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Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS

Portability
86
Imaging
40
Features
45
Overall
42
Canon PowerShot SX160 IS front
 
Canon PowerShot SX720 HS front
Portability
89
Imaging
47
Features
51
Overall
48

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS Key Specs

Canon SX160 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-448mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 291g - 111 x 73 x 44mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Superseded the Canon SX150 IS
  • Renewed by Canon SX170 IS
Canon SX720 HS
(Full Review)
  • 20.3MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-960mm (F3.3-6.9) lens
  • 270g - 110 x 64 x 36mm
  • Launched February 2016
  • Superseded the Canon SX710 HS
  • Newer Model is Canon SX730 HS
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Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and both are designed by Canon. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the SX160 IS (16MP) and SX720 HS (20.3MP) but they use the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SX160 IS was announced 3 years earlier than the SX720 HS which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SX160 IS grades vs the SX720 HS with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX160 IS over the Canon SX720 HS

 SX160 IS SX720 HS 

Reasons to pick Canon SX720 HS over the Canon SX160 IS

 SX720 HS SX160 IS 
LaunchedFebruary 2016June 2013More modern by 32 months
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Canon SX160 IS and Canon SX720 HS

 SX160 IS SX720 HS 
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon SX160 IS comes with outer dimensions of 111mm x 73mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.7") having a weight of 291 grams (0.64 lbs) whilst the Canon SX720 HS has sizing of 110mm x 64mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 270 grams (0.60 lbs).

Examine the Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the SX160 IS compared to the SX720 HS.

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SX160 IS and SX720 HS is 86 and 89 respectively.

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS top view buttons comparison

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS Sensor Comparison

Often, it is tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes only by seeing specs. The image underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SX160 IS and SX720 HS.

All in all, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Canon SX720 HS to produce extra detail with its extra 4.3 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SX160 IS will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS sensor size comparison

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SX160 IS
Portrait photography with Canon SX720 HS
46
focusing manually
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
decent MP (16MP)
has face detection autofocus
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
48
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20.3 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon SX160 IS
Street photography with Canon SX720 HS
59
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (291g)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
62
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (270g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX160 IS Sports photography factors
Canon SX720 HS Sports photography factors
51
incredible zoom range (28-448mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
good battery life (380 CIPA)
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
48
amazing zoom range (24-960mm 40.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20.3 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
max fps low (5.9 frames per second)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (250 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SX160 IS
Travel photography with Canon SX720 HS
69
good battery life (380 shots)
lighter than others (291g)
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
long reach (448mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
67
lighter than competition (270g)
decent sensor resolution (20.3 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (24mm)
very long zoom (960mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
bad battery pack (250 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon SX160 IS
Landscape photography with Canon SX720 HS
51
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
good battery life (380 CIPA)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
50
manual focus
really wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20.3MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
bad battery pack (250 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon SX160 IS
Vlogging with Canon SX720 HS
31
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
lighter than others (291 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic support
35
really wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (270 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external mic jack
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Canon SX160 IS vs Canon SX720 HS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX160 IS and Canon SX720 HS
 Canon PowerShot SX160 ISCanon PowerShot SX720 HS
General Information
Brand Name Canon Canon
Model Canon PowerShot SX160 IS Canon PowerShot SX720 HS
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2013-06-21 2016-02-18
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 DIGIC 6
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20.3 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-448mm (16.0x) 24-960mm (40.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.9 f/3.3-6.9
Macro focus distance 1cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15s 15s
Max shutter speed 1/3200s 1/3200s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames per second 5.9 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.00 m 4.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, on, off, slow synchro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/2000s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 291 grams (0.64 lbs) 270 grams (0.60 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 73 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.7") 110 x 64 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 380 photographs 250 photographs
Type of battery AA Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA NB-13L
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $199 $379