Sony HX300 vs Sony W690

Lets take a more detailed look at the Sony HX300 and Sony W690, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the HX300 (20MP) and W690 (16MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The HX300 was brought out 12 months later than the W690 so they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the HX300 grades versus the W690 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690. The entire galleries are provided at Sony HX300 Gallery & Sony W690 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Sony HX300 enjoys outer measurements of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") having a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs) whilst the Sony W690 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Look at the Sony HX300 and Sony W690 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the HX300 against the W690.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the HX300 and W690 is 63 and 95 respectively.

Generally, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading through specs. The graphic underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the HX300 and W690.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Sony HX300 to give more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more modern HX300 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.