Sony HX1 vs Sony W550

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.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The entire galleries are provided at Sony HX1 Gallery and Sony W550 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.