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Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500

Portability
67
Imaging
32
Features
36
Overall
33
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 front
Portability
91
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 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
  • Released April 2009
Sony WX500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 236g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Older Model is Sony WX350
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Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX1 over the Sony WX500

 HX1 WX500 
Manual focus Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Sony HX1

 WX500 HX1 
RevealedApril 2015April 2009Fresher by 72 months
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Sony HX1 and Sony WX500

 HX1 WX500 
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 size comparison

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

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 sensor size comparison

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony HX1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Portrait photography camera
27
has manual focus
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (9 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
does not have RAW support
39
decent MP (18 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony HX1 Street photography advice
Sony WX500 Street photography advice
50
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
does not have RAW support
more heavy than average in class (544 grams)
69
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (236g)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX1 Sports photography info
Sony WX500 Sports photography info
36
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution not great (9 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
does not have phase detect autofocus
57
incredible zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
features tracking focus
better than average battery life (360 CIPA)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony HX1 Travel photography info
Sony WX500 Travel photography info
48
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
very long zoom (560mm)
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than average in class (544g)
sensor resolution not great (9MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
71
better than average battery life (360 shots)
lighter than competition (236 grams)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony HX1
Landscape photography with Sony WX500
39
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor resolution not great (9 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
does not have RAW support
missing Timelapse function
49
pretty wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
better than average battery life (360 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX1 Vlogging features
Sony WX500 Vlogging features
22
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1440 x 1080 resolution)
missing microphone port
more heavy than average in class (544 grams)
35
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (236 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone socket
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Sony HX1 vs Sony WX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX1 and Sony WX500
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2009-04-22 2015-04-14
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.4" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.104 x 4.578mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 9 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3456 x 2592 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Minimum native ISO 125 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-560mm (20.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-5.2 f/3.5-6.4
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 9.20 m 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Front Curtain, Rear Curtain Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Max video resolution 1440x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 544 gr (1.20 lbs) 236 gr (0.52 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 83 x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 360 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $47,999 $348