Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50
91 Imaging
35 Features
43 Overall
38


96 Imaging
39 Features
36 Overall
37
Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 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
- Introduced July 2011
- Earlier Model is Canon SX210 IS
- New Model is Canon SX240 HS
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
- 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
- Introduced January 2012

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 Overview
Below, we are contrasting the Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Canon and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the SX230 HS (12MP) and WX50 (16MP) but they possess the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

The SX230 HS was unveiled 6 months before the WX50 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the SX230 HS scores versus the WX50 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX230 HS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50. The full galleries are viewable at Canon SX230 HS Gallery & Sony WX50 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon SX230 HS over the Sony WX50
SX230 HS | WX50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Reasons to pick Sony WX50 over the Canon SX230 HS
WX50 | SX230 HS |
---|
Common features in the Canon SX230 HS and Sony WX50
SX230 HS | WX50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | July 2011 | ![]() | January 2012 | Same age |
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display resolution | 461k | ![]() | 461k | Exact same display resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither features Touch friendly display |
Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 Physical Comparison
If you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SX230 HS enjoys physical measurements of 106mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 223 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony WX50 has measurements of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).
Check the Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the SX230 HS against the WX50.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the SX230 HS and WX50 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 Sensor Comparison
Usually, its difficult to see the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching a spec sheet. The visual below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the SX230 HS and WX50.
As you can see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Sony WX50 to render more detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively.

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX230 HS vs Sony WX50 Specifications
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Canon | Sony |
Model type | Canon PowerShot SX230 HS | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50 |
Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
Introduced | 2011-07-19 | 2012-01-30 |
Body design | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology | BIONZ |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | 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 | 12MP | 16MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4608 x 3456 |
Highest native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 9 | - |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 28-392mm (14.0x) | 25-125mm (5.0x) |
Max aperture | f/3.1-5.9 | f/2.6-6.3 |
Macro focusing range | 5cm | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3" | 2.7" |
Screen resolution | 461k dot | 461k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen tech | PureColor II TG TFT LCD | Clearfoto TFT LCD display |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 15 seconds | 4 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/3200 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 3.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.50 m | 5.30 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
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 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | BuiltIn | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 223 gr (0.49 pounds) | 117 gr (0.26 pounds) |
Dimensions | 106 x 62 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") | 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") |
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 life | 210 photographs | 240 photographs |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | NB-5L | NP-BN |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at launch | $399 | $250 |