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Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500

Portability
80
Imaging
46
Features
34
Overall
41
Canon PowerShot SX420 IS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 front
Portability
91
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 Key Specs

Canon SX420 IS
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-1008mm (F3.5-6.6) lens
  • 325g - 104 x 69 x 85mm
  • Launched January 2016
Sony WX500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 236g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Succeeded the Sony WX350
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Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 Overview

Lets look closer at the Canon SX420 IS and Sony WX500, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by brands Canon and Sony. The resolution of the SX420 IS (20MP) and the WX500 (18MP) is very close and they come with the same exact sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SX420 IS was released 9 months later than the WX500 so they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Canon SX420 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the SX420 IS grades against the WX500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary

				

Reasons to pick Canon SX420 IS over the Sony WX500

 SX420 IS WX500 
RevealedJanuary 2016April 2015More recent by 9 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Canon SX420 IS

 WX500 SX420 IS 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Canon SX420 IS and Sony WX500

 SX420 IS WX500 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Canon SX420 IS has got exterior measurements of 104mm x 69mm x 85mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.3") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony WX500 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Canon SX420 IS and Sony WX500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the SX420 IS compared to the WX500.

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SX420 IS and WX500 is 80 and 91 respectively.

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through a spec sheet. The visual underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SX420 IS and WX500.

As you can see, both the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but different resolution. You should expect to see the Canon SX420 IS to result in greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a little more aggressively. The fresher SX420 IS provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 sensor size comparison

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SX420 IS
Portrait photography with Sony WX500
44
has manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
supports face detection focusing
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
39
resolution is good (18MP)
has face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon SX420 IS Street photography highlights
Sony WX500 Street photography highlights
52
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
69
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (236 grams)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX420 IS Sports photography factors
Sony WX500 Sports photography factors
41
excellent zoom range (24-1008mm 42.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
low frames per second (0.5 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
bad battery power (195 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
57
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
has tracking focus
better than average battery (360 per charge)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SX420 IS
Travel photography with Sony WX500
61
resolution is good (20MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
long reach (1008mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
bad battery power (195 CIPA)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
71
better than average battery (360 per charge)
lighter than competitors in class (236g)
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
great zoom (720mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX420 IS Landscape photography information
Sony WX500 Landscape photography information
47
has manual focus
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
bad battery power (195 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse function
49
fairly wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
better than average battery (360 shots)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon SX420 IS
Vlogging with Sony WX500
29
decently wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
35
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (236 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone port
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Canon SX420 IS vs Sony WX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX420 IS and Sony WX500
 Canon PowerShot SX420 ISSony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot SX420 IS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2016-01-05 2015-04-14
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 4+ Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5152 x 3864 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-1008mm (42.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Max aperture f/3.5-6.6 f/3.5-6.4
Macro focus range 0cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 0.5fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.00 m 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, flash on, slow synchro, flash off Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lb) 236g (0.52 lb)
Dimensions 104 x 69 x 85mm (4.1" x 2.7" x 3.3") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 195 images 360 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-11LH NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $299 $348