Sony A580 vs Sony HX5

Let's take a deeper look at the Sony A580 versus Sony HX5, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both sold by Sony. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the A580 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the A580 (APS-C) and HX5 (1/2.4") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A580 was announced 12 months after the HX5 so they are of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple summary of how the A580 scores against the HX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The whole galleries are available at Sony A580 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A580 has got external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Examine the Sony A580 versus Sony HX5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the A580 against the HX5.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the A580 and HX5 is 64 and 92 respectively.

Generally, its tough to envision the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading through specifications. The picture below may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the A580 and HX5.

To sum up, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The A580 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony A580 will give more detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The younger A580 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.