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Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
44
Overall
39
Canon PowerShot SX240 HS front
 
Nikon Coolpix P520 front
Portability
66
Imaging
42
Features
51
Overall
45

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 Key Specs

Canon SX240 HS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.5-6.8) lens
  • 224g - 106 x 61 x 33mm
  • Released February 2012
  • Succeeded the Canon SX230 HS
  • Successor is Canon SX260 HS
Nikon P520
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1000mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 550g - 125 x 84 x 102mm
  • Released January 2013
  • Earlier Model is Nikon P510
  • Replacement is Nikon P530
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Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by competitors Canon and Nikon. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the SX240 HS (12MP) and P520 (18MP) but both cameras have the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SX240 HS was manufactured 11 months prior to the P520 which means that they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Canon SX240 HS being a Compact camera and the Nikon P520 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the SX240 HS matches up vs the P520 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX240 HS over the Nikon P520

 SX240 HS P520 

Reasons to pick Nikon P520 over the Canon SX240 HS

 P520 SX240 HS 
ReleasedJanuary 2013February 2012More recent by 11 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution921k461kCrisper screen (+460k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Canon SX240 HS and Nikon P520

 SX240 HS P520 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and size. The Canon SX240 HS enjoys external dimensions of 106mm x 61mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Nikon P520 has specifications of 125mm x 84mm x 102mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 4.0") along with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the SX240 HS compared to the P520.

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SX240 HS and P520 is 91 and 66 respectively.

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements simply by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SX240 HS and P520.

As you can see, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Nikon P520 to provide greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older SX240 HS will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 sensor size comparison

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX240 HS as a Portrait photography camera
Nikon P520 as a Portrait photography camera
37
has manual focus
supports face detect focusing
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
41
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (18MP)
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Canon SX240 HS as a Street photography camera
Nikon P520 as a Street photography camera
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (224 grams)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
51
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Optical)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than average (550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX240 HS Sports photography info
Nikon P520 Sports photography info
36
excellent zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking focus
max fps low (2.0 frames/s)
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery life (230 CIPA)
has no phase detect AF
46
amazing zoom range (24-1000mm 41.7 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (18MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (200 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX240 HS as a Travel photography camera
Nikon P520 as a Travel photography camera
61
lighter than competition (224g)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
long reach (500mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
low battery life (230 per charge)
low MP (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
57
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
really wide (24mm)
great zoom (1000mm)
no Timelapse function
terrible battery power (200 CIPA)
more heavy than average (550 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX240 HS as a Landscape photography camera
Nikon P520 as a Landscape photography camera
41
has manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
low battery life (230 shots)
does not have Time Lapse mode
46
focusing manually
really wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3.2")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (18MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery power (200 CIPA)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX240 HS as a Vlogging camera
Nikon P520 as a Vlogging camera
34
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (224 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have mic jack
57
really wide (24mm)
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
no microphone port
more heavy than average (550g)
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Canon SX240 HS vs Nikon P520 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX240 HS and Nikon P520
 Canon PowerShot SX240 HSNikon Coolpix P520
General Information
Brand Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot SX240 HS Nikon Coolpix P520
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-02-07 2013-01-29
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 5 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-500mm (20.0x) 24-1000mm (41.7x)
Max aperture f/3.5-6.8 f/3.0-5.9
Macro focus range 5cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3.2"
Resolution of screen 461k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech PureColor II TFT LCD TFT-LCD with Anti-reflection coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 8 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/3200 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.50 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync -
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) none
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 224 gr (0.49 pounds) 550 gr (1.21 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 61 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") 125 x 84 x 102mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 230 images 200 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-6L EN-EL5
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) -
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $0 $380