Sony HX400V Comparison Review

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in February 2014 and is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 20.2 megapixel.

The HX400V has an Elo rating of 1907. The Camera Elo represents a comprehensive assessment of digital cameras, as derived from a large number of pair-wise comparisons of body, sensor, and feature characteristics.

The Elo rating puts the Sony HX400V below average of all superzoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category – small sensor cameras – the HX400V ranks among the top 40 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera receives a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, and reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Sony HX400V vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony HX400V alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Sony HX400V	5.1 in	3.7 in	4.1 in	23.3 oz	300	n	Feb 2014	499			Sony HX400V
	Canon SX70« »	5.0 in	3.6 in	4.6 in	21.4 oz	325	n	Sep 2018	549			Canon SX70
	Canon G9 X« »	3.9 in	2.3 in	1.2 in	7.4 oz	220	n	Oct 2015	529	-		Canon G9 X
	Canon SX60« »	5.0 in	3.7 in	4.5 in	22.9 oz	340	n	Sep 2014	549	-		Canon SX60
	Kodak AZ901« »	5.5 in	4.1 in	4.7 in	27.4 oz	400	n	Jan 2016	499			Kodak AZ901
	Leica Q Typ 116« »	5.1 in	3.1 in	3.7 in	22.6 oz	300	n	Jun 2015	4,249			Leica Q Typ 116
	Sony HX99« »	4.0 in	2.3 in	1.4 in	8.5 oz	370	n	Aug 2018	449			Sony HX99
	Sony HX95« »	4.0 in	2.3 in	1.4 in	8.5 oz	370	n	Aug 2018	429			Sony HX95
	Sony RX100 IV« »	4.0 in	2.3 in	1.6 in	10.5 oz	280	n	Jun 2015	999	-		Sony RX100 IV
	Sony A6000« »	4.7 in	2.6 in	1.8 in	12.1 oz	360	n	Feb 2014	599	-		Sony A6000
	Sony RX100 III« »	4.0 in	2.3 in	1.6 in	10.2 oz	320	n	May 2014	799	-		Sony RX100 III
Convert to Metric

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony HX400V was launched in the US market at a price of $499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony HX400V features a 1/2.3-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 5.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony HX400V among the smaller-sensor digicams that favor affordability and compact design.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Sony HX400V in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the HX400V handle or perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The detailed reviews can be accessed by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Sony HX400V	HiRec	-	4/5	-	4/5	Feb 2014	499			Sony HX400V
	Canon SX70« »	-	-	-	-	3.5/5	Sep 2018	549			Canon SX70
	Canon G9 X« »	HiRec	-	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Oct 2015	529	-		Canon G9 X
	Canon SX60« »	HiRec	75/100	4/5	-	4.5/5	Sep 2014	549	-		Canon SX60
	Kodak AZ901« »	-	-	3.5/5	-	3/5	Jan 2016	499			Kodak AZ901
	Leica Q Typ 116« »	-	80/100	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Jun 2015	4,249			Leica Q Typ 116
	Sony HX99« »	-	-	-	-	4.5/5	Aug 2018	449			Sony HX99
	Sony HX95« »	-	-	-	-	-	Aug 2018	429			Sony HX95
	Sony RX100 IV« »	HiRec	85/100	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	999	-		Sony RX100 IV
	Sony A6000« »	Rec	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	599	-		Sony A6000
	Sony RX100 III« »	HiRec	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	799	-		Sony RX100 III

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored. If the camera you are interested in is not available, kindly get in touch, and I will try to update the database with the necessary infos.

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