Sony a1 vs Sony HX80

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Sony a1 and Sony HX80, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both produced by Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the a1 (50MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the a1 (Full frame) and HX80 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The a1 was announced 4 years later than the HX80 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the a1 scores against the HX80 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha a1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony a1 Gallery & Sony HX80 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Sony a1 features external measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Sony HX80 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check out the Sony a1 and Sony HX80 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the a1 versus the HX80.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the a1 and HX80 is 61 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements merely by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the a1 and HX80.

As you can see, both cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The a1 with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony a1 will render greater detail with its extra 32MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more modern a1 will have an edge in sensor tech.