Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P51
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyCyber-shot DSC-HX99 | SonyCyber-shot DSC-P51 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2018 | 2002 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Compact | Compact |
| Sensor format | 1/2.3-type | 1/2.7-type |
| Sensor type | Back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS | Super HAD CCD |
| Effective resolution | 18.2 MP | 1.98 MP |
| Largest image | 4896 × 3672 | 1600 × 1200 |
| RAW recording | Yes | No |
| Standard ISO range | 80–3200 | 100–400 |
| Sensor detail | 1/2.3-type Exmor R CMOS; approximately 21.1 million total photosites. Optical format is not physical sensor dimensions | 1/2.7-type primary-colour interlaced Super HAD CCD; approximately 2.10 million total and 1.98 million effective photosites in the exact P51 manual entry; UK specifications round effective resolution to 2.0 MP |
| Image formats | Sony ARW 2.3 RAW, RAW+JPEG or JPEG Extra Fine/Fine/Standard; sRGB or Adobe RGB; 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and square photographs plus Sweep Panorama | JPEG stills with Fine/Standard compression; GIF Clip Motion and MPEG-1 movies. No RAW or TIFF recording |
| ISO detail | Ordinary ISO 80–3200; extended single-frame ISO 6400. Multi-shot Noise Reduction offers ISO 6400 and 12800 using combined exposures | Auto or manually selected ISO 100, 200 or 400; no continuous ISO dial |
| Image processor | BIONZ X with front-end LSI | 12-bit DXP A/D conversion in exact UK specifications; Clear Colour NR, Clear Luminance NR and NR Slow Shutter. September 2002 Europe brochure lists 14-bit for P51, conflicting with exact UK table; 12-bit retained |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Built-in lens | 24–720 mm equivalent | 41–82 mm equivalent |
| Maximum aperture | f/3.5–6.4 | f/3.8 |
| Optical zoom | 28× | 2× |
| Stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation | – |
| Maximum continuous burst | 10 fps | – |
| Lens detail | ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T*, actual 4.25–118 mm, 11 elements in 10 groups with five aspherical elements; five-blade iris. Maker specifies 28× optical zoom, while 24–720 mm equivalent values are those displayed by the camera and recorded in Exif | Physical focal length 6.3–12.6 mm, equivalent to 41–82 mm, F3.8. Full-range autofocus from 8 cm at wide angle or 50 cm at telephoto, without a separate Macro mode. 3× digital enlargement is separate from the 2× optical zoom |
| Autofocus | 25-point contrast autofocus, AF-S, Direct Manual Focus and manual focus; AF-C available for movies only. Eye AF, Lock-on AF and flexible spot areas; minimum focus approximately 5 cm wide or 250 cm telephoto | Automatic Multi AF or centre AF with AF-assist illuminator; preset distances 0.5, 1, 3, 7 m and infinity, not continuous manual focusing |
| Shutter | Mechanical shutter: Manual and shutter-priority 30–1/2000 second, aperture-priority 8–1/2000, Program 1–1/2000 and Intelligent Auto 1/4–1/2000 | Automatic mode 1/30–1/1000 second in exact UK table; slow-shutter scene behaviour is separate. No manual shutter selection |
| Burst detail | Full-resolution Speed Priority Continuous up to 10 fps, or ordinary Continuous approximately 3 fps. Up to 155 frames in Speed Priority with JPEG Fine; rate falls as buffer fills. Focus, exposure and white balance lock to first frame in either mode | Multi Burst records sixteen 320×240 subframes at intervals 1/30, 1/15 or 1/7.5 second into one composite still, not sixteen full-resolution separate frames. No full-resolution continuous rate established; the UK 1.9-second figure is startup time |
| Stabilisation detail | Optical SteadyShot for stills; Intelligent Active movies combine optical and electronic correction | – |
| Flash | Built-in pop-up flash; ISO Auto range approximately 0.3–5.4 m wide or 2.5–3.0 m telephoto; no accessory shoe | Built-in flash with Auto, forced, off and red-eye reduction; ISO Auto recommended distance 0.4–2.8 m at both zoom ends. No accessory or hot shoe |
| Exposure controls | P/A/S/M and two Memory Recall modes; ±3 EV in 1/3 EV steps; multi-pattern, centre-weighted, spot, entire-screen average and highlight metering | Automatic exposure with ±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps, multi-pattern/spot metering and Twilight, Twilight Portrait or Landscape scenes; no aperture/shutter priority or manual exposure |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps | 320 × 240 at 16.6 fps |
| Video detail | XAVC S 3840 × 2160 at 30p or 24p, 60/100 Mbps; PAL uses 25p. Full-pixel readout without pixel binning. Full HD up to 120p (100p PAL); 4K and 120p/100p HD sessions limited to approximately five minutes, with possible earlier thermal shutdown. Other modes approximately 29 minutes subject to temperature. UHS-I U3 microSDHC/XC required for 100 Mbps | Silent MPEG-1 HQX 320×240 at 16.6 fps in exact UK specifications; Presentation 320×240 and Video Mail 160×112 modes are separate |
| Audio | Stereo recording: XAVC S Linear PCM or AVCHD Dolby Digital | Movies record without sound; operational beep/shutter speaker is separate from audio recording |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical |
| Screen size | 3″ | 1.6″ |
| Screen dots | 921,600 | 61,600 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | No |
| Tilting screen | Yes | No |
| Display detail | 3.0-type 4:3 TFT LCD, 921600 dots; tilts up 180 degrees. Touch focus, touch shutter and touchpad focus while using viewfinder; menus are not touch controlled | Fixed 1.6-type TFT with 61600 colour-subpixel dots (280×220); launch rounds to 61000 dots |
| Viewfinder detail | Retractable 0.2-type OLED, 638400 dots; 100% coverage (97% during 4K recording), 0.50× equivalent magnification, −4 to +3 dioptres | Optical zoom finder; no electronic finder |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | – |
| Bluetooth | Yes | – |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 370 photographs | – |
| Body weight | 216 g (better) | 218 g |
| Release detail | Sony Switzerland states availability from late October 2018; Sony Hong Kong specifies 26 October locally. October precision retained because the international first-sale day is not established | Sony announced on 20 February 2002 with planned US availability at the end of April 2002; contemporary Imaging Resource full test updated 16 May 2002 and Sony Europe September 2002 brochure establish 2002 product coverage. Earliest actual worldwide first-sale month is unresolved, so year precision retained; planned April timing is not treated as proof of sale. No explicit direct predecessor claim established |
| Recording media | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC and Memory Stick Micro/Mark2; no full-size SD slot | Memory Stick; 16 MB supplied. Manual includes recording tables through 128 MB; later Memory Stick PRO compatibility not established |
| Ports | Micro HDMI and Multi/Micro USB with USB 2.0 | USB mini-B with normal mass-storage or PTP setting, separate NTSC/PAL VIDEO OUT minijack without audio and DC IN for optional AC-LS1 |
| Wireless connections | 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, NFC Type 3 and Bluetooth for location information from a compatible smartphone; no built-in GPS or compass | – |
| Battery life detail | NP-BX1; CIPA claim approximately 370 photographs with LCD or 300 with viewfinder. LCD claim rises to 460 with monitor auto-off set to two seconds | Two supplied NH-AA-DI Ni-MH AA cells. Exact manual average-use test at 25°C: approximately 280 images/140 minutes at 1600×1200 Fine, LCD on, one shot every 30 seconds, alternating zoom ends, flash every second shot and restart every 10 shots; not labelled CIPA. Separate continuous Standard/no-flash/3-second-interval test: approximately 3000 images/150 minutes LCD on or 3600/180 off. P31 emergency alkaline permission does not apply to P51 |
| Charging | In-camera USB charging and USB external power using supplied AC adapter with battery inserted | Supplied external BC-CS1 charger: approximately 13 hours for fully depleted supplied Ni-MH cells at 25°C. Cells removed from camera for charging; optional faster kit available. Optional AC-LS1 supplies camera power |
| Dimensions | 102 × 58.1 × 35.5 mm (width × height × depth), CIPA | 126.9×58×47 mm width×height×depth, excluding protruding portions in manual |
| Weight detail | Approximately 216 g body only, or 242 g including NP-BX1 and memory card | Approximately 218 g body only in exact Sony UK specifications; approximately 275 g with two batteries, Memory Stick and wrist strap in manual and UK table |
| Colours | Black | – |
| In the box | NP-BX1, AC-UB10C adapter, micro USB cable, wrist strap and instructions in Japan; regional mains fittings vary | Two rechargeable AA Ni-MH batteries, BC-CS1 charger and mains lead, 16 MB Memory Stick, USB and video cables, wrist strap, software CD and operating instructions; AC-LS1 optional |
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