Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55
64 Imaging
37 Features
42 Overall
39


67 Imaging
55 Features
80 Overall
65
Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-840mm (F2.7-5.8) lens
- 601g - 123 x 92 x 108mm
- Launched September 2010
- Previous Model is Canon SX20 IS
- Updated by Canon SX40 HS
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Introduced August 2010
- Renewed by Sony A57

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55 Overview
Below is a complete overview of the Canon SX30 IS versus Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Canon and Sony. The resolution of the SX30 IS (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the SX30 IS (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

The SX30 IS was launched very close to the A55 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Canon SX30 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a short introduction of how the SX30 IS scores against the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX30 IS & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are provided at Canon SX30 IS Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon SX30 IS over the Sony A55
SX30 IS | A55 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Canon SX30 IS
A55 | SX30 IS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+691k dot) |
Common features in the Canon SX30 IS and Sony A55
SX30 IS | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2010 | ![]() | August 2010 | Same age |
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fully Articulated | Fully Articulated display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Both good for selfies | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither includes Touch display |
Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison
When you are looking to lug around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon SX30 IS features exterior measurements of 123mm x 92mm x 108mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 4.3") having a weight of 601 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
See the Canon SX30 IS versus Sony A55 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the SX30 IS vs the A55.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX30 IS and A55 is 64 and 67 respectively.

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing specifications. The graphic below will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SX30 IS and A55.
Plainly, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SX30 IS because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh harder and the Sony A55 will provide more detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images much more aggressively.

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX30 IS vs Sony A55 Specifications
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS | Sony SLT-A55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Canon | Sony |
Model | Canon PowerShot SX30 IS | Sony SLT-A55 |
Class | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level DSLR |
Launched | 2010-09-14 | 2010-08-24 |
Body design | SLR-like (bridge) | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Digic 4 | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4320 x 3240 | 4912 x 3264 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Max boosted ISO | - | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | 15 |
Cross focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens focal range | 24-840mm (35.0x) | - |
Largest aperture | f/2.7-5.8 | - |
Macro focus range | 0cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 143 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fully Articulated | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dot | 921 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150 thousand dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 15 secs | 30 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/3200 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 1.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 6.80 m | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 601g (1.32 lbs) | 500g (1.10 lbs) |
Dimensions | 123 x 92 x 108mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 4.3") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | not tested | 73 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.0 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.4 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 816 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 380 shots |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | NB-7L | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Retail pricing | $400 | $800 |