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Sony QX30

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 front
 
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • " Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.3) lens
  • 193g - 68 x 65 x 58mm
  • Released September 2014
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
91
Imaging
45
Features
37
Overall
41

Sony QX30 summary

Sony QX30 is Sony's Lens-style digital camera first launched on September of 2014. It uses a 20 MegaPixel, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a max resolution of 5184 x 3888.

The QX30 stands at #3 out of 4 in Lens-style cameras and over all #643 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. You should use our Advanced camera search to see camera ratings based on your personal requirements.

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Below is a diagram of multiple factors used in the rating system.

Sony QX30 history

The Sony QX30 comes with a history of related digital cameras. Below, you can look at all past and newer models along with important specs.

ModelVisualizeLensResolutionSensor SizeReleased
Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-QX30 front thumbnailSony QX3024-720mm
F3.5-6.3
20MP1/2.3"2014
Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-QX10 front thumbnailSony QX10
QX30 vs QX10
25-250mm
F3.3-5.9
18MP1/2.3"2013
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Sony QX30 Pros and Cons

Here is a list of advantages and drawbacks of the Sony QX30 based on features which are oftentimes considered crucial in a digital camera.

amazing zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built-in touchscreen
features face detect autofocus
good minimum ISO (80)
great zoom (720mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
MP count decent (20MP)
NFC support
really wide (24mm)
supports touch focus
can't use external flash
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
fixed screen
has no phase detect autofocus
has no RAW format
lack of HDMI support
lack of headphone jack
lack of microphone jack
lack of Timelapse mode
low battery pack (200 per charge)
manual exposure not available
max zoom aperture not good (f6.3)
no manual focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
screen is somewhat small ( inches)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Sony QX30 Sensor features

The Sony QX30 is powered by the Bionz X processor chip. The spec of the sensor on the Sony QX30 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to capture 5184 x 3888 pixels with aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Optical). Sensor stabilization is better than digital stabilization since the latter can easily cause cropping.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor boasts 20MP and supports a standard ISO range of 80 to 3200. Unfortunately, RAW format is not saved so the user has less margin for error.

The image underneath displays the QX30's sensor size compared to other popular sizes. The QX30 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.8 and is displayed in green.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 sensor size Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

To get an understanding of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Sony QX30 dimensions

Sony QX30 has a weight of 0.43 lbs (193 gr or 6.81 ounces) and features outer measurements of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3"). The weight of typical Lens-style camera is 173 gr and the Sony QX30 is more heavy than various competitors.

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Underneath is a image of the Sony QX30 beside a soft drink so you can have a sense of its size.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 dimensions scale

The top view underneath will highlight the button layout on the QX30.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 topview buttons dials

Sony QX30 Lens features

The QX30 houses a built-in lens with a focal range of 24-720mm giving it a 30.0 x zoom which is huge and will let you zoom all the way in.

At it's widest 24mm, it offers an aperture of f3.5 and that's really sluggish and not the best in low light events and you will probably find it difficult to capture good bokeh. You might also need to raise your ISO which causes noisy photos. For the long end, 720mm is exceptional zoom and comes to f6.3 which is pretty slow and you may have to apply slower shutter speeds.

Photography Glossary

Sony QX30 Connectivity

The QX30 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • NFC Yes

Digital cameras that feature NFC or Bluetooth support can be used wirelessly via smartphones. You can easily send files and at times change settings without connecting physically with the camera.

Many apps also provide a Liveview and hit the shutter when you are not near the camera. If the camera boasts a HDMI out, it can be connected to an external screen. A good number of cameras enable you to recharge the battery pack using the USB port.

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Sony QX30 Video features

The max video resolution on the Sony QX30 is 1920 x 1080 and it can save in MPEG-4 file format. 1080p resolution offers a decent balance for video quality versus file size but 1080p is not going to leave you with much room to downsample. The body does not have a mic or headphone jack so you have got zero control over your audio. It is perhaps best to look into another model if you need decent audio in your videos.

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Sony QX30 Weather Sealing

Sony QX30 does not have environment sealing so wet conditions may ruin the camera.

Sony QX30 Screen and Viewfinder

The Sony QX30 houses a " fixed screen with a resolution of 0k dots.

Moreover the screen is touch friendly so you can easily set focus points as well as change settings by using your fingertips.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 screen and viewfinder Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

The View Finder specs regarding Sony QX30 are the following:

  • ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be quite helpful for sunny outdoor situations which may make the camera screen washed out and very difficult to view.

Sony QX30 Shutter features

Sony QX30 is able to shoot continuously at 10.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/1600 sec.

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Sony QX30 Flash and Hot shoe features

Sony QX30 includes neither in-built flash nor external flash support.

Sony QX30 Autofocus features

Sony QX30 includes only Contrast Detect Autofocus and does not have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot quicker and accurate than Contrast Detect focusing. The camera boasts Face detection making it useful for people photography.

Sony QX30 has touch to focus. You can use your fingers to switch focus points. Sony QX30 has not got manual focus. Manual focus can be good for low light conditions or you require more exact control on focusing.

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Sony QX30 Battery life

The battery pack (NP-BN,) on the Sony QX30 is built to last for 200 photographs based on the CIPA measurements which is less than its competition. The usual Lens-style camera battery life is 265. Sony QX1 has got the maximum (440) battery life for this range of cameras.

Below is a collection of Lens-style cameras that come with the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth
Sony-Alpha-QX1 front thumbnailSony QX1
QX30 vs QX1
440 yesyesno
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Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-QX30 front thumbnailSony QX30200 noyesno

Sony QX30 for specific types of photography

The following illustration displays a summary of the Sony QX30 for specific types of photography. To see more, check out the specific section underneath.

Sony QX30 Portrait photography details

The Sony QX30 receives a points total of 38 which is horrible, and means the camera is not really appropriate to use for portraits. Photographing portraits favors greatly towards sensor resolution, support for RAW files and capability to utilize off-camera lighting.

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decent megapixels (20MP)
has face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files

Street photography with Sony QX30

Having a very good score of 62, the Sony QX30 is a good fit for street photography. A very good street photography camera has a fine balance of image quality plus portability.

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built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes focus via touch
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files

Sony QX30 Sports photography details

A moderate sports photography points tally of 47 means the Sony QX30 is reasonably suitable for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have great tracking and shutter speeds for sports photography.

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great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus

Travel photography with Sony QX30

Portability is super critical when choosing a camera for travel. Over-all, the Sony QX30 gets a very good 65 as a travel camera which is a very decent choice to take on your journeys.

Photography Glossary
offers focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
really wide (24mm)
great zoom (720mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low battery (200 CIPA)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)

Sony QX30 Landscape photography details

For anybody looking to purchase a camera for landscape photography, the most important aspect is going to be image quality. The Sony QX30 and it's horrible rating of 39 for a landscape camera is not really appropriate compared to it's rivals.

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decently wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (")
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
terrible battery pack (200 shots)
does not have Time Lapse function

Sony QX30 Vlogging details

A vlogging camera should offer a articulating display screen, microphone input and preferably image stabilization. Taking all things in to account, the Sony QX30 is not really appropriate as a vlog camera as it gets a horrible score of 35.

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fairly wide (24mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not posses selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone socket

Sony QX30 Alternatives

If you are looking for replacements to the QX30, below is a list of the top ranked cameras that fall in to the category of Lens-style.

The graph down below gives you a bird's eye view of the QX30 vs it's top rated competitors suggested earlier.

These are some more cameras you may look at as alternatives. To review a complete comparison, visit the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Make
Sony
Model
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30
Type
Lens-style
Released
2014-09-03
Body design
Lens-style
Sensor Information
Sensor type
BSI-CMOS
Processor Chip
Bionz X
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor measurements
6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area
28.1mm²
Sensor resolution
20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution
5184 x 3888
RAW files
Max native ISO
3200
Min native ISO
80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Lens
Lens mount
fixed lens
Lens focal range
24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture
f/3.5-6.3
Focal length multiplier
5.8
Screen
Range of screen
Fixed Type
Resolution of screen
0k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
None
DXO scores
DXO Overall score
not tested
DXO Color Depth score
not tested
DXO Dynamic range score
not tested
DXO Low light score
not tested
Features
Min shutter speed
4s
Max shutter speed
1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed
10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range
no built-in flash
Flash settings
None
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p)
Max video resolution
1920x1080
Video file format
MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless
Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
193 grams (0.43 lb)
Dimensions
68 x 65 x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3")
Other
Battery life
200 photographs
Style of battery
Battery Pack
Battery model
NP-BN,
Self timer
Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage media
microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Storage slots
One
Cost at release
$348