Sony HX5 vs Sony WX500

In this article, we are analyzing the Sony HX5 versus Sony WX500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the HX5 (10MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the HX5 (1/2.4") and WX500 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

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The HX5 was launched 5 years prior to the WX500 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the HX5 scores against the WX500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The complete galleries are provided at Sony HX5 Gallery & Sony WX500 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera often, you should think about its weight and size. The Sony HX5 enjoys 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) whilst the Sony WX500 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Sony HX5 versus Sony WX500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the HX5 against the WX500.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the HX5 and WX500 is 92 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by looking through specs. The graphic below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the HX5 and WX500.

All in all, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The HX5 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony WX500 will provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images far more aggressively. The older HX5 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.