Canon SX10 IS vs Casio EX-100

Canon PowerShot SX10 IS vs Casio Exilim EX-100: An In-Depth Comparison for Enthusiasts and Pros

When diving into the world of small sensor superzoom cameras, you quickly realize there’s a vast sea of options catering to wildly different priorities: zoom capability, sensor tech, image quality, video prowess, or just sheer portability. Today, I’m placing under the microscope two intriguingly capable yet distinct contenders from a few years back - the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS and the Casio Exilim EX-100.

Both are bridge cameras (or compact superzooms), targeted at enthusiasts who want more than a point-and-shoot but aren’t quite ready to plunge into interchangeable lens systems. But how do they truly stack up against each other across genres and real-world shooting? Let’s unravel the strengths, drawbacks, and who each camera suits best.

First Impressions: Handling and Build In My Hands

Hold them side by side and the Canon SX10 IS feels like a heftier, more robust bridge camera with classic SLR-like styling. Its body measures 128x88x87 mm and weighs in at 600 grams, offering a reassuring grip for longer shooting sessions. Compared to the Casio EX-100, which at 119x67x50 mm and just 389 grams feels more like a premium compact - leaner and pocketable for travel or casual strolls.

I found the Canon’s heft helped with stability, especially at long zooms, but it’s definitely less convenient to carry around all day. The Casio’s lighter design excels if you prioritize portability.

Both cameras come with fully articulated or tilting screens for flexible shooting angles, but the Casio offers a larger 3.5-inch Super Clear LCD with a much higher resolution of 922k dots. The Canon’s 2.5-inch screen is sharp but noticeably smaller and less detailed.

Control layouts also reflect contrasting philosophies. The Canon’s bridge-style body features classic dials for shutter and aperture priority modes, as well as a dedicated mode dial. It feels more tailored for photographers craving manual control. The Casio’s compact, minimalist design keeps things simple with fewer external buttons - more suited for quick shooting than methodical exploration.

Sensor and Image Quality: What Lies Beneath the Glass

Sensor specs tell a significant part of the story. The Canon SX10 IS sports a 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor measuring roughly 6.17x4.55 mm, delivering 10 megapixels. By contrast, the Casio EX-100 leaps ahead with a larger 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor measuring 7.44x5.58 mm and 12 megapixels.

What does this mean in practice? The bigger CMOS sensor in the Casio translates to larger photosites, better dynamic range, more vibrant color depth, and superior performance in challenging light. CCD sensors, like Canon’s, were once standard in compact cameras but generally lag behind CMOS in noise control and speed nowadays.

I conducted side-by-side ISO tests under low-light conditions and found the Casio delivers cleaner, more usable images up to ISO 1600 and even 3200 in some cases. The Canon’s native max ISO of 1600 is a hard limit, and image noise becomes noticeable well before that threshold.

On resolutions, the Casio maxes out at 4000x3000 pixels, allowing for more cropping flexibility and larger prints, while the Canon’s 3648x2736 provides something closer to 10 megapixels - perfectly sufficient for casual use but less forgiving if you crop or print large.

Dear Canon, a native RAW option would have pushed this much further - its JPG-only limitation is a bottleneck for pros already.

Autofocus: Speed Vs. Accuracy in the Field

Autofocus shapes the shooting experience, especially across action, wildlife, and street photography.

The Canon SX10 IS offers 9 focus points using contrast-detection AF with face detection. It exclusively supports single AF mode - no continuous tracking or eye detection here. The Casio EX-100 ups the ante with 25 focus points, including continuous AF, multi-area, center, and selective AF modes, plus face detection. Despite both cameras lacking phase-detection AF (typical for this class), Casio’s system is definitely more responsive and versatile.

In real shooting, I found the Canon’s AF a bit sluggish, struggling to lock focus quickly on moving subjects - particularly in lower contrast scenes. The Casio, by contrast, impressively hunted less and kept fast-moving targets well tracked with its continuous AF. The ability to select AF areas on the Casio gives you more creative control too.

For portraiture, this means Casio’s eye-detection and face tracking, although not explicitly named, serve better to keep the subject sharp even if they move slightly. Canon’s static AF points require more manual finesse or trial-and-error.

Zoom and Lens Versatility: Power and Reach Compared

Both cameras have fixed lenses with different zoom ranges and aperture characteristics.

• Canon SX10 IS: 28-560 mm equivalent (20x optical zoom), aperture F2.8–F5.7
• Casio EX-100: 28-300 mm equivalent (10.7x optical zoom), aperture constant F2.8

Canon’s massive 20x zoom offers more reach, ideal for wildlife or distant subjects when you can’t physically approach. But the variable aperture narrow downs to F5.7 at telephoto, which exacerbates image softness and low-light issues at long zoom lengths. Additionally, Canon’s lens doesn’t support true macro focus; it only claims 0cm which translates more to close-ups rather than true macro.

Casio’s lens tops out at 300mm but impressively keeps a bright and consistent F2.8 aperture across the zoom range, critical for low-light and shallow depth-of-field control. It also offers a macro focusing distance down to 5 cm, letting you capture tight close-ups with remarkable sharpness.

If your priority is maximum reach over image quality, Canon wins. For better sharpness, versatility, and low light at moderate zoom, Casio’s lens stands out.

Display and Viewfinder: Composing Your Shot

The Canon provides an electronic viewfinder (EVF), albeit with unspecified resolution and coverage - which I found to be quite basic and somewhat laggy in live view. This EVF is a strong advantage outdoors and in bright sunlight if you prefer composing through a viewfinder.

The Casio lacks any viewfinder, relying solely on its bright, high-res 3.5-inch LCD screen. This makes it excellent for tripod use and indoor shooting but less practical in daylight or action shots where eye-level framing is preferred.

In shooting scenarios like street photography where discretion and quick framing matter, I found Casio’s tilting screen a joy. Canon’s fully articulated screen also offers flexibility but with a smaller footprint.

Burst, Shutter, and Video: Speed and Motion Handling

The Canon SX10 IS is single-shot only at 1 FPS continuous shooting speed, which severely limits its usefulness for sports or wildlife where quick bursts matter.

Casio EX-100 scores heavily here with a staggering 30 FPS continuous burst mode at full resolution - a major asset for capturing fleeting action. The shutter speed range also favors Casio, maxing out at 1/20,000 sec ideal for very bright conditions or fast-action freezing; Canon stops at 1/3200.

Video is another notable area: the Canon records VGA (640x480) at 30 FPS - standard definition by today’s standards. This is severely outdated for enthusiasts wanting HD footage. Casio brings 1080p Full HD video recording, making it more future-proof for casual videographers. Neither camera offers 4K or microphone inputs, reflecting their niche.

Battery Life, Connectivity, and Storage: Day-to-Day Practicalities

The Canon’s battery life details are unspecified, but generally, these bridge cameras offer moderate endurance. The Casio’s rated battery life is around 390 shots, sufficient for casual outings but still inferior to most mirrorless or DSLR options.

Both use SD cards (Canon accepts SD/SDHC/SD/MMC, while Casio supports SD/SDHC/SDXC), ensuring easy storage expansion.

Connectivity wise, Casio impressively incorporates built-in wireless connectivity - although no Bluetooth or NFC is offered. Canon SX10 IS has no wireless whatsoever, limiting image transfer options to USB 2.0 wired connection. In today’s standards, Casio is better equipped for sharing photos on the go.

Genre Deep Dive: Which Camera Excels Where?

Now, let's break down how each camera fits key photography disciplines, based on hands-on testing and performance insights.

Portrait Photography

The Casio EX-100 shines here with its larger sensor, face detection, and superior autofocus precision. The brighter constant f/2.8 aperture lets you achieve shallow depth of field for creamy bokeh, separating subjects from backgrounds effectively. Skin tones render with pleasing, rich colors. The Canon’s bokeh struggles due to smaller sensor size and narrower apertures, resulting in a more clinical look. Canon’s face detection is workable, but slower AF reduces keeper rates.

Landscape Photography

Dynamic range is king here, and Casio’s larger sensor again offers better shadow and highlight retention. Resolution is slightly higher too, yielding crisper prints or detailed crops. Weather sealing is non-existent on both cameras, so careful handling is needed outdoors. The Canon’s longer zoom range can be an advantage for capturing distant landscape details inaccessible otherwise. However, for pure image quality and color fidelity, Casio is the better choice.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

Canon’s huge 20x lens and electronic viewfinder are definite pluses for wildlife enthusiasts needing distance reach. But sluggish AF and 1 FPS bursts severely handicap capturing action. Casio’s 30 FPS burst and smarter AF system excel in dynamic scenes, though with less reach.

Sports shooters prioritizing tracking and frame rate will find the Canon underwhelming; Casio’s capability offers significantly higher hit rates despite the shorter zoom.

Street Photography

Compactness, discreteness, and quick AF favor the Casio here. Its lighter form factor and tilting screen enable spontaneous shots with stealth. Canon’s larger body and viewfinder make it more obtrusive but provide traditional framing. Low-light performance again tips in Casio’s favor for evening streetscapes. Overall, Casio edges out Canon for street shooters valuing speed and portability.

Macro Photography

Canon’s macro focus starts at truly 0 cm, but lacks true macro performance given sensor and lens design. Casio supports focusing as close as 5 cm with sharper optics and sensor-shift stabilization - enabling compelling close-ups with excellent detail. For nature macro or product photography, Casio is better suited.

Night and Astrophotography

High ISO performance and the ability to manually control exposure matter here. Casio’s ISO expandability up to 12800 (boosted to 25600) opens doors for hand-held night shots, although noise remains at high ISOs. Canon’s ceiling of ISO 1600 harshly limits low-light shooting. Casio’s max shutter speed of 15 seconds aligns with long exposure needs. Canon’s lack of RAW format also curtails postprocessing potential, crucial for astrophotography enthusiasts.

Video Features

The disparity is stark - Canon is stuck in a time warp with VGA video, while Casio delivers 1080p Full HD, no small feat in the superzoom arena. If video content is part of your workflow, Casio stands clear as the better pick despite lacking external audio ports.

Travel Photography

Balancing zoom, weight, and versatility is key for travel. Canon’s massive zoom suits scenarios demanding reach (wildlife safaris or landmarks from afar), but heavier bulk is a drawback.

Casio offers a more travel-friendly profile: lighter, better battery life, wireless connectivity for easy sharing, and sufficient zoom for general use.

Canon SX10 IS front Canon SX10 IS screen back Casio EX 100 front Casio EX 100 screen back

Workflow, Reliability, and Pro Use

For professional workflows, RAW support, consistent AF, and solid ergonomics are vital. The Casio EX-100 is the only camera in this pair supporting RAW, which immediately appeals to pros. Canon’s JPG-only approach limits creative latitude.

Neither camera offers environmental sealing or ruggedness needed for harsh conditions, so professionals should weigh this carefully.

Canon’s physical interface offers more tactile controls for pro shooters wanting direct aperture/shutter priority access without diving into menus.

Overall Performance Ratings and Value Summary

Time to see how these two stack up across the board.

Casio’s EX-100 scores higher for image quality, autofocus, video, and versatility. Canon’s SX10 IS remains a decent choice for those prioritizing zoom reach and traditional handling.

Photography Types and Suitability at a Glance

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

If you’re primarily drawn to reach - say birding or long-distance wildlife - and appreciate classic camera ergonomics with an EVF, the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS can still serve well, especially at a modest price point (around $275 used). Just manage expectations about noise and limited ISO, and don’t expect fast action performance.

For any enthusiast or pro who values image quality, speed, flexibility, low-light handling, and moderate zoom in a more pocketable body, the Casio Exilim EX-100 is head and shoulders ahead. Its larger sensor, RAW support, burst shooting, and HD video make it a more future-proof option, though at a higher price point (~$570 new).

Both cameras show their age against today’s mirrorless hybrids, but within their niche, Casio’s EX-100 remains the more practical, versatile tool. Canon’s SX10 IS holds nostalgia and zoom power but is perhaps better suited for collectors or zoom fanatics on a budget.

Whether you favor reach or image finesse, I hope this detailed breakdown helps clarify which camera fits your creative style and shooting needs.

Happy shooting!

Disclosure: All testing conducted under controlled conditions with identical scenes wherever possible to ensure fair comparison.