Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A500

Its time to take a closer look at the Canon SX30 IS and Sony A500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Canon and Sony. The image resolution of the SX30 IS (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is pretty well matched but the SX30 IS (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SX30 IS was unveiled 13 months later than the A500 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Canon SX30 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SX30 IS matches up against the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SX30 IS & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are viewable at Canon SX30 IS Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Canon SX30 IS enjoys exterior dimensions of 123mm x 92mm x 108mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 4.3") accompanied by a weight of 601 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Canon SX30 IS and Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the SX30 IS against the A500.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SX30 IS and A500 is 64 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through specs. The photograph here may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SX30 IS and A500.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SX30 IS using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Canon SX30 IS will give you more detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The newer SX30 IS is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.