Canon SX20 IS vs Nikon S9500

Here is a comprehensive review of the Canon SX20 IS versus Nikon S9500, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Canon and Nikon. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the SX20 IS (12MP) and S9500 (18MP) but they come with the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The SX20 IS was launched 3 years earlier than the S9500 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Canon SX20 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Nikon S9500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a concise view of how the SX20 IS grades versus the S9500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon PowerShot SX20 IS & Nikon Coolpix S9500. The complete galleries are viewable at Canon SX20 IS Gallery & Nikon S9500 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Canon SX20 IS comes with outside dimensions of 128mm x 88mm x 87mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.4") and a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Nikon S9500 has dimensions of 110mm x 60mm x 31mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs).

Examine the Canon SX20 IS versus Nikon S9500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the SX20 IS and the S9500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SX20 IS and S9500 is 65 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing just by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SX20 IS and S9500.

As you can see, both cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Nikon S9500 to give greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older SX20 IS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.