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Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11

Portability
69
Imaging
46
Features
44
Overall
45
Canon PowerShot SX540 HS front
 
Olympus SZ-11 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
37
Overall
37

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 Key Specs

Canon SX540 HS
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F3.4-6.5) lens
  • 442g - 120 x 82 x 92mm
  • Launched January 2016
Olympus SZ-11
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released July 2011
Photography Glossary

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Canon SX540 HS and Olympus SZ-11, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the SX540 HS (20MP) and SZ-11 (14MP) but they feature the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SX540 HS was unveiled 4 years after the SZ-11 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Canon SX540 HS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the SX540 HS grades vs the SZ-11 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX540 HS over the Olympus SZ-11

 SX540 HS SZ-11 
ReleasedJanuary 2016July 2011Newer by 55 months
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen resolution461k460kClearer screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-11 over the Canon SX540 HS

 SZ-11 SX540 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX540 HS and Olympus SZ-11

 SX540 HS SZ-11 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Canon SX540 HS has outer 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) while the Olympus SZ-11 has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Canon SX540 HS and Olympus SZ-11 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the SX540 HS versus the SZ-11.

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SX540 HS and SZ-11 is 69 and 89 respectively.

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reading specs. The picture here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX540 HS and SZ-11.

All in all, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You can expect the Canon SX540 HS to deliver greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger SX540 HS provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 sensor size comparison

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Portrait photography factors
Olympus SZ-11 Portrait photography factors
47
has manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
provides face detection autofocus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
33
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Street photography features
Olympus SZ-11 Street photography features
48
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon SX540 HS as a Sports photography camera
Olympus SZ-11 as a Sports photography camera
44
long zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
low fps (5.9 frames per second)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery (205 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
43
amazing zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
includes tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery (200 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Travel photography factors
Olympus SZ-11 Travel photography factors
56
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
very long zoom (1200mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery (205 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
65
lighter than competition in class (226g)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (500mm)
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (200 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX540 HS as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus SZ-11 as a Landscape photography camera
48
has manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
bad battery (205 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
40
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
manual focus not available
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
not so great battery (200 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX540 HS Vlogging factors
Olympus SZ-11 Vlogging factors
29
fairly wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of external microphone jack
31
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic socket
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Canon SX540 HS vs Olympus SZ-11 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX540 HS and Olympus SZ-11
 Canon PowerShot SX540 HSOlympus SZ-11
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Olympus
Model Canon PowerShot SX540 HS Olympus SZ-11
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2016-01-05 2011-07-27
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 6 TruePic III+
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 3200 1600
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-1200mm (50.0x) 25-500mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.4-6.5 f/3.0-6.9
Macro focus distance 0cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 461 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.9 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.50 m (at Auto ISO) 9.30 m (@ ISO 1600)
Flash settings Auto, on, off, slow synchro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
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 442g (0.97 pounds) 226g (0.50 pounds)
Dimensions 120 x 82 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 3.6") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
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 205 images 200 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-6LH LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $399 $253