Canon ELPH 500 HS vs Canon SX280 HS

Its time to look more closely at the Canon ELPH 500 HS versus Canon SX280 HS, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are produced by Canon. The sensor resolution of the ELPH 500 HS (12MP) and the SX280 HS (12MP) is very similar and they enjoy the same exact sensor size (1/2.3").

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The ELPH 500 HS was unveiled 3 years prior to the SX280 HS which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short summary of how the ELPH 500 HS scores vs the SX280 HS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon ELPH 500 HS and Canon PowerShot SX280 HS. The full galleries are available at Canon ELPH 500 HS Gallery and Canon SX280 HS Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and measurements. The Canon ELPH 500 HS features external dimensions of 101mm x 56mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs) and the Canon SX280 HS has proportions of 106mm x 63mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 233 grams (0.51 lbs).

See the Canon ELPH 500 HS versus Canon SX280 HS in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the ELPH 500 HS and the SX280 HS.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ELPH 500 HS and SX280 HS is 94 and 91 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The image here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ELPH 500 HS and SX280 HS.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing and the same resolution therefore you should expect similar quality of files although you might want to factor the release date of the products into consideration. The more aged ELPH 500 HS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.