Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400 vs. Sony Alpha SLT-A58

Comparison

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Cyber-shot DSC-HX400 image
vs
Alpha SLT-A58 image
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400 Sony Alpha SLT-A58
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Megapixels
20.40
20.10
Max. image resolution
5184 x 3888
5456 x 3632

Sensor

Sensor type
CMOS
CMOS
Sensor size
1/2.3" (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm)
23.2 x 15.4 mm
Sensor resolution
5208 x 3916
5508 x 3648
Diagonal
7.70 mm
27.85 mm
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera. Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the sensor, the better the image quality.

Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.

Learn more about sensor sizes »

Actual sensor size

Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
vs
1 : 12.55
(ratio)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400 Sony Alpha SLT-A58
Surface area:
28.46 mm² vs 357.28 mm²
Difference: 328.82 mm² (1155%)
Alpha SLT-A58 sensor is approx. 12.55x bigger than HX400 sensor.
Pixel pitch
1.18 µm
4.21 µm
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.

The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Difference: 3.03 µm (257%)
Pixel pitch of Alpha SLT-A58 is approx. 257% higher than pixel pitch of HX400.
Pixel area
1.39 µm²
17.72 µm²
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered. The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.

Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 16.33 µm² (1175%)
A pixel on Sony Alpha SLT-A58 sensor is approx. 1175% bigger than a pixel on Sony HX400.
Pixel density
71.48 MP/cm²
5.64 MP/cm²
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one square cm of the sensor.

Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Difference: 65.84 µm (1167%)
Sony HX400 has approx. 1167% higher pixel density than Sony Alpha SLT-A58.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Sony HX400
Sony Alpha SLT-A58
Crop factor
5.62
1.55
Total megapixels
21.10
20.40
Effective megapixels
20.40
20.10
Optical zoom
50x
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
80 - 3200
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 16000 (25600 with boost)
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
Macro focus range
1 cm
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
24 - 1200 mm
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
f2.8 - f6.3
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
f15.7 - f35.4
n/a
Metering
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure compensation
±2 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±3 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
30 sec
30 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/4000 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Electronic
Electronic
White balance presets
7
9
Screen size
3"
2.7"
Screen resolution
921,000 dots
460,800 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
1920x1080 (60p/60i/24p)
1920x1080 (60i/24p)
Storage types
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo/XC-HG Duo
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
NP-BX1
Rechargeable NP-FM500H battery
Weight
660 g
573 g
Dimensions
129.6 x 93.2 x 103.2 mm
128.6 x 95.5 x 77.7 mm
Year
2014
2013




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Diagonal

Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
Diagonal =  w² + h²
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height

Sony HX400 diagonal

The diagonal of HX400 sensor is not 1/2.3 or 0.43" (11 mm) as you might expect, but approximately two thirds of that value - 7.7 mm. If you want to know why, see sensor sizes.

w = 6.16 mm
h = 4.62 mm
Diagonal =  6.16² + 4.62²   = 7.70 mm

Sony Alpha SLT-A58 diagonal

w = 23.20 mm
h = 15.40 mm
Diagonal =  23.20² + 15.40²   = 27.85 mm


Surface area

Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.

HX400 sensor area

Width = 6.16 mm
Height = 4.62 mm

Surface area = 6.16 × 4.62 = 28.46 mm²

Alpha SLT-A58 sensor area

Width = 23.20 mm
Height = 15.40 mm

Surface area = 23.20 × 15.40 = 357.28 mm²


Pixel pitch

Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel pitch =   sensor width in mm  × 1000
sensor resolution width in pixels

HX400 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor resolution width = 5208 pixels
Pixel pitch =   6.16  × 1000  = 1.18 µm
5208

Alpha SLT-A58 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 23.20 mm
Sensor resolution width = 5508 pixels
Pixel pitch =   23.20  × 1000  = 4.21 µm
5508


Pixel area

The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²

You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area =   sensor surface area in mm²
effective megapixels

HX400 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 1.18 µm

Pixel area = 1.18² = 1.39 µm²

Alpha SLT-A58 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 4.21 µm

Pixel area = 4.21² = 17.72 µm²


Pixel density

Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel density =  ( sensor resolution width in pixels )² / 1000000
sensor width in cm

One could also use this formula:
Pixel density =   effective megapixels × 1000000  / 10000
sensor surface area in mm²

HX400 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 5208 pixels
Sensor width = 0.616 cm

Pixel density = (5208 / 0.616)² / 1000000 = 71.48 MP/cm²

Alpha SLT-A58 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 5508 pixels
Sensor width = 2.32 cm

Pixel density = (5508 / 2.32)² / 1000000 = 5.64 MP/cm²


Sensor resolution

Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications. Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula. For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.

1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.

2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
(X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000    →   
X =  effective megapixels × 1000000
r
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:

Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X

HX400 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 6.16 mm
Sensor height = 4.62 mm
Effective megapixels = 20.40
r = 6.16/4.62 = 1.33
X =  20.40 × 1000000  = 3916
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3916 × 1.33 = 5208
Resolution vertical: X = 3916

Sensor resolution = 5208 x 3916

Alpha SLT-A58 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 23.20 mm
Sensor height = 15.40 mm
Effective megapixels = 20.10
r = 23.20/15.40 = 1.51
X =  20.10 × 1000000  = 3648
1.51
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3648 × 1.51 = 5508
Resolution vertical: X = 3648

Sensor resolution = 5508 x 3648


Crop factor

Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
Crop factor =   43.27 mm
sensor diagonal in mm


HX400 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 7.70 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 5.62
7.70

Alpha SLT-A58 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 27.85 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 1.55
27.85

35 mm equivalent aperture

Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).

HX400 equivalent aperture

Crop factor = 5.62
Aperture = f2.8 - f6.3

35-mm equivalent aperture = (f2.8 - f6.3) × 5.62 = f15.7 - f35.4

Alpha SLT-A58 equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Sony Alpha SLT-A58, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Sony Alpha SLT-A58 is 1.55

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