Canon SX120 IS vs Canon SX540 HS

Lets look much closer at the Canon SX120 IS vs Canon SX540 HS, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Canon. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the SX120 IS (10MP) and SX540 HS (20MP) and the SX120 IS (1/2.5") and SX540 HS (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The SX120 IS was manufactured 7 years earlier than the SX540 HS and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Canon SX120 IS being a Compact camera and the Canon SX540 HS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the SX120 IS matches up vs the SX540 HS for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX120 IS and Canon PowerShot SX540 HS. The entire galleries are provided at Canon SX120 IS Gallery and Canon SX540 HS Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Canon SX120 IS comes with outside measurements of 111mm x 71mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.8" x 1.8") along with a weight of 285 grams (0.63 lbs) whilst the Canon SX540 HS has proportions of 120mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 3.6") having a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Contrast the Canon SX120 IS vs Canon SX540 HS in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the SX120 IS vs the SX540 HS.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SX120 IS and SX540 HS is 87 and 69 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements merely by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SX120 IS and SX540 HS.

Clearly, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SX120 IS due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Canon SX540 HS will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older SX120 IS will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.