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Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100

Portability
86
Imaging
40
Features
45
Overall
42
Canon PowerShot SX160 IS front
 
Sony Alpha a5100 front
Portability
89
Imaging
65
Features
74
Overall
68

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 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
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Replaced the Canon SX150 IS
  • Refreshed by Canon SX170 IS
Sony a5100
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Announced August 2014
  • Previous Model is Sony a5000
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Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Canon SX160 IS versus Sony a5100, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Canon and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the SX160 IS (16MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the SX160 IS (1/2.3") and a5100 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The SX160 IS was released 14 months prior to the a5100 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Canon SX160 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SX160 IS scores vs the a5100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX160 IS over the Sony a5100

 SX160 IS a5100 

Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Canon SX160 IS

 a5100 SX160 IS 
AnnouncedAugust 2014June 2013Newer by 14 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Canon SX160 IS and Sony a5100

 SX160 IS a5100 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to travel with your camera often, you should take into account its weight and size. The Canon SX160 IS has physical dimensions of 111mm x 73mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.7") with a weight of 291 grams (0.64 lbs) whilst the Sony a5100 has specifications of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

See the Canon SX160 IS versus Sony a5100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the SX160 IS vs the a5100.

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SX160 IS and a5100 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is difficult to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by checking out specifications. The image below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SX160 IS and a5100.

To sum up, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SX160 IS because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony a5100 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged SX160 IS will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 sensor size comparison

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX160 IS as a Portrait photography camera
Sony a5100 as a Portrait photography camera
46
focusing manually
above average flash sync (1/2,000s)
decent MP (16MP)
provides face detection focus
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
72
focusing manually
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Canon SX160 IS Street photography advice
Sony a5100 Street photography advice
59
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (291g)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
82
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
has focus by touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX160 IS Sports photography info
Sony a5100 Sports photography info
51
great zoom range (28-448mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
great battery life (380 shots)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
68
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
great battery power (400 shots)
has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX160 IS Travel photography features
Sony a5100 Travel photography features
69
great battery life (380 per charge)
lighter than others in class (291 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
long reach (448mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
80
great battery power (400 shots)
has focus by touch
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon SX160 IS
Landscape photography with Sony a5100
51
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
great battery life (380 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
great battery power (400 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX160 IS Vlogging factors
Sony a5100 Vlogging factors
31
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focus
lighter than others in class (291g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic support
34
touchscreen
supports face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone port
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Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX160 IS and Sony a5100
 Canon PowerShot SX160 ISSony Alpha a5100
General Information
Brand Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot SX160 IS Sony Alpha a5100
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2013-06-21 2014-08-17
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 Bionz X
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 179
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-448mm (16.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/3200s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.00 m 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/2000s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 291g (0.64 lb) 283g (0.62 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 73 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.7") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1347
Other
Battery life 380 pictures 400 pictures
Battery form AA Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $199 $448