Sony H300 vs Sony S980

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Sony H300 versus Sony S980, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the H300 (20MP) and S980 (12MP) but they possess the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The H300 was unveiled 5 years later than the S980 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony H300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the H300 scores versus the S980 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The full galleries are viewable at Sony H300 Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony H300 comes with physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 122mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.8") accompanied by a weight of 590 grams (1.30 lbs) while the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Sony H300 versus Sony S980 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the H300 versus the S980.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the H300 and S980 is 63 and 94 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the H300 and S980.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Sony H300 to result in more detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent H300 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.