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Sony HX30V vs Sony A77

Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
 
Sony SLT-A77 front
Portability
59
Imaging
63
Features
83
Overall
71

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 Key Specs

Sony HX30V
(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
  • Revealed February 2012
  • Old Model is Sony HX20V
  • Refreshed by Sony HX50V
Sony A77
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 50 - 16000 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 732g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Released October 2011
  • Superseded the Sony A700
  • Refreshed by Sony A77 II
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Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Sony HX30V vs Sony A77, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are created by Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the HX30V (18MP) and A77 (24MP) and the HX30V (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The HX30V was manufactured 5 months later than the A77 so they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the HX30V scores vs the A77 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Sony A77

 HX30V A77 
Display resolution922k921kSharper display (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A77 over the Sony HX30V

 A77 HX30V 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony HX30V and Sony A77

 HX30V A77 
ReleasedFebruary 2012October 2011Similar generation
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sony HX30V provides physical measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") along with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs) whilst the Sony A77 has measurements of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Look at the Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the HX30V compared to the A77.

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the HX30V and A77 is 90 and 59 respectively.

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the HX30V and A77.

Clearly, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The HX30V featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A77 will offer more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively.

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 sensor size comparison

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony HX30V
Portrait photography with Sony A77
45
you can focus manually
MP count good (18MP)
includes face detection focus
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
77
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony HX30V Street photography info
Sony A77 Street photography info
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (254g)
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
74
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather proof
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX30V Sports photography advice
Sony A77 Sports photography advice
49
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18MP)
includes tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
74
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (470 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony HX30V
Travel photography with Sony A77
69
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
MP count good (18MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
long reach (500mm)
missing Timelapse function
does not have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
62
weather proof
decent megapixels (24MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (470 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony HX30V
Landscape photography with Sony A77
50
you can focus manually
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
missing Timelapse function
71
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather proof
terrible battery pack (470 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX30V Vlogging advice
Sony A77 Vlogging advice
34
decently wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
does not have a selfie friendly display
missing external microphone support
76
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
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Sony HX30V vs Sony A77 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX30V and Sony A77
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30VSony SLT-A77
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V Sony SLT-A77
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-02-28 2011-10-25
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by BIONZ Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4896 x 3672 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 16000
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 50
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 25-500mm (20.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.2-5.8 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.10 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 254g (0.56 pounds) 732g (1.61 pounds)
Dimensions 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 78
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.2
DXO Low light score not tested 801
Other
Battery life 320 photos 470 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BG1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $420 $900