Sony A390 vs Sony HX80

On this page, we are reviewing the Sony A390 vs Sony HX80, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A390 (14MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the A390 (APS-C) and HX80 (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.

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The A390 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the HX80 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the A390 matches up versus the HX80 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony A390 Gallery & Sony HX80 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Sony A390 offers external dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony HX80 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Sony A390 vs Sony HX80 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the A390 against the HX80.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the A390 and HX80 is 66 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it is very tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A390 and HX80.

Clearly, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The A390 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX80 will result in greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older A390 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.