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Sony HX400V vs Sony A55

Portability
62
Imaging
45
Features
60
Overall
51
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony HX400V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 660g - 130 x 93 x 103mm
  • Launched February 2014
  • Old Model is Sony HX300
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • Later Model is Sony A57
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Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Sony HX400V and Sony A55, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are sold by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the HX400V (20MP) and A55 (16MP) and the HX400V (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The HX400V was unveiled 3 years after the A55 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the HX400V matches up vs the A55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX400V over the Sony A55

 HX400V A55 
LaunchedFebruary 2014August 2010More modern by 43 months

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony HX400V

 A55 HX400V 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony HX400V and Sony A55

 HX400V A55 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Display resolution921k921kThe same display resolution
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony HX400V offers exterior measurements of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") and a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs) while the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Examine the Sony HX400V and Sony A55 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the HX400V against the A55.

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the HX400V and A55 is 62 and 67 respectively.

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes purely by researching a spec sheet. The pic underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the HX400V and A55.

As you can see, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The HX400V having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony HX400V will result in extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more modern HX400V is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony HX400V Portrait photography advice
Sony A55 Portrait photography advice
51
focusing manually
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
supports face detect focusing
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
73
manual focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Sony HX400V as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
50
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
more heavy than average in class (660g)
77
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX400V as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
55
great zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
low battery (380 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony HX400V Travel photography features
Sony A55 Travel photography features
53
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
long zoom (1200mm)
no Timelapse recording
more heavy than average in class (660g)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
62
decent MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse recording
low battery (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX400V Landscape photography info
Sony A55 Landscape photography info
49
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
no Timelapse recording
67
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
low battery (380 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX400V as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
29
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has microphone port
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than average in class (660 grams)
78
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external mic socket
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Sony HX400V vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX400V and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400VSony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V Sony SLT-A55
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2014-02-12 2010-08-24
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-1200mm (50.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-6.3 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 921 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.50 m (ISO Auto) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash modes Flash Off / Autoflash / Fill-flash / Slow Sync. / Advanced Flash / Rear Sync. / Wireless (with optional compliant flash) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
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 660g (1.46 pounds) 500g (1.10 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 93 x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 816
Other
Battery life 300 images 380 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $448 $800