Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100
86 Imaging
40 Features
45 Overall
42


89 Imaging
65 Features
74 Overall
68
Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Key Specs
(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
(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

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.

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.

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SX160 IS & Sony Alpha a5100. The complete galleries are viewable at Canon SX160 IS Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | August 2014 | ![]() | June 2013 | Newer by 14 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper 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 size | 3" | ![]() | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX160 IS vs Sony a5100 Specifications
Canon PowerShot SX160 IS | Sony 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 |