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Sony HX1 vs Sony W550

Portability
67
Imaging
32
Features
36
Overall
33
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony HX1
(Full Review)
  • 9MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1440 x 1080 video
  • 28-560mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
  • 544g - 115 x 83 x 92mm
  • Introduced April 2009
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Revealed July 2011
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Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Sony HX1 and Sony W550, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are offered by Sony. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the HX1 (9MP) and W550 (14MP) and the HX1 (1/2.4") and W550 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The HX1 was manufactured 3 years before the W550 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the HX1 grades against the W550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX1 over the Sony W550

 HX1 W550 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony HX1

 W550 HX1 
RevealedJuly 2011April 2009Fresher by 27 months

Common features in the Sony HX1 and Sony W550

 HX1 W550 
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony HX1 provides outer measurements of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs) and the Sony W550 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Examine the Sony HX1 and Sony W550 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the HX1 compared to the W550.

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the HX1 and W550 is 67 and 96 respectively.

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing only by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph underneath may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the HX1 and W550.

Clearly, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The HX1 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Sony W550 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 5MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older HX1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony HX1 Portrait photography highlights
Sony W550 Portrait photography highlights
27
focusing manually
no external flash support
resolution not great (9 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
no RAW format
28
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony HX1 Street photography features
Sony W550 Street photography features
50
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
no RAW format
heavier than others (544g)
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX1 Sports photography details
Sony W550 Sports photography details
36
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution not great (9MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
no phase detect auto focus
35
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony HX1
Travel photography with Sony W550
48
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
great zoom (560mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
heavier than others (544 grams)
resolution not great (9MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
65
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
really wide (26mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX1 Landscape photography factors
Sony W550 Landscape photography factors
39
focusing manually
relatively wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
resolution not great (9 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
no RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
42
really wide (26mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
lack of manual mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony HX1
Vlogging with Sony W550
22
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video res low (1440 x 1080 resolution)
missing mic port
heavier than others (544g)
29
really wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic support
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Sony HX1 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX1 and Sony W550
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Introduced 2009-04-22 2011-07-24
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.4" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.104 x 4.578mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 9MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3456 x 2592 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-560mm (20.0x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.2 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus range 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 9.20 m 3.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Front Curtain, Rear Curtain Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1440x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 544g (1.20 pounds) 110g (0.24 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 83 x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model NP-FH50 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 -
Launch price $47,999 $119