Canon SX170 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Canon SX170 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Canon and Sigma. The sensor resolution of the SX170 IS (16MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is fairly comparable but the SX170 IS (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The SX170 IS was introduced 17 months later than the SD1 Merrill making them a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Canon SX170 IS being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief summation of how the SX170 IS matches up against the SD1 Merrill when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX170 IS and Sigma SD1 Merrill. The whole galleries are available at Canon SX170 IS Gallery and Sigma SD1 Merrill Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Canon SX170 IS comes with exterior dimensions of 108mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sigma SD1 Merrill has measurements of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

See the Canon SX170 IS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the SX170 IS compared to the SD1 Merrill.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SX170 IS and SD1 Merrill is 88 and 57 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to see the contrast in sensor measurements merely by seeing specifications. The photograph below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX170 IS and SD1 Merrill.

To sum up, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SX170 IS with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Canon SX170 IS will produce more detail using its extra 1 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The younger SX170 IS is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.