- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Canon Powershot S100
- Panasonic Lumix TZ30
- Canon PowerShot SX240 HS
- Canon PowerShot SX260 HS
- Canon PowerShot SX500 IS
Rated 74% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V is a very good travel zoom camera that offers a great selection of auto modes, some very useful bells and whistles, limited manual controls, blazing performance, and 1080/60p video recording.
Rated 62% by by c|net (Sep, 2005)If you're looking for a compact or lightweight model, this isn't it; the Cyber Shot F828 weighs about 2 pounds with battery and media loaded, making it the heaviest non-dSLR camera we've seen.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V compared to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V
MP18
1/2.5"
Rated 74% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)If you're looking for a GPS-equipped travel zoom camera, then the HX20V is well worth considering.
18 MP
1/2.5"
Rated 62% by by c|net (Sep, 2005)One of the most remarkable things about the WX1 is the amount of technology Sony crammed into such a tiny, lightweight body.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 18 MP   | 20 MP |
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by phoongdan (Mar, 2013)My predecessor was a 10.1 megapixel Sony Cybershot which I was pleased with at that price range, but this camera is a whole nuther level!
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by c|net (Sep, 2005)Otherwise, it has an impressive roster of features and capabilities, including a 4.1-megapixel sensor, a Carl Zeiss 3X zoom lens, two burst modes, 640x480 video capture at 30fps, strong battery life, and fast response times.
sensor size
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by Nom-de-Plume (Jul, 2012)With the 20x zoom I got a full frame stop motion picture of Clayton just as he released the ball.
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by c|net (Sep, 2005)To recap: a full-frame sensor is the equivalent size of a frame of 35mm film.
wide angle lens
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by Photography Blog (Jul, 2012)The 25mm focal length provides an entirely new wide angle of view that can only increase your creativity.
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by Champignon (Mar, 2013)The Sony Cyber-shot produces incredibly sharp pictures and the "wide angle" has come in handy.
aperture size
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by Photography Blog (Jul, 2012)The Manual shooting mode lets you set a shutter speed of up to 30 seconds for effective night-time shooting, although I missed the Aperture and Shutter Priority modes that several rivals offer, and only having two possible apertures in Manual mode does somewhat limit what you can achieve creatively.
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by c|net (Sep, 2005)It bests the 8-megapixel EVF-camera competition by offering both excellent wide-angle capabilities with a 28mm-to-200mm focal length range (35mm-camera equivalent) and a f/2.0-to-f/2.8 maximum aperture that promises good low-light performance.
zoom range
| 0x | 20x | 20x |
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by DPReview (Jun, 2012)It also has both automatic and limited manual controls, HDR and other multi-shot options that improve image quality, a fun sweep panorama feature, and Full HD 1080/60p video recording.
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by c|net (Sep, 2005)It's not perfect, but for its price and size, it's an excellent choice if you're after a very pocket-friendly snapshooter with some extra zoom.
body size
107 x 62 x 35 mm
105 x 60 x 34 mm
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by Kjeep (Mar, 2013)It takes clear, crisp pictures and is easy to carry along on motorcycle rides, etc..
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by c|net (Sep, 2005)If you're looking for a simple, modestly priced pocket camera that shoots quickly and produces good pictures, the W90 makes a nice choice.
Performance Real world tests of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V
battery life
320 photos
320 photos
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by Stephen-F.-Potts (Jan, 2013)Battery life was good and charging is very quick and easy.
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by c|net (Sep, 2005)The battery life is a CIPA-rated 340 shots, which is very good, but if you're shooting a lot of video, have the display brightness cranked up, or are using a lot of the multishot modes or burst shooting, this will cut into your battery life.
max continuous shooting
Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V by CedarburgSueThe burst mode is another unbelievable feature that captures ten shots in less than a second and each shot was as good as a normal single photo.
Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V by c|net (Sep, 2005)Combined with the lack of a regular slow-but-steady burst that can shoot a larger number of frames, the HX1 becomes far less useful for continuous shooting than it really should be.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the DSC-HX10V
| Larger zoom range | 20x | vs | 16x |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 30% larger zoom; Great for sports or nature when your subject is further away | |||
| Significantly better macro lens | 10 mm | vs | 50 mm |
| 5x closer macro focus; Take great close-up photos | |||
| Much more highly reviewed by consumers | 86.57% | vs | 75.01% |
| Around 20% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
Advantages compared to the DSC-HX20V
| Slightly lighter | 234 g | vs | 254 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 10% lighter | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V | ||
 |   Rated by 101 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by P.-Baek (Apr, 2012) Rated 100% by by Nom-de-Plume (Jul, 2012) Rated 100% by by W.-Bison | Rated by 67 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Terry-Zechman (Jan, 2013) Rated 80% by by Analog (May, 2012) Rated 100% by by Chad-A-Dulac (Feb, 2013) | |
|---|---|---|---|
zoom
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | Rated 80% by by J.-Gebauer (Aug, 2012)Image quality fall off is pretty typical of travel zoom P. &S and even travel zoom DSLR lenses but I was surprised at how far the image quality fell off with the HX20V.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Jul, 2012)The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V is a new premium travel-zoom compact camera.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | Rated 74% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V is the midrange model in Sony's trio of GPS-equipped travel zoom cameras.
lens
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Jul, 2012)The Sony CyberShot DSC-HX20V's 18x zoom lens offers a very versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Jul, 2012)You won't want to go back to a "standard" 35mm zoom after using the 25mm lens on the DSC-HX20V, or even a 28mm one - 3mm at the wide-angle end really does make a big difference.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Jul, 2012)The Sony DSC-HX20V joins the party with a 20x, 25-500mm extending optical lens with respectable maximum apertures of f/3.2 at the 25mm wide-angle setting and f/5.8 at the 500mm full telephoto setting.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 3 | Canon PowerShot SX240 HS Rated the best by consumers |
 | 4 | Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Good benchmarked shot to shot times |
 | 7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX300 Most shots per battery charge |
