Canon SX120 IS vs Canon SX20 IS

Lets take a closer look at the Canon SX120 IS and Canon SX20 IS, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both created by Canon. The sensor resolution of the SX120 IS (10MP) and the SX20 IS (12MP) is pretty well matched but the SX120 IS (1/2.5") and SX20 IS (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SX120 IS was introduced 10 months earlier than the SX20 IS so they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Canon SX120 IS being a Compact camera and the Canon SX20 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the SX120 IS matches up vs the SX20 IS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SX120 IS and Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. The whole galleries are available at Canon SX120 IS Gallery and Canon SX20 IS Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Canon SX120 IS offers outer dimensions of 111mm x 71mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.8" x 1.8") having a weight of 285 grams (0.63 lbs) while the Canon SX20 IS has sizing of 128mm x 88mm x 87mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.4") with a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs).

Analyze the Canon SX120 IS and Canon SX20 IS in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the SX120 IS versus the SX20 IS.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SX120 IS and SX20 IS is 87 and 65 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading through specs. The graphic here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX120 IS and SX20 IS.

All in all, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SX120 IS using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Canon SX20 IS will give extra detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older SX120 IS is going to be behind in sensor innovation.