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Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5

Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
29
Overall
32

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 Key Specs

Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Revealed August 2012
  • Updated by Sony RX100 II
Sony WX5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.4-5.9) lens
  • 146g - 92 x 52 x 22mm
  • Introduced July 2010
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Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 Overview

In this article, we are matching up the Sony RX100 and Sony WX5, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both sold by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the RX100 (20MP) and WX5 (12MP) and the RX100 (1") and WX5 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The RX100 was launched 2 years after the WX5 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony WX5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the RX100 scores versus the WX5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony WX5

 RX100 WX5 
IntroducedAugust 2012July 2010More modern by 27 months
Manual focus More exact focusing
Display sizing3"2.8"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1229k461kSharper display (+768k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony WX5 over the Sony RX100

 WX5 RX100 

Common features in the Sony RX100 and Sony WX5

 RX100 WX5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony RX100 has outer dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) and the Sony WX5 has measurements of 92mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check out the Sony RX100 and Sony WX5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the RX100 against the WX5.

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the RX100 and WX5 is 91 and 95 respectively.

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes only by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the RX100 and WX5.

Clearly, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The RX100 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony RX100 will show more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos far more aggressively. The newer RX100 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 Portrait photography info
Sony WX5 Portrait photography info
64
manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers face detect focusing
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
21
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony RX100
Street photography with Sony WX5
79
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (240 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
screen is fixed
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony RX100
Sports photography with Sony WX5
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers tracking focus
lack of phase detect AF
34
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking focus
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 Travel photography info
Sony WX5 Travel photography info
79
lighter than competitors in class (240 grams)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
58
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
no Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 Landscape photography features
Sony WX5 Landscape photography features
74
manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
37
really wide (24mm)
nice screen size (2.8 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.4)
no manual exposure
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 Vlogging information
Sony WX5 Vlogging information
38
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors in class (240 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
no microphone support
32
really wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f2.4)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no microphone port
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Sony RX100 vs Sony WX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 and Sony WX5
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5
Class Large Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-08-28 2010-07-08
Body design Large Sensor Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5472 x 3648 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-100mm (3.6x) 24-120mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture f/1.8-4.9 f/2.4-5.9
Macro focus distance 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 2.7 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.8 inches
Resolution of screen 1,229 thousand dot 461 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech WhiteMagic TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 5.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/2000 seconds -
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), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (50 fps), 1440 x 1080 (50, 25fps), 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 240g (0.53 pounds) 146g (0.32 pounds)
Dimensions 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") 92 x 52 x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 390 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/ SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $448 $250