Sony HX5 vs Sony S980

Below is a in depth assessment of the Sony HX5 and Sony S980, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras and both of them are offered by Sony. The image resolution of the HX5 (10MP) and the S980 (12MP) is pretty similar but the HX5 (1/2.4") and S980 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor size.

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The HX5 was brought out 17 months later than the S980 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the HX5 scores vs the S980 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony HX5 Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Sony HX5 provides outer dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs) while the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Sony HX5 and Sony S980 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view size comparison of the HX5 vs the S980.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the HX5 and S980 is 92 and 94 respectively.

Often, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by going over technical specs. The visual here will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX5 and S980.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The HX5 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony S980 will offer more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger HX5 will have a benefit in sensor technology.