Canon SX280 HS vs Sony HX99

Its time to look a little more closely at the Canon SX280 HS and Sony HX99, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by rivals Canon and Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the SX280 HS (12MP) and HX99 (18MP) and the SX280 HS (1/2.3") and HX99 (1/2.3-inch) have totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The SX280 HS was unveiled 6 years before the HX99 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the SX280 HS matches up against the HX99 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX280 HS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99. The full galleries are viewable at Canon SX280 HS Gallery & Sony HX99 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and measurements. The Canon SX280 HS has physical measurements of 106mm x 63mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 233 grams (0.51 lbs) while the Sony HX99 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 242 grams (0.53 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SX280 HS and Sony HX99 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the SX280 HS vs the HX99.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX280 HS and HX99 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizing merely by checking specs. The graphic below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the SX280 HS and HX99.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SX280 HS using its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony HX99 will resolve more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The older SX280 HS is going to be behind in sensor technology.