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Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c

Portability
80
Imaging
39
Features
40
Overall
39
Canon PowerShot SX500 IS front
 
Nikon Coolpix S800c front
Portability
93
Imaging
39
Features
40
Overall
39

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c Key Specs

Canon SX500 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
  • 341g - 104 x 70 x 80mm
  • Introduced August 2012
  • Renewed by Canon SX510 HS
Nikon S800c
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 184g - 111 x 60 x 27mm
  • Announced February 2013
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Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c Overview

Here is a detailed overview of the Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Canon and Nikon. The resolution of the SX500 IS (16MP) and the S800c (16MP) is fairly close and they come with the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SX500 IS was manufactured 5 months prior to the S800c so they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple view of how the SX500 IS grades vs the S800c in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Canon SX500 IS over the Nikon S800c

 SX500 IS S800c 
Focus manually More accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Nikon S800c over the Canon SX500 IS

 S800c SX500 IS 
Display sizing3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution819k461kCrisper display (+358k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Canon SX500 IS and Nikon S800c

 SX500 IS S800c 
AnnouncedAugust 2012February 2013Same generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Canon SX500 IS provides external measurements of 104mm x 70mm x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1") along with a weight of 341 grams (0.75 lbs) while the Nikon S800c has proportions of 111mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 184 grams (0.41 lbs).

Examine the Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the SX500 IS vs the S800c.

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the SX500 IS and S800c is 80 and 93 respectively.

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c top view buttons comparison

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by viewing technical specs. The graphic here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SX500 IS and S800c.

As you can tell, each of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing and the same exact megapixels so you should expect comparable quality of photos however you might want to factor the release date of the cameras into account.

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c sensor size comparison

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX500 IS as a Portrait photography camera
Nikon S800c as a Portrait photography camera
46
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/1,600s)
megapixel count good (16MP)
offers face detect autofocus
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
34
good MP (16 megapixels)
provides face detect focusing
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon SX500 IS Street photography details
Nikon S800c Street photography details
51
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX500 IS as a Sports photography camera
Nikon S800c as a Sports photography camera
44
long zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
low battery life (195 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (140 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon SX500 IS
Travel photography with Nikon S800c
59
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
low battery life (195 shots)
does not feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
65
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
bad battery power (140 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX500 IS Landscape photography features
Nikon S800c Landscape photography features
46
has manual focus
decently wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
low battery life (195 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
41
fairly wide (25mm)
bigger than average screen (3.5 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
manual mode not available
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
bad battery power (140 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX500 IS Vlogging factors
Nikon S800c Vlogging factors
28
decently wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.4)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone port
35
fairly wide (25mm)
touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of mic port
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Canon SX500 IS vs Nikon S800c Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX500 IS and Nikon S800c
 Canon PowerShot SX500 ISNikon Coolpix S800c
General Information
Company Canon Nikon
Model Canon PowerShot SX500 IS Nikon Coolpix S800c
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-08-21 2013-02-04
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 4 Expeed C2
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 1 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-720mm (30.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.4-5.8 f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus range 1cm 10cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3.5 inches
Display resolution 461k dot 819k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology TFT Color LCD OLED panel with Anti-reflection coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/1600 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 341g (0.75 lb) 184g (0.41 lb)
Dimensions 104 x 70 x 80mm (4.1" x 2.8" x 3.1") 111 x 60 x 27mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.1")
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 shots 140 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-6L EN-EL12
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (10 or 2 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $299 $290