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Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57

Portability
81
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36
Canon PowerShot SX400 IS front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 Key Specs

Canon SX400 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
  • 313g - 104 x 69 x 80mm
  • Launched July 2014
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Released September 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A55
  • Renewed by Sony A58
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Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SX400 IS (16MP) and the A57 (16MP) is very close but the SX400 IS (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The SX400 IS was unveiled 23 months later than the A57 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Canon SX400 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SX400 IS matches up versus the A57 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX400 IS over the Sony A57

 SX400 IS A57 
ReleasedJuly 2014September 2012More recent by 23 months

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Canon SX400 IS

 A57 SX400 IS 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Canon SX400 IS and Sony A57

 SX400 IS A57 
Display size3"3"Same display size
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Canon SX400 IS comes with outer measurements of 104mm x 69mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.1") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

See the Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the SX400 IS against the A57.

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SX400 IS and A57 is 81 and 64 respectively.

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the difference in sensor measurements only by viewing specs. The visual here should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SX400 IS and A57.

All in all, the two cameras feature the identical megapixel count but different sensor measurements. The SX400 IS offers the smaller sensor which should make getting shallow DOF more challenging. The more modern SX400 IS should have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Portrait photography information
Sony A57 Portrait photography information
35
good megapixels (16MP)
provides face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
74
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon SX400 IS
Street photography with Sony A57
52
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
75
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Sports photography information
Sony A57 Sports photography information
42
incredible zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery pack (190 per charge)
lacks phase detect auto focus
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Travel photography info
Sony A57 Travel photography info
60
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
long zoom (720mm)
no Time Lapse mode
low battery pack (190 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.4)
67
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Landscape photography info
Sony A57 Landscape photography info
40
quite wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.4)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
low battery pack (190 CIPA)
no Time Lapse mode
72
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX400 IS Vlogging advice
Sony A57 Vlogging advice
28
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focus
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.4)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic jack
77
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external microphone support
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Canon SX400 IS vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX400 IS and Sony A57
 Canon PowerShot SX400 ISSony SLT-A57
General Information
Make Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot SX400 IS Sony SLT-A57
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2014-07-29 2012-09-13
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 4+ -
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 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 16000
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
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 24-720mm (30.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.4-5.8 -
Macro focus range 0cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, on, off, slow synchro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313g (0.69 lbs) 618g (1.36 lbs)
Physical dimensions 104 x 69 x 80mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.1") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 75
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.0
DXO Low light score not tested 785
Other
Battery life 190 pictures 550 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-11LH NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $229 $1,000