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Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII

Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII front
Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII Key Specs

Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Launched July 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony HX10V
  • Newer Model is Sony HX30V
Sony RX100 VII
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 302g - 102 x 58 x 43mm
  • Revealed July 2019
  • Replaced the Sony RX100 VI
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Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII Overview

Let's look closer at the Sony HX20V and Sony RX100 VII, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Sony. The resolution of the HX20V (18MP) and the RX100 VII (20MP) is pretty close but the HX20V (1/2.3") and RX100 VII (1") have different sensor sizing.

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The HX20V was announced 8 years prior to the RX100 VII which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summary of how the HX20V scores against the RX100 VII in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Sony RX100 VII

 HX20V RX100 VII 
Screen resolution922k921kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VII over the Sony HX20V

 RX100 VII HX20V 
RevealedJuly 2019July 2012More modern by 85 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony HX20V and Sony RX100 VII

 HX20V RX100 VII 
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony HX20V has outer measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs) and the Sony RX100 VII has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") having a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Compare the Sony HX20V and Sony RX100 VII in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the HX20V against the RX100 VII.

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the HX20V and RX100 VII is 90 and 88 respectively.

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII top view buttons comparison

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes merely by viewing technical specs. The image here may offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the HX20V and RX100 VII.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The HX20V having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony RX100 VII will result in greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged HX20V will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII sensor size comparison

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony HX20V Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 VII Portrait photography details
45
has manual focus
good MP (18MP)
has face detection focusing
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
66
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Sony HX20V Street photography factors
Sony RX100 VII Street photography factors
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (254g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
has touch to focus
lighter than average (302 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX20V Sports photography information
Sony RX100 VII Sports photography information
49
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18MP)
has tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
70
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
includes tracking focus
has phase detect AF
bad battery (260 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony HX20V Travel photography factors
Sony RX100 VII Travel photography factors
69
lighter than competition (254g)
good MP (18MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
very long zoom (500mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
77
lighter than average (302 grams)
has bluetooth
has touch to focus
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
really wide (24mm)
bad battery (260 shots)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX20V Landscape photography highlights
Sony RX100 VII Landscape photography highlights
50
has manual focus
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
65
focusing manually
really wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
bad battery (260 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX20V as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Vlogging camera
34
decently wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (254 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have external mic support
81
really wide (24mm)
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has mic socket
lighter than average (302g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Sony HX20V vs Sony RX100 VII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX20V and Sony RX100 VII
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20VSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-07-20 2019-07-25
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip BIONZ Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4896 x 3672 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-500mm (20.0x) 24-200mm (8.3x)
Highest aperture f/3.2-5.8 f/2.8-4.5
Macro focusing range 1cm 8cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 922k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.10 m 5.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 254 gr (0.56 pounds) 302 gr (0.67 pounds)
Physical dimensions 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") 102 x 58 x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 63
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 418
Other
Battery life 320 images 260 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-BG1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $397 $1,298