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Sony HX20V vs Sony A99

Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
70
Features
88
Overall
77

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 Key Specs

Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Introduced July 2012
  • Older Model is Sony HX10V
  • Successor is Sony HX30V
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Introduced December 2012
  • Older Model is Sony A900
  • Replacement is Sony A99 II
Photography Glossary

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Sony HX20V vs Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR and both are created by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the HX20V (18MP) and A99 (24MP) and the HX20V (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The HX20V was launched 4 months earlier than the A99 so they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the HX20V scores versus the A99 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Sony A99

 HX20V A99 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Sony HX20V

 A99 HX20V 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k922kClearer screen (+307k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony HX20V and Sony A99

 HX20V A99 
IntroducedJuly 2012December 2012Same generation
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony HX20V offers outer dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs) while the Sony A99 has dimensions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") and a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the HX20V against the A99.

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the HX20V and A99 is 90 and 57 respectively.

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing just by looking through specs. The graphic here will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX20V and A99.

As you can plainly see, both cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The HX20V featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A99 will render greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively.

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony HX20V Portrait photography advice
Sony A99 Portrait photography advice
45
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
82
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony HX20V
Street photography with Sony A99
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (254g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
75
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX20V Sports photography factors
Sony A99 Sports photography factors
49
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
includes tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
78
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
low battery (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony HX20V Travel photography features
Sony A99 Travel photography features
69
lighter than competitors (254 grams)
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
long reach (500mm)
no Timelapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.2)
60
weather sealing
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse recording
low battery (500 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX20V Landscape photography advice
Sony A99 Landscape photography advice
50
manual focus
rather wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Timelapse recording
75
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
two card slots
low battery (500 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX20V Vlogging info
Sony A99 Vlogging info
34
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (254g)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
no external microphone jack
76
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone socket
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Sony HX20V vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX20V and Sony A99
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20VSony SLT-A99
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V Sony SLT-A99
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2012-07-20 2012-12-12
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4896 x 3672 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 19
Cross type focus points - 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-500mm (20.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.2-5.8 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 922 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.10 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 254 gr (0.56 lb) 812 gr (1.79 lb)
Physical dimensions 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 89
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1555
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 500 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-BG1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Card slots 1 Dual
Retail price $397 $1,998