Canon G12 vs Canon SX170 IS

Let's take a more detailed look at the Canon G12 and Canon SX170 IS, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Canon. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the G12 (10MP) and SX170 IS (16MP) and the G12 (1/1.7") and SX170 IS (1/2.3") have different sensor size.

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The G12 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the SX170 IS and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief view of how the G12 grades versus the SX170 IS in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon PowerShot G12 & Canon PowerShot SX170 IS. The entire galleries are available at Canon G12 Gallery & Canon SX170 IS Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Canon G12 provides external dimensions of 112mm x 76mm x 48mm (4.4" x 3.0" x 1.9") along with a weight of 401 grams (0.88 lbs) whilst the Canon SX170 IS has specifications of 108mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs).

See the Canon G12 and Canon SX170 IS in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the G12 compared to the SX170 IS.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the G12 and SX170 IS is 83 and 88 respectively.

Typically, it is tough to imagine the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading through technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the G12 and SX170 IS.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The G12 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Canon SX170 IS will give you extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older G12 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.