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Sony A580 vs Sony HX5

Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
82
Overall
67
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
30
Overall
32

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs

Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced May 2011
  • Superseded the Sony A100
Sony HX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Introduced June 2010
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Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony HX5

 A580 HX5 
IntroducedMay 2011June 2010More modern by 12 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Sony A580

 HX5 A580 

Common features in the Sony A580 and Sony HX5

 A580 HX5 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 size comparison

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

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A580 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony HX5 as a Portrait photography camera
74
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
supports RAW files
20
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.4")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A580 Street photography information
Sony HX5 Street photography information
75
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
55
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.4")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A580 as a Sports photography camera
Sony HX5 as a Sports photography camera
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
great battery pack (1,050 shots)
comes with phase detect auto focus
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.4")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A580 Travel photography features
Sony HX5 Travel photography features
61
great battery pack (1,050 shots)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
does not contain selfie friendly display
60
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A580 Landscape photography highlights
Sony HX5 Landscape photography highlights
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (1,050 shots)
has double storage slots
no Time Lapse function
37
decently wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.4")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A580 Vlogging details
Sony HX5 Vlogging details
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic port
does not contain selfie friendly display
31
decently wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of mic port
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Sony A580 vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A580 and Sony HX5
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-05-26 2010-06-16
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.4"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4912 x 3264 3456 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 15 9
Cross type focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 599 grams (1.32 lbs) 200 grams (0.44 lbs)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1121 not tested
Other
Battery life 1050 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots Two One
Pricing at release $848 $275