Canon SX120 IS vs Sony a1

Lets look closer at the Canon SX120 IS and Sony a1, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Canon and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the SX120 IS (10MP) and a1 (50MP) and the SX120 IS (1/2.5") and a1 (Full frame) have different sensor measurements.

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The SX120 IS was brought out 12 years prior to the a1 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Canon SX120 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the SX120 IS matches up vs the a1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SX120 IS & Sony Alpha a1. The entire galleries are available at Canon SX120 IS Gallery & Sony a1 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Canon SX120 IS provides external dimensions of 111mm x 71mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.8" x 1.8") with a weight of 285 grams (0.63 lbs) whilst the Sony a1 has proportions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Look at the Canon SX120 IS and Sony a1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the SX120 IS against the a1.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the SX120 IS and a1 is 87 and 61 respectively.

Often, its tough to picture the contrast between sensor measurements only by checking technical specs. The visual here should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SX120 IS and a1.

As you have seen, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SX120 IS because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony a1 will give more detail having its extra 40 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The older SX120 IS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.