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Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS

Portability
65
Imaging
35
Features
40
Overall
37
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS front
 
Canon PowerShot SX400 IS front
Portability
81
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS Key Specs

Canon SX20 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-560mm (F2.8-5.7) lens
  • 600g - 128 x 88 x 87mm
  • Revealed July 2010
  • Superseded the Canon SX10 IS
  • New Model is Canon SX30 IS
Canon SX400 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
  • 313g - 104 x 69 x 80mm
  • Introduced July 2014
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Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS Overview

Here is a in depth assessment of the Canon SX20 IS and Canon SX400 IS, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and both of them are offered by Canon. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the SX20 IS (12MP) and SX400 IS (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SX20 IS was manufactured 5 years earlier than the SX400 IS and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Canon SX20 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Canon SX400 IS being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the SX20 IS grades versus the SX400 IS in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX20 IS over the Canon SX400 IS

 SX20 IS SX400 IS 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Canon SX400 IS over the Canon SX20 IS

 SX400 IS SX20 IS 
IntroducedJuly 2014July 2010Fresher by 49 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Canon SX20 IS and Canon SX400 IS

 SX20 IS SX400 IS 
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Canon SX20 IS has outside measurements of 128mm x 88mm x 87mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.4") having a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Canon SX400 IS has specifications of 104mm x 69mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.1") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs).

Examine the Canon SX20 IS and Canon SX400 IS in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose during that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the SX20 IS vs the SX400 IS.

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SX20 IS and SX400 IS is 65 and 81 respectively.

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS top view buttons comparison

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at technical specs. The visual here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SX20 IS and SX400 IS.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Canon SX400 IS to give you more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older SX20 IS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS sensor size comparison

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SX20 IS
Portrait photography with Canon SX400 IS
37
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/500s)
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
35
good resolution (16MP)
comes with face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon SX20 IS Street photography details
Canon SX400 IS Street photography details
49
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
more heavy than competitors in class (600g)
52
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX20 IS as a Sports photography camera
Canon SX400 IS as a Sports photography camera
34
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
42
incredible zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery (190 per charge)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX20 IS as a Travel photography camera
Canon SX400 IS as a Travel photography camera
53
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
quite wide (28mm)
very long zoom (560mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
more heavy than competitors in class (600 grams)
low MP (12MP)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
60
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
long zoom (720mm)
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery (190 shots)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX20 IS Landscape photography info
Canon SX400 IS Landscape photography info
35
has manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
40
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.4)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
not so great battery (190 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX20 IS as a Vlogging camera
Canon SX400 IS as a Vlogging camera
50
quite wide (28mm)
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
more heavy than competitors in class (600 grams)
28
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
slow max aperture (f3.4)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone jack
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Canon SX20 IS vs Canon SX400 IS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX20 IS and Canon SX400 IS
 Canon PowerShot SX20 ISCanon PowerShot SX400 IS
General Information
Make Canon Canon
Model Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Canon PowerShot SX400 IS
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-07-06 2014-07-29
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 4 Digic 4+
Sensor type CCD CCD
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 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 1600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-560mm (20.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Max aperture f/2.8-5.7 f/3.4-5.8
Macro focus distance 0cm 0cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15s 15s
Maximum shutter speed 1/3200s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.80 m 5.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, on, off, slow synchro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/500s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 600g (1.32 lbs) 313g (0.69 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 88 x 87mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.4") 104 x 69 x 80mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 190 photographs
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model 4 x AA NB-11LH
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD / SDHC / MMC / MMC Plus / HC MMC Plus SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $500 $229