Sony HX300 vs Sony HX5

Let's look more in depth at the Sony HX300 and Sony HX5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the HX300 (20MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the HX300 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The HX300 was released 2 years after the HX5 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the HX300 scores against the HX5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The complete galleries are provided at Sony HX300 Gallery and Sony HX5 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Sony HX300 has outside dimensions of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") with a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs) while the Sony HX5 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Sony HX300 and Sony HX5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the HX300 versus the HX5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the HX300 and HX5 is 63 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions merely by looking through specs. The image here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX300 and HX5.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The HX300 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony HX300 will result in greater detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos more aggressively. The newer HX300 will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.