Canon SX230 HS vs Samsung ST100: Which Compact Camera Elevates Your Photography Journey?

Choosing the right compact camera can be a daunting task, especially when you’re balancing features, image quality, and portability. Today, we pit two popular models against each other - the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS and the Samsung ST100 - released within a year of each other but targeting subtly different users. With over 15 years of hands-on experience testing cameras, we’ll go beyond specs and marketing copy to help you understand how these cameras perform in everyday scenarios and specialized photography styles.

Our goal is to give you clear, nuanced insights so you can confidently select the camera that fits your creative path - whether you’re a beginner looking to expand your skills or a seasoned enthusiast needing a trustworthy backup.

Getting a Feel for the Cameras: Design and Ergonomics

At first glance, both offer compactness, but their design philosophies differ significantly.

Canon’s Ergonomics: Confident Control

The Canon SX230 HS offers a more substantial grip and tactile buttons, including a mode dial and discrete zoom controls. This layout facilitates quick changes on the fly, a plus for users who want intuitive manual exposure modes (available here but missing on the Samsung). The larger body feels more secure during extended shooting sessions.

Samsung’s Sleek Appeal: Minimalist and Portable

On the other hand, the ST100 emphasizes portability and clean design. At just 20mm thick and 155g, it fits effortlessly in pockets or small bags. It incorporates a capacitive touchscreen which takes over much of the control scheme. While innovative for its time, the touchscreen interface can slow operations if you’re used to physical dials, especially in bright outdoor conditions.

Bottom Line: If you prioritize handling and manual controls, the Canon is the clear winner. For travel or casual shooting where compactness is king, the Samsung’s ultra-slim profile is tempting.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

Both cameras utilize the same sensor size (1/2.3-inch), a common choice in compact models due to cost and size constraints. However, Canon uses a 12MP BSI-CMOS sensor, while Samsung employs a 14MP CCD sensor.

Understanding Sensor Differences

BSI-CMOS sensors like Canon’s reverse the wiring so photodiodes receive more light. This change often leads to better low-light performance and reduced noise compared to CCDs, an older technology favored for color accuracy but generally less sensitive.

In practice, the Canon’s BSI-CMOS sensor provides cleaner images at higher ISOs, making it a better choice for indoor and night photography. The Samsung’s CCD sensor still produces sharp, vibrant daylight shots but struggles with noise beyond ISO 400.

Resolution and Detail

Samsung’s slightly higher 14MP resolution offers a marginal bump in pixel count. However, without RAW support on either camera, your ability to recover detail or correct exposure post-capture is limited. The Canon’s slightly lower resolution is balanced by better noise control and dynamic range due to sensor design and DIGIC 4 processing.

Real-World Images: What to Expect

Our side-by-side image gallery shows Canon's images featuring smoother gradations and better handling of shadows, especially indoors. Meanwhile, Samsung images display a bit more fine detail in bright conditions but suffer from harsher noise and lower contrast in low-light.

Canon SX230 HS front Canon SX230 HS screen back Samsung ST100 screen back

Viewing and Interface: How You See Your Shots

A display can make or break the shooting experience, especially with no viewfinder on either model.

Canon’s Traditional Display

The Canon provides a smaller but sharp 3-inch LCD with good visibility outdoors thanks to the PureColor II TG TFT technology. The absence of touchscreen means reliance on physical buttons, which may feel familiar and precise to many photographers.

Samsung’s Touchscreen Experience

Samsung’s 3.5-inch display impresses with its high 1152k dot resolution and touchscreen responsiveness, which was a notable innovation especially for the 2010 release timeline. Navigating menus and reviewing shots is much faster here, though touch controls can be harder to use precisely in direct sunlight or when wearing gloves.

Tip: If you plan to shoot while on the move or prefer quick menu access, the Samsung’s touchscreen is a significant asset.

Autofocus and Shooting Performance: Speed and Accuracy

For practical photography, autofocus system responsiveness and accuracy are vital.

Canon’s Versatile AF

The Canon SX230 HS offers several autofocus modes including single, continuous, and subject tracking with face detection support. Although a contrast-detection system, it tends to be quick and reliable in good lighting. The ability to manually fine-tune focus also boosts creative control for macro or artistic shots.

Samsung’s Simpler AF Setup

Samsung’s contrast-detection autofocus is limited to single-shot mode, and it lacks manual focus entirely. Therefore, acquiring fast-moving subjects or tricky focusing scenarios can be a hassle. Face detection is present but less sophisticated.

Result: For wildlife, sports, or dynamic subjects, Canon’s AF system provides more confidence and flexibility.

Lens and Zoom: How Far Can You Go?

Lens quality and zoom range heavily influence framing and creative options.

Canon’s Superzoom Flexibility

The Canon’s expansive 14x zoom covers from wide-angle (28mm equivalent) to very long telephoto (392mm equivalent). It gives you the ability to shoot everything from landscapes to distant wildlife without changing lenses. Optical image stabilization helps keep images sharp at longer focal lengths or dim conditions.

Samsung’s Balanced Approach

Samsung ST100’s lens offers a moderate 5x zoom from 35mm to 175mm, suitable for everyday snaps and portraits but limited at the telephoto end. The slightly brighter aperture at telephoto (f/4.8 versus Canon’s f/5.9) can help a little in low light.

Suitability tip: If you want more framing flexibility without carrying extra lenses, Canon’s lens outperforms hands down.

Portraits: Skin Tones, Bokeh, and Eye Detection

Portrait photography demands accurate color rendition, pleasing skin tones, and selective focus.

Canon SX230 HS

• Skin tones render naturally with balanced warmth.
• 14x zoom and manual focus enable creative bokeh effects, although small sensor size limits background blur.
• Face detection AF boosts sharpness on eyes.
• Exposure compensation allows finer control of skin brightness.

Samsung ST100

• Slightly cooler skin tone rendering, sometimes less flattering in mixed light.
• Limited zoom range restricts background separation.
• Face detection present but less refined.
• No manual exposure or focus limits portrait creativity.

Verdict: Canon provides more tools and a better sensor for pleasing portraits.

Landscape Photography: Dynamic Range and Weather Sealing

Both lack weather sealing, so cautious handling outdoors is needed.

Both cameras struggle with shadow-to-highlight transitions in challenging lighting, but Canon’s DIGIC 4 processor and BSI-CMOS sensor better handle dynamic range. Higher resolution on Samsung offers slight cropping advantage, but overall optical quality favors Canon’s wider lens.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus Speed and Burst Shooting

Canon’s 3 fps burst mode with tracking AF is better suited to action.

Samsung lacks continuous AF and burst specs, making it unreliable for fast subjects.

Street and Travel Photography: Discreetness, Portability, Battery Life

Samsung’s ultra-compact design excels in street and travel use for discretion and convenience.

For extended trips, Canon’s dedicated battery may be more reliable than Samsung’s internal rechargeable system.

Macro and Night Photography: Close Focus and ISO Performance

Both focus down to 5cm macros, but Canon’s manual focus support and image stabilization deliver more precise results.

Night performance heavily favors Canon’s CMOS & DIGIC 4 combo, providing less noise up to ISO 800-1600.

Video Recording Capabilities

Canon’s full HD video at 24 fps offers richer, more modern codec support and sharper footage than Samsung’s HD at 720p with MJPEG, which results in larger file sizes and poorer quality.

Build Quality, Connectivity, and Storage

• Neither offers weather sealing.
• Canon supports Eye-Fi wireless SD cards and built-in GPS tagging.
• Samsung lacks wireless connectivity.
• Both use SD card formats (Samsung supports Micro SD, Canon uses standard SD/SDHC/SDXC).

Battery Life and Power Management

Canon rates at around 210 shots per charge with the NB-5L battery.

Samsung battery details are unspecified but given the slim design it likely offers fewer shots per charge.

Price-to-Performance Analysis

Summing Up: Who Should Choose Which?

Choose the Canon SX230 HS if you:

• Crave manual exposure and focus controls.
• Want a versatile lens with long zoom reach.
• Need better low-light and night shooting capability.
• Desire full HD video recording.
• Prefer a camera built for more disciplined photography workflows.

Choose the Samsung ST100 if you:

• Prioritize pocketable size and light weight.
• Appreciate touchscreen navigation.
• Want an easy-to-use camera for casual everyday shooting.
• Are budget-conscious and OK with limited zoom and video.

Final Thoughts

Both the Canon SX230 HS and Samsung ST100 carved out unique niches in the compact camera market. Canon leans into control, zoom versatility, and image quality, qualities that seasoned enthusiasts and travel photographers will appreciate. Samsung offers sleek, minimalist design and touchscreen convenience that casual shooters or those new to photography may enjoy.

If you want an all-rounder that nudges you toward better photographic craftsmanship, Canon is a strong pick. If your focus is grab-and-go snapshots and ease, Samsung may be your fast friend.

Now that you’re armed with this detailed comparison, why not visit a store or rental service to handle both cameras? Experiencing their real-world feel will help ensure the best match for your photographic vision.

Happy shooting!