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Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
41
Overall
40
Canon PowerShot SX170 IS front
 
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS front
Portability
65
Imaging
36
Features
55
Overall
43

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS Key Specs

Canon SX170 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-448mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 251g - 108 x 71 x 44mm
  • Announced August 2013
  • Superseded the Canon SX160 IS
Canon SX50 HS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.8" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F3.4-6.5) lens
  • 595g - 123 x 87 x 106mm
  • Revealed January 2013
  • Old Model is Canon SX40 HS
  • Successor is Canon SX60 HS
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Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS Overview

Following is a comprehensive overview of the Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and both are offered by Canon. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SX170 IS (16MP) and SX50 HS (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SX170 IS was revealed 8 months after the SX50 HS which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Canon SX170 IS being a Compact camera and the Canon SX50 HS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a short summation of how the SX170 IS grades against the SX50 HS in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX170 IS over the Canon SX50 HS

 SX170 IS SX50 HS 
RevealedAugust 2013January 2013More modern by 8 months
Screen dimension3"2.8"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Reasons to pick Canon SX50 HS over the Canon SX170 IS

 SX50 HS SX170 IS 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution461k230kClearer screen (+231k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Canon SX170 IS and Canon SX50 HS

 SX170 IS SX50 HS 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SX170 IS provides outer measurements of 108mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Canon SX50 HS has measurements of 123mm x 87mm x 106mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 4.2") with a weight of 595 grams (1.31 lbs).

See the Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the SX170 IS compared to the SX50 HS.

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX170 IS and SX50 HS is 88 and 65 respectively.

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS top view buttons comparison

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through specifications. The image underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SX170 IS and SX50 HS.

To sum up, both cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You can expect the Canon SX170 IS to render greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern SX170 IS provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS sensor size comparison

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SX170 IS
Portrait photography with Canon SX50 HS
44
has manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
comes with face detection focusing
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
48
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
comes with face detect focus
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Canon SX170 IS Street photography features
Canon SX50 HS Street photography features
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (251 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
57
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
small sensor size (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition in class (595g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon SX170 IS
Sports photography with Canon SX50 HS
48
long zoom range (28-448mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
39
excellent zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
max frames per second low (2.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SX170 IS
Travel photography with Canon SX50 HS
68
lighter than average (251 grams)
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
great zoom (448mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
53
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
relatively wide (24mm)
very long zoom (1200mm)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (595 grams)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX170 IS Landscape photography advice
Canon SX50 HS Landscape photography advice
49
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Timelapse mode
45
focusing manually
relatively wide (24mm)
nice screen size (2.8")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX170 IS as a Vlogging camera
Canon SX50 HS as a Vlogging camera
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
lighter than average (251g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone port
58
relatively wide (24mm)
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
does not have microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (595 grams)
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Canon SX170 IS vs Canon SX50 HS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX170 IS and Canon SX50 HS
 Canon PowerShot SX170 ISCanon PowerShot SX50 HS
General Information
Brand Canon Canon
Model Canon PowerShot SX170 IS Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2013-08-22 2013-01-15
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 4 Digic 5
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-448mm (16.0x) 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Max aperture f/3.5-5.9 f/3.4-6.5
Macro focus distance 1cm 0cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.8 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 461 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 202 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15s 15s
Maximum shutter speed 1/3200s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.00 m 5.50 m
Flash settings Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Flash Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Second Curtain
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 251 gr (0.55 lb) 595 gr (1.31 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 71 x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") 123 x 87 x 106mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 4.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 47
DXO Color Depth score not tested 20.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.2
DXO Low light score not tested 179
Other
Battery life 300 photos 315 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-6LH NB-10L
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $0 $429