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Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Sony HX30V
(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 February 2012
  • Earlier Model is Sony HX20V
  • Replacement is Sony HX50V
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Launched May 2014
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 II
  • New Model is Sony RX100 IV
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Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Sony HX30V and Sony RX100 III, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both manufactured by Sony. The image resolution of the HX30V (18MP) and the RX100 III (20MP) is relatively comparable but the HX30V (1/2.3") and RX100 III (1") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The HX30V was brought out 3 years prior to the RX100 III and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the HX30V grades versus the RX100 III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Sony RX100 III

 HX30V RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony HX30V

 RX100 III HX30V 
LaunchedMay 2014February 2012More recent by 26 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k922kSharper screen (+307k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony HX30V and Sony RX100 III

 HX30V RX100 III 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony HX30V has got exterior dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs) and the Sony RX100 III has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony HX30V and Sony RX100 III in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the HX30V against the RX100 III.

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the HX30V and RX100 III is 90 and 89 respectively.

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements only by going through specs. The photograph underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX30V and RX100 III.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The HX30V due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony RX100 III will provide more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older HX30V will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony HX30V
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 III
45
you can focus manually
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
has face detect autofocus
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
65
has manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
has face detection focus
supports RAW formats
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Sony HX30V Street photography highlights
Sony RX100 III Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (254g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (290 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony HX30V
Sports photography with Sony RX100 III
49
amazing zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
has tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
has tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony HX30V
Travel photography with Sony RX100 III
69
lighter than competitors (254 grams)
good megapixels (18MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great zoom (500mm)
no Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
86
lighter than competition (290g)
megapixel count good (20MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX30V as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Landscape photography camera
50
you can focus manually
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
74
has manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW formats
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX30V Vlogging highlights
Sony RX100 III Vlogging highlights
34
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors (254g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
display isn't selfie friendly
no mic support
81
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (290g)
does not have external microphone jack
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Sony HX30V vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX30V and Sony RX100 III
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30VSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-02-28 2014-05-15
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by BIONZ Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4896 x 3672 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-500mm (20.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture f/3.2-5.8 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 922 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.10 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync -
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/2000s
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) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 254g (0.56 lb) 290g (0.64 lb)
Physical dimensions 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 67
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 495
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 320 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-BG1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $420 $748