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Sony HX50V vs Sony S980

Portability
89
Imaging
44
Features
57
Overall
49
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony HX50V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Expand to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5 - 6.3) lens
  • 272g - 108 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced April 2013
  • Earlier Model is Sony HX30V
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Revealed February 2009
Photography Glossary

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Sony HX50V and Sony S980, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the HX50V (20MP) and S980 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The HX50V was brought out 4 years later than the S980 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short highlight of how the HX50V matches up versus the S980 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX50V over the Sony S980

 HX50V S980 
RevealedApril 2013February 2009Fresher by 51 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony HX50V

 S980 HX50V 

Common features in the Sony HX50V and Sony S980

 HX50V S980 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Sony HX50V has got outer measurements of 108mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 272 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Sony S980 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony HX50V and Sony S980 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the HX50V vs the S980.

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the HX50V and S980 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizing merely by going through technical specs. The photograph here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the HX50V and S980.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should count on the Sony HX50V to provide greater detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The fresher HX50V should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony HX50V
Portrait photography with Sony S980
50
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
offers face detect autofocus
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
27
has manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony HX50V Street photography details
Sony S980 Street photography details
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (272 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
47
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony HX50V
Sports photography with Sony S980
57
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
offers tracking focus
great battery life (400 CIPA)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
17
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony HX50V Travel photography highlights
Sony S980 Travel photography highlights
71
great battery life (400 shots)
lighter than competition (272 grams)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5 )
51
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX50V as a Landscape photography camera
Sony S980 as a Landscape photography camera
53
has manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
great battery life (400 shots)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5 )
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
27
has manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX50V as a Vlogging camera
Sony S980 as a Vlogging camera
34
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (272 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5 )
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of mic port
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone port
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Sony HX50V vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX50V and Sony S980
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50VSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-04-24 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5184 x 2920 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Highest boosted ISO 12800 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-720mm (30.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.5 - 6.3 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range 5cm 10cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 921 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech XtraFine LCD display -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.60 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Advanced Flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 272g (0.60 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 64 x 38mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 400 shots -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-BX1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $439 $300