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Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4

Portability
65
Imaging
35
Features
40
Overall
37
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS front
 
Ricoh CX4 front
Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
34
Overall
33

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 Key Specs

Canon SX20 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-560mm (F2.8-5.7) lens
  • 600g - 128 x 88 x 87mm
  • Launched July 2010
  • Replaced the Canon SX10 IS
  • Newer Model is Canon SX30 IS
Ricoh CX4
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-300mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
  • 205g - 102 x 59 x 29mm
  • Revealed August 2010
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Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Canon SX20 IS and Ricoh CX4, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Ricoh. The sensor resolution of the SX20 IS (12MP) and the CX4 (10MP) is fairly well matched and both cameras posses the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SX20 IS was launched very close to the CX4 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Canon SX20 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Ricoh CX4 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a short view of how the SX20 IS grades versus the CX4 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX20 IS over the Ricoh CX4

 SX20 IS CX4 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Ricoh CX4 over the Canon SX20 IS

 CX4 SX20 IS 
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Canon SX20 IS and Ricoh CX4

 SX20 IS CX4 
RevealedJuly 2010August 2010Similar age
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and size. The Canon SX20 IS offers external dimensions of 128mm x 88mm x 87mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.4") along with a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Ricoh CX4 has specifications of 102mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs).

Compare the Canon SX20 IS and Ricoh CX4 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the SX20 IS against the CX4.

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX20 IS and CX4 is 65 and 92 respectively.

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to picture the gap between sensor sizes simply by looking at specs. The picture below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the SX20 IS and CX4.

All in all, each of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can anticipate the Canon SX20 IS to give more detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively.

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 sensor size comparison

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX20 IS Portrait photography features
Ricoh CX4 Portrait photography features
37
manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/500s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
26
you can focus manually
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon SX20 IS Street photography details
Ricoh CX4 Street photography details
49
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
more heavy than average (600 grams)
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (205g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX20 IS Sports photography info
Ricoh CX4 Sports photography info
34
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
24
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
max frames per second very slow (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SX20 IS
Travel photography with Ricoh CX4
53
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
decently wide (28mm)
great reach (560mm)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than average (600g)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
66
lighter than others (205g)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
long reach (300mm)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX20 IS Landscape photography advice
Ricoh CX4 Landscape photography advice
35
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5")
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
42
you can focus manually
rather wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX20 IS Vlogging advice
Ricoh CX4 Vlogging advice
50
decently wide (28mm)
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone jack
more heavy than average (600 grams)
30
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (205 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone jack
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Canon SX20 IS vs Ricoh CX4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX20 IS and Ricoh CX4
 Canon PowerShot SX20 ISRicoh CX4
General Information
Brand Name Canon Ricoh
Model type Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Ricoh CX4
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2010-07-06 2010-08-19
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 Smooth Imaging Engine IV
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 surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-560mm (20.0x) 28-300mm (10.7x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.7 f/3.5-5.6
Macro focusing distance 0cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 8 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/3200 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.80 m 4.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/500 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format H.264 Motion JPEG
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 600g (1.32 lbs) 205g (0.45 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 88 x 87mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.4") 102 x 59 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 ID 4 x AA DB-100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2, 10 or Custom)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD / SDHC / MMC / MMC Plus / HC MMC Plus SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $500 $211