Clicky

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120

Portability
96
Imaging
34
Features
33
Overall
33
Canon ELPH 520 HS front
 
Samsung PL120 front
Portability
99
Imaging
37
Features
20
Overall
30

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 Key Specs

Canon ELPH 520 HS
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-336mm (F3.4-5.6) lens
  • 155g - 87 x 54 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2012
  • Also referred to as IXUS 500 HS
Samsung PL120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 0 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • ()mm (F) lens
  • n/ag - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2011
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 Overview

Below, we are reviewing the Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120, both Ultracompact digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Samsung. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the ELPH 520 HS (10MP) and PL120 (14MP) but they possess the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The ELPH 520 HS was revealed 13 months later than the PL120 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Ultracompact).

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the ELPH 520 HS scores against the PL120 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

        

Reasons to pick Canon ELPH 520 HS over the Samsung PL120

 ELPH 520 HS PL120 
RevealedJanuary 2012January 2011More recent by 13 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution461k230kClearer display (+231k dot)

Reasons to pick Samsung PL120 over the Canon ELPH 520 HS

 PL120 ELPH 520 HS 

Common features in the Canon ELPH 520 HS and Samsung PL120

 ELPH 520 HS PL120 
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera often, you should factor its weight and size. The Canon ELPH 520 HS provides external dimensions of 87mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.4" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Samsung PL120 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") along with a weight of n/a grams (0.00 lbs).

Contrast the Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the ELPH 520 HS and the PL120.

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ELPH 520 HS and PL120 is 96 and 99 respectively.

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 top view buttons comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at specs. The graphic here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the ELPH 520 HS and PL120.

All in all, each of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You can anticipate the Samsung PL120 to give you more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent ELPH 520 HS provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 sensor size comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS Portrait photography details
Samsung PL120 Portrait photography details
26
comes with face detect focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
28
decent megapixels (14MP)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS as a Street photography camera
Samsung PL120 as a Street photography camera
55
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than competitors (155 grams)
49
no moving screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS Sports photography information
Samsung PL120 Sports photography information
29
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
low battery life (190 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
26
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
fixed focal length (()mm)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon ELPH 520 HS
Travel photography with Samsung PL120
58
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
long zoom (336mm)
no Timelapse function
low battery life (190 per charge)
more heavy than competitors (155 grams)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
71
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
very good max aperture (f)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS Landscape photography details
Samsung PL120 Landscape photography details
35
really wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
manual exposure not available
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery life (190 per charge)
no Timelapse function
33
very good max aperture (f)
decent megapixels (14MP)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (()mm)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not available
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Canon ELPH 520 HS Vlogging highlights
Samsung PL120 Vlogging highlights
32
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no microphone socket
more heavy than competitors (155g)
31
very good max aperture (f)
comes with external mic port
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
Photography Glossary

Canon ELPH 520 HS vs Samsung PL120 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon ELPH 520 HS and Samsung PL120
 Canon ELPH 520 HSSamsung PL120
General Information
Brand Canon Samsung
Model Canon ELPH 520 HS Samsung PL120
Also called as IXUS 500 HS -
Class Ultracompact Ultracompact
Launched 2012-01-09 2011-01-05
Body design Ultracompact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 5 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 -
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-336mm (12.0x) ()
Max aperture f/3.4-5.6 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 461k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology PureColor II G TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 secs 8 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 2.50 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps) 1280 x 720
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264 -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) none
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 155 grams (0.34 pounds) -
Dimensions 87 x 54 x 19mm (3.4" x 2.1" x 0.7") 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 190 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NB-9L -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) -
Time lapse feature
Storage media microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC -
Storage slots 1 -
Price at launch $279 $150