Sony HX1 vs Sony W730

Its time to look more in depth at the Sony HX1 versus Sony W730, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the HX1 (9MP) and W730 (16MP) and the HX1 (1/2.4") and W730 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The HX1 was announced 4 years before the W730 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony W730 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the HX1 matches up against the W730 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W730. The whole galleries are available at Sony HX1 Gallery & Sony W730 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony HX1 features outside dimensions of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs) whilst the Sony W730 has sizing of 93mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") with a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs).

Check the Sony HX1 versus Sony W730 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the HX1 against the W730.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the HX1 and W730 is 67 and 96 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The pic below might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX1 and W730.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The HX1 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony W730 will show more detail with its extra 7 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged HX1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.