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Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
54
Overall
54
Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V Key Specs

Sony A390
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Launched July 2010
  • Previous Model is Sony A380
Sony HX30V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Launched February 2012
  • Replaced the Sony HX20V
  • Replacement is Sony HX50V
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Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V Overview

Following is a extended comparison of the Sony A390 and Sony HX30V, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Sony. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the A390 (14MP) and HX30V (18MP) and the A390 (APS-C) and HX30V (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The A390 was manufactured 19 months prior to the HX30V making the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief overview of how the A390 scores versus the HX30V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A390 over the Sony HX30V

 A390 HX30V 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Sony A390

 HX30V A390 
LaunchedFebruary 2012July 2010More modern by 19 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Sony A390 and Sony HX30V

 A390 HX30V 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A390 has physical measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony HX30V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

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Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the A390 against the HX30V.

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A390 and HX30V is 66 and 90 respectively.

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V top view buttons comparison

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through specifications. The image below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the A390 and HX30V.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A390 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony HX30V will show more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A390 will be behind in sensor tech.

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V sensor size comparison

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A390 Portrait photography details
Sony HX30V Portrait photography details
72
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
45
has manual focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
provides face detection focus
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A390 Street photography info
Sony HX30V Street photography info
76
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A390
Sports photography with Sony HX30V
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low battery (230 shots)
49
excellent zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A390 Travel photography factors
Sony HX30V Travel photography factors
53
megapixel count decent (14MP)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
low battery (230 shots)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
decent MP (18MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
great zoom (500mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A390 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX30V as a Landscape photography camera
61
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
low battery (230 shots)
does not have Time Lapse function
50
has manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A390 Vlogging factors
Sony HX30V Vlogging factors
9
no video shooting
34
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic support
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Sony A390 vs Sony HX30V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A390 and Sony HX30V
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A390Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2010-07-28 2012-02-28
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.7mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 369.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus range - 1cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.49x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 549 grams (1.21 pounds) 254 grams (0.56 pounds)
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 607 not tested
Other
Battery life 230 photographs 320 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FH50 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $500 $420