 61mm x 28mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs) while the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Examine the Samsung HZ30W and Sony A57 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the HZ30W against the A57.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the HZ30W and A57 is 91 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it is very hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions simply by checking technical specs. The pic underneath should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the HZ30W and A57.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The HZ30W with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A57 will resolve greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged HZ30W is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.