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Sony HX1

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 front
 
  • 9MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1440 x 1080 video
  • 28-560mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
  • 544g - 115 x 83 x 92mm
  • Launched April 2009
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
67
Imaging
32
Features
36
Overall
33

Sony HX1 overview

Sony HX1 is Sony's Small Sensor Superzoom camera first revealed on April of 2009. It has a 9 MegaPixel, CMOS 1/2.4" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 3456 x 2592.

The HX1 is rated #230 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and all around #1018 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. Remember to check our Advanced camera finder to see camera results based on your personalized criteria.

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The following is a graph of various criteria used in the scoring system.

Sony HX1 Pros and Cons

Below is a collection of pros and cons of the Sony HX1 based on features that are normally viewed as crucial in a camera.

amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built-in flash
comes with HDMI socket
focusing manually
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
long reach (560mm)
quite wide (28mm)
screen tilts
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone socket
lack of headphone socket
lack of Timelapse function
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low resolution screen (230 thousand dots)
more heavy than competitors in class (544g)
no external flash support
no phase detect auto focus
no RAW support
sensor is small (1/2.4")
sensor resolution low (9 megapixels)
slow at full zoom (f5.2)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
video resolution low (1440 x 1080 pxls)
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Sony HX1 Sensor specifications

The Sony HX1 features the Bionz processor. The sensor dimension in the Sony HX1 is 6.104mm x 4.578mm (1/2.4"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 3456 x 2592 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera boasts Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is more desirable than digital stabilization as the latter can easily produce cropping.

Photography Glossary

The CMOS sensor boasts 9 megapixels and has a native ISO range of 125 - 3200. Unfortunately, RAW files are not supported which means that the user has less margin for error.

The graphic below displays the HX1's sensor dimensions in comparison to other common sizes. The HX1 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is pointed out in green.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 sensor size Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

To get a sense of different aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Sony HX1 dimensions

Sony HX1 is 1.20 lbs (544 grams / 19.19 oz) and the volume of the camera is 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6"). The weight of normal Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams so the Sony HX1 is more heavy in comparison with other rivals.

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The following is a pic of the Sony HX1 besides a softdrink to help you have a sense of its scale.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 dimensions scale

The top view below will highlight the button design on the HX1.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 topview buttons dials

Sony HX1 Lens specifications

The HX1 houses a fixed lens and it has a focal range of 28-560mm making it a 20.0 x zoom which is ideal and would enable you to zoom right in.

At the widest 28mm, the lens will have an aperture of f2.8 making it kind of slow and not the best in low light events and you may struggle to capture good bokeh. You will also have to boost the ISO setting resulting in noisy pictures. At the tele end, 560mm is incredible zoom and comes with f5.2 which is really slow and you may need to go with slow shutter speeds.

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Sony HX1 Connectivity

The HX1 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Cameras that come with NFC and Bluetooth compatibility can easily be used wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to send pictures and usually adjust camera settings without the hassle of connecting straight to the camera.

Certain applications even stream a Liveview and click the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera has a HDMI out, it could be attached to an external monitor. Most cameras will allow you to recharge the battery with the USB socket.

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Sony HX1 Video specifications

The maximum video resolution in the Sony HX1 is 1440 x 1080 and it can shoot in H.264 format. 1080p is low by today's requirements. You should target a minimum FUll HD resolution for good video. The camera doesn't feature a mic and headphone jack which means you have got little control over your sound. It is perhaps best to look at a different camera if you require good sound in your video clips.

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Sony HX1 Weather Sealing

Sony HX1 doesn't include weather sealing so wet conditions can easily damage the camera.

Sony HX1 Display and Viewfinder

The Sony HX1 has a 3 inch tilting display supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display is not a touch screen.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 screen and viewfinder Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The View Finder specs regarding Sony HX1 are below:

  • ViewFinder Electronic

In those bright outdoor situations which make the camera screens washed out and difficult to view, viewfinders will be pretty helpful.

Sony HX1 Shutter specifications

Sony HX1 has the ability to shoot continuously at 10.0 frames per second. The max shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.

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Sony HX1 Flash and Hot shoe specifications

Sony HX1 boasts only integrated flash lacking external flash ability.

Sony HX1 Autofocusing specifications

Sony HX1 boasts just Contrast Based Auto Focus and doesn't have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot snappier & accurate in comparison with Contrast Based focusing.

The Sensor has 9 focus points to pick from. Sony HX1 comes with manual focusing if required during low light conditions or you want to have more accurate focusing control.

Photography Glossary

Sony HX1 Battery life

The general Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR features the highest possible (600) battery life within this range of cameras.

Underneath is a listing of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras having the strongest battery life:

Sony HX1 for various types of photography

The following illustration provides a analysis of the Sony HX1 for various types of photography. To look at more, go to the specific paragraph below.

Sony HX1 Portrait photography details

The Sony HX1 gets a score of 27 which is dreadful, and means the camera is not really suitable to use for portraits. Taking portrait images favors greatly towards sensor size, RAW support and capability to use off-camera lighting.

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manual focus
no external flash support
low megapixels (9 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support

Sony HX1 Street photography highlights

Coming in at a modest points tally of 50, the Sony HX1 is relatively suited for street photography. A very good street photography camera gives a fine balance of picture quality plus portability.

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tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
doesn't have RAW files
more heavy than competition (544 grams)

Sports photography with Sony HX1

A dreadful sports photography score of 36 indicates the Sony HX1 is not really suitable for photographing sports. A camera must have fantastic tracking and fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

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excellent zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count low (9 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.4")
lacks phase detect auto focus

Sony HX1 Travel photography details

Weight is pretty important in getting a travel camera. Overall, the Sony HX1 gets a average 48 for a travel camera which makes it fairly appropriate for your vacations.

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built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
heavier than average in class (544 grams)
low megapixels (9 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)

Sony HX1 Landscape photography information

For anybody who is planning to choose a digital camera for landscape photos, the most significant factor will no doubt be image quality. The Sony HX1 with it's dreadful score of 39 for a landscape camera is not really suitable within the current marketplace.

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has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
megapixel count low (9MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.4")
does not have RAW files
does not have Timelapse function

Vlogging with Sony HX1

A camera for vlogging should really posses a articulating screen, mic input and preferably IBIS. Considering every thing, the Sony HX1 is not really suitable for vlogging as it delivers a dreadful score of 22.

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decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1440 x 1080 pixels)
lack of microphone support
more heavy than average in class (544g)

Sony HX1 Alternatives

If you are searching for alternatives to the HX1, below is a collection of the top scored cameras which fall within the category of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The line graph below provides you an overview of the HX1 vs it's highest scored rivals mentioned previously.

Following are additional cameras you might take a look at as alternate options. To read through a comprehensive comparison, go to the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Manufacturer
Sony
Model type
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
Category
Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched
2009-04-22
Physical type
SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Chip
Bionz
Sensor size
1/2.4"
Sensor measurements
6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area
27.9mm²
Sensor resolution
9MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution
3456 x 2592
RAW files
Maximum native ISO
3200
Minimum native ISO
125
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points
9
Lens
Lens mount type
fixed lens
Lens zoom range
28-560mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture
f/2.8-5.2
Macro focusing distance
1cm
Crop factor
5.9
Screen
Type of display
Tilting
Display diagonal
3 inch
Display resolution
230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Electronic
DXO scores
DXO All around rating
not tested
DXO Color Depth rating
not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating
not tested
DXO Low light rating
not tested
Features
Slowest shutter speed
30s
Maximum shutter speed
1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate
10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation
Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance
9.20 m
Flash settings
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Front Curtain, Rear Curtain
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions
1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution
1440x1080
Video file format
H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
544 gr (1.20 lbs)
Physical dimensions
115 x 83 x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6")
Other
Battery ID
NP-FH50
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type
Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots
Single
Pricing at launch
$47,999