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Sony HX7V vs Sony S980

Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony HX7V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 208g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Revealed July 2011
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
  • Announced February 2009
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Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Sony HX7V vs Sony S980, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras and both are designed by Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the HX7V (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The HX7V was introduced 2 years after the S980 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the HX7V grades vs the S980 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX7V over the Sony S980

 HX7V S980 
AnnouncedJuly 2011February 2009More modern by 30 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony HX7V

 S980 HX7V 
Manual focus More precise focus

Common features in the Sony HX7V and Sony S980

 HX7V S980 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony HX7V enjoys outside measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Look at the Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the HX7V compared to the S980.

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the HX7V and S980 is 92 and 94 respectively.

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over specs. The image underneath will offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the HX7V and S980.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You can expect the Sony HX7V to offer you greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The fresher HX7V provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony HX7V Portrait photography information
Sony S980 Portrait photography information
30
MP count good (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
27
you can focus manually
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony HX7V as a Street photography camera
Sony S980 as a Street photography camera
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
47
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX7V Sports photography info
Sony S980 Sports photography info
39
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
17
low frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony HX7V Travel photography advice
Sony S980 Travel photography advice
67
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
does not have selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
51
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX7V as a Landscape photography camera
Sony S980 as a Landscape photography camera
42
fairly wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
27
you can focus manually
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX7V Vlogging details
Sony S980 Vlogging details
32
fairly wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of microphone jack
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic jack
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Sony HX7V vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX7V and Sony S980
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7VSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-07-19 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by BIONZ -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-250mm (10.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.5 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 921 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology XtraFine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.80 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 208 gr (0.46 lbs) 167 gr (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model NP-BG1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media 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
Price at release $499 $300