Sony HX1 vs Sony A58

Lets examine more in depth at the Sony HX1 vs Sony A58, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are produced by Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the HX1 (9MP) and A58 (20MP) and the HX1 (1/2.4") and A58 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The HX1 was announced 5 years before the A58 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the HX1 grades versus the A58 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 and Sony SLT-A58. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony HX1 Gallery and Sony A58 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony HX1 has outer dimensions of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") with a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs) and the Sony A58 has dimensions of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") and a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony HX1 vs Sony A58 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the HX1 vs the A58.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the HX1 and A58 is 67 and 68 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements purely by going through technical specs. The graphic below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX1 and A58.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The HX1 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A58 will provide more detail with its extra 11 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older HX1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.