Canon SX120 IS vs Samsung NX30

Its time to take a deeper look at the Canon SX120 IS and Samsung NX30, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Canon and Samsung. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the SX120 IS (10MP) and NX30 (20MP) and the SX120 IS (1/2.5") and NX30 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The SX120 IS was introduced 5 years before the NX30 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Canon SX120 IS being a Compact camera and the Samsung NX30 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the SX120 IS grades vs the NX30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX120 IS & Samsung NX30. The whole galleries are available at Canon SX120 IS Gallery & Samsung NX30 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Canon SX120 IS provides outside dimensions of 111mm x 71mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.8" x 1.8") along with a weight of 285 grams (0.63 lbs) while the Samsung NX30 has specifications of 127mm x 96mm x 58mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.3") having a weight of 375 grams (0.83 lbs).

Look at the Canon SX120 IS and Samsung NX30 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the SX120 IS vs the NX30.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SX120 IS and NX30 is 87 and 75 respectively.

Generally, its tough to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading through specs. The picture below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SX120 IS and NX30.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SX120 IS using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Samsung NX30 will resolve extra detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged SX120 IS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.