Canon SX280 HS vs Sony a5000

Lets look a little more closely at the Canon SX280 HS and Sony a5000, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Canon and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the SX280 HS (12MP) and a5000 (20MP) and the SX280 HS (1/2.3") and a5000 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The SX280 HS was brought out 9 months earlier than the a5000 so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Canon SX280 HS being a Compact camera and the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the SX280 HS scores against the a5000 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Canon PowerShot SX280 HS & Sony Alpha a5000. The entire galleries are viewable at Canon SX280 HS Gallery & Sony a5000 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and size. The Canon SX280 HS offers exterior measurements of 106mm x 63mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 233 grams (0.51 lbs) whilst the Sony a5000 has specifications of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Canon SX280 HS and Sony a5000 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the SX280 HS against the a5000.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SX280 HS and a5000 is 91 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading technical specs. The photograph underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SX280 HS and a5000.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SX280 HS due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony a5000 will offer greater detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images much more aggressively. The older SX280 HS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.