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Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
43
Overall
38
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80 front
Portability
91
Imaging
44
Features
60
Overall
50

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Key Specs

Canon SX230 HS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-392mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 223g - 106 x 62 x 33mm
  • Launched July 2011
  • Old Model is Canon SX210 IS
  • Replacement is Canon SX240 HS
Sony HX80
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Expand to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 245g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Revealed March 2016
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Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Canon SX230 HS and Sony HX80, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by brands Canon and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the SX230 HS (12MP) and HX80 (18MP) but they come with the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SX230 HS was revealed 5 years earlier than the HX80 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a short summation of how the SX230 HS scores versus the HX80 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon SX230 HS over the Sony HX80

 SX230 HS HX80 
Focus manually Very accurate focus

Reasons to pick Sony HX80 over the Canon SX230 HS

 HX80 SX230 HS 
RevealedMarch 2016July 2011Fresher by 56 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k461kCrisper screen (+460k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Canon SX230 HS and Sony HX80

 SX230 HS HX80 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Touch screen No Touch screen

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SX230 HS has exterior dimensions of 106mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 223 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony HX80 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Compare the Canon SX230 HS and Sony HX80 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the SX230 HS vs the HX80.

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the SX230 HS and HX80 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing just by going over technical specs. The visual here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SX230 HS and HX80.

As you can tell, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You can expect the Sony HX80 to offer greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots far more aggressively. The older SX230 HS is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 sensor size comparison

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX230 HS Portrait photography factors
Sony HX80 Portrait photography factors
34
focusing manually
comes with face detection focusing
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
39
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon SX230 HS Street photography highlights
Sony HX80 Street photography highlights
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (223 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
70
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (245 grams)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX230 HS as a Sports photography camera
Sony HX80 as a Sports photography camera
36
excellent zoom range (28-392mm 14.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery life (210 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
57
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
includes tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (390 shots)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX230 HS Travel photography info
Sony HX80 Travel photography info
61
lighter than competition in class (223 grams)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
long reach (392mm)
does not have Timelapse function
bad battery life (210 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
76
better than average battery pack (390 CIPA)
lighter than competition (245 grams)
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
pretty wide (24mm)
great zoom (720mm)
missing Time Lapse function
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX230 HS Landscape photography factors
Sony HX80 Landscape photography factors
41
focusing manually
quite wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
bad battery life (210 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
49
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
better than average battery pack (390 shots)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX230 HS as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX80 as a Vlogging camera
34
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (223 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone port
75
pretty wide (24mm)
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (245g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
missing external mic jack
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Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX230 HS and Sony HX80
 Canon PowerShot SX230 HSSony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80
General Information
Company Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2011-07-19 2016-03-07
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Highest enhanced ISO - 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-392mm (14.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.1-5.9 f/3.5-6.4
Macro focus range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 461 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology PureColor II TG TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Min shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/3200 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, on, slow sync, off, rear sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 240 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 223 grams (0.49 pounds) 245 grams (0.54 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 62 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 210 photos 390 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-5L NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Price at release $399 $368