Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57
90 Imaging
36 Features
40 Overall
37


64 Imaging
57 Features
85 Overall
68
Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-392mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
- 220g - 103 x 61 x 38mm
- Revealed June 2010
- Replaced the Canon SX200 IS
- Successor is Canon SX230 HS
(Full Review)

Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57 Overview
Let's take a closer look at the Canon SX210 IS and Sony A57, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SX210 IS (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is pretty close but the SX210 IS (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) feature different sensor size.

The SX210 IS was revealed 3 years prior to the A57 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Canon SX210 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the SX210 IS matches up versus the A57 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SX210 IS & Sony SLT-A57. The full galleries are provided at Canon SX210 IS Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon SX210 IS over the Sony A57
SX210 IS | A57 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Canon SX210 IS
A57 | SX210 IS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2012 | ![]() | June 2010 | More recent by 27 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+691k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Canon SX210 IS and Sony A57
SX210 IS | A57 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent screen size |
Touch screen | ![]() | Lack of Touch screen |
Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Canon SX210 IS comes with outside measurements of 103mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") along with a weight of 220 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") and a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).
Examine the Canon SX210 IS and Sony A57 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SX210 IS and the A57.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SX210 IS and A57 is 90 and 64 respectively.

Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it can be tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by viewing technical specs. The visual here may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SX210 IS and A57.
As you can tell, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SX210 IS having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A57 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older SX210 IS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX210 IS vs Sony A57 Specifications
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS | Sony SLT-A57 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Canon | Sony |
Model type | Canon PowerShot SX210 IS | Sony SLT-A57 |
Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level DSLR |
Revealed | 2010-06-16 | 2012-09-13 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Digic 4 | - |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4320 x 3240 | 4912 x 3264 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 16000 |
Highest boosted ISO | - | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 9 | 15 |
Cross type focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens zoom range | 28-392mm (14.0x) | - |
Max aperture | f/3.1-5.9 | - |
Macro focusing distance | 5cm | - |
Total lenses | - | 143 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 921k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen technology | - | Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440k dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 15 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/3200 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 1.0 frames per second | 12.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.50 m | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, Slow Syncro, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | - | 1/160 secs |
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 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Eye-Fi Connected |
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 | 220 gr (0.49 pounds) | 618 gr (1.36 pounds) |
Dimensions | 103 x 61 x 38mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") | 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | 75 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 23.4 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 13.0 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 785 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 550 images |
Battery style | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | NB-5L | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 sec or 10 sec, Custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/MMCplus HC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at launch | $226 | $1,000 |