Canon SX160 IS vs Sigma DP3 Merrill

Its time to examine more closely at the Canon SX160 IS vs Sigma DP3 Merrill, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Canon and Sigma. The sensor resolution of the SX160 IS (16MP) and the DP3 Merrill (15MP) is relatively well matched but the SX160 IS (1/2.3") and DP3 Merrill (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The SX160 IS was introduced 6 months after the DP3 Merrill so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Canon SX160 IS being a Compact camera and the Sigma DP3 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a short view of how the SX160 IS grades against the DP3 Merrill in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SX160 IS & Sigma DP3 Merrill. The whole galleries are viewable at Canon SX160 IS Gallery & Sigma DP3 Merrill Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Canon SX160 IS comes with outer dimensions of 111mm x 73mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 291 grams (0.64 lbs) and the Sigma DP3 Merrill has specifications of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") and a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs).

Compare the Canon SX160 IS vs Sigma DP3 Merrill in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SX160 IS versus the DP3 Merrill.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the SX160 IS and DP3 Merrill is 86 and 83 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions just by checking a spec sheet. The image below will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SX160 IS and DP3 Merrill.

Clearly, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SX160 IS using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Canon SX160 IS will give you extra detail using its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures much more aggressively.