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Sony HX5

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
 
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
30
Overall
32

Sony HX5 overview

Sony HX5 is Sony's Small Sensor Compact digital camera first released on June of 2010. It uses a 10 MegaPixel, BSI-CMOS 1/2.4" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 3456 x 2592.

The HX5 is positioned #144 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras & all around #1047 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. You can look at our Advanced camera filter to get camera results based on your personal factors.

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

Sony HX5 Pros and Cons

Below is a list of upsides and downsides of the Sony HX5 based on factors that are often seen as crucial in a digital camera.

built in lens has zoom (25-250mm 10.0 x zoom)
does have HDMI socket
great reach (250mm)
has built in flash
image stabilization (Optical)
nice screen size (3 inch)
pretty wide (25mm)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
can't use external flash
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone socket
does not have headphone socket
does not have Timelapse mode
focusing manually not possible
lack of aperture priority mode
lacks phase detect auto focus
lacks RAW support
MP count low (10MP)
no shutter priority mode
screen does not articulate
screen has low resolution (230 thousand dots)
slow at full zoom (f5.5)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny sensor (1/2.4")
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Sony HX5 Sensor details

The Sony HX5 is run by the Bionz processor. The dimension of the sensor in the Sony HX5 is 6.104mm x 4.578mm (1/2.4"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to resolve 3456 x 2592 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is better than digital stabilization as the latter might cause cropping.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor has 10MP and supports a standard ISO range of 125 - 3200. Sadly, RAW format is not supported therefore the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The image below shows the HX5's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The HX5 sensor has a crop factor of 5.9 and is pointed out in green.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 sensor size Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

To get an idea of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Sony HX5 dimensions

Sony HX5 weighs in at 0.44 lb (200 grams / 7.05 ounces) & the volume of the camera is 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1"). The weight of general Small Sensor Compact camera is 174 grams so the Sony HX5 is more heavy in comparison with its competitors.

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The following is a photo of the Sony HX5 beside a softdrink so you can get a sense of its scale.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 dimensions scale

The top view here will show you the button layout on the HX5.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 topview buttons dials

Sony HX5 Lens specs

The HX5 has a built-in lens and it has a focal range of 25-250mm giving it a 10.0 x zoom which isn't really outstanding but it is likely to be valuable in some scenarios.

At the widest 25mm, the lens features an aperture of f3.5 making it rather slow and not great for low light circumstances and you will probably find it difficult to get good bokeh. You will probably also have to boost the ISO setting causing noisy shots. For the tele end, 250mm is outstanding zoom and comes with f5.5 which is very slow and you would need to set slower shutter speeds.

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Sony HX5 Connectivity

The HX5 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • HDMI Yes
  • GPS Yes

Cameras that contain NFC and / or Bluetooth support can be used wirelessly by smartphones. You are able to send images and sometimes alter settings with no need to connect physically to the camera.

Some applications even provide a Liveview and press the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it can be hooked up to an external monitor. Most cameras will allow you to recharge the battery with the USB port.

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Sony HX5 Video specs

The highest video resolution in the Sony HX5 is 1920 x 1080 and you can shoot in AVCHD file format. 1080p resolution gives you an excellent balance in video quality versus file sizes but FULL HD isn't going to give you any room to downsample. The camera doesn't include a microphone and / or headphone jack which means that you get little control over the sound. It is perhaps a better idea to order another camera should you want better sound for your videos.

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Sony HX5 Weather Sealing

Sony HX5 doesn't include weather sealing so damp conditions may ruin the camera.

Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder

The Sony HX5 houses a 3 inch fixed display screen supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Please be aware that the display has no touch support.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 screen and viewfinder Cutting-edge AI developed by Apple deciphers subtle nuances in pixels

The View Finder details for Sony HX5 are as follows:

  • ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be very beneficial in bright outdoor situations which may make the camera screen washed out and very difficult to see.

Sony HX5 Shutter specs

Sony HX5 continuous shooting speed is 10.0 fps. The highest shutter speed is 1/1600s.

Photography Glossary

Sony HX5 Flash and Hot shoe specs

Sony HX5 features only built in flash without external flash ability.

Sony HX5 Autofocusing specs

Sony HX5 features just Contrast Based Autofocus & lacks Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more snappier & precise in comparison with Contrast Based focusing.

The AF system boasts 9 focus points to choose from. Sony HX5 has not got manual focusing. Manual focusing is useful in low light occasions or you want to have more precise depth of field control.

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Sony HX5 Battery life

The typical Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 has the highest (470) battery life in this type of cameras.

Listed below is a listing of Small Sensor Compact cameras that come with the best battery life:

Sony HX5 for varying categories of photography

The following chart shows a summation of the Sony HX5 for varying categories of photography. To look at more, scroll to the specific paragraph below.

Sony HX5 as a Portrait photography camera

The Sony HX5 receives a points total of 20 which is dreadful, meaning that it is simply not good to use for portrait photography. Photographing portraits leans heavily to sensor resolution, RAW support along with the option to work with off-camera flash.

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focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support

Sony HX5 Street photography highlights

With a decent points total of 55, the Sony HX5 is fairly adequate for street photography. A good street photography camera gives a good balance of image quality plus portability.

Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.4")
does not have RAW files

Sports photography with Sony HX5

A dreadful sports photography rating of 27 indicates the Sony HX5 is simply not good for shooting sports. A camera needs excellent focusing plus continuous shooting for sports photography.

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has image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus

Sony HX5 as a Travel photography camera

Portability is very crucial in getting a camera for travel. Over-all, the Sony HX5 gets a modest 60 for a travelling camera which makes it relatively suitable to purchase for your holidays.

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flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (10MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.5)

Sony HX5 Landscape photography highlights

When you're looking to pick a camera for landscape photographs, the most vital aspect is going to be image quality. The Sony HX5 at it's dreadful grade of 37 as a landscape camera is simply not good in the current market.

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quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
low MP (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
no Time Lapse function

Sony HX5 Vlogging features

A vlogging camera should really come with a moving screen, microphone port and ideally image stabilization. Considering everything, the Sony HX5 is simply not good for vlogging as it comes to a dreadful rating of 31.

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reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external mic jack

Sony HX5 Alternatives

If you need alternatives to the HX5, here is a list of the highest scored cameras which fall under the category of Small Sensor Compact.

The graph down below gives you an overview of the HX5 versus it's top scoring rivals suggested earlier.

Here are a few more cameras you might see as alternatives. To see a detailed comparison, simply click the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Company
Sony
Model type
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Class
Small Sensor Compact
Revealed
2010-06-16
Physical type
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
BSI-CMOS
Powered by
Bionz
Sensor size
1/2.4"
Sensor measurements
6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area
27.9mm²
Sensor resolution
10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution
3456 x 2592
RAW format
Highest native ISO
3200
Min native ISO
125
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points
9
Lens
Lens support
fixed lens
Lens zoom range
25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture
f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance
5cm
Focal length multiplier
5.9
Screen
Screen type
Fixed Type
Screen sizing
3 inch
Resolution of screen
230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
None
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
Lowest shutter speed
30 seconds
Highest shutter speed
1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate
10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance
3.80 m
Flash modes
Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution
1920x1080
Video format
AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
200 gr (0.44 lbs)
Dimensions
102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
Other
Battery ID
NP-BG1
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage
Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots
One
Launch pricing
$275