Sony HX5 vs Sony TX20

Here, we will be looking at the Sony HX5 and Sony TX20, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both sold by Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the HX5 (10MP) and TX20 (16MP) and the HX5 (1/2.4") and TX20 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The HX5 was unveiled 20 months before the TX20 which makes them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX20 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the HX5 scores vs the TX20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20. The full galleries are viewable at Sony HX5 Gallery & Sony TX20 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony HX5 has got outside measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs) while the Sony TX20 has measurements of 96mm x 56mm x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

See the Sony HX5 and Sony TX20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the HX5 vs the TX20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the HX5 and TX20 is 92 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to envision the difference in sensor measurements purely by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the HX5 and TX20.

As you can see, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The HX5 having a bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony TX20 will render extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older HX5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.