Canon 5D MII vs Canon SX170 IS

Here is a extended comparison of the Canon 5D MII and Canon SX170 IS, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Canon. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the 5D MII (21MP) and SX170 IS (16MP) and the 5D MII (Full frame) and SX170 IS (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The 5D MII was unveiled 5 years before the SX170 IS and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Canon 5D MII being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Canon SX170 IS being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the 5D MII matches up against the SX170 IS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon EOS 5D Mark II & Canon PowerShot SX170 IS. The full galleries are provided at Canon 5D MII Gallery & Canon SX170 IS Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Canon 5D MII provides external measurements of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") along with a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) whilst the Canon SX170 IS has measurements of 108mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs).

Contrast the Canon 5D MII and Canon SX170 IS in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the 5D MII against the SX170 IS.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 5D MII and SX170 IS is 56 and 88 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to envision the difference in sensor sizing just by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the 5D MII and SX170 IS.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The 5D MII with its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Canon 5D MII will show greater detail having an extra 5 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The older 5D MII will be behind with regard to sensor tech.