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Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200

Portability
95
Imaging
46
Features
29
Overall
39
Canon PowerShot ELPH 170 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix S5200 front
Portability
95
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 Key Specs

Canon 170 IS
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.6-7.0) lens
  • 141g - 100 x 58 x 23mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Additionally referred to as IXUS 170
Nikon S5200
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-156mm (F) lens
  • 146g - 98 x 58 x 22mm
  • Released January 2013
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Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 Overview

Lets look closer at the Canon 170 IS versus Nikon S5200, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Canon and Nikon. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the 170 IS (20MP) and S5200 (16MP) but they come with the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The 170 IS was announced 24 months after the S5200 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Canon 170 IS being a Ultracompact camera and the Nikon S5200 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the 170 IS scores versus the S5200 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 170 IS over the Nikon S5200

 170 IS S5200 
ReleasedJanuary 2015January 2013More modern by 24 months

Reasons to pick Nikon S5200 over the Canon 170 IS

 S5200 170 IS 
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Canon 170 IS and Nikon S5200

 170 IS S5200 
Manually focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon 170 IS offers exterior measurements of 100mm x 58mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Nikon S5200 has measurements of 98mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check the Canon 170 IS versus Nikon S5200 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the 170 IS vs the S5200.

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the 170 IS and S5200 is 95 and 95 respectively.

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 top view buttons comparison

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to see the contrast between sensor sizes only by checking technical specs. The picture here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the 170 IS and S5200.

As you can tell, the two cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Canon 170 IS to give you more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more modern 170 IS is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 sensor size comparison

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 170 IS Portrait photography highlights
Nikon S5200 Portrait photography highlights
39
MP count good (20MP)
has face detection focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
30
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon 170 IS Street photography information
Nikon S5200 Street photography information
59
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
48
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon 170 IS Sports photography info
Nikon S5200 Sports photography info
44
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
low fps (0.8 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
28
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (160 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 170 IS
Travel photography with Nikon S5200
70
MP count good (20MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
great zoom (300mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.6)
68
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
great max aperture (f)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (160 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 170 IS as a Landscape photography camera
Nikon S5200 as a Landscape photography camera
41
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.6)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Timelapse mode
42
reasonably wide (26mm)
great max aperture (f)
nice screen size (3")
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
terrible battery power (160 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 170 IS Vlogging info
Nikon S5200 Vlogging info
32
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.6)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone support
33
reasonably wide (26mm)
great max aperture (f)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone support
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Canon 170 IS vs Nikon S5200 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 170 IS and Nikon S5200
 Canon PowerShot ELPH 170 ISNikon Coolpix S5200
General Information
Brand Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot ELPH 170 IS Nikon Coolpix S5200
Also referred to as IXUS 170 -
Category Ultracompact Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2015-01-06 2013-01-29
Physical type Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 4+ -
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 5152 x 3864 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-300mm (12.0x) 26-156mm (6.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.6-7.0 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT-LCD with Anti-reflection coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 0.8 frames per sec -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, on, off, slow synchro -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 141 grams (0.31 pounds) 146 grams (0.32 pounds)
Dimensions 100 x 58 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.9") 98 x 58 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.9")
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 200 photographs 160 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-11L/LH EN-EL19
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) -
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $149 $130