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Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
41
Overall
40
Canon PowerShot SX170 IS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
41
Overall
39

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 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
  • Launched August 2013
  • Older Model is Canon SX160 IS
Sony WX30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Released July 2011
Photography Glossary

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Canon SX170 IS versus Sony WX30, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Canon and Sony. The resolution of the SX170 IS (16MP) and the WX30 (16MP) is relatively close and they possess the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SX170 IS was brought out 2 years later than the WX30 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the SX170 IS scores versus the WX30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX170 IS over the Sony WX30

 SX170 IS WX30 
ReleasedAugust 2013July 2011More recent by 26 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing

Reasons to pick Sony WX30 over the Canon SX170 IS

 WX30 SX170 IS 
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Canon SX170 IS and Sony WX30

 SX170 IS WX30 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Canon SX170 IS offers outer measurements of 108mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sony WX30 has proportions of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Look at the Canon SX170 IS versus Sony WX30 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the SX170 IS compared to the WX30.

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SX170 IS and WX30 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements purely by researching specs. The graphic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SX170 IS and WX30.

All in all, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the same exact MP and you should expect comparable quality of photos however you have to consider the release date of the cameras into account. The fresher SX170 IS should have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 sensor size comparison

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX170 IS as a Portrait photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Portrait photography camera
44
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers face detection focus
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
30
good megapixels (16MP)
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon SX170 IS Street photography factors
Sony WX30 Street photography factors
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (251g)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX170 IS Sports photography info
Sony WX30 Sports photography info
48
long zoom range (28-448mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX170 IS Travel photography highlights
Sony WX30 Travel photography highlights
68
lighter than competition in class (251g)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
very long reach (448mm)
no Timelapse function
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.5)
69
lighter than others (117g)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon SX170 IS
Landscape photography with Sony WX30
49
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Timelapse function
43
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.6)
no manual control
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX170 IS Vlogging advice
Sony WX30 Vlogging advice
31
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (251g)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone jack
35
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (117g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.6)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic support
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Canon SX170 IS vs Sony WX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX170 IS and Sony WX30
 Canon PowerShot SX170 ISSony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
General Information
Brand Name Canon Sony
Model type Canon PowerShot SX170 IS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2013-08-22 2011-07-25
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-448mm (16.0x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.9 f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 230k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT Color LCD XtraFine TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/3200s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 3.70 m
Flash settings Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Flash Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 251 grams (0.55 pounds) 117 grams (0.26 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 71 x 44mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.7") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 250 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-6LH NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $0 $259