Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500

Here is a thorough assessment of the Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and both are manufactured by Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the HX1 (9MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the HX1 (1/2.4") and WX500 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The HX1 was manufactured 7 years earlier than the WX500 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a concise view of how the HX1 scores versus the WX500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony HX1 Gallery & Sony WX500 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony HX1 comes with physical measurements of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") having a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs) while the Sony WX500 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the HX1 vs the WX500.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the HX1 and WX500 is 67 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to see the gap between sensor sizing only by looking at specifications. The graphic below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the HX1 and WX500.

To sum up, both the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The HX1 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony WX500 will give greater detail due to its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older HX1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.