Sony HX1 vs Sony RX100 IV

In this write-up, we are contrasting the Sony HX1 and Sony RX100 IV, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both created by Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the HX1 (9MP) and RX100 IV (20MP) and the HX1 (1/2.4") and RX100 IV (1") come with different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The HX1 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the RX100 IV and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short summary of how the HX1 scores against the RX100 IV with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV. The full galleries are available at Sony HX1 Gallery and Sony RX100 IV Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony HX1 features outer dimensions of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") having a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs) and the Sony RX100 IV has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Contrast the Sony HX1 and Sony RX100 IV in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the HX1 vs the RX100 IV.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the HX1 and RX100 IV is 67 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements only by looking at technical specs. The visual here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX1 and RX100 IV.

As you can tell, each of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The HX1 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony RX100 IV will give more detail having an extra 11MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos far more aggressively. The older HX1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.