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Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X

Portability
69
Imaging
46
Features
44
Overall
45
Canon PowerShot SX540 HS front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1X front
Portability
54
Imaging
62
Features
93
Overall
74

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X Key Specs

Canon SX540 HS
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F3.4-6.5) lens
  • 442g - 120 x 82 x 92mm
  • Revealed January 2016
Olympus E-M1X
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 997g - 144 x 147 x 75mm
  • Launched January 2019
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M1 II
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Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X Overview

In this article, we are reviewing the Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Canon and Olympus. The resolution of the SX540 HS (20MP) and the E-M1X (20MP) is very comparable but the SX540 HS (1/2.3") and E-M1X (Four Thirds) enjoy different sensor size.

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The SX540 HS was released 4 years before the E-M1X and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Canon SX540 HS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the SX540 HS scores against the E-M1X when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX540 HS over the Olympus E-M1X

 SX540 HS E-M1X 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1X over the Canon SX540 HS

 E-M1X SX540 HS 
LaunchedJanuary 2019January 2016Fresher by 37 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k461kClearer display (+576k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Canon SX540 HS and Olympus E-M1X

 SX540 HS E-M1X 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Canon SX540 HS provides exterior dimensions of 120mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) and the Olympus E-M1X has measurements of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") along with a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs).

See the Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the SX540 HS compared to the E-M1X.

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SX540 HS and E-M1X is 69 and 54 respectively.

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X top view buttons comparison

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing only by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SX540 HS and E-M1X.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact megapixels but different sensor sizing. The SX540 HS includes the smaller sensor which will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier. The older SX540 HS will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X sensor size comparison

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Portrait photography factors
Olympus E-M1X Portrait photography factors
47
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has face detect focusing
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
77
focusing manually
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Street photography advice
Olympus E-M1X Street photography advice
48
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
67
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
weather sealing
very good ISO range (25,600)
more heavy than competitors (997g)
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Sports photography details
Olympus E-M1X Sports photography details
44
amazing zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
low fps (5.9 frames/s)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (205 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
81
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
good battery (870 shots)
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX540 HS as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-M1X as a Travel photography camera
56
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (24mm)
very long reach (1200mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
terrible battery life (205 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
68
good battery (870 per charge)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
more heavy than competitors (997 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX540 HS as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-M1X as a Landscape photography camera
48
has manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
terrible battery life (205 shots)
does not have Time Lapse mode
80
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
good battery (870 per charge)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Vlogging details
Olympus E-M1X Vlogging details
29
rather wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
does not have selfie friendly screen
does not have mic jack
68
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
has microphone port
more heavy than competitors (997 grams)
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Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus E-M1X Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX540 HS and Olympus E-M1X
 Canon PowerShot SX540 HSOlympus OM-D E-M1X
General Information
Brand Name Canon Olympus
Model type Canon PowerShot SX540 HS Olympus OM-D E-M1X
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2016-01-05 2019-01-24
Body design SLR-like (bridge) SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 6 Dual TruePic VIII
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 121
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens zoom range 24-1200mm (50.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.4-6.5 -
Macro focusing distance 0cm -
Total lenses - 107
Crop factor 5.8 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 461 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.9fps 60.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.50 m (at Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, on, off, slow synchro Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), manual
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (USB-PD allows charging by laptop or external power bank)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 442 grams (0.97 lb) 997 grams (2.20 lb)
Dimensions 120 x 82 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 3.6") 144 x 147 x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 205 pictures 870 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Built-in
Battery ID NB-6LH -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots Single Two
Pricing at launch $399 $2,999