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Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
43
Overall
38
Canon PowerShot SX270 HS front
 
Canon PowerShot SX500 IS front
Portability
80
Imaging
40
Features
40
Overall
40

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS Key Specs

Canon SX270 HS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.5-6.8) lens
  • 233g - 106 x 63 x 33mm
  • Revealed March 2013
  • Replaced the Canon SX260 HS
  • Replacement is Canon SX280 HS
Canon SX500 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
  • 341g - 104 x 70 x 80mm
  • Introduced August 2012
  • Successor is Canon SX510 HS
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Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS Overview

Lets look closer at the Canon SX270 HS and Canon SX500 IS, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and both are produced by Canon. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the SX270 HS (12MP) and SX500 IS (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SX270 HS was brought out 8 months later than the SX500 IS so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple view of how the SX270 HS scores vs the SX500 IS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX270 HS over the Canon SX500 IS

 SX270 HS SX500 IS 
IntroducedMarch 2013August 2012Fresher by 8 months

Reasons to pick Canon SX500 IS over the Canon SX270 HS

 SX500 IS SX270 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX270 HS and Canon SX500 IS

 SX270 HS SX500 IS 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Display resolution461k461kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Canon SX270 HS has external measurements of 106mm x 63mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 233 grams (0.51 lbs) while the Canon SX500 IS has sizing of 104mm x 70mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 341 grams (0.75 lbs).

See the Canon SX270 HS and Canon SX500 IS in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the SX270 HS against the SX500 IS.

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SX270 HS and SX500 IS is 91 and 80 respectively.

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS top view buttons comparison

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizing simply by going over a spec sheet. The visual below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SX270 HS and SX500 IS.

Clearly, both cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You should anticipate the Canon SX500 IS to offer more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images much more aggressively. The younger SX270 HS provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS sensor size comparison

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX270 HS Portrait photography details
Canon SX500 IS Portrait photography details
34
you can focus manually
has face detection autofocus
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
46
has manual focus
above average flash sync (1/1,600 seconds)
good MP (16MP)
comes with face detection focus
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon SX270 HS
Street photography with Canon SX500 IS
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (233g)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX270 HS Sports photography advice
Canon SX500 IS Sports photography advice
36
great zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (4.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (210 per charge)
lack of phase detect autofocus
45
amazing zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (195 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX270 HS Travel photography info
Canon SX500 IS Travel photography info
61
lighter than competitors in class (233g)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
long zoom (500mm)
missing Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (210 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
60
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (195 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX270 HS Landscape photography information
Canon SX500 IS Landscape photography information
41
you can focus manually
rather wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
terrible battery power (210 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
46
has manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.4)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
not so great battery power (195 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX270 HS Vlogging advice
Canon SX500 IS Vlogging advice
34
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors in class (233g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone support
28
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
slow max aperture (f3.4)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Canon SX270 HS vs Canon SX500 IS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX270 HS and Canon SX500 IS
 Canon PowerShot SX270 HSCanon PowerShot SX500 IS
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Canon
Model type Canon PowerShot SX270 HS Canon PowerShot SX500 IS
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2013-03-21 2012-08-21
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 6 Digic 4
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
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 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 1
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-500mm (20.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.5-6.8 f/3.4-5.8
Macro focusing distance 5cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 461 thousand dots 461 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 15 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/3200 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 5.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/1600 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps) 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 233g (0.51 pounds) 341g (0.75 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 63 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3") 104 x 70 x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1")
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 195 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-6L NB-6L
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $284 $299