Canon S95 vs Canon SX170 IS

Lets take a closer look at the Canon S95 vs Canon SX170 IS, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Canon. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the S95 (10MP) and SX170 IS (16MP) and the S95 (1/1.7") and SX170 IS (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

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The S95 was released 3 years before the SX170 IS and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the S95 matches up against the SX170 IS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot S95 & Canon PowerShot SX170 IS. The complete galleries are provided at Canon S95 Gallery & Canon SX170 IS Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Canon S95 comes with outer measurements of 100mm x 58mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.2") with a weight of 195 grams (0.43 lbs) while the Canon SX170 IS has proportions of 108mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs).

Analyze the Canon S95 vs Canon SX170 IS in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the S95 vs the SX170 IS.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the S95 and SX170 IS is 93 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements only by checking out a spec sheet. The photograph here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the S95 and SX170 IS.

Clearly, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The S95 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Canon SX170 IS will produce more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older S95 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.