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Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
41
Overall
40
Canon PowerShot SX170 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix B500 front
Portability
68
Imaging
41
Features
50
Overall
44

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 Key Specs

Canon SX170 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
  • 251g - 108 x 71 x 44mm
  • Announced August 2013
  • Old Model is Canon SX160 IS
Nikon B500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-900mm (F3.0-6.5) lens
  • 541g - 114 x 78 x 95mm
  • Released February 2016
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Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Canon SX170 IS and Nikon B500, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by rivals Canon and Nikon. The sensor resolution of the SX170 IS (16MP) and the B500 (16MP) is pretty close and both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SX170 IS was introduced 3 years prior to the B500 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Canon SX170 IS being a Compact camera and the Nikon B500 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the SX170 IS scores vs the B500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX170 IS over the Nikon B500

 SX170 IS B500 
Manually focus Very precise focus

Reasons to pick Nikon B500 over the Canon SX170 IS

 B500 SX170 IS 
ReleasedFebruary 2016August 2013More modern by 30 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Canon SX170 IS and Nikon B500

 SX170 IS B500 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Canon SX170 IS features exterior dimensions of 108mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Nikon B500 has specifications of 114mm x 78mm x 95mm (4.5" x 3.1" x 3.7") and a weight of 541 grams (1.19 lbs).

Check out the Canon SX170 IS and Nikon B500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the SX170 IS against the B500.

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX170 IS and B500 is 88 and 68 respectively.

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizes purely by researching technical specs. The image here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SX170 IS and B500.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the identical megapixels and you can expect comparable quality of photos but you need to factor the age of the cameras into account. The more aged SX170 IS will be behind in sensor tech.

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 sensor size comparison

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SX170 IS
Portrait photography with Nikon B500
44
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
provides face detection focusing
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
37
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
no manual focus
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon SX170 IS
Street photography with Nikon B500
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (251 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
52
screen tilts
image stabilization (Optical)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
more heavy than competition (541g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon SX170 IS
Sports photography with Nikon B500
48
amazing zoom range (28-448mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
51
excellent zoom range (23-900mm 39.1 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
features tracking focus
great battery pack (600 per charge)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX170 IS Travel photography details
Nikon B500 Travel photography details
68
lighter than competitors in class (251 grams)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
great reach (448mm)
does not have Timelapse function
does not contain selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.5)
59
great battery pack (600 per charge)
connects via bluetooth
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (23mm)
great zoom (900mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition (541 grams)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX170 IS as a Landscape photography camera
Nikon B500 as a Landscape photography camera
49
manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
45
pretty wide (23mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
great battery pack (600 per charge)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX170 IS as a Vlogging camera
Nikon B500 as a Vlogging camera
31
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
lighter than competitors in class (251g)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
27
pretty wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone socket
more heavy than competition (541 grams)
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Canon SX170 IS vs Nikon B500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX170 IS and Nikon B500
 Canon PowerShot SX170 ISNikon Coolpix B500
General Information
Company Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot SX170 IS Nikon Coolpix B500
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2013-08-22 2016-02-23
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 -
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 area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-448mm (16.0x) 23-900mm (39.1x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.9 f/3.0-6.5
Macro focus distance 1cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15 seconds 1 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/3200 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames per sec 7.4 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.00 m 6.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Flash Off -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 251 gr (0.55 lb) 541 gr (1.19 lb)
Physical dimensions 108 x 71 x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") 114 x 78 x 95mm (4.5" x 3.1" x 3.7")
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 300 pictures 600 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery model NB-6LH 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Cost at release $0 $300