Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80
91 Imaging
35 Features
43 Overall
38


91 Imaging
44 Features
60 Overall
50
Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Key Specs
(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
(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

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").

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.

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SX230 HS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The full galleries are provided at Canon SX230 HS Gallery & Sony HX80 Gallery.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | March 2016 | ![]() | July 2011 | Fresher by 56 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 461k | Crisper screen (+460k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Canon SX230 HS and Sony HX80
SX230 HS | HX80 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 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.
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.

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

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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony HX80 Specifications
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Sony 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 |