Canon 400D vs Sony HX5 Comparison

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Canon 400D

10 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony HX5

10 MP | 1/2.4" (6.104 x 4.578 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

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Canon 400D vs Sony HX5 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Canon 400D, which was introduced in October 2006 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Sony HX5, which was introduced in June 2010 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 10.0MP 1/2.4-inch sensor. As you can see, 400D is 4 years older than HX5. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 400D and Sony HX5 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 400D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-10-14

10MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

556g. 127 x 94 x 65 mm

Also known as EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X

Replaced Canon EOS 350D Compare

Sony HX5 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-06-16

10MP - 1/2.4-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 125 - 3200

25-250 mm F3.5-5.5 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

10 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in GPS

200g. 102 x 58 x 29 mm

Canon 400D was replaced by Canon EOS 450D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)
Canon EOS 450D vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 400D and Sony HX5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 400D over Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/1600s	faster mechanical shutter
Flash Coverage	12.0m vs 3.8m	8.2m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	32.60µm² vs 3.12µm²	944% larger pixel area

Reasons to choose Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 over Canon EOS 400D

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
GPS	BuiltIn vs None	track your location
Max ISO	3.200 vs 1.600	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
Continuous Shooting	10.0fps vs 3.0fps	7 fps faster
Weight	200 g vs 556 g	356 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs None	Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 400D and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 400D and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
Max Resolution	10 MP vs 10 MP	Less details and smaller prints
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing	No vs No	Not good for multi-exposure HDR

Canon 400D vs Sony HX5: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 400D and Sony HX5 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 400D has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 65 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.56″) and weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) (including batteries). Sony HX5 has external dimensions of 102 x 58 x 29 mm (4.02 x 2.28 x 1.14″) and weighs 200 g (0.44 lb / 7.05 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 400D and Sony HX5. Sony HX5 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 25mm narrower, 36mm shorter and 36mm thinner than Canon 400D. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Sony HX5 has a built-in lens but Canon 400D doesn't. Once you put a lens on 400D, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Canon 400D and Sony HX5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony HX5 is significantly lighter (356g ) than the Canon 400D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 400D, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X) nor Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony HX5's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 400D's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Canon 400D vs Sony HX5: Sensor Comparison

Both Canon 400D and Sony HX5 have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Canon 400D's sensor is APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) and Sony HX5's sensor is 1/2.4-inch (6.104 x 4.578 mm ).

Since Canon 400D's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Sony HX5.

Below you can see the 400D and HX5 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 400D and Sony HX5 Cameras

As seen above, Canon 400D has a 11.8x Larger sensor area than Sony HX5. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Canon 400D and Sony HX5 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 400D and Sony HX5 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 400D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony HX5 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.4" (6.104 x 4.578 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Canon 400D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony HX5 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.4" (6.104 x 4.578 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Canon 400D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony HX5 for Sports Photography

POOR

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
250 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1600s
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Canon 400D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony HX5 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
556g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details

Compact Body
200g
10.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.4" (6.104 x 4.578 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Canon 400D for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony HX5 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Built-in GPS
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.4" (6.104 x 4.578 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 400D vs Sony HX5: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 400D and Sony HX5, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 400D and Sony HX5 scores compare:

Canon 400D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #609 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Sony HX5

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #278 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #902 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon 400D scores higher than the Sony HX5 in Overall. It has better image quality and better value than Sony HX5. On the other hand, Sony HX5 is more portable and has more features than Canon 400D.
If image quality is very important for you and you want to get the most bang for your bucks, choose the Canon 400D.
If you are looking for a small camera where you can take everywhere with you, and having more features are also important, Sony HX5 is the right choice for you.

Sony HX5 vs Canon 400D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 400D	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Brand	Canon	Sony
Announced	2006-10-14	2010-06-16
Body Type	Compact SLR	Compact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	APS-C	1/2.4-inch
Dimensions	22.2 x 14.8 mm	6.104 x 4.578 mm
Area	328.56mm²	27.94mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	10 megapixels
Max Resolution	3888 x 2592	3456 x 2592
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	125 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF/EF-S	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	25-250 mm (10×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F3.5-5.5
Macro Focus Range	no lens	5cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.5"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)	None
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.5x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/1600s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (ISO 100)	3.80 m
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	n/a	AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	556g	200g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 65mm	102 x 58 x 29mm
Battery Life	n/a	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Built-in
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	62	not tested
DxO Color Depth	22.1	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	11.0	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	664	not tested
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